12dz Chapter 203 Wanting to impose a crime
Chapter 203 Wanting to impose a crime
In the capital city of Chang Le Palace, a thousand miles away from the Kingdom of Wu Si, Consort Li stepped into her main palace. No longer holding back her tears, she slowly walked to her dressing table, sat down, and immediately buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
Of the three who went out together this morning, only two have returned.
As soon as she entered the room, Consort Li's personal maid, Tingxue, chased all the other maids serving in the room out.
As soon as the door closed, she hurriedly knelt before the weeping Consort Li and kowtowed repeatedly:
"Your Majesty, please go and seek the Empress's help! I fear that if we delay, Sister Lü'e will not be able to withstand the torture of those eunuchs and will be forced to confess by those despicable villains. At that time, Your Majesty may truly be plunged into an abyss of no return!"
Hearing the loyal servant's advice, Consort Li raised her head with teary eyes.
Looking up, she caught a glimpse of her aging face in the mirror. Though she still retained some beauty, she could never compare to the youthful, radiant beauty of a young woman.
"It's no use... Tingxue, you don't understand, it's no use..."
'My dear Lu Lang, how cruel you are!'
She had shared a bed with Lu Lang for many years. What her temperament was like, and whether she had really made things difficult for Consort Yun, were all unimportant.
Lu Lang is trying to curry favor with those young girls by stepping on her face!
"Her beauty has faded, yet our love has ended... Waaah..."
Seeing her mistress cover her face with a handkerchief and weep while slumped over the table, Tingxue reluctantly got up from the floor and served her for a while.
Taking advantage of going out to fetch water, she summoned two of her personal servants, gave them a few instructions, and told them to wait outside the door, ready to be summoned by their mistress at any time.
She stood at the door, deep in thought, stamped her foot, went back inside to pick up a basket of items, and hurried out of Chang Le Palace.
At the Moon Flower Gate of Kunning Palace, Tingxue waited at the gate for a moment before a young palace maid led Aunt Qiuyue toward her.
“I heard from Xiao Cui that you have something important to discuss with me? It’s still early, and you’re an old servant in the palace. Instead of serving Consort Li properly, you’re running around like this. How will you manage the young maids in the future?”
"Auntie, please save me!" Tingxue's face flushed red, and she knelt down before Qiuyue without saying a word.
"What kind of behavior is this? Get up!" Qiu Yue dragged Ting Xue through the Moonflower Gate, pulled her to the west wing of the hall, ordered guards to stand at the door, and then her face darkened as she angrily rebuked:
"Things are already not peaceful enough. Your actions are so hasty and unruly. If someone finds a fault with you, even your master will have a hard time protecting you!"
"Aunt, I truly have no other choice. I beg you, Aunt, have mercy and save Sister Lü'e's life!"
After Tingxue finished speaking, she tried to kneel down again, but Qiuyue stopped her in her tracks.
"Stop kneeling! What happened? Explain yourself immediately!"
"This morning, Sister Lü'e finally managed to persuade Her Majesty to go out for a walk. Unexpectedly, she ran into Consort Liu, Consort Yao, and Consort Yun in the Imperial Garden."
"Perhaps Consort Liu harbored resentment because of the previous matter of dividing the Floating Glory Brocade. As soon as she saw me, she insulted me, which was an act of blasphemy..." Tingxue was still indignant at the thought, but those words were truly unbearable, and she could hardly repeat them again.
"Regardless of their past status, they are now all ladies-in-waiting in the palace. Do not speak ill of your mistress behind her back. Tell the truth!"
“Aunt, I did not lie. If I had lied, may I be sent to the Avici Hell and suffer the torment of having my tongue pulled out for all eternity…”
Tingxue was so anxious that she even swore a solemn oath, but before she could finish speaking, Qiuyue interrupted her:
"Okay, let's get down to business!"
"That Consort Liu scolded her master for not teaching his adopted daughter properly, for harming His Majesty, and for only knowing how to use her beauty to please men all day long. Now that her beauty has faded, His Majesty no longer visits Chang Le Palace, yet she still hoards the good things every day. I wonder who she is dressing up for. She should relinquish her position as a consort as soon as possible and leave the palace to go to a temple to atone for her daughter's sins."
"presumptuous!"
"Sister Lü'e was furious and stepped forward to protect her mistress, but Consort Liu dared to attack her directly. Sister Lü'e tried to dodge, but somehow bumped into Consort Yun. Consort Yun fell to the ground and bled."
"Blood?!"
Qiu Yue's expression changed drastically, and Ting Xue's voice gradually softened:
"Then His Majesty arrived and, without saying a word, ordered his men to arrest Sister Lü'e and throw her into the Yeting Prison."
Recalling Hua Di's expression at the time, Tingxue stepped forward with fear and worry, tightly grasping the hand of the person in front of her:
“Aunt, Sister Lü’e had no intention of harming Consort Yun. That Consort Liu dared to slander our master in front of His Majesty, accusing her of instructing Sister Lü’e to plot against them.”
"My mistress would never do such a thing! Aunt Qiuyue, you know my mistress. I'm afraid that Sister Lü'e will be tortured into confessing. I beg you to report to Her Majesty the Empress and seek justice for my mistress!"
"I already know about it. You should go back and take good care of your mistress."
Qiu Yue's expression was solemn. After offering a few words of comfort, she saw the person out of the Moonflower Gate. As soon as she turned around, her gaze shifted and she happened to catch a glimpse of the basket that Ting Xue had brought, placed on the ground at the door of the side room.
Lifting the cloth cover of the basket, Qiuyue saw yellow and white things inside. She was both annoyed and amused, so she called Xiaocui over and ordered her to catch up with Tingxue and return the things.
The young palace maid, panting, ran all the way, and as soon as she saw Tingxue, she called out to her and stuffed the things back into Tingxue's hands.
Tingxue declined, refusing to accept it and asking the maid to take it back. As the two were pushing and shoving each other, a clear voice suddenly rang out from behind them:
"What are you doing?"
The elegant and noble Prince Rui was about to visit his maternal grandmother at Kunning Palace.
……
"What did you say! Feng'er was caught red-handed by His Majesty for committing adultery in the harem?"
When Empress Wang arrived at the Huagai Hall, she saw her grandson sitting on the ground like a rogue, pointing at the woman standing beside Emperor Hua, who was covering her face and crying, and cursing her:
"Grandfather, you're so biased! This woman is so ugly, she's not even a tenth as beautiful as me. I only want the most beautiful woman in the world, how could I possibly look at such a vulgar beauty!"
"Stop fooling around, get up!" The usually dignified Emperor Hua had veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes filled with helplessness towards his unruly child, a conflicted mix of wanting to hit him but not being able to.
“I’m not getting up! Even if I go blind someday and really take a fancy to someone, Grandfather, you’re not stingy. If Xiao Feng wants something, all he has to do is say the word, and Grandfather will definitely give it to him. Why would I need to sneak around and force anyone!”
"That woman clearly has ill intentions. She's probably just trying to take advantage of me because I'm good-looking. Grandfather, instead of standing up for me, you even yelled at me. Xiao Feng is just going to lie here and not get up!"
"What, do you want all the civil and military officials to judge for you?" Emperor Hua laughed in anger.
"Hmph, why not? Anyone with eyes can see I'm better looking than her!"
"Bastard!"
"Xiao Feng, stop fooling around!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
"Zitong, what brings you here?" Emperor Hua released his embrace from his beloved concubine, glanced at Eunuch Hai, and stepped forward to greet Empress Wang.
"If I hadn't come, how would I have known it was so lively here at Your Majesty's?" Empress Wang smiled, not even glancing at the young concubine beside Emperor Hua, and gently took the hand Emperor Hua extended, speaking softly and tenderly:
"Xiao Feng is a bit mischievous, but he has always been a sincere and filial good boy. Your Majesty, when you mentioned having a headache last time, Xiao Feng even went to learn some skills from Imperial Physician Wu, saying that once he mastered them, he would come to you in person to fulfill his filial duty."
"You little rascal, get up! Apologize to your grandfather and kowtow. This little girl is..."
Hai Gonggong, who was standing nearby, quickly interjected:
"Your Majesty, this is Consort Li, newly appointed by His Majesty."
"Consort Li, you have been frightened. Convey my imperial decree to bestow upon her the gold-threaded silk newly presented by the Kingdom of Wusi and the peacock silk presented by the Kingdom of Baiyue."
"No need." Emperor Hua glared at Eunuch Hai, then rubbed his forehead as if in pain. A pair of well-maintained but no longer fair and tender hands massaged him just right.
With his eyes closed, Emperor Hua coldly uttered these icy words while enjoying his wife's service:
"Keep everything that happened today a secret. I don't want to hear any more rumors about Prince Rui's son. Eunuch Hai, drag him away."
Before Consort Li, who was secretly wiping away tears, could react, she was dragged out by the guards arranged by Eunuch Hai. She was about to ask why, but before she could make a sound, her mouth was sealed shut.
Everyone in the hall seemed to be used to it, showing no surprise at Emperor Hua's fickleness and ruthlessness.
Gu Mingfeng stood up and honestly admitted his mistake, although he had no sense of being wrong at all.
"I haven't had a smooth day in ages. I didn't want to argue with them because they're so young, but it's only made them start having inappropriate thoughts. Sigh, you guys are so considerate!"
"Your Majesty only knows how to say nice things to coax us. What did Sister Li do to offend you this time? I heard her eyes are swollen from crying."
"You're here to plead for her?" Hua Di suddenly opened his eyes, his expression furious.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that Emperor Hua's expression was off, Empress Wang gave Gu Mingfeng, who was about to speak, a look that told him to shut up.
"You can know a person's face but not their heart! Do you know that she almost murdered the imperial heir!"