Ji Feiyu said languidly, "She soaked our quilts during the day."
The others retorted, "No, it was she who provoked us first!"
Zhang Fugui shouted angrily, "Be quiet!"
In an instant, the noisy courtyard fell silent. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"At the beginning, what did we tell you? No fighting is allowed in the Cold Palace. Since that's the case, all of you will receive the rod punishment."
When the Imperial Concubine De heard this, she cried out, "How dare you administer private punishment?"
Ji Feiyu said obediently, "I admit my mistake and am willing to accept the punishment."
Seeing this, Zhang Fugui said, "Very well, then your punishment will be waived."
The Imperial Concubine De: ???
"Why?" the Imperial Concubine De complained loudly. "What benefits did you receive from her?"
Ji Feiyu sighed. Didn't she still understand the situation and rules in the Cold Palace?
Sure enough, Zhang Fugui was offended and immediately ordered, "Come on, beat her!"
Several eunuchs brought in benches and rods. The Imperial Concubine De was dragged onto the bench and only then did she feel scared. But the rod had already fallen. She cried out in pain, "Eunuch, I was wrong. Stop hitting me. Stop hitting me!"
"Gag her mouth," Zhang Fugui said, looking at her with disgust.
The cries of pain turned into sobs. This example set by punishing one to warn the others scared the other women into crying.
"It was all her instigation. We didn't want to cause trouble," they said.
"Fine, then all of you just watch. No crying. If anyone causes trouble in the future, this will be their fate!" Zhang Fugui said menacingly.
Everyone fell silent. Only the miserable sobs of the Imperial Concubine De echoed in the night, making people feel scared.
The midnight farce finally ended. When the Imperial Concubine De was dragged back, she had already fainted.
Zhang Fugui originally wanted to give her twenty strokes of the rod, but she fainted after only a dozen strokes. Zhang Fugui didn't want to cause a death, so he decided to stop there as a minor punishment.
The others were all driven back, but Ji Feiyu stayed behind. She tentatively asked, "Since I can't fall asleep anyway, how about taking a gamble? How about betting on two more thin quilts?"
Zhang Fugui was exhausted from being woken up in the middle of the night. He said, "My little miss, I'm not as energetic as you young people. I'll lend you the thin quilts. Can you cause trouble during the day in the future?"
In fact, Zhang Fugui knew that Ji Feiyu was behind tonight's incident. Even though it was excusable, he couldn't stand the hassle. But why didn't he punish her? On the one hand, she had been obedient and helped to stir things up. On the other hand, she was useful to him. She could help him win money in the long run, which was much more useful than bribing him with a little silver. In this regard, Ji Feiyu was more like a cash cow that he would rely on in the future, so he was more tolerant of her.
"I never cause trouble on my own initiative, but I won't tolerate others bullying me either. Today, the eunuch helped me once. In the future, I will surely repay the eunuch more."
Zhang Fugui nodded upon hearing this. He knew that the two of them had officially formed an alliance. Ji Feiyu needed something from him, and he also had something to ask of her. This kind of relationship of interests was very common in the harem.
Finally, Ji Feiyu and her maid left Zhang Fugui. The head maid was overjoyed to have two more thin quilts in her arms. She didn't expect that after a chaotic night, they could still have a good night's sleep.
The long night passed quickly.
The next day, in the Imperial Study.
Yong Yaxuan swept all the memorials on the table to the ground.
"Damn it!"
Eunuch Li had just brought in a bowl of sweet soup. He was startled by this scene and quickly put the soup aside. He said, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Yong Yaxuan said angrily, "I've already sent the Queen to the Cold Palace to reflect on her mistakes, but they still demand to depose the Queen."
Seeing this, Eunuch Li said, "Well, after all, it's about the imperial heir. These old-fashioned people finally had an imperial heir, and now it's gone. Naturally, they won't give up."
Yong Yaxuan said, "They want an explanation, and I've already given it. It's too much to force me like this!"
Eunuch Li sighed and said, "Your Majesty has really gone to great lengths for the Empress."
Yong Yaxuan calmed down a bit and softened his tone. He asked, "By the way, has the Queen said that she wants to see me these days?"
Eunuch Li shook his head awkwardly. "I haven't heard of it."
Yong Yaxuan sighed. "She must be blaming me."
Eunuch Li remembered something and said, "By the way, I've already sent someone to take care of things in the Cold Palace. The Empress should not be mistreated."
"That's good. Keep an eye on the news there. If the Queen wants to see me, make sure I know."
Eunuch Li nodded and then served the sweet soup that he had put aside before. He said, "Your Majesty, calm down. Have a bowl of sweet soup."
Yong Yaxuan waved his hand. "No need. I have no appetite. You may leave."
Eunuch Li sighed and had to carry the sweet soup away.
Yong Yaxuan summoned the Shadow Guards. He said to Shadow Guard Eleven, "Tell Shadow Guard Thirteen to go to the Cold Palace to check on the Queen. Report to me everything about the Queen's daily food, clothing, and use. Also, tell me everything she says and does."
Shadow Guard Eleven left upon hearing this. Yong Yaxuan suddenly pounded his chest. He didn't know why he had been feeling so restless lately.
A few days later, Shadow Guard Thirteen came to report.
Yong Yaxuan asked, "Is there anything abnormal about the Queen's food and accommodation?"
Shadow Guard Thirteen replied, "The Empress's food and accommodation are all at the normal level in the Cold Palace. No one has mistreated her."
Yong Yaxuan asked, "What does she usually do?"
Shadow Guard Thirteen replied, "She basks in the sun in the yard when there is sunlight. Most of the rest of the time, she talks to the maids beside her."
Yong Yaxuan asked, "What did they talk about? Did she mention me?"
Shadow Guard Thirteen replied, "No. They just talked about some ordinary daily matters."
Yong Yaxuan seemed a bit disappointed, but he still asked hopefully again, "Is she in a bad mood? Is she in pain? Does she regret? Or does she want to see me?"
Shadow Guard Thirteen shook his head. "The Empress is in a very calm mood. She didn't mention wanting to see Your Majesty."
Yong Yaxuan was very depressed and let him leave.
Out of the blue, Yong Yaxuan went to the Qiwu Palace. When he saw that all of Ji Feiyu's belongings were still in her bedroom untouched, he realized that he had made a big mistake. How could he not leave a single thing representing him by her side? So he picked out the love token he had given her that year, a jade pendant that Ji Feiyu liked to play with the most, from the pile of belongings. He asked an old maid who had searched Ji Feiyu's body before to send it to the Cold Palace, saying that this should have been left with her.
However, a few days passed, and Shadow Guard Thirteen's reports were no different from before.
Yong Yaxuan had been looking forward to it for a few days in vain. Finally, he gave up and said, "Forget it. There's no need to go there in the future. Since she doesn't want to see me either, I don't want to know her news anymore."
Shadow Guard Thirteen silently left.
Ji Feiyu had been living a very peaceful life in the Cold Palace these days. This was, of course, thanks to the fact that the Imperial Concubine De was still recovering from the rod punishment and had no time to harass her. But another reason was a word that Zhang Fugui had said to her a few days ago.
A few days ago, Zhang Fugui came specifically to tell her, "During this period, the gambling game will be temporarily suspended. Don't come to find me. There may be secret guards coming to check the situation in the Cold Palace."
Ji Feiyu was smart enough to immediately understand why the secret guards were coming and who sent them. If no one had reminded her, she would have almost forgotten about this person.
Did he really worry so much that she would escape?
Ji Feiyu sneered in her heart. So in the following days, she perfectly staged an almost dull daily life in the Cold Palace.
But there was an episode in the middle. An old maid suddenly came to the Cold Palace and gave her the jade pendant she liked the most, saying that this should have been left with her. Ji Feiyu was quite happy at first. She even played with it for a while before going to bed at night. But later, when she thought about the secret guards, she immediately realized that this must be the idea of that dog man. So she casually gave the jade pendant to the head maid. The head maid didn't dare to accept it, so Ji Feiyu had to ask her to keep it for her first.
Ji Feiyu thought that Yong Yaxuan was really bored to send secret guards to monitor her. But at the same time, she was also very curious: How did Zhang Fugui know such a secret message that the Emperor had sent secret guards?