Before Noble Consort Gao could speak, her senior maid Ah Yu blurted out eagerly. Pointing at Xiao Sixi, who was walking in slowly, she said viciously, "Insolent wretch! How dare a mere servant answer the Emperor's words? Drag her out and give her fifty heavy board strokes!"
Seeing Xiao Sixi seized by Noble Consort Gao, Virtuous Consort felt as though her heart were being pierced by a thousand arrows. Entering the Imperial Palace had failed to protect Xiao Sixi and the other sisters of Fengyue Pavilion...
The Emperor had already formed his own judgment on the matter. He had originally planned to take the dragon boat south along the Yangtze River, incidentally allowing his beloved consort to see Xiao Sixi and her former sisters. Instead, Noble Consort Gao had intercepted the plan, displeasing Virtuous Consort and leaving the Emperor himself quite annoyed. With a deep voice, he asked, "Noble Consort Gao, how can you be certain she is Virtuous Consort's child?"
Chapter 143