The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

Mute Slave was awakened by water being splashed on him, and his turbid eyes first showed confusion, but soon after, they became sharp and clear.

His first reaction was not to care about his own situation, but to crouch on the ground as if reaching for a knife, glaring fiercely at the Emperor.

His frenzied actions were quickly subdued by the guards, and Emperor Xuanwu approached: "Even if you can't speak, you must know a few characters. Write on the ground with water why you wanted to kill Consort De and her maid."

Mute Slave became even more agitated, his entire body surging with brute strength as he charged forward. Emperor Xuanwu quickly stepped back, and the guards soon subdued him again, but he remained unresponsive to the Emperor's words.

The few maids who had protected Consort De and fled for their lives were from Yanqing Palace. Jiang Xinyue waved her hand: "Come here, you few. Is this Mute Slave deaf and mute, or just unable to speak?"

The maids looked at each other, and finally, one of them spoke: "Your Highness, the Mute Slave was saved by our Consort ten years ago in the Cold Palace. Back then, his throat had been burned with hot coals, and his ears were pierced with silver needles. He should have been deaf and unable to speak since then."

"Does he know how to read?"

"We don't know, Your Highness. The Mute Slave has always been reclusive. The Lotus Garden is usually not open to the public, and he is the one who takes care of cleaning and maintenance. Luyin occasionally visits, but he has a bad temper, and there are few people in Yanqing Palace who get close to him. We don't know much about him. The only one who was slightly closer to him was Luyin..."

As the little maid spoke, she began to cry, likely due to the loss of Luyin.

The Emperor felt it was inauspicious to bring a dead body inside, so Luyin's corpse was left outside. Shuang Jiang and Jiang Chuan went out to take a look and saw a bloodied face lying on the ground.

"Murder... murder... hahaha..."

Not only was Mute Slave acting crazy, but Xiao Ronghua had also slipped out through a side door at some point, shouting and running away.

Tang Shiliang could only take people to chase after her, leaving a madman running around the palace was not safe.

Consort De had a deaf and mute, mysterious, and seemingly illiterate eunuch guarding the man-eating fish and helping her dispose of various corpses, presumably because she believed Mute Slave would not expose her. What could have happened that made Mute Slave feel he had to kill her?

The bloodstained dagger on the ground, reflecting sunlight, blurred Jiang Xinyue's vision. The handle of the dagger was adorned with several gorgeous red gems, which were certainly not something a eunuch of Mute Slave's status could possess.

This meant that the dagger belonged to Consort De.

"Luyin..."

Just as Jiang Xinyue was about to voice her doubts, Mute Slave suddenly struggled and fell to the ground, twitching a few times before becoming still.

The guards checked his breath: "Your Majesty, he's dead."

The black blood flowing from the corner of his mouth indicated that he had died from poisoning.

Xiao Ronghua had gone mad, Luyin was dead, and now Mute Slave was also dead. All the evidence that could prove Consort De was the mastermind behind all the evil was gone.

Xi Que and Shuang Jiang's eyes were red with anger. They were furious that Consort De did not value the lives of the maids. If everything was indeed planned by Consort De herself, then Luyin must have been killed by her as well.

As fellow maids, they could empathize with Luyin.

They were even more furious that their mistress had finally had a chance to bring down Consort De, but she had escaped by killing the witnesses.

Had all their efforts been in vain?

In the side hall, several imperial physicians and medical maids were jointly treating Consort De, with bloodied water being carried out in basins, indicating a precarious situation.

Even the Emperor was wavering, wondering if the missing concubines and maids in the palace in recent years were really all killed by Mute Slave.

The dagger had pierced so deeply that the physicians said it was only half an inch away from puncturing Consort De's vital organs. If that had happened, Consort De would have been doomed.

To escape, putting her life at risk, what was the point?

"Your Majesty, we have administered anesthesia to Consort De, and she has not yet awakened. However, Consort De's injury is quite severe and should not be moved. If we want her to survive, she must stay in Hexi Palace for a few days to recuperate, at least until she wakes up. Otherwise, if the wound reopens and causes secondary bleeding, she will still be in grave danger."

Having a murderous maniac stay here was something Jiang Xinyue would rather avoid.

Unable to move her, for the next few days, Jiang Xinyue would have to keep both eyes open while sleeping, or she feared she wouldn't know how she died.

Emperor Xuanwu sensed her fear and said to Xi Que and Shuang Jiang: "What are you standing there for? Your mistress doesn't like sharing a residence with others. Go and tidy up. Your mistress will stay with me in Chengqian Palace for the next few days."

Everyone around them widened their eyes in surprise, but Wang Dequan and Tang Shiliang both looked as if they were used to it, and they certainly wouldn't step forward to remind the Emperor that this was against the rules.

In this palace, the Emperor's will was the rule, and his favor was the rule.

Tang Shiliang, who had already aligned himself with Jiang Xinyue, was overjoyed as the Emperor's favor grew, and he certainly wouldn't advise against it.

Wang Dequan... although not fully aligned, if he had to choose a queen he liked in the harem, it would undoubtedly be Jiang Xinyue.

Not for any other reason, but because she was the only one who truly treated the maids and eunuchs as human beings, not just pretending to.

Just look at the eunuchs and palace maids in Hexi Palace, each with their own personality, showing unreserved loyalty to their mistress.

Unlike the lifeless, overly cautious lower-level palace staff in other palaces, who feared that one mistake could cost them their lives.

Hearing this, Shuang Jiang and Xi Que were so delighted that they almost laughed out loud, but considering the inappropriate setting, they managed to suppress their joy.

Aliali: 67210a8c3a4784313d743e58

"Your Majesty, why not let Noble Lady Jiang stay with me for a few days?"

With Consort De here and her trusted aides accompanying her to Chengqian Palace, Jiang Xinyue wasn't at ease. What if something were to happen here again, making it even harder to explain?

Consort De knew how to make poison, and Noble Lady Jiang knew how to make incense.

Noble Lady Jiang, who was extremely sensitive to smells and could distinguish different scents in the air, was the perfect counter to Consort De.

Jiang Xinyue looked up at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, you plan to fill in the lotus pond in front of Xihuo Palace and redesign the layout of Xihuo Palace, changing its name as well. Noble Lady Jiang's sudden relocation must have left her unprepared. Let her stay with me for a few days until her belongings are moved to Jingren Palace, then she can move in."

As for when her belongings would be moved, that would depend on when Consort De left.

The Emperor's eyes flickered: "Then send someone to Xihuo Palace to inform them, promote Noble Lady Jiang to Consort Wen, grant her the title 'Wen,' and assign her to Jingren Palace."

From today onwards, Noble Lady Jiang would be known as Consort Wen.

Jingren Palace had always been reserved for concubines of the fei rank. When the Empress Dowager was still alive, even the Shufen and Rongfen, with their extremely noble status, had been allowed to reside in Jingren Palace.

The Emperor naturally understood that Jiang Xinyue was seeking a promotion for Consort Wen, but a feiwei (imperial concubine rank) was not much. The Jiang family had contributed significantly in the recent corruption case in Guangdong and Guangxi and the siege case in Yu Province, so granting Jiang Yuan a feiwei was justified.