bookcurios Chapter 245: I can’t even die, it’s so weird
Chapter 245: I can’t even die, it’s so weird
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, declares: The Empress has lost her temper, harbors no virtue, lacks the kindness of a human mother, and possesses the venom of a tiger or wolf. She is unfit to accept the Mandate of Heaven and is unfit to serve in the ancestral temple..."
The edict deposing the empress was indeed issued soon.
The decree spread throughout the harem and the court.
It caused a sensation.
There were undercurrents in the imperial court and the harem, and the common people were telling each other about it.
But Concubine Xian was not happy at all.
"Demoted to Consort Si and exiled to Qingliang Palace? What does that mean? She wasn't even sentenced to death? She's now a criminal plotting to murder the imperial heir, causing the emperor to have few heirs for many years and delaying the foundation of the country!"
It's so weird that he can't even die!
"Your Majesty, please calm down and don't raise your voice. You are angry with her, but you cannot question the imperial decree."
Madam Liao sent all the palace maids away and closed the door to comfort the young master.
The virtuous concubine gnashed her teeth in hatred, the tassels on her hairpin swaying rapidly. "As the queen, she committed such a heinous crime and yet she managed to keep her life! She even has the rank of concubine, only one rank lower than mine! I've tolerated her for years, do I have to continue to do so in the future?"
When she thought of the existence of such a person in the palace, she felt like there was something stuck in her throat and was very uncomfortable.
Madam Liao said, "Although the imperial edict doesn't explicitly state this, didn't the news from the Imperial Court say that His Majesty intended for her to remain in Qingliang Palace and not be allowed to wander freely? Your Majesty, just treat that place as her prison. Now that she has lost her position as Empress, why should you continue to care about her?"
"She's always doing bad things behind my back. As long as she's still alive, I have to be on guard against her."
"Your Majesty, when you reach a higher position in the future, you'll have to guard against more than just her. What difference does it make if you guard against one more or one less? Instead of wasting your energy on the deposed queen, you should calm down and think carefully about how to advance further."
Nanny Liao's gentle words and clear thinking helped Concubine Xian calm down gradually after she had smashed a few teacups and vented her anger.
Take it one step further…
Yes, the queen is deposed and the throne is vacant.
In this harem, considering status, family background, talent and appearance, who is more suitable to be the new queen?
Of course it’s her!
"I'll have the kitchen stew some soup and prepare a few side dishes, and personally deliver them to Your Majesty."
Madam Liao smiled and said, "Your Majesty is very intelligent and will understand immediately."
"But as for the deposed Empress Zheng, I don't want to see her live in peace."
"Your Majesty is destined to ascend to a high position. Why would you do such a trivial matter yourself? Every grievance has its perpetrator. Now Ying Xuanshi is here. After all, it was she who the Queen murdered."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian smiled.
The master and servant looked at each other, both knowing what was going on.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion mobilized all its forces inside and outside the palace, and the clues they found out about drugging Concubine Ying pointed to someone who was not the Queen.
But the queen did tamper with the fertilizer, so it wasn't clean.
They simply exaggerated the Queen's crimes. For example, if she had sent fertilizer to five people, they would exaggerate it to ten, and deliberately included Concubine Ying and Concubine Zhao among the victims.
Then, they would arrange for people to incriminate the queen, using threats and inducements such as the lives of their family members and their future wealth and glory, so that they would risk their lives, or even die, to testify.
The key witness, Bai Yuan, was also obtained in this way. It was a bit surprising that they thought Bai Yuan would be a tough nut to crack, but unexpectedly, she turned against them the fastest and was the most willing to cooperate in slandering the Queen.
The whole thing went smoothly.
But in the end it got stuck on the emperor's attitude.
In Chenqian Palace, the emperor made Concubine Xian kneel down to give evidence. Now, he did not sentence the queen to death outright, but only demoted her to the title of "Concubine Si".
All these things really made Concubine Xian feel a little uneasy.
"Mammy, thankfully you're here with me in the palace, so you can give me advice from time to time."
The virtuous concubine was able to let go of things easily, and quickly put aside her resentment towards the queen. Her eyes gradually cleared up, "You are right. The most important thing for me now is to win the heart of His Majesty and make further progress as soon as possible. Let others take care of other things."
A side hall of Changle Palace.
Zhishu, who was staying here temporarily, soon received a tonic soup personally delivered by the chief palace maid Linglong.
"My lady, drink it while it's hot. This is what our virtuous concubine ordered to be simmered for two hours. It's the best for pregnant women. The virtuous concubine also reminded you to not only take supplements every day, but also to make sure you move around and not sit or lie around all the time. Build up your strength quickly so you can be more relaxed during childbirth. This is all the advice from the palace's experienced midwives, and it's absolutely correct."
Zhishu thanked him and ordered someone to serve her a bowl of soup and fan her gently to cool it down.
"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your concern and for sending me food and drink every day."
Linglong smiled and said, "My Lady Ying, you're welcome. Our Queen just went to deliver the meal to the Emperor. Otherwise, she would have come to you in person today."
"You are the most important person by the Empress's side. Your presence is like the Empress herself coming. Thank you very much."
"I'm sorry to bother you." Seeing that Zhishu didn't ask what Concubine Xian was doing in front of the emperor, Linglong changed the subject herself. "What Concubine Si did has caused His Majesty great distress. I heard that His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past two days, so our Empress personally went to deliver the meal, hoping to persuade His Majesty to eat more. Now, in this palace, only our Empress and Empress Zhao have words that His Majesty listens to. Miss Ying, after drinking the soup, if you feel like walking around, why not go to Empress Zhao and persuade her to go and persuade His Majesty."
Zhishu nodded and agreed: "Did the Concubine Xian order me to go?"
Linglong explained with a smile, "Your Majesty only wishes His Majesty to take care of himself. She is not forcing you and Empress Zhao to do anything. Concubine Si plotted to murder you, and you have to endure the hardship of your pregnancy. Your Majesty is deeply distressed. But Concubine Si has also been punished. Your Majesty, please relax and take good care of your pregnancy."
After chatting for a while, Linglong took her leave.
Wu Xiangrong was visiting Zhishu and discussing the matter of deposing the queen with her in private.
After Linglong left, Wu Xiangrong sighed, "Although Concubine Xian has a bad temper and can really make people suffer when she is not tolerant, at least she is cruel on the surface and is really kind when she is kind to others. Compared to how Concubine Si hurt you, Concubine Xian has been pretty good to you."
Zhishu stared at her quietly.
Wu Xiangrong felt uneasy when stared at.
"...Why, am I being stupid again?"
Zhishu felt that it was right not to tell her the truth in the first place: "Sister, didn't you hear that Linglong was trying to incite me to hate Concubine Si and provoke me to deal with her? She also reminded me to ask Sister Zhao for help."
Wu Xiangrong blinked.
Looks embarrassed.
She really didn't realize that.
"Then, what are you going to do? Are you going to do what Concubine Xian wants and cause trouble for Concubine Si?" Wu Xiangrong advised solemnly, "No, sister, she's using a knife to kill someone, you can't be fooled! Although Concubine Si has hurt you and the rest of us, the most important thing for you right now is not to bother with her, understand?"
"Thanks for the reminder, sister."
Zhishu smiled and said, "However, I still want to go to Qingliang Palace once, and I want to go there with great fanfare. Sister, you may not be able to stop me. If you don't believe me, try it."
As she spoke, she rushed out.