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After Concubine Cheng left, Consort Zhang became even more hesitant to speak. She sat with an empty seat between herself and Lady Zhang, like a plucked quail, not daring to move at all.

Jiang Xinyue sipped her tea, raising her eyes to look at Noble Lady Jiang. Noble Lady Jiang caught her signal and put down her flower tea: "Consort Zhang, I heard from Lady Zhang that you\'ve been keeping a large black cat at Cool Breeze Pavilion?"

Being suddenly questioned about this, Consort Zhang wasn\'t sure if it was a trap. Her guilty demeanor made her appear as if she was the one who had done something improper.

"Why are you hemming and hawing? Didn\'t you hear Noble Lady Jiang\'s question?"

The Emperor\'s loud shout startled Consort Zhang so much she nearly fell from her chair. She hurriedly replied, "Yes... no... there is a black cat, but I\'m not the only one feeding it. Lady Zhang and Court Lady Zheng have been feeding it too."

Court Lady Zheng, who was unexpectedly dragged into this battlefield, choked on her tea and quickly denied any involvement: "I only fed that cat dried fish once, and those dried fish were given to me by Consort Zhang. I haven\'t fed it since then."

Lady Zhang said her dried fish came from Consort Zhang, and Court Lady Zheng said the same thing.

Why would she carry so much dried fish with her?

Was it premeditated?

At this moment, Jiang Xinyue wasn\'t focusing on Consort Zhang\'s expression, but rather watching Lady Zhang from the corner of her eye.

She appeared relieved, as if she had found a scapegoat, and was whispering something to her palace maid.

Shuang Jiang had already received orders; today\'s task was to keep a close watch on Lady Zhang and those around her.

So when Lady Zhang\'s personal maid withdrew, Shuang Jiang also left the Hundred Flower Garden under the cover of other palace maids.

"Since His Majesty has rarely come to enjoy tea and chat with us sisters, perhaps I could perform some magic tricks for Your Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort?"

Having gained the Imperial Noble Consort\'s favor, Lady Zhang now dared to volunteer herself before the Emperor.

Everyone looked to Jiang Xinyue\'s expression, including the Emperor, his dark eyes fixed on her.

"Lady Zhang possesses such talents?"

Jiang Xinyue\'s eyes sparkled with delight: "Your Majesty, let Lady Zhang perform for us. I would love to see it."

She spoke with a hint of coquettishness, and the Xuanwu Emperor immediately yielded, saying to Lady Zhang: "Granted."

The weather in Qin Province was cool, making it an ideal summer retreat. The afternoon sun had already set behind the mountains, and the sky was growing dim.

The Hundred Flower Garden was becoming shadowy, making Lady Zhang\'s magic tricks appear even more mysterious.

Her ten fingers danced, and suddenly two flames burst to life between them. As she gracefully danced, the flames leaped through the air, taking different shapes.

The flames transformed into chrysanthemums, then orchids, then roses and peonies, constantly changing and incredibly beautiful.

"Wow! How beautiful!"

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Someone started applauding: "Lady Zhang is amazing!"

Soon, the two flames merged into one, and Lady Zhang spun quickly in circles, causing the flame to burst into thousands of sparkling embers that scattered in all directions.

Gasps of amazement, screams, and the sounds of people ducking filled the air.

The Xuanwu Emperor used his sleeve to shield Jiang Xinyue, protecting her against his chest while glaring at Lady Zhang.

However, what flew towards them wasn\'t actually sparks, but merely flame-colored light that felt cold when it touched their skin and faces, like some kind of flower seeds.

After the display of fire and light, Lady Zhang waved her hands, and a golden phoenix emerged from behind her, flying straight toward Jiang Xinyue in the pavilion.

The Xuanwu Emperor, frightened, tried to wave it away with his sleeve. Everyone around them was startled and moved aside.

The guards even drew their swords, but Jiang Xinyue remained unfazed, even clapping her hands: "What superb firework magic! Where did Lady Zhang learn this?"

As she applauded, the phoenix circling the Xuanwu Emperor and Jiang Xinyue burst apart with a boom, leaving only some black, burnt firework powder scattered on the ground.

Lady Zhang had hoped to amaze the Emperor and frighten Jiang Xinyue, but instead, Jiang Xinyue wasn\'t scared at all, while the Emperor was thoroughly frightened.

She knelt on the ground, catching her breath: "In response to the Imperial Noble Consort, I was a magician in an acrobatic troupe before entering the palace. Because I was being mistreated by the troupe master, a passing county magistrate, seeing that I was young and beautiful, recommended me to enter the palace to escape the troupe master\'s harassment."

She looked up: "However, this firework magic is my family\'s secret technique. Where has the Imperial Noble Consort seen it before?"

"I read about it in some old books at home. There was once a young woman who could perform such firework magic, but she was executed as a witch. After her death, people found books about firework magic in her residence, but it was too late."

The book didn\'t actually exist, and she had never seen it, but she had watched it in television dramas from the 21st century. After all, she had watched so many dramas and seen all sorts of strange things!

Noble Lady Jiang clutched her chest: "The Imperial Noble Consort comes from a scholarly family, and the Minister of Punishment was a top scholar in the imperial examinations. Of course she\'s well-read and knowledgeable. What\'s so surprising about her knowing about your firework magic?"

She glanced at Jiang Xinyue, and seeing she wasn\'t hurt, glared at Lady Zhang: "You\'d better not perform such magic tricks anymore. If the Imperial Noble Consort hadn\'t explained it for you today, just frightening His Majesty would have been enough to warrant execution ten times over."

The Xuanwu Emperor didn\'t want to admit that while his consort remained calm, he had been scared to his core.

But that was the truth, and Noble Lady Jiang, who had no filter, had blurted it out.

It truly made him lose face.

Aliali: 674aecfcc4f3f33ac49acb42

Perhaps the Emperor\'s expression was so dark that anyone could see he was angry.

Lady Zhang lowered her head submissively: "I deserve death. I didn\'t mean to."

"You certainly deserve death! But not for frightening His Majesty - rather for your audacious attempt to harm the imperial body by poisoning His Majesty!"

Shuang Jiang shouted harshly, dragging a small palace maid and throwing her into the pavilion.

As the maid fell, the items she was carrying scattered.

A living ice-blue butterfly flew out of a box, but was quickly caught by Xiao Xiangzi and returned to its container.

Some dried fish, a fragrant flower petal, and a wooden box filled with white powder spilled out.

Noble Lady Jiang immediately crouched down, dipped her finger in the powder and sniffed it. Her eyes widened as she looked at the stunned Lady Zhang: "You\'re from the Miao Borderlands?"

Just as she finished speaking, the Emperor coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled backward!

"Your Majesty!"