Chapter 127: Do Something for Her!

"You need not rush to answer me," Qin Zhiqing said. "It is I who was too hasty."

Shen Fuyu: "?"

*That's not right,* she thought. *Aren't you two supposed to take advantage of the alcohol and do something scandalous?*

Seeing that Qin Zhiqing was about to escort Shen Tangyu back to her duties, Shen Fuyu grew anxious. She retrieved a pill from her storage space, crushed it into powder with her internal energy, and, winding up her fist, flung the powder directly at them.

Perfect. Her aim was getting better and better!

A faint, medicinal fragrance drifted through the air. After inhaling just a tiny amount, Qin Zhiqing’s eyes immediately lost their focus. In that instant, he reached out and pulled Shen Tangyu into his embrace. "Tang’er... stay by my side."

"Your Highness..." Shen Tangyu suddenly felt an unsettling heat rising within her. As she was pulled into his arms from behind, her body trembled, and she felt as if she had instantly lost all control.

Under the moonlight, their figures intertwined, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy. Qin Zhiqing, usually so cold and scholarly in appearance, proved surprisingly deft at loosening a waistband. One look at his practiced motions told her he must have frequented brothels often; otherwise, how could he be so familiar with the movements?

Watching through the moonlight as Shen Tangyu’s clothes fell into disarray, Shen Fuyu abruptly stood up and backed away, accidentally stepping on White Lotus’s foot.

"Ah!" White Lotus cried out.

"Serve you right for putting your foot under mine," Shen Fuyu scolded, swatting her. "Hurry, go get a basin of water! Be quick! If you're slow, I’ll beat you to death."

With red-rimmed eyes, White Lotus took a glare from Shen Fuyu and rushed off with Green Tea to find a well. Forgetting about a basin, they simply grabbed a bucket. The two girls gritted their teeth as they lugged the heavy bucket back, panting after the effort of about a cup of tea’s time.

"So slow!"

Shen Fuyu expressed her disdain before grabbing the bucket herself. By now, the pair had almost stripped off their clothes, and the sounds from the shadows were intensifying. Shen Fuyu, followed by White Lotus and Green Tea, charged straight toward them!

"Splash!"

It was autumn, and a bucket of ice-cold water doused them from head to toe. The mixed screams of the man and woman were deafening. Shen Fuyu immediately shouted, "Someone, catch these adulterers! Someone is having an illicit affair here!"

The drug from her space dissipated upon contact with water. This sudden drenching instantly brought Qin Zhiqing and Shen Tangyu back to their senses. Shen Tangyu’s delicate skin was blindingly pale under the moonlight, and with her light pink bodice exposed, she crouched on the ground, frantically trying to pull her scattered outer robes back onto her body.

"Tang’er..." Qin Zhiqing’s robes were also undone. Hearing Shen Fuyu’s shout, he quickly clutched his clothes together. "I... what has come over me?"

How could he have been so reckless, committing such an act within the palace grounds?

"Shen Fuyu? You again!"

A large group of Imperial Guards patrolling the palace banquet rushed in from all directions. Qin Zhiqing immediately shielded Shen Tangyu behind him and roared, "Audacious! How dare you offend even me!"

The dozen or so guards realized what was happening and bowed, but upon seeing the disheveled woman behind Qin Zhiqing, they all blushed, realizing exactly what had transpired.

"Offend?" Shen Fuyu sneered. "This is the palace, not a brothel! Even if Prince Jing is desperate, he should have waited until the banquet concluded. To engage in such debauchery here is to pollute the inner court! I have every right to intervene!"

"You!" The mere sight of Shen Fuyu made Qin Zhiqing’s blood boil. It was because of this woman that he had argued with his Imperial Brother and been docked a month’s salary. She was a plague; anyone who crossed paths with her was doomed!

Yet, Qin Zhiqing couldn't explain why he had been unable to suppress his desire for Shen Tangyu just moments ago. With his usual self-restraint, he never would have done such a thing!

"Report this to His Majesty! Seize Prince Jing and the palace maid behind him!" Shen Fuyu looked triumphant.

"Let’s see who dares!" Qin Zhiqing assumed his royal airs, determined to protect Shen Tangyu at all costs. The stigma of "polluting the inner court" was not just a matter of his future, but of his reputation. He had maintained his image for so long; it could not be destroyed in a single moment!

The two sides stood in a stalemate. As they were both people of status, the guards hesitated, unsure whether to apprehend the Prince.

"His Majesty has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!"

Shen Tangyu, hiding behind Qin Zhiqing, trembled. As everyone knelt, she was in a state of utter panic. *How did it come to this?* She remembered clearly that she had politely refused him; why had she suddenly ended up in this situation with him?

Even if they hadn't gone all the way, most of her clothes had been removed, and her body had been laid bare to his eyes...

"Prince Jing, you are reckless!"

Qin Zhiqing’s brother, the Emperor, looked at him with cold eyes, pulling Shen Fuyu to his side. "You dare commit such filth within the palace!"

"Your Majesty! I was so frightened!" Shen Fuyu clung to him, pointing at Qin Zhiqing and sobbing, "I was just out for a stroll when I heard these two engaging in such shameful acts. Thank goodness you came; otherwise, Prince Jing might have forced his way out! If anything had happened to me or the child, what would I have done?"

"Consort Xian, do not spout venomous lies!" Qin Zhiqing suppressed his fury. It was clearly this vile woman who had doused them with cold water. How could she be afraid? She was clearly bold as brass!

"Does Prince Jing believe that I am blind?" The Emperor’s gaze chilled. "You and this palace maid, disheveled in such a secluded spot—what else could a man and a woman be doing? Do you mean to say that Consort Xian deliberately found a palace maid to frame you?"

Qin Zhiqing felt his anger surging, but he could not defend himself. If it were anyone else, he could have insisted that Consort Xian had set a trap for him, but it happened to be Shen Tangyu he was meeting...

"Imperial Brother, I am innocent," Qin Zhiqing knelt. "I met with this maid in private, but I did not cross the line. I would not dare!"

The Emperor glanced at the maid behind him, and Chang Fu immediately understood, dragging her forward.

"Oh my, isn't this my eldest sister?" Shen Fuyu chuckled, her tone filled with sarcasm. "What is this? After becoming a palace maid, have you fallen so far as to commit adultery? You really didn't think this through. Once your reputation is ruined, what family would ever want a woman like you?"

Shen Tangyu clutched her clothes tightly. She was drenched, and her abdomen ached fiercely. Her previous failed attempt to harm Shen Fuyu had resulted in her own poisoning, and the lingering cold-weather illness had yet to fully heal. With this bucket of ice-cold water, hatred bloomed in her heart. *Shen Fuyu! It is all because of this vile woman!*

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager!" Shen Tangyu gritted her teeth, enduring the pain. "This servant only encountered Prince Jing by chance. I do not know what happened afterward that led to this near-calamity. I suspect that both the Prince and I were drugged—it must have been someone’s deliberate doing!"