At this moment, Hu Shi had already been relocated. Now that she was a commoner, she no longer had the right to reside in Cuiwei Hall.

  From now on, her lodging would be in some remote corner of the pace.

  In truth, the so-called “Cold Pace” was simply a term people used. There was no pace officially named as such—it referred to any neglected, out-of-the-way residence within the vast imperial grounds.

  Still, for the disgraced or discarded consorts, these pces were indeed referred to mockingly as the Cold Pace.

  The pce Hu Shi had been thrown into didn’t even have a name.

  It hadn’t fallen into disrepair, at least—not since the previous emperor’s accession, when the entire pace compound had been refurbished.

  The outside might look decent, but the inside was another matter entirely.

  After all, no one had lived here for years. In a pace this rge, not every corner could be vishly maintained.

  There wasn’t even a proper bed—only a raised earthen ptform made of green bricks and packed cy.

  But calling it a kang (heated bed) was generous. There was no stove connected to it—it was just a solid block of cold stone and earth. Forget winter—even in the height of summer, lying on it would chill a person to the bone.

  She could forget about having anyone to attend to her. If she was lucky, she’d been allowed to bring a few changes of clothes, some trinkets, and a single bnket.

  As for food, someone would bring it eventually. Whether it came three times a day or once every three days—well, that depended on how much silver she still had.

  But Hu Shi couldn’t even think about any of that right now. Her throat and abdomen were burning with unspeakable pain. She’d been dumped to the ground like trash and couldn’t even rise.

  The agony had her writhing.

  In this moment, it wasn’t fear or grief that consumed her.

  It was rage.

  Hu Shi was filled with rage—pure, seething rage that made her want to burn everything to the ground.

  The more pain she felt, the more she wanted to scream. But the more she tried, the more impossible it became. Her delicate hands cwed at the brick floor, scraping into the cracks, gouging through the dirt.

  Most of her fingernails broke off, but not even that dulled the agony or her fury. Her once-beautiful face was red, swollen, and twisted with pain. Burns from her struggle mottled her skin, and her bloodshot eyes brimmed with hatred and rage.

  In just a few short days, she no longer resembled a human being. But the real tragedy was—no one saw it. No one cared. No one gave her a second thought.

  As expected, His Majesty said nothing about what Li Zhaoyi had done.

  The next morning, as the consorts gathered to pay their respects, everyone was already aware of what had happened between Li Zhaoyi and Hu Shi.

  Naturally, the matter came up.

  “Hu Shi was pitiful,” said Caiyun, frowning. “I heard that when she was sent off to that remote corner, her mouth was full of blood. She couldn’t even cry out.”

  “She may have ended up like that, but she did try to harm the imperial heir. Whatever came to her was her own doing,” Xin Liangyi replied.

  “You’re not wrong,” Caiyun said. “Still, it sounds horrifying. I heard people rarely survive something like that.”

  “Really? That is frightening,” said Yun Baolin, hugging her arms. “Back when I was little, a servant in our household got scalded—not even internally, just surface burns—and he still died. The family brought in a physician, but the wounds festered and spread. He got a fever, lingered three months, and finally passed.”

  “Ay, how awful,” murmured Qu Baolin.

  Most of these consorts weren’t from poor families. Even the ones with humble backgrounds had grown up with someone to wait on them. Scenes of such gore and cruelty were far removed from their daily lives.

  “Your Majesty,” Jiang Zhaorong said softly, “even if Hu Shi deserved her punishment, Li Zhaoyi’s actions went too far, didn’t they? His Majesty didn’t order her death, yet Li Zhaoyi still took matters into her own hands?”

  “Yes, this time… Li Zhaoyi really went too far,” Rong Fei added with a shake of her head.

  “She lost her child—of course, she was grieving—but such ruthlessness… it’s too much,” said Xian Fei, frowning.

  Wumian waited. Seeing that Guifei truly had nothing to say, she finally spoke up: “You’re all right. In this matter, Li Zhaoyi did indeed go too far. But since His Majesty has chosen not to pursue it, it’s clearly because he’s taking into account her grief. Still, let this be the end of it. If she goes too far again, even if His Majesty doesn’t act, I will.”

  “Her Majesty is wise,” Guifei said at st. “Li Zhaoyi has always been willful, but even willfulness has its limits. I trust she’s learned her lesson.”

  After that, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, and the morning court dispersed.

  Naturally, Guifei remained afterward for the handover of her duties.

  Of course, it wouldn’t be smooth sailing. Even if there weren’t obstacles, she’d make sure to create some. For starters, today the princes and princesses were being moved into Rongkang Pace. Tomorrow, they would begin the variotion process.

  The royal retives’ children were also being sent into the pace today.

  “Everything else is manageable,” Guifei said, “but this matter is too sensitive. If responsibilities were transferred to Your Majesty so suddenly, the staff would be confused, and we might endanger the children.”

  She had her reasons—personal ones. Her own daughter was among those being inocuted.

  To suddenly let go of her authority while her daughter’s safety was in someone else’s hands? Absolutely not.

  “You have a point,” Wumian replied. “But this is a priority. Whether it's princes, princesses, or noble children, they must come out safely. Since you’ve said as much, you’ll continue overseeing it. I’ll just assign my people to accompany the Eldest Prince. They’ll stay with him until he leaves.”

  Once closed off, they’d be isoted for at least half a month.

  Some children recovered in three to five days, others took longer. Even if one child recovered, they couldn’t leave until all were well, so they wouldn’t spread the illness to others.

  “Your Majesty is generous. The Eldest Prince will surely be grateful,” Guifei said with a smile.

  “And here are the financial records. I’ve brought what I could. But the clerks haven’t had time to organize everything. As Your Majesty knows, there are many people in the pace.”

  “That’s no problem. Just hand over what should be returned. I may not be as detail-oriented as you, but I have the title. When I speak, people move. Don’t worry—I remember the good you’ve done.”

  She said it gently, but to Guifei, every word sounded barbed.

  Let’s see you trip up, Guifei thought to herself.

  After Guifei left, Jinbo brought a roster to Wumian. “This is the list I’ve compiled over the st two days. Please review it, Your Majesty.”

  Wumian flipped through it. “What do you think—has His Majesty calmed down?”

  “Hmm?” Zhaohua blinked, confused.

  “I’d guess so,” Linshui said with a smile. “He probably wasn’t too angry to begin with. Just embarrassed in front of everyone.”

  Wumian hummed. “Hard to say. But I need him calm. If I want things done, it’s best to coax out a few words from him first. So, should I send food and wine over, or invite him to eat here?”

  The maids exchanged gnces. “Why not invite him?”

  “If I go personally, I won’t be turned away. But if I invite him and he doesn’t come... Still, come to think of it, better to invite. If I show up myself, I’ll look like I’m groveling,” Wumian ughed.