After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Consort Jin's face was pale, and there were bloodstains at the corners of her eyes from where she had been scratched by a hairpin. Her face, which had just been arrogant and domineering, now looked rather pitiful.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! It was Lu Zhiyuan who conspired with this maid from Southern Chu to frame me!"

"A conspiracy to frame someone?" The Emperor gritted his teeth in anger, pointing at Consort Jin: "Consort Jin, do you want to listen to what you're saying? Let's not even talk about how Yuan'er is only eight years old and has never met this maid from Southern Chu. Even if they did know each other, why would they want to harm you? What good would it do them if they killed you?"

Consort Jin trembled, pursed her lips, and dared not utter a sound.

She couldn't very well tell the Emperor that A'Luo resented her because she hadn't treated Xiao Yebai well, and that Lu Zhiyuan framed her because she wanted to avenge her niece. To say it would be tantamount to admitting that she was the mastermind behind the fire at Ronghua Palace.

I was sweating profusely, and the bloodstains at the corners of my eyes stung with a sharp pain.

"Your Majesty, killing me would bring them no benefit, but for those behind them, it would be like removing a thorn from their side." Consort Jin prostrated herself on the ground: "In another six months, it will be the date of the agreement between Northern Liang and Southern Chu."

The agreed-upon date?

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Liu Ying, who explained that in another six months, the hostages from Southern Chu and Northern Liang would return to their respective courts. In other words, Consort Jin's son was coming back! The Xie family army was stationed in the southern border, and Consort Jin's son-in-law was stationed in the northern border. Once Consort Jin's son returned to court, the situation in the court would definitely change.

Before Consort Jin could finish speaking, the Emperor glanced at the Empress and subconsciously connected the matter with her.

“Your Majesty, Consort Jin’s words are all her own delusions.” Lu Zhiyuan walked up to the Emperor. “I entered the palace by imperial decree. I did not know Miss A’luo before entering the palace. However, after entering the palace, I was taken care of by that nanny and assigned to Ronghua Palace. I inquired with Her Highness the Princess and learned that the nanny was from Jinxiu Palace, and the mistress of Jinxiu Palace is Consort Jin.”

The Emperor's lips twitched, and he asked, "What does Yuan'er want to say to me?"

"I have no grudge against Consort Jin. Even if I did, she wouldn't hold a grudge against a mere maid like me. It's Consort Jin's niece who has some misunderstanding with my mother." Lu Zhiyuan stared with innocent eyes: "Miss Fang, oh no, now I should call her Madam Jiang. Your Majesty may not know, but Madam Jiang is not in love with her husband, but with the Empress's younger brother, Physician Jiang, my mother's close friend."

The Emperor frowned: "If you like Physician Jiang, why did you marry Jiang Yuntian? And what does this have to do with your mother?"

Lu Zhiyuan noticed a hint of unease on Consort Jin's face: "Young Madam Jiang and Young Master Jiang were forced into marriage. On the day of the incident, Young Madam Jiang threatened to hang herself to coerce Imperial Physician Jiang into visiting her at the Fang residence. Coincidentally, Imperial Physician Jiang was at the General's residence discussing sending medicine to the soldiers on the border with my mother, and he instructed the Jiang family's steward to refuse the Fang family's request. I don't know what the Fang family said to Young Madam Jiang, which led her to the idea of ​​knocking Imperial Physician Jiang unconscious and forcing her into marriage. Perhaps the Fang family's servants didn't hear clearly and kidnapped the wrong person, which is how Young Madam Jiang and Young Master Jiang came to be."

Lu Zhiyuan pursed her lips: "Before the marriage between Young Madam Jiang and Young Master Jiang, they went to my mother. It seems that they blamed my mother for this marriage that happened by chance. Unfortunately, my mother went to the border, and I happened to enter the palace. So Young Madam Jiang went to Consort Jin and asked her to avenge her."

Lu Zhiyuan stepped aside, and a young palace maid emerged. Judging from the color of her clothes, she belonged to the Jinxiu Palace. Without raising her head, she prostrated herself on the ground and said tremblingly, "This servant, Caixuan, is a tea-serving lady-in-waiting at the Jinxiu Palace. The day before Miss Lu entered the palace, the young mistress of the Jiang family visited her. This servant overheard that the young mistress of the Jiang family asked Your Highness to teach Miss Lu a lesson, saying that she wanted to let Madam Xie also experience the pain of losing a beloved person."

The young palace maid rolled up her sleeves: "It's just because I glanced up when Madam Jiang was saying those words to Her Highness that Her Highness beat me like this."

"You wretched servant, how dare you frame me in front of His Majesty!" Consort Jin was furious, her features distorted. "Your Majesty, this wretched servant must be holding a grudge because of my punishment and is deliberately trying to swindle me. I punished her because she broke the glass cup that His Majesty gave me, not because she overheard what I said to Zhi'er."

The palace maid shook her head: "This servant did not. This servant has never seen any glass cup, let alone broken Your Highness's glass cup."

"You lowly servant girl, would I, Consort Jin, falsely accuse you!" Consort Jin pointed at the little palace maid: "Speak, who instructed you to frame me!"

“Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, these glass cups were gifts from foreign lands, two in total. One was given to me, and the other to my sister Consort Jin, to compensate her for the pain of being separated from her son. However, I remember that Consort Jin’s glass cup was broken on New Year’s Eve three years ago. Your Majesty and I were both present, and the tea served was not this one.”

The Empress walked up to the young palace maid: "Your name is Caixuan? How old are you? Were you serving in Jinxiu Palace on New Year's Eve three years ago?"

The young palace maid lowered her head and spoke softly, yet her voice was clearly audible.

Caixuan was fifteen years old when she entered the palace two years ago, and was promoted to tea-serving maid half a year ago. Three years ago, she was still in her hometown of Yiyang and had not yet entered the palace, so it was impossible for her to break Consort Jin's glass cup.

The Emperor first kicked Consort Jin, then slapped her after she got up. Consort Jin, still undeterred, vowed to drag everyone before her down with her. She claimed it was a slip of the tongue, mistaking a glass bottle for a glass cup, but Princess Ping Le exposed her, saying the glass bottle bestowed upon her by the Emperor was still safely displayed in her palace. She explained that she was thirsty on her way there and stopped by Jinxiu Palace for a drink of water. By sheer coincidence, she saw the bottle.

Consort Jin was so angry that her face turned pale. She finally realized how Caixuan dared to accuse her in front of His Majesty.

Behind her were the Empress and Princess Pingle.

The Empress Dowager remained calm and kindly reminded Consort Jin, "There are some things you should think carefully before you say, lest you displease His Majesty and bring disaster upon the Fang family."

Consort Jin glared at her resentfully, gritting her teeth as she said, "Your Majesty the Empress has truly remarkable methods; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority!"

"I'm a little confused by what Consort Jin said." The Empress beckoned with her hand. "It is His Majesty's will to let Yuan'er enter the palace! General Xie has been stationed in the southern border of Beiliang for decades. Xie Chaoyun followed her father into the army and also made great contributions to the southern border. Now she has volunteered to go to the border to guard it. As General Xie's granddaughter and Xie Chaoyun's only daughter, Lu Zhiyuan should be treated well by the royal family."

The Empress bowed to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, in your wisdom, I have arranged for Yuan'er to stay in Shuanghua Palace. Although Shuanghua Palace is not as spacious as Ronghua Palace, it is cleaned daily and is closer to Ping Le, making it convenient for the two of them to play together. In addition, I have also arranged for Yuan'er to be Ping Le's study companion, and she will go to the academy with Ping Le later. These are the accounts from the Imperial Household Department that I had someone fetch. Two days ago, I had everything arranged in Shuanghua Palace. If Ping Le had not informed me, I would not have known that someone had interfered and falsely claimed to have Your Majesty's will, placing Yuan'er here."

The Emperor casually flipped through the book and threw it at Consort Jin's face.