Song Yunzhao had originally expected that after the Emperor learned of the matter, he would perhaps only teach Lu Zhixue a small lesson. She never thought the punishment would be this severe.
Docking three months of her stipend wasn't really a big deal for Lu Zhixue, but a month of confinement was a serious blow.
Confinement meant she couldn't send her tooth card to the imperial court, which meant she had no chance of attending the Emperor for a whole month. This would cause her to fall far behind the others.
There were so many beautiful women in the harem. If Lu Zhixue lacked the ability to make a comeback, she might just fade into obscurity after a month.
How could Song Yunzhao have predicted that Lu Zhixue's father would cause trouble for the Emperor? With both factors combined, wasn't Lu Zhixue just paying the price for it all?
Lu Zhixue's harsh punishment inadvertently proved that the Emperor held Song Yunzhao in high regard.
