I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 294 Clever and Intelligent

Consort Chen lifted her skirt and slowly approached Qin Jiuwei, her gaze cold and her demeanor exuding nobility.

With each step she took, her maidservant followed in front of her.

He walked towards Qin Jiuwei in such a dark and imposing manner, bringing a strong sense of oppression.

Consort Chen looked at her with a half-smile, "I didn't expect the Crown Prince's wife to be so skilled, and even know horsemanship?"

"Your Highness, you flatter me. I've only practiced a few more times than others, and I can barely sit still on the horse. How can that be considered skillful?"

"The Crown Prince's wife is truly humble." A cold glint flashed in Consort Chen's eyes. "To be able to steadily rein in the horses under such circumstances is already quite remarkable."

"Since the Crown Prince's wife says this is just the basics, I'm curious, just how good is the Crown Prince's wife's horsemanship?"

She tilted her head slightly, glanced at everyone in the room, and then changed the subject.

"We happen to be at the hunting grounds today, a spacious place. How about the Crown Prince's wife gives us a little performance to liven things up?"

Want to show off? Well, I'll let you show off to your heart's content!

Upon hearing this, many of the ladies around exchanged glances discreetly.

Everyone could tell that Consort Chen was deliberately making things difficult for Qin Jiuwei, wanting to embarrass her in front of everyone.

After all, pulling the reins to save someone is one thing, but showing off your horsemanship in front of a crowd is quite another.

Riding skills are difficult, and mistakes can easily happen if you are not careful.

If Qin Jiuwei were to accidentally fall off her horse, she would truly lose face.

Madam He's expression changed instantly. Having just been saved by Qin Jiuwei, she was already grateful to Qin Jiuwei and couldn't help but want to speak up and help.

But before she could even open her mouth, her friend stopped her with a look.

That's Consort Chen! Are you out of your mind?

Mrs. He had no choice but to remain silent, her eyes filled with worry.

Qin Jiu chuckled lightly, "Your Majesty's joke has gone a bit too far. This subject is absolutely not qualified to perform equestrian acts."

“I’m not joking with you.” Consort Chen raised an eyebrow. “I really want to see.”

Suddenly, the smile on her face vanished, and she slowly walked forward.

"I only asked you to demonstrate, and you're already making excuses like this? Does the Crown Prince's wife really not take me, Gong Fan, seriously?"

"Or do you think that the Crown Prince's wife is of higher status than I am?"

These words caused everyone's hearts to tighten.

These words were already an attempt to label her; if Qin Jiuwei didn't explain, it would be disrespectful to the imperial concubine.

Jiang Yunzhu's face paled, and she subconsciously looked at Qin Jiuwei.

But she appeared perfectly normal, and spoke in a gentle and clear voice.

"Your Highness, Consort Chen, you are too kind. I am well aware of my lowly status and would never dare to overstep my bounds, much less compare myself to Your Highness in terms of honor. Just now, Your Highness asked me to perform horseback riding, but I was only afraid that my clumsy movements would spoil Your Highness's mood."

"Just now, the wives of all the ministers were forced to ride horses and almost had accidents. If my wife had really had an accident while performing her horsemanship, it would have spoiled His Majesty's enjoyment of the spring hunt today."

Consort Chen's eyes widened immediately. "You dare to use the Emperor to intimidate me?"

"This humble woman dares not." Qin Jiuwei raised her eyes and looked directly at Consort Chen, her voice calm and firm.

"However, since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, there has never been a precedent for allowing noblewomen to compete on horseback during royal hunts. Your Majesty's actions today have set a new precedent for noblewomen of the Great Jin Dynasty."

She paused, then continued with a half-smile.

"Just now Her Majesty wanted to see a competition, and now she wants to see horsemanship. I wonder if we should also set up an archery competition, so that the ladies of the court can draw their bows and arrows, just to make Her Majesty smile?"

Upon hearing this, a moment of silence fell over the surroundings.

The ladies present all lowered their heads, filled with awe.

Qin Jiuwei's words were both subtle and sharp.

Without explicitly stating it, her intentions were revealed incisively.

I only knew Qin Jiuwei was beautiful, but now I've seen another side of her.

Qin Jiu lowered his head and slowly exhaled.

I've held back for so long, but I've finally said it now.

In her previous life, Consort Chen would also bully some of the younger concubines.

In the sweltering heat, they were forced to stand in the scorching sun; in the freezing winter, they were made to kneel barefoot; and during thunderstorms, they were thrown into mud pits…

None of these incidents resulted in any loss of life.

Compared to Consort Xian's direct killings, Consort Chen's methods seemed insignificant and were rarely noticed.

But her evil was no less than that of Consort Xian.

In this life, Consort Xian was eliminated ahead of schedule, and the Empress Dowager no longer had any power.

Now that Consort Chen is the only one in the harem who is in the limelight, she has become even more unscrupulous.

Now, they are even directly reaching out to the wives of high-ranking officials in the court.

Apart from the Emperor, there was truly no one who could suppress her.

Yet, Gao Xian dotes on her so much.

"You are utterly insolent!" Consort Chen flung her sleeves, her face turning ashen, her eyes flashing with fierce anger.

Her eyes were fixed on Qin Jiuwei with a venomous glare.

"Guards! Qin Jiuwei has no respect for rank. I am the Emperor's concubine. How can I tolerate such disrespect? Pass down the order: slap her ten times, then give her twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."

You should know that she was the one in power there!

The atmosphere froze instantly upon hearing this!

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the maids immediately stepped forward and reached out to grab Qin Jiuwei.

However, just as they were about to touch Qin Jiuwei's sleeve, a rustling sound of dresses suddenly rang out—

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! The Crown Prince's wife had no intention of disrespecting him. Please forgive her!"

Madam He was the first to kneel down.

Immediately afterwards, the wives of the other ministers knelt down one after another and kowtowed to Consort Chen to beg for mercy.