Jiang Shuyi gave it some thought and found Yuzhu’s words reasonable.

  With Jinzhu’s temperament, she really was capable of doing such things.

  But removing a pace maid already registered in the imperial system wasn’t so simple. Unless they committed a grave offense and were expelled, they had to serve in five-year terms—five years in, five years out.

  The next scheduled release of pace maids wouldn’t be for another two years.

  Jiang Shuyi pondered aloud, “Let’s wait. If she truly refuses to change, I’ll make other arrangements for her.”

  With that, she personally helped Yuzhu up and smiled.

  “No need to kneel so easily anymore. You may be more at ease in private. I used to misjudge people, but now that I see you’re better than Jinzhu, I’ll be sure to cherish you properly.”

  Yuzhu bowed her head shyly.

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Jiang Shuyi had expected Jiang Wanqing to come storming in today about the pace reassignment—but surprisingly, she didn’t.

  Suspicious, she sent Wang Shun to inquire—and soon learned the reason.

  The Empress had kept Jiang Wanqing behind for a long talk in her pace, joined by Wu Guifei, Shufei, and others. They only let her go near sundown and even showered her with gifts—fabrics and jewelry in abundance.

  Today, all the new concubines had been nervously hoping to be chosen first for the imperial bed, and Jiang Wanqing was no exception. Afraid to miss her chance, and with nightfall approaching, she no longer had the energy to confront her dear sister.

  But Jiang Shuyi knew: tonight, Pei Yan wouldn’t summon anyone.

  And tomorrow morning, he would issue an imperial decree, punishing Qiu Daying for her disrespect toward the Empress Dowager in front of all the pace consorts.

  In her previous life, Qiu Daying—frail as she was—died on the spot from the caning.

  The newly entered concubines, witnessing such bloodshed so soon after arriving, had been horrified. They no longer saw the emperor as a gentle, benevolent ruler. Fearing they’d be next, several of the more timid ones had gone to the Internal Affairs Bureau to feign illness and request their name pques be removed.

  Jiang Shuyi hadn’t witnessed it firsthand in her previous life. That morning, Cheng Shouzhong had come to her with a smile, saying His Majesty wanted to inspect her lessons and had excused her from the morning meeting.

  She’d been puzzled at the time—after giving birth to Pei Yu, she hadn’t been in the mood for studying cssics or poetry. Why test her on her “studies”?

  Only ter did she realize Pei Yan simply hadn’t wanted her to witness the bloodshed.

  And now, by another twist of fate, she had once again been excused—this time for three days, because of her “nightmare.”

  Jiang Shuyi couldn’t help but feel a flicker of unease.

  If even these little events were pying out exactly the same… would she still end up dying at Jiang Wanqing’s hands again?

  Anxious and uncertain, she couldn’t decide whether she should act first—take the initiative and eliminate her dear sister now.

  Because she’d napped during the day and had so much weighing on her mind, Jiang Shuyi y awake the entire night. Only as morning light crept in did she begin to feel drowsy.

  ____

  At Kunning Pace, all the concubines had already gathered.

  Seeing the empty seat below Shufei, Lin Changzai whispered to Zhou Meiren, “Elder Sister, that especially beautiful consort from yesterday—why isn’t she here today?”

  Zhou Meiren gave a helpless smile and whispered back, “I entered the pace just like you. If you don’t know, how would I?”

  Lin Changzai looked a bit disappointed.

  “But you recognized Jiang Guiren and Wen Guiren, so I thought you’d know all the consorts already.”

  Unlike the curious newcomers, the old-timers who’d come from the prince's estate under Pei Yan—led by Wu Guifei—were already used to this sort of drama.

  “She was all high and mighty with the Empress yesterday, and now she’s too ‘sick’ to get out of bed? Who’d believe that?” Wu Guifei scoffed.

  Shufei smiled.

  “She does this every few days. Why bother letting it bother you, Wu Guifei? But Jiang Guiren—”

  She shifted the topic with a smile and turned to Jiang Wanqing.

  “You mustn’t learn from your sister.”

  Jiang Wanqing immediately froze.

  She couldn’t help but feel resentment. Her sister knew she had entered the pace. How could she not show up today? Didn’t she realize it would make everyone talk?

  Forcing a panicked expression, she stammered, “Your Highness is joking. I wouldn’t dare to do that. I'm sure my sister didn't mean anything by it. At home, she always showed respect for our mother and elder sisters.”

  The “mother” she spoke of was her stepmother.

  Wu Guifei let out a cold ugh and spoke before Shu Fei could: “Is that the same? Back home, your sister was kept in line by your parents, of course, she had to act meek. Now, with the Emperor’s favor backing her, there’s nothing she wouldn’t dare to do.”

  Jealousy surged in Jiang Wanqing’s heart once more at those words.

  Why? Why were they both daughters of the same household, both having suffered under the same stepmother—yet she still had to bow and scrape while her sister could now act however she pleased?

  “Speaking of which,” Shu Fei’s voice cut into her thoughts with a faint smile, “His Majesty didn’t summon anyone to his chambers st night. That surprised me.”

  She feigned mild confusion.

  “I would’ve thought, Jiang Guiren, being Jiang Fei’s younger sister, your sister would have persuaded His Majesty to choose you first.”

  At that, several consorts who had overheard the conversation turned their gazes toward Jiang Wanqing.

  Some looked on with jealousy, others with curiosity—what exactly was the retionship between Jiang Guiren and Jiang Fei?

  Jiang Wanqing’s hands clenched into tight fists.

  Yes, why hadn’t His Majesty chosen her?

  Maybe…

  “M-Maybe my sister couldn’t sway His Majesty’s decisions,” Jiang Wanqing said hopefully, gazing at Shu Fei as if craving a response that would confirm her sister’s influence wasn’t as strong as it seemed.

  But she was destined for disappointment.

  Wu Guifei shot her a gnce and once again jumped in before Shu Fei could speak.

  “Are you really Jiang Fei’s biological sister? His Majesty hasn’t even visited the Empress’s pace on the first or fifteenth ever since falling for your sister. What’s one night of sharing his bed compared to that?”

  Jiang Wanqing’s heart sank completely.

  So there it was—so much for sisterly affection. Her sister must have allowed her into the pace just to funt her own power and favor.

  Shu Fei noticed Jiang Wanqing digging her fingernails into her palms hard enough to draw blood and smiled faintly.

  Before long, a eunuch’s voice rang out: “Her Majesty the Empress arrives—”

  Empress Shen emerged from the inner hall, draped in phoenix robes.

  Everyone quickly stood and bowed in greeting.

  The Empress looked displeased. After taking her seat on the phoenix throne, her gaze swept coldly toward Qiu Daying at the far end.

  Before she could speak, a ruckus at the main doors interrupted her. It was Cheng Shouzhong, the chief eunuch by His Majesty’s side, entering with a host of pace eunuchs, all in stern formation.

  He didn’t even greet the consorts. Standing squarely in the center, he announced in a loud voice: “By Imperial Decree—”

  Though the Empress remained calm, the others exchanged uneasy looks and immediately knelt.

  The Empress also rose and knelt in front of the gathered consorts.

  Cheng Shouzhong began to procim:

  “His Majesty decres: I govern the realm with benevolence and filial piety. Whenever the Empress Dowager is unwell, I attend her personally with medicine and sleepless care. Yet Qiu Daying, brazen and insubordinate, disrespectful and unfilial, dared utter irreverent words and agitate the Empress Dowager during her illness. This crime is inexcusable. She is to be caned twenty times and cast into the Cold Pace!”

  The moment the decree fell, everyone gasped in shock.

  The new consorts hadn’t even had the chance to formally greet the Empress Dowager. Thinking back, it could only refer to those few disrespectful words Qiu Daying had muttered.

  And even then, the harshest thing she’d said was: “What’s the Empress Dowager to me? She’s not even His Majesty’s birth mother.” That might have earned a sp or a few days of confinement—but twenty canings followed by exile to the Cold Pace?

  Everyone shivered in dread.

  As for Qiu Daying herself, she had already colpsed to the floor.

  Watching the eunuchs of the Court of Penalty approach, she turned pale and screamed, “I'm innocent! I’m innocent!”

  But the eunuchs paid her no mind. With grim faces, they dragged her outside.

  Qiu Daying struggled desperately. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jiang Wanqing and cried out in a hoarse scream, “Sister Jiang! Save me! Please, beg Jiang Fei to help me!”

  Jiang Wanqing instantly turned away, brows furrowed in revulsion.