Noble Consort Li originally thought Zhao Zheng was merely putting on a show to vent her frustrations, never expecting him to truly mean it.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should just let it go. I never really took the past to heart; there is no need for Your Majesty to fly into such a rage on my account."
"My beloved, how can we simply let this matter go? The inner court is in such foul disarray. If we do not purge it now, before long these wretched slaves will be climbing over My head to act as tyrants."
"Today, I am going to let those ungrateful curs know precisely what fate awaits them when they dare to show disrespect to the Noble Consort!"
"I will have them understand once and for all who truly is the master within this imperial palace!"
Deeply moved by Zhao Zheng's staunch support, Noble Consort Li bit her lower lip, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Glaring at Wei Zhongxiang, Zhao Zheng snapped, "Wei Zhongxiang, what are you still standing there daydreaming for? Hurry up and go!"
Wei Zhongxiang hastily backed out of the bedchamber, leading his men to arrest people across the various palaces.
Every single court maid and eunuch officially registered within the palace was rounded up by Wei Zhongxiang and escorted under guard to Youning Palace.
Several accompanying eunuchs looked equally nervous and ill at ease.
"Grand Eunuch Wei, what on earth is happening here? Why does His Majesty want to arrest so many palace eunuchs and maids?"
Sighing, Wei Zhongxiang said, "His Majesty is using the Noble Consort's affair to make an example of us."
"When working in the palace, one cannot afford to go too far, or the price is the loss of one's head."
"I have never witnessed His Majesty in such a terrifying imperial rage before! Today's Emperor is truly frightening."
Gradually, a sense of panic began to grip the eunuchs.
Before long, Wei Zhongxiang brought the eunuchs and maids who had once bullied Noble Consort Li before Zhao Zheng.
"Your Majesty, all the eunuchs and maids who mistreated the Noble Consort are gathered here."
"What about the eunuchs and maids who serve directly by My side? Bring them all over here together!"
At that moment, aside from the Directorate of Ceremonial eunuchs behind Wei Zhongxiang who had managed to escape disaster, the remaining attendants were shoved before Zhao Zheng by the guards.
"Spare us, Your Majesty! This humble servant never bullied the Noble Consort!"
Trembling violently, hundreds of maids and eunuchs dropped to their knees, crying out for mercy.
Seeing hundreds of people thronging the courtyard, Noble Consort Li could no longer sit still.
She had never imagined that upon regaining imperial favor, she would suddenly hold the lives of so many people in her hands.
"I beg Your Majesty to show mercy."
With a dark and unyielding expression, Zhao Zheng declared, "I cannot tolerate a single grain of sand in My eye! Since so many malicious spirits wish to stir up trouble, I must give My beloved a proper accounting!"
"Execute everyone who has shown gross disrespect to the Noble Consort!"
At the drop of an order!
The guards standing behind the crowd of eunuchs and maids brought down their blades in unison, and heads rolled across the ground.
"Your Majesty..."
Blood stained the entirety of Youning Palace.
A thick mist of crimson hung in the air.
Both Noble Consort Li and Qingniao were frozen in terror by the horrifying spectacle before them.
This was the majesty of an absolute monarch—enough to strike fear into the hearts of all who beheld it.
Every single eunuch and maid in the palace who had ever mistreated Noble Consort Li was now nothing more than a silent corpse.
While this slaughter appeared designed to vent Noble Consort Li's grievances and leave onlookers speechless, it was in reality Zhao Zheng's first step toward breaking free from the surveillance of the external aristocratic clans.
Zhao Zheng felt he truly possessed a natural talent for being an emperor.
On his very first day upon the throne, he had struck fear into the hearts of so many, leaving an indelible impression upon them.
Once word of this incident spread throughout the inner court, the imperial concubines would naturally become far more well-behaved and cautious.
And Zhao Zheng would be able to sleep much more soundly within the palace; otherwise, heaven knew how many potential crises were lying in wait for him.
"Wei Zhongxiang, handle everything here."
With that, Zhao Zheng took Noble Consort Li by the hand and entered the bedchamber.
"My beloved, I left you to suffer while I was not by your side. From now on, whatever you desire, simply tell Me, and I will fulfill it to the best of My ability."
Trembling with apprehension, Noble Consort Li said, "His Majesty has killed so many people on my account, and my heart is filled with unease."
With a humorless smile, Zhao Zheng asked, "Does my beloved truly not believe these people deserved to die? They dared to mistreat My beloved—is there anything they would not dare to do? If I had let them live, how could I ever sleep in peace again?"
"Your Majesty's words are entirely correct; it was merely my own foolish compassion."
"My beloved, shall I have Wei Zhongxiang arrange other servants for you tomorrow?"
Noble Consort Li started to speak, hesitating as she prepared to accept, but Qingniao could no longer hold her tongue beside her.
"Your Majesty, all these years it has been the Empress who sent people from the palace to mistreat Her Ladyship. And while Your Majesty was gravely ill, Grand Eunuch Wei had long since defected to the Empress's side..."
Before Qingniao could finish her sentence, Noble Consort Li cut her off sharply.
"Qingniao, do not talk nonsense! Your Majesty, it was my own virtue that was lacking, which is why the Empress sent people to discipline me. This has nothing to do with the Empress."
Zhao Zheng frowned slightly as he listened.
He had never imagined that the Directorate of Ceremonial, supposedly fiercely loyal to the Emperor of Dazhen, would dare to harbor a double face within the inner court!
That old dog Wei Zhongxiang might be a sharp blade in the hands of the Emperor of Dazhen, but now that he had thrown in his lot with the Empress, he was nothing less than a ticking time bomb to Zhao Zheng!
He had to find a pretext to execute him so he could rid himself of future troubles.
After all, the Emperor of Dazhen had already delegated the majority of his authority to Wei Zhongxiang.
Killing him would allow Zhao Zheng to reclaim most of that power while also striking terror into the Empress—truly a stroke of two birds with one stone.
Yet he could not simply kill him at random; doing so would startle both the Empress and the Grand General, yielding losses that outweighed the gains.
With this thought in mind, Zhao Zheng hurriedly pulled Noble Consort Li into his embrace and said softly, "You have suffered all these years, my love. From now on, I will properly compensate you."
The grievances in Noble Consort Li's heart gradually melted away, and she couldn't help pressing herself against Zhao Zheng's chest.
"Your Majesty, I have never blamed you. There is only one favor I dare to beg of you!"
"What is it? Tell Me."
"In the past, the palace was rife with endless gossip, but that was solely due to my own failings; it had nothing to do with my father and mother. I implore Your Majesty to spare them."
When Noble Consort Li fell from favor, the Li family had likewise been implicated, framed in the court and cast into prison.
The only reason Noble Consort Li had clung stubbornly to life was to save her family; otherwise, she would have long since hanged herself within the palace walls.
Just as Zhao Zheng was hesitating over whether or not to spare Noble Consort Li's family, the voice of a eunuch suddenly rang out from outside the door.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Grand Eunuch Cao begs an audience outside the palace."
"Tell him to wait outside the palace."
Slowly raising her head, Noble Consort Li looked at Zhao Zheng and said, "Cao Zhengchun has always been fiercely loyal to Your Majesty. Why not let him arrange the palace servants for me?"
Cao Zhengchun was loyal only to the true Emperor of Dazhen—how could he possibly be loyal to an imposter like himself?
Zhao Zheng was well aware of this.
If he wished to establish a secure foothold in the imperial palace, he had to cultivate his own faction.
"I suddenly recall that there are still quite a few memorials in the Imperial Study waiting for My review. Once I finish attending to matters at hand, I will come back to see my beloved."
Without a shred of hesitation, Noble Consort Li hastily knelt with Qingniao to bid him farewell.
After Zhao Zheng departed the bedchamber, Qingniao slowly spoke up, "Congratulations, Your Ladyship, your bitter days are finally over. His Majesty does not appear to be a cold-hearted man after all."
Letting fall two lines of clear tears, Noble Consort Li murmured, "Perhaps I was the one who wronged His Majesty all along, and back then he had no other choice. From this day forward, I shall take back everything I lost within this inner court!"
Outside the bedchamber.
Wei Zhongxiang, having finished dealing with the aftermath at Youning Palace, felt a creeping sense of unease in his heart.
"Grand Eunuch Wei, we must make our plans early, or else these eunuchs and maids will be our exact fate hereafter."
"Grand Eunuch Wei, why don't we conspire in secret with the Empress? If we poison the muddle-headed ruler as soon as possible and hastily support a new monarch to ascend the throne, we can still secure our futures."
"Grand Eunuch Wei, hesitate no longer, or our lives will be forfeit! Once His Majesty discovers our collusion with the Empress, he will certainly not spare us."
A sharp, ruthless light flashed in Wei Zhongxiang's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Tonight, we go to Yongning Palace to plot great matters with the Empress!"