The Emperor ignored the Empress's words and asked directly, "Empress, where is your sapphire chain ring?"
"A few days ago, when I was strolling in the Imperial Garden, I accidentally lost it," the Empress feigned distress.
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor sneered inwardly.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the Empress affirmed.
"Heh! I've often heard from the palace servants that the Empress hasn't been to the Imperial Garden since her white cat died there. You're lying a bit too excessively, wouldn't you say?"
The Emperor exposed the Empress's lie on the spot.
"Oh, then where did I forget to drop it?" the Empress added immediately.
"Heh—"
The Emperor let out another cold laugh.
This Empress was truly good at pretending.
Immediately, the Emperor took out the sapphire chain ring from his sleeve and held it up, shaking it in front of the Empress.
"See if this ring belongs to you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is this one!" the Empress said, feigning embarrassment.
In reality, this ring was something she had taken off the previous night when she had been with Hei Pao in the basement. She had accidentally scratched his back, and Hei Pao, somewhat displeased, had told her to remove the ring and throw it under the bed. Afterwards, she had forgotten to retrieve it.
Later that night, she had a nightmare that her affair with Hei Pao had been discovered. Upon waking, she decisively blocked the passage from her phoenix bed to the basement, also forgetting to get the ring. She had thought no one would discover the basement, but unexpectedly, it had been found.
As she was contemplating this—
The Emperor handed her the ring. She reached out and took it, even glancing up at the Emperor, but she couldn't discern his expression.
"Empress, do you know that there is a basement beneath your Fengqi Palace?" the Emperor probed.
"Your Majesty, I only learned about it just now when the palace servants mentioned it, and it startled me greatly," the Empress said with exaggerated expression.
"This ring you are holding is the one I found in the basement under your Fengqi Palace. A thief named Hei Pao has been living there all along."
As he said these words, the Emperor's sharp eyes were fixed on the Empress's facial expressions, as if trying to see through her.
"Your Majesty, I don't know how this ring ended up in that thief's hands," the Empress explained calmly, though her heart was already in turmoil.
"Oh~, is that really how it is?"
Instead of anger, the Emperor smiled, which made the Empress uneasy. Although the Emperor had never loved her, they had been husband and wife for over twenty years, and she knew his character and temper very well. The more he acted like this, the more it signified his rage.
"Empress, I have heard of this Hei Pao's identity. He is not only one of the Ten Great Killers of the Night Pavilion but also a notorious lecher. I never expected him to dare hide within the Imperial Palace to commit crimes, and to have ravished and murdered so many innocent women."
"What's more, some of these women were abducted from outside the palace. With such audacious actions, I absolutely refuse to believe that no one within the palace is assisting him," the Empress said with a cold laugh.
At this moment, it felt as if tens of thousands of flames of anger were burning in the Emperor's chest.
"Heavens! That person is too detestable!" the Empress exclaimed.
But at this moment, she didn't realize that the Emperor's face had turned ashen from her words, and his clenched fists in his sleeves were already sweating.
Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped the Empress fiercely across the face.
Caught off guard, the Empress received the Emperor's blow, lost her balance, and fell to the ground.
"Ah—"
The Empress cried out in pain.
"You wretched woman, you truly have no intention of repenting! Do you think I really can't find out about the things you've done?"
The Emperor stood there, his face filled with rage and a cold smile, his expression ferocious, his gaze full of sternness and cruelty. He looked down at the Empress on the ground. If the Emperor had a knife in his hand, he probably would have ended the Empress's life right then and there.
"Your Majesty, I have done nothing. You have wronged me."
The Empress still tried to argue, attempting to convince the Emperor to believe her.
However, the Empress's actions only served to further enrage the Emperor.
The Emperor abruptly lifted his right foot and kicked the Empress several meters away. She was violently thrown against a main pillar in the Fengqi Palace's sleeping quarters, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood. This kick almost took half of the Empress's life.
The palace maids and eunuchs outside the sleeping quarters, hearing the Empress's screams, trembled in fear.
"Wretched woman, I have endured you for so long."
The Emperor squatted down, fiercely grabbed the Empress's hair, and cursed.
The pain contorted the Empress's entire face, and tears streamed from her eyes. She tried to pry open the Emperor's large hand gripping her hair with her own hands, but it was useless. The more she struggled, the harder the Emperor pulled.
"You demon!" the Empress roared loudly.
"Haha—"
"Yes, I am a demon. You knew back then that I didn't like you, yet you used schemes to marry me as your consort. Did you ever think you would end up like this?" the Emperor said with a sinister tone.
"But I'm still better off than that short-lived ghost!" the Empress retorted after shouting at the Emperor.
Suddenly, the Emperor released his grip on the Empress's hair.
The Empress's head felt much better. However, before she could even catch her breath, the Emperor grabbed her collar again and, raising his hand, slapped her several more times.
Soon, the Empress's face was swollen, bruised, and burning with pain, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Kill... me!" the Empress stammered, covering her face with her hands.
"Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily, because your wretched life is still useful to me! However, I will confiscate your Empress's seal and hand it over to the Empress Dowager. From now on, you will stay well within Fengqi Palace," the Emperor said with a chilling tone.
After speaking, the Emperor turned and walked out of the main entrance of Fengqi Palace.
He said loudly to the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling on the ground, "Convey my decree to all the palaces: I discovered tonight that the Empress has contracted a madness. For the safety of everyone, I have decided to restrict the Empress from leaving Fengqi Palace starting tonight. She is to be attended by only one governess, guarded by ten Imperial Guards, and the remaining palace staff will be reassigned by Eunuch Li. The Empress's seal will be managed by the Empress Dowager."
When the Emperor finished speaking, the eunuchs and palace maids serving the Empress looked at each other in disbelief. However, they dared not show any dissatisfaction towards the Emperor, lest they lose their lives.
Subsequently, the Emperor returned to the Imperial Study with several Imperial Guards.
But he had barely sat down when Eunuch Li entered to report.
"Your Majesty, Prince Leng, Princess Consort Leng, and Jian Feng are here to see you!" Eunuch Li announced in his reedy voice.
"Han'er and Li'er are back! Bring them all in quickly!"
Upon hearing that Jun Mohan and Leng Ruoli had returned, the Emperor's worried heart instantly settled.
Tonight, his greatest concern had been Jun Mohan's health.