Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Ning Weizhi watched coldly, thinking that Du Shiniang was indeed bold, daring to scheme against the Emperor. However, since the Emperor had agreed to release Lin Chong, he would just do as he was told, so that Pan Jinghe wouldn't have to visit Lin Chong in the Dali Temple prison every day, causing him to become extremely jealous. He couldn't stand that sour taste.

Seeing that Du Shiniang had achieved her goal of saving Lin Chong, Gao Can secretly coughed lightly, signaling Du Shiniang not to forget her promise to save Zhang Ruowen. Du Shiniang glanced at Gao Can, then fearlessly pleaded with Emperor Huizong again: "Your Majesty, I have one more thing to ask of you."

"Oh? Shi Niang has done a great service today, helping my beloved concubine. What crime has she committed? Tell me." Emperor Huizong looked at Du Shiniang with a puzzled expression, then teased, "Stand up and speak first. Kneeling for too long will hurt your knees, and General Zhou will be heartbroken!"

Zhou Chengquan quickly stepped forward to help Du Shiniang up. Du Shiniang bowed and put on a guilty look, saying to Emperor Huizong, "A few days ago, I misunderstood Zhang Ruowen, the manager of Zixiang Pavilion, saying that he was a spy for the Wolf King's faction in the Jin Dynasty, and had General Zhou arrest him and send him to the Dali Temple. Later, I found out that I had misunderstood Zhang Ruowen. Please forgive my foolishness, Your Majesty! Quickly have Lord Ning release this man."

"Isn't Du Shiniang always clever and quick-witted? I never thought she would make such a foolish mistake. I've certainly seen something new today. Heh heh!" Emperor Huizong stared at Du Shiniang with a scrutinizing gaze, his words full of sarcasm. His last two cold laughs sent chills down everyone's spines.

Upon hearing Du Shiniang's words, Chen Jinhuan naturally guessed that she must have secretly conspired with Gao Can to rescue Zhang Ruowen. Of course, she would cooperate, so she coquettishly grabbed Emperor Huizong's shoulder and gently shook it, saying, "Your Majesty, I think Sister Du knows her mistakes and can correct them, so please don't make things difficult for her, okay?"

Emperor Huizong gently lifted Chen Jinhuan's delicate chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. Chen Jinhuan quickly blinked, her eyes sparkling with affection that reached Emperor Huizong's heart. Emperor Huizong's lips curved into a smile, and he said to Chen Jinhuan in a doting tone, "Of course I will let Du Shiniang go for the sake of my beloved concubine."

"But the assassination of the Jin envoy is a matter of concern to the relationship between the Song and Jin states. The Jin people send people to the palace every day to inquire about the progress of the investigation. If I release the suspects Lin Chong and Zhang Ruowen, how can I explain this to the Jin state?" Emperor Huizong said this with his eyes wide open, scanning the ministers Ning Weizhi, Gao Can, Zhou Chengquan, and others. His tone carried the unquestionable power of an emperor.

The Imperial Study fell silent. Everyone knew that answering the Emperor's question incorrectly could be a matter of life and death, and no one dared to speak up. Ning Weizhi, adept at weighing the pros and cons, had long seen through Du Shiniang's true purpose in entering the palace today—not simply to present the treasure map to help Consort Luo change her fate, but also to save Lin Chong and Zhang Ruowen.

Zhang Ruowen is the Wolf King's adopted son. Du Shiniang's retraction of her previous testimony today indicates that she also knows that Gao Qiu and his son are colluding with the Wolf King. The Wolf King's power in the capital cannot be destroyed overnight. The clever and shrewd Du Shiniang chose to compromise with Gao Qiu to save Zhang Ruowen. She might as well do them a favor; after all, she and Ning Zhanyan had already discussed finding a suitable scapegoat.

Just as everyone fell silent, a young eunuch outside the imperial study suddenly announced loudly, "Consort Xian has arrived!" Emperor Huizong immediately sat upright on his dragon throne, with Chen Jinhuan standing beside him, her expression solemn. Consort Xian, dressed in a magnificent imperial robe and adorned with jewels, calmly entered the imperial study. Chen Ge stood behind her without uttering a word, his expression respectful.

Seeing this, Emperor Huizong guessed what was going on. With the Empress and Consort Hui backing up Consort Xian, he figured Chen Ge, as the commander of the Imperial Guards, wouldn't dare to bring Consort Xian to him by force. Thinking of the women in his harem, their daily squabbles and jealousies giving him a headache, he felt Consort Luo was different. Since entering the palace, although she had suffered contempt and suppression from the Empress and other concubines, she seemed calm and collected, never making a fuss, never fighting or vying for anything, her maturity heartbreaking. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but gently squeeze Consort Luo's hand under his desk.

Consort Luo, Chen Jinhuan, almost cried out in surprise. She pursed her lips and exchanged a glance with Emperor Huizong, as if pleading with him not to take liberties with her at such a time, when so many ministers and palace servants were watching them. Emperor Huizong understood Consort Luo's concerns, but he wasn't unwilling to let go. However, he still questioned Consort Xian, saying, "Consort Xian, do you know your crime?"

Before arriving, Consort Xian had already learned from Chen Ge why Emperor Huizong wanted to see her, but she wasn't afraid because she had the Left Chancellor and Consort Hui protecting her. Consort Hui had given birth to three princesses, but none of them could produce a prince, and Consort Xian had promised that if she gave birth to a prince, her son would be raised under Consort Hui's name. Therefore, she wasn't afraid of Consort Luo, nor was she afraid of Gao Qiu and his son.

Consort Xian knew that Du Shiniang, Ning Weizhi, and others had already investigated Zhang Liang, but she felt that Gao Can was guilty of withholding information about what happened back then. If they didn't help her, she would drag Gao Can down with her. Besides, she heard from a young eunuch that Zhang Liang had been seriously injured by an assassin that day and probably wouldn't dare to implicate her.

Thinking of this, Consort Xian smiled and said to Emperor Huizong in a coquettish tone, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I do not know any Zhang Liang. I knew nothing about my sister being framed during the selection of concubines. If I had known, I would definitely have helped her."

"Help me? My dear sister, I advise you not to put on an act in front of the Emperor. Lord Ning has already presented Zhang Liang's confession to the Emperor. Do you need to go over his testimony with him in court again so that you can kill him to silence him again?" Chen Jinhuan glared at Consort Xian with a sarcastic tone.

Emperor Huizong quickly squeezed Chen Jinhuan's hand and soothed her gently, saying, "Consort Luo, you don't need to intervene. I will uphold justice for you." He then turned his face away, his expression immediately shifting to one of fury, and glared fiercely at Consort Xian, saying sternly:

"Chen Jinyan, you are truly vicious! Just a few days ago, you even tried to seduce me by claiming to resemble Consort Luo. I was blind to fall for it and promoted you. Now I will never look at you again. Guards, take Consort Xian to the Imperial Clan Court to await Lord Ning's judgment!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Xian immediately burst into heart-wrenching sobs, crying out to Emperor Huizong, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Please, Your Majesty, investigate this matter thoroughly!" After crying for a while, seeing that Emperor Huizong ignored her and didn't even glance at her, she turned to Gao Can, grabbed his sleeve, and pleaded, "Lord Gao, you must help me get justice! I am truly innocent!"

Gao Can awkwardly gave Consort Xian a slight smirk, but didn't say a word in her defense. Seeing that Gao Can didn't want to talk to her, Consort Xian pulled up her sleeve to cover her face, leaned close to Gao Can's ear, and threatened him in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Lord Gao, I was once a pawn in your palace. If you abandon me, I will tell the Emperor all the dirty things I did for you."

“Chen Jinyan, do you think His Majesty will still believe your words now? Besides, you’ve already gone from being a black piece to a white piece. Do you think I’ll still protect you? Your sister is currently in His Majesty’s favor. She will help me because she is the new pawn that will replace you.” The advisor gave Chen Jinyan a sinister look, then turned and left to sit next to Ning Weizhi.

At this moment, two guards rushed up from the left and right to pull Chen Jinyan away, trying to take her away aggressively. Chen Jinyan was so frightened that her face turned pale, and the hairpins and ornaments on her head were in disarray. She simply sat down on the ground and made a scene, repeatedly shouting that she was innocent.