Upon receiving the emperor's order, the imperial guards immediately rushed into the palace hall and surrounded Queen Wang. Queen Wang stared at the emperor in disbelief with wide eyes. "Your Majesty, you would rather believe him than your own wife?"
The emperor, hiding behind Cang Xuan, looked terrified. "Lord Cang, what kind of monster is this? How could it turn my queen into this state?"
Cang Xuan glanced at the compass in his hand. "Your Majesty, fear not. Allow me to investigate."
Cang Xuan walked slowly around the room with the compass in his hands, and the emperor followed closely behind, looking thoroughly frightened.
Perhaps it was on purpose, but from the emperor's perspective, he could see the black spoon in the compass start to turn on its own. The closer they got to the couch where the queen had just woken up, the faster the spoon spun.
Queen Wang seemed to realize something. Her already pale face, drained of blood, turned even paler. She tried to stop the emperor and Cang Xuan, but she was too weak, and several guards were blocking her way. All she could do was watch helplessly as Cang Xuan led the emperor to a fox fur on the ground.
It was the red fox fur that Queen Wang had received from the merchant caravan last night and hadn't had the chance to put away.
Cang Xuan stopped, curled his lips into a smile, and said, "Ah, I've found it."
"Your Majesty, the queen has been possessed by a fox spirit."
Since Cang Xuan had arrived in Shengjing and become the emperor's most trusted official, the emperor had attached great importance to matters related to the supernatural. The queen knew very well that if she was associated with the words "evil spirit," even though she came from the prestigious Wang family, she would be severely punished this time.
"You're lying! I'm not a demon, let alone a fox spirit! Your Majesty, this treacherous official has evil intentions. He wants to disrupt the harem. Please don't believe his nonsense. I'm innocent!" Queen Wang cried out to the emperor.
"You claim you haven't been possessed by an evil spirit and want me to believe you. But let me ask you, this fur is clearly not from the palace. Where did it come from?" The emperor pointed at the red fox fur on the ground and demanded an answer.
"I—" Queen Wang was about to defend herself, but then she remembered the secret hidden in the fur and stopped herself just in time.
No, she mustn't reveal the origin of this fur!
"Humph, speechless, aren't you?" The emperor sneered and then turned to Cang Xuan. "Lord Cang, what should I do next to subdue this evil star?"
Cang Xuan met Queen Wang's hateful gaze, smiled, and said, "The appearance of an evil star is a great omen of misfortune. To stabilize the court and ensure the continuation of the nation's fortune, we must get rid of the evil star as soon as possible."
Queen Wang was furious. "Cang Xuan, if you dare to touch me, I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"
"I suggest sending this evil spirit to the State - Protecting Temple. Let the eminent monks chant scriptures day and night for forty - nine days until Her Majesty returns to her normal state before bringing her back to the palace," Cang Xuan said casually.
Without hesitation, the emperor agreed. "Good, do as Lord Cang suggests! I'll immediately send her to the State - Protecting Temple. Let the imperial guards and the monks at the temple guard her strictly. She won't be allowed to return to the palace until the evil spirit is removed!"
Queen Wang never expected that with just a few words, the emperor and his official had decided her fate.
She, the queen of the nation, was going to be sent to the State - Protecting Temple as an evil spirit for the monks to perform rituals. Forty - nine days! It was no different from being sent to the cold palace!
This was a huge blow to her, who had always been proud. She couldn't accept that she had fallen to such a state.
If this got out, how could she ever hold her head up again? How could she maintain her authority in the harem?
Queen Wang was completely panicked. She began to cry softly and reached out her hand to the emperor, hoping to arouse his pity.
"Your Majesty, I..."
The emperor silenced her with one sentence. "This concerns the fortune of the Great Chu. As the mother of the crown prince, I hope you'll act in the best interest of the nation."
With that, the emperor flicked his sleeves and strode away with Cang Xuan.
The emperor's voice boomed from outside. "Issue the order. The queen has contracted a serious illness and must go to the State - Protecting Temple to recuperate for forty - nine days. Hand over the phoenix seal immediately and leave the palace at once. From today on, the Fengyi Palace will be sealed. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Those who disobey will be beheaded immediately!"
Eunuch Bao waved his whisk and stepped forward to the queen, who was being guarded by the imperial guards. "Your Majesty, the seal."
Listening to the fading footsteps of the emperor, although the queen was unwilling, faced with the armed guards, she had no choice but to have someone hand over the seal to Eunuch Bao.
After leaving the Fengyi Palace, the emperor couldn't wait to ask Cang Xuan. "Lord Cang, help me figure out who would be the most suitable to handle the affairs of the harem?"
"Your Majesty, don't be impatient. I'll cast the divination for you now."
As the emperor and his official walked further and further away until they disappeared, a figure quietly left through a hidden side door of the Fengyi Palace.
Before long, the emperor's edict in the Fengyi Palace spread throughout the harem. All the concubines knew that the Fengyi Palace had been sealed and the queen had been sent to the State - Protecting Temple to recuperate. Such a once - in - a - lifetime opportunity was too tempting for anyone to resist.
Just as the concubines were getting restless, another edict dashed their hopes.
Concubine Tong was promoted to Noble Consort Tong and would take over the phoenix seal on behalf of the queen. Noble Consort Lin would assist her.
The Tong family was suddenly pushed into the spotlight.
In the Eastern Palace, Wang Chongling and the crown prince were discussing matters in the study when there was a knock on the door.
The two looked at each other, and the crown prince said, "Come in."
A young eunuch entered. He bowed and knelt in front of the crown prince, telling them everything that had happened in the Fengyi Palace without reservation.
As soon as they heard that the emperor had rushed into the Fengyi Palace with Cang Xuan, Wang Chongling and the crown prince's expressions changed.
After hearing the whole story, they were so shocked that they stood up.
They had both been present during the morning court when Cang Xuan had mentioned the "evil star." They had been speculating about who the "evil star" was, looking forward to some drama. But they never expected that the fire would burn back on them. The "evil star" Cang Xuan had spoken of was actually the queen!
It all started when the queen had sent people to the Wang family's merchant caravan!
If the queen hadn't sent the caravan to Chenzhou to collect the "fur," none of this would have happened!
"I've already warned her to be a good queen and not to have any other ideas. Her actions were like walking into a well - laid trap. She just walked right into it! She's such an adult, but she's still so impulsive and reckless!" Wang Chongling was angry, but mostly he felt terrified.