I insist

Chapter 366: Discovery

After hearing the Emperor's words, the ministers dared not speak again.

Consort Li was released as she wished, but she became much more restrained, finally realizing that her power was weak and she could not hold her ground in the palace.

Their desire to conceive a dragon prince or adopt a prince grew even stronger.

Although Consort Li was released, she could only stand in a corner because of her lowly status, which was a kind of torture for her.

The emperor never once looked at her from beginning to end.

After the ceremony, Song Miqiu left, citing illness. Such a lively occasion only made her miss Yu Huailin more.

Not long after returning to the tent, Makoto appeared.

I haven't seen you for the past two days, where have you been?

Ming Taicheng smiled without saying a word and walked into Song Miqiu's tent without any politeness.

He only started talking after he sat down.

"You have no idea how many precious medicinal herbs are on the mountain where this sacrificial ceremony is held. Things that are usually impossible to find are abundant here."

Song Miqiu laughed immediately after hearing this, "No wonder people call you the strange doctor, it seems that all you can think of in your head is medicine and medicine."

Instead of refuting it, Mingtai Makoto shamelessly admitted it.

"So what if that's just how I am? You should be grateful to have a master like me."

He took a sip of water and inquired about Song Miqiu's affairs over the past two days.

"Have you been staying in the tent obediently while I was away these past two days? Don't forget that Yu Huailin entrusted you to me when we left the palace."

Song Miqiu decided not to tell Ming Taicheng what had happened in the past two days, since it was all in the past anyway.

"It's all very peaceful. The only thing that happened was that the Seventh Prince came to see me. That's all."

Song Miqiu blurted out the words before realizing his mistake.

As expected, Ming Taicheng's expression changed instantly.

"Didn't I tell you not to have any contact with the Seventh Prince? Why didn't you listen and still get so close to him?"

Seeing that Ming Taicheng was so angry, Song Miqiu stopped hiding it and simply told him everything that had happened.

After hearing this, Ming Taicheng's expression finally improved.

“This time I didn’t think things through. If I hadn’t gone to gather herbs, you wouldn’t have had to face all of this alone.”

Seeing Ming Taicheng's remorseful expression, Song Miqiu also felt guilty.

"It's alright, it's all in the past now. I'll just not get so close to the Seventh Prince in the future."

Despite saying that, Song Miqiu was still puzzled as to why Ming Taicheng was so hostile to the Seventh Prince.

Song Miqiu mustered up her courage and asked.

Why do you dislike the Seventh Prince so much?

Ming Taicheng is clearly running away.

"Don't ask anymore."

"Knowing this will do you no good at all."

Song Miqiu didn't want things to remain unclear, and wondered if it was related to the Seventh Prince's ruthless killing.

"Have you seen the Seventh Prince's true face?"

After Song Miqiu finished speaking, Ming Taicheng immediately turned to look at her.

He gestured for her to stop talking and looked around very warily.

They only relaxed after confirming that no one was around.

"How did you know?"

The two reached a consensus that Hu's voice had become much softer.

Seeing that Song Miqiu also knew quite a bit, Ming Taicheng stopped hiding it from her.

"That's why I stay away from him. I'm afraid you might get into danger someday."

"You can rest assured this time. I will be careful in my dealings with the Seventh Prince."

Song Miqiu responded to him in the same way.

And so, the knot in their hearts regarding the Seventh Prince was finally untied.

Ming Taicheng then recalled what Song Miqiu had just said about Consort Li.

"You shouldn't interfere in Consort Li's affairs anymore. I doubt she'll bother you for a while. Her current predicament is entirely her own doing, so you don't need to feel guilty about it."

Afterwards, the two chatted briefly about other things, and gradually it got dark.

Ming Taicheng then returned to his residence.

The sacrificial ceremony ended at dawn the next day.

Fortunately, it ended smoothly without any unexpected problems.

The Emperor seemed to be in a good mood. He was not saddened by the loss of Consort Li, who already had three thousand beauties in his harem.

"Everyone has worked hard at this sacrificial ceremony. They will all be rewarded when they return to the palace."

The emperor's words caused quite a stir.

Only then did they embark on their journey back to the palace.

Consort Li has been demoted to the rank of concubine, so her treatment is naturally very different from before.

She complained about the sedan chair she rode in on the way back, and even though she was at the very back of the procession, she still insisted on going to see the Emperor.

"I want to see the Emperor. If the Emperor finds out how you've treated me, your heads will roll."

The eunuchs weren't buying it; they had long seen through that Consort Li could never return to her former glory.

"I say, Consort Li, you'd better behave for a while. If you disturb the Emperor, who knows whose head will fall first?"

Consort Li was furious that a mere eunuch dared to speak to her like that.

She was seen leaning against the small window, cursing loudly at the eunuch.

"You damned eunuch, just you wait. Wait till I get back to the palace and see how I deal with you."

The young eunuch remained calm.

"I think you should save your breath. The Emperor is currently serving Consort Xiao. You've probably been forgotten by him long ago."

Consort Li could hardly believe it, and before she could say anything, the eunuch rudely pulled the curtain down.

“You don’t need to pay attention to what Consort Li says lately because she’s not feeling well, but you must not let her disturb the Emperor. You all need to remember that.”

After saying this, the young eunuch walked away.

Song Miqiu watched the whole show from the sidelines, and after it was over, she returned to her sedan chair and took a satisfying nap.

When I woke up, it was almost dark.

Just as the Emperor was about to return to the palace in his sedan chair, the Empress Dowager's spies had already relayed the news back to the palace.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Consort Li has been demoted to a concubine by the Emperor, and has been spoiled."

The Empress Dowager could hardly believe her ears.

The Empress Dowager went to great lengths to ensure that the Empress did not attend the sacrificial ceremony, but instead sent Consort Li instead.

How could such a thing happen?

"Did Consort Li do something? Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't be so angry."

Since the Empress Dowager had already asked the question, the guards had no choice but to speak frankly.

After hearing the whole story, the Empress Dowager became even angrier.

"Consort Li is absolutely audacious!"

It should be noted that it was the Empress Dowager who brought Consort Li into the palace, and it was the Empress Dowager who gradually elevated Consort Li to her current status.

Without the Empress Dowager and Consort Li, she would have been nothing more than a lowly maidservant.

The Empress Dowager did this simply so that she could have someone to rival the Empress in the future.

"I was blind. After Consort Li enters the palace, I will have her come to my palace."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was emotionally unstable, Granny Hong stepped forward and gently massaged her.

"Your Majesty, do you not trust the people you have chosen? This old servant believes that someone must have tampered with them."

The Empress Dowager was too busy being angry to think things through, but after hearing what Granny Hong said, it does seem like such a possibility.