These noble ladies and madams with mandates had all suffered quite a scare, and they all pulled long faces, only wanting to go home right now!

  But the crown prince consort was still unwilling to let go of them even now.

  They really wanted to cry!

  If Her Majesty the Queen had led them in praying for blessings today, there probably wouldn’t have been so many bizarre complications.

  “Reporting to the crown prince consort!” Ao’ye and his men put on an act of looking through the crowd before going up to report, “All Her Highnesses, princesses, commandery princesses, madams, and young misses, as well as their accompanying maidservants are all present.”


  Upon hearing this, everyone simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

  “Only Zheng Ru, who had joined the party under the king’s decree, is missing.”


  Everyone hastily looked around to search for Courtesan Zheng, and sure enough, they didn’t see her.

  That person was indeed someone with tactics, as few could exit the Cold Palace after entering it. Even until now, she was still the king’s dear beloved consort.

  This time, she had reportedly requested for the king’s special decree to accompany the rest of the party to Fu Mountain’s Great Sea Monastery, specifically to pray for blessings and confess her sins.

  Afterwards, she would even stay at the monastery for three more months to continue praying for the queen dowager and the king’s good fortune!

  Instead of being indifferent, everyone could be said to be treating Zheng Ru with a faintly eager attitude on this trip.

  Because they all felt that as long as Zheng Ru were to piously “pray for good fortune” in the monastery for three months, even if she temporarily couldn’t regain her status as noble consort, the king would definitely promote her from her Palace Maid status!

  There was nothing they could do about it. After all, Noble Consort Zheng was the king’s true love. As long as she stood there charmingly in front of the king, the king would be so excessively partial towards her.

  But right now?

  Everything seemed to be developing towards a weird and unexpected conclusion.

  After exchanging glances with each other, the madams sealed their lips and didn’t utter a sound.

  Soon, this grand show entered the jaw-dropping climax.

  Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Ao’ye and his men uncovered what was left of Courtesan Zheng’s corpse, half of a body that had been blasted beyond recognition, from the Pacification Pagoda’s ruins.

  The royal concubines and madams’ expressions turned quite interesting.

  Consort Cheng even glanced at the crown prince consort’s icy stoic face more than once.

  Even so, the crown prince consort stood there expressionlessly with an upright back and with her hands folded before her.

  Glimpsing that Courtesan Zheng was the one being carried over, the crown prince consort blew up on the spot. “How preposterous! Venerable Master Konghui had already clearly stipulated that only the king, the queen, the crown prince, and the crown prince consort could enter this national pagoda. Why is a lowly Courtesan Zheng inside? With what identity did she enter?”


  The surroundings were absolutely silent.

  “No wonder this provoked the wrath of the deities above the highest heavens, causing them to directly explode the national pagoda! This beauty that brings a kingdom to ruin isn’t worth pitying even in death! What a pity that the national pagoda was implicated by her!”


  Ao’ye merely twitched his mouth.

  Venerable Master Konghui, on the other hand, also wailed sorrowfully, taking the lead in kneeling before Qiao Mu with the monastery’s monks. He wept bitterly as he pleaded, “We earnestly request the crown prince consort make a decision on behalf of our Great Sea Monastery! And punish this beauty that brings a kingdom to ruin! To uphold justice for our Great Sea Monastery!”


  The elderly nanny beside Consort Cheng gave her a hard tug.

  Consort Cheng regained her senses and quickly declared with a grave expression, “Courtesan Zheng insolently snuck into the national pagoda and is indeed a beauty that brings a kingdom to ruin! Will the crown prince consort please take charge for the Great Sea Monastery.”