I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 204 Rewards and Punishments

As Consort Li was dragged away, Eunuch Hai signaled for the palace servants to leave. At this moment, only three masters remained in the entire Hall of Literary Glory: Emperor Hua, Empress Wang, and Gu Mingfeng.

As soon as Emperor Hua finished speaking, the hall fell into complete silence.

Seeing the Empress standing there in a daze, Emperor Hua suppressed his anger and said slowly:

"Your health is not good, and I originally did not want to trouble you with such trivial matters. However, there is no one else in the palace who can be of use, so you need to pay more attention to it."

"It was my fault for failing in my duty," Empress Wang quickly admitted, regaining her composure.

"It's no wonder you're angry. It's just that Consort Shu and the others are unlucky. As for Consort Li... Hmph!" Emperor Hua was about to get angry, but when he saw Empress Wang, he suppressed his anger.

"Among the newcomers to the palace, I find Consort Yao to be quite sensible. You may appoint her as appropriate. As for Yun'er, I originally intended to tell you about her during dinner, but since you are here now, I will entrust her to you directly."

"Your Majesty, what were you referring to when you said 'the heir to the throne'?"

"At the time of the meal, after Yun'er was injured, Imperial Physician Shang examined her pulse and confirmed that Yun'er was more than a month pregnant."

"...Your Majesty is overjoyed!" Empress Wang's face showed a mixture of joy and sadness.

Upon hearing Empress Wang's congratulations, Emperor Hua seemed oblivious to the Empress's expression, instead laughing with pride at his advanced age for still being vigorous and successfully fathering a child.

"Hahaha, Heaven has finally favored me. My mistress is utterly useless. Yun'er, you must protect this pregnancy for me."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to protect the imperial heir. Consort Yun has rendered great service by ensuring the continuation of Your Majesty's lineage. Shouldn't her rank be raised?"

"No rush. Imperial Physician Shang said her pregnancy is a bit unstable, so I don't want to make a fuss about it for now. I'll confer the title of Jieyu on her after she gives birth."

"The treatment for a Noble Lady is too low. Since Your Majesty is so kind, why not give her the treatment of a Consort for now?"

"Zitong is very thoughtful. We will do as you say."

Empress Wang accepted the order, curtsied, hesitated for a moment, and then brought up the topic:

"Recently, there have been continuous torrential rains, and the disaster situation in Jiumen Bay has been ongoing. I heard that Huayang went to the disaster area in person, took off her hairpins and jewelry, took the lead in raising funds, and even set up a soup kitchen and personally served the soup."

"The local people all praise His Majesty as a chosen saint, for having such a heavenly daughter descend to earth to save them."

"Consort Li may be a bit spoiled, but she has never been a bad person. Her relationship with Consort Yun must be a misunderstanding. Your Majesty, please forgive her this time."

"Hmph, you see everyone as a good person!" A surge of anger suddenly appeared on Emperor Hua's face.

"At her age, she doesn't understand anything and even acts like a young girl, being jealous and petty. I spoiled her too much in the past!" Emperor Hua became more and more angry as he spoke, and it was unclear whether he was reprimanding Consort Li or using Consort Li's name to scold the deceased.

"Huayang is a decent child. It was out of consideration for her that I didn't strip her mother of her title on the spot. If Yun'er's pregnancy goes well, that would be wonderful. But if anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The cold and merciless words were like the chilling autumn wind, one gust after another, chilling Empress Wang to the bone and making her heart freeze.

The sorrow on her face no longer needed to be concealed; as she lowered her head, heartbreaking tears streamed down her face.

"Your Majesty's implication is simply that you despise us old folks for being unworthy to serve you, and that it would be better to depose us and make way for your younger women."

"You!" Emperor Hua was about to explode in anger, but when he caught sight of his wife's tears, he felt a pang of pity.

Just then, a brash voice came from below:

“Grandfather, you are shameless. You are old too. Whether it is Grandmother or Consort Li, they have accompanied you from your youth to the present day.”

“Grandmother, if Grandfather doesn’t want you anymore, you can come and stay at the Prince Rui’s Mansion. In Xiao Feng’s eyes, Grandmother will always be the most beautiful and best woman, and Xiao Feng will never despise Grandmother.”

"Insolence!" Emperor Hua grabbed the jade pendant from his belt and smashed it towards his grandson's head.

Gu Mingfeng reached out and caught it steadily, a grin on his face:

"Thank you for the gift, maternal grandfather. You still care about me the most, knowing that Xiao Feng is in need of a good piece of jade."

As he spoke, he winked and made a funny face, continuing:

“Grandfather, if you really dislike any of the consorts, you don’t need to find an excuse to depose them. I am willing to share your burdens and will treat all the consorts as kindly as you would your own mother, in order to fulfill your benevolence.”

"Who said I don't like them? You've shown me what you're capable of!"

"Aren't your aunts enough for you to support? When did I become such a heartless and ungrateful person!"

Hua Di was immediately enraged and pointed at Gu Mingfeng, cursing loudly.

Gu Mingfeng immediately seized upon the loophole in Huadi's words and seized the opportunity to exploit it:

"Ah, then Xiao Feng thanks His Majesty for his forgiveness on behalf of Consort Li."

"Xiao Feng, stop fooling around." Empress Wang gently wiped away her tears and softly stopped Gu Mingfeng from continuing his unreasonable behavior.

“Your Majesty, Consort Li has assisted me in managing the harem for many years without making any mistakes, and she has also given birth to your children. Even if she has not made any great contributions, she has certainly worked hard.”

"Your Majesty often says that those who have made merit should be rewarded and those who have made mistakes should be punished. I'm sure Your Majesty has already made your own judgment on right and wrong. If you are truly angry with her, why not punish her by confining her for a year?"

"Enough, enough. A few angry words have made you burst into tears, making this junior a laughingstock. I may be heartless to anyone, but I will not be heartless to you. As for Consort Li, I will do as you say."

"Grandfather, where is my reward?"

That little bastard!

Vatti, who had finally managed to appease his wife, laughed in exasperation:

"If you don't mention that you just embezzled a fine piece of my jade, what merit do you have that you have to ask for a reward?"

“I saved your life before, but you didn’t reward me. Today I risked my life again to expose the woman with ulterior motives by your side. Why don’t you reward me with a beautiful woman, so that those who like to play tricks behind people’s backs won’t think that you’re not even willing to reward me with a woman?”

"Who have you taken a fancy to?" Hua Di Yinghua's eyes flashed with a sharp scrutiny, but he instantly returned to normal.

“Grandfather, please grant me the title of a lowly palace maid.”

"Get out! Get out!" Hua Di waved his hand irritably.

Gu Mingfeng laughed and kowtowed to express his gratitude:

"Hey, Xiao Feng, I'll go ask Eunuch Hai for the person right away!"

……

Inside the dark yet incredibly luxurious underground prison, several naked figures swayed and undulated amidst the turbulent waves, their movements a spectacle of unparalleled beauty.

Vatti lay on the tiger-skin chair, somewhat bored, and pulled the hair of the person in front of him, forcing the other person to spit out the treasure in their mouth, and in pain, obediently raised their head.

"Xiaoxue, is this what you meant by 'interesting'?"

“Of course it’s not just that.” Liu Yingxue gazed at the emperor before her with fascination, who, despite being over fifty, was still dark-skinned, strong, and exuded an unparalleled aura.

The muscles in his subordinate's chest were bulging and muscular, and his ferocious ruthlessness always made her feel both uncomfortable and incredibly happy.

"Your Majesty, these sisters are specially found for you. They are beauties who know a little martial arts, but naturally they cannot compare to Your Majesty, who is invincible."

"I will close the dungeon entrance in a moment. They will try every means to escape. Your Majesty can do whatever you want to whoever you catch."

Liu Yingxue's gaze swept over the torture instruments in the dungeon room. She couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke, swaying her hips as she crawled to Hua Di's ear and whispered:

"You can torture them however you like, Your Majesty. Why don't you try killing them?"

As Liu Yingxue finished speaking, images naturally flashed through Hua Di's mind, and his breathing became heavier.

He stared like a hungry wolf at the several people dancing in the distance, who seemed oblivious to everything.

Suddenly, Hua Di turned his face and viciously bit the woman in front of him who looked aloof and cold, but was incredibly lewd at heart.

A bloody tooth mark was left on her smooth, snow-white shoulder.

"Reward!"

……

Liu Yingxue closed the dungeon door and headed alone towards Baohua Palace, her residence with Consort Yun.

As soon as she stepped into Baohua Palace, her steps faltered as she was about to return to her room. She then turned and walked towards Consort Yun's room.

A gentle knock was made on the door, but there was no response from inside; the people inside seemed to be asleep.

However, the moment she pushed open the door, the lights inside suddenly came on, shining as brightly as the dawn.

A holy and dignified monk sat upright in a chair, gazing at her without sorrow or joy. Not far from the monk, Consort Yun leaned against a couch, with four palace maids standing on either side of the bed like wooden sculptures.

Meanwhile, Imperial Physician Shang, who should have already left the palace, was kneeling on the ground, his face pale, and unable to get up.

"Tell me, how many months has it been?"

"Reporting to Master, I am just three months old."