"Crack!"
The tea bowl shattered.
Princess Consort De fell to her knees with a "thump," her face pale as snow, trembling and unable to form a complete sentence.
Noble Lady Ying was also scared into kneeling, not daring to speak.
The loud noise startled the Empress Dowager, Beauty Qing, Noble Lady Jing, and others who had just arrived at Luaxin Pavilion, crowding the small courtyard almost to full capacity.
Beauty Qing lowered her eyes, and no one could see the true emotions hidden within them.
She heard the noise clearly; though she was too far away to hear what the Emperor said, she could distinguish the Emperor's voice.
The Emperor's arrival so early was beyond her expectations.
Yet it was better for Li Yuyu's misdeed to be caught by the Emperor rather than the Empress Dowager; it was heaven's help to her.
