After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband-Chapter 681: Ban

He dared not say it was Chaohua Palace directly, after all, it was still some distance away.

What if he was wrong and made the Emperor worry for nothing?

The Emperor’s heart shook with a jolt.

He hurriedly got out of bed, but feeling extremely dizzy, he fell back onto it, rubbing his temples, "Quick, go call someone to put out the fire!"

Eunuch Fu did not dare delay and quickly ran towards Chaohua Palace.

Entering Chaohua Palace, he saw guards and eunuchs tirelessly fighting the fire. Eunuch Fu’s voice trembled as he spoke, "How could the Chaohua Palace catch fire so suddenly?!"

"I don’t know," the little eunuch said fearfully.

"Someone saw Princess Consort Zhenbei heading towards Chaohua Palace with her maid," he continued.

Eunuch Fu’s face changed dramatically.

This was truly disastrous, "Were Princess Consort Zhenbei and her maid rescued?!"

"I haven’t seen them come out," the little eunuch shook his head.

The fact that Chaohua Palace was on fire was already enough to make Eunuch Fu anxious.

He hadn’t expected that Princess Consort Zhenbei and her maid would still be inside.

Chaohua Palace is a forbidden territory,

and the fire was growing larger and larger.

Eunuch Fu paced anxiously back and forth, as the little eunuch tried to comfort him, "We only saw Princess Consort Zhenbei and her maid heading this way. Perhaps they weren’t going to Chaohua Palace; please, eunuch, don’t worry."

Eunuch Fu also felt they shouldn’t have been heading into Chaohua Palace.

There’s neither anyone nor anything of importance inside it.

Princess Consort Zhenbei had no reason to enter this place.

Yet, there wasn’t anywhere near Chaohua Palace that’d be worth Princess Consort Zhenbei visiting.

With the Prince Zhenbei Mansion mourning, why wasn’t she staying there, and what was she doing running into the palace?

Eunuch Fu comforted himself not to think too much of it; Princess Consort Zhenbei was blessed with great fortune and long life, and it’s always others who encounter mishaps around her, so there was no need to overthink things.

Just as he relaxed a bit, a voice came from inside the hall—

"Help!"

Inside the hall, Su Jin awoke, surrounded by flames. She coughed and shouted for help with all her strength.

"Princess Consort Zhenbei is still alive," shouted a nearby guard.

"Why are you still hesitating? Go save her quickly!" Eunuch Fu ordered.

"If you cannot save Princess Consort Zhenbei, none of you will keep your heads!"

"...."

With such a raging fire, how could they go in to rescue anyone?

But with Eunuch Fu’s words, not going in would mean certain death anyway.

If they could truly rescue Princess Consort Zhenbei, then future success would be assured.

A guard poured a bucket of water over himself.

Another guard followed his lead.

Both kicked open the burning hall door, covering their mouths with wet cloths to enter. Through the thick smoke, they saw Princess Consort Zhenbei.

The two guards hurried over.

The collapsing debris and beams from the burning hall kept falling; as one guard shouldered a hit, he almost stumbled.

Fortunately, the hall was empty, and they just had to be mindful of the things above them.

Although Su Jin had taken Antidote Pills and awakened quickly, she was too weak to walk.

Besides, if she left, what would happen to Xingxing?

Upon seeing the two guards, Su Jin truly saw them as saviors.

The guard supported Su Jin to stand, while the other held onto Xingxing.

The debris from the burning hall was falling even more.

As Chaohua Palace ignited, the Empress hurried over with Nanny Zhou, saying, "Chaohua Palace is a forbidden ground. It’s broad daylight, and nobody would light a lamp or candle here; how did it catch fire?"

Witnessing the towering flames, the Empress appeared worried, but there was a smile in her eyes.

A woman dead for over a decade still occupied a palace; it would be best if it burned cleanly.

The Emperor had already rebuilt Chaohua Palace once. If he rebuilt it again, the officials wouldn’t permit such extravagant waste.

But soon, she could no longer smile.

Because Su Jin was carried out by the guards.

Not only her, but the maid emerged unscathed as well.

The Empress’s face was as vibrant as a palette of colors overturned.

Eunuch Fu approached, "Is the Princess Consort unharmed?"

"I’m fine," Su Jin replied weakly.

The guard set her down.

Weak as she was, she stood unsteadily, and Eunuch Fu quickly supported her.

The Empress’s face turned ashen, looking at Su Jin, "While the Prince Zhenbei Mansion is mourning, why aren’t you in the mansion receiving guests, why come to the palace, and end up in Chaohua Palace!"

"Chaohua Palace is a forbidden area; how dare you come and go as you please?!"

"And this fire... was it you and your maid who started it?!"

With a barrage of accusations, Su Jin, still dazed, was charged with arson and burning Chaohua Palace.

Having barely escaped death, Su Jin, still shaken, was enraged by the Empress’s baseless accusations.

Glaring at the Empress, Su Jin retorted, "If I really wanted to end my life, I don’t need to come to the palace to do it!"

"Insolent!" the Empress scolded.

"This palace doesn’t care why you’re in Chaohua Palace. The Emperor’s decree is that whoever trespasses Chaohua Palace shall die!"

"Someone, drag her down for me!"

The Emperor wasn’t present, so the Empress held the highest authority.

Moreover, the Empress had come with a number of people. As soon as she gave the order, they came forward to seize Su Jin.

Su Jin couldn’t resist; she could indeed use poison.

But openly defying the decree might mean she wouldn’t be leaving the palace alive today.

Eunuch Fu stepped in front of Su Jin, facing the Empress, "Princess Consort Zhenbei has just been frightened, and the matter hasn’t been investigated clearly yet. Let’s wait for the Emperor to arrive before proceeding; it’s not too late."

The Empress precisely feared that the Emperor would come too late, which is why she wanted to get rid of Su Jin immediately.

Who in the palace or beyond doesn’t know how much the Emperor favors Princess Consort Zhenbei? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Princess Consort Zhenbei is the daughter of Marquis Dongxiang; the Emperor intends to use Marquis Dongxiang. Would he dare act against his daughter?

She just wanted to sow discord between the Emperor and Marquis Dongxiang!

"Eunuch Fu, the Emperor forbids anyone from entering Chaohua Palace. Of all people, you should be clearer on this; I am acting upon the Emperor’s decree. What’s wrong with that?!" The Emperor’s voice was cold.

"Could it be that the Emperor’s prohibition only applies to ordinary people and cannot restrain Princess Consort Zhenbei?!"

An onslaught of questions left Eunuch Fu speechless.

The Emperor’s prohibition applied to anyone, including this personal eunuch attending to him.

Normally, if not with the Emperor, Eunuch Fu wasn’t even allowed a step inside Chaohua Palace.

The Emperor may favor Princess Consort Zhenbei, but Chaohua Palace was off-limits. If she was involved in the fire, it’s uncertain if the Emperor would be lenient with the Consort.

Eunuch Fu looked at Su Jin, "What were you doing in Chaohua Palace?"

She was clearly being set up.

Eunuch Fu was by the Emperor’s side, never leaving. If the Emperor had really summoned her, Eunuch Fu would not be unaware.

"Someone came to Prince Zhenbei Mansion with an edict, saying the Emperor summoned me to discuss trade with Beimo and that he was in Chaohua Palace, so they brought me over," Su Jin enunciated every word.

The Empress laughed, "Ridiculous. The Emperor is currently in Changchun Palace. Negotiations about trade with Beimo are a major court matter; if discussion happens, it’d be with the ministers. Couldn’t you find a better reason?"

Su Jin, with her fiery temper, retorted directly at the Empress, "All the times I’ve entered the palace, when have I ever been to Chaohua Palace? If someone hadn’t led the way, how would I have found it?"

Seeing the Empress’s intent to have her executed, Su Jin suspected it was her who ordered someone to give false decrees to burn her alive.

Only right now, the eunuch who led the way was nowhere to be found; most likely, he had already been silenced.