sbdcsierra Chapter 1276: Relying on the fact that he is the trusted person of the Imperial Concubine
Chapter 1276: Relying on the fact that he is the trusted person of the Imperial Concubine
The Imperial Noble Consort killed two birds with one stone by getting rid of the foreign prince who might be an eyesore, and dealt a heavy blow to her most threatening competitor, Imperial Noble Concubine Zhuang. It was a perfect plan!
For a moment, countless obscure and inquiring gazes were quietly cast at Shen Zhinian, who remained silent.
However, Shen Zhinian still looked calm.
She didn't even look at Concubine Zhuang, who was kneeling on the ground, as if she hadn't heard the accusation in her words at all. Or as if... she completely disdained it.
Shen Zhinian was very clear in her mind. In her opinion, Concubine Zhuang's trick of sowing discord was not very clever.
What she cared about was Nangong Xuanyu's reaction.
Because if, even today, Shen Zhinian had spent more than two years of hard work, step by step, to get to this point, and Nangong Xuanyu didn't even have this basic trust in her, and was easily shaken by a groundless accusation...
Wouldn't all her planning and conspiring to win people's hearts be in vain?
Of course, Shen Zhinian couldn't place all his hopes on the emperor's trust.
A man's feelings are the most unreliable thing in the world.
Even if Nangong Xuanyu suspected her at this moment, she had a backup plan.
The people Xiao Mingzi sent to watch Shuixi Pavilion day and night were not doing it for nothing.
What's more, the more Concubine Zhuang tries to get involved now, the greater the backlash will be when the truth is revealed!
The hall fell into an eerie silence, with only Concubine Chun's desperate sobs as the sound remained.
Everyone's heart was in their throat, waiting for the emperor's decision.
After listening to Concubine Zhuang's defense, Nangong Xuanyu's face became even colder.
How could he not hear the hidden meaning in Concubine Zhuang's words?
This not only failed to arouse the emperor's suspicion of Shen Zhinian, but instead made him feel a little dissatisfied with Concubine Zhuang.
Poor management has led to a disaster. Instead of reflecting on the situation, they are trying to take the opportunity to blame others and divert attention!
Nangong Xuanyu's gaze fell coldly on Concubine Zhuang, and his voice was filled with undisguised rebuke: "You failed to manage your subordinates strictly, causing such a disaster. You have failed in your duty!"
"Instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, you're making unwarranted assumptions and dragging others into the mix? Imperial Concubine, I think you've forgotten your limits!"
The emperor's words were merciless and clearly expressed his absolute protection and trust in Shen Zhinian.
Everyone was startled. Although they were a little surprised, they thought it made sense.
The Imperial Noble Consort is in the Emperor's favor and her position is secure. How could Your Majesty doubt her just because of a few unsubstantiated hints from the Imperial Noble Consort?
Concubine Zhuang's face turned pale after being scolded, but she did not panic. Instead, she lowered her posture and kowtowed deeply.
Her voice was choked with sobs, and she seemed extremely sad: "Your Majesty is right. I failed to control my subordinates and deserve death!"
"I have no intention of shirking responsibility, nor do I dare to make presumptuous assumptions about others. It's just... just thinking about the innocent death of the already formed prince, my heart is truly broken!"
"I was thinking, if someone really was secretly plotting and harming the heir to the throne, how could they get away with it?"
"Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly, so as to comfort the soul of that poor child in heaven!"
As Concubine Zhuang spoke, she actually raised her hand and wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. Her tone was mournful, as if she was truly mourning for her unborn child.
Not everyone in the harem knows the true face of Concubine Zhuang behind her kind mask.
Seeing her like this, and the fact that Concubine Zhuang had a reputation for being a Buddhist and compassionate woman, several lower-ranking concubines were moved by her. They thought that the Concubine might be truly sad and wanted to find out the truth.
And Concubine Chun on the couch was still sobbing softly, as if she was heartbroken, but there was a cold sense of pride in her heart.
The plan went even better than she expected!
Concubine Zhuang was unwilling to take the blame and actually tried to divert the blame to the Imperial Concubine? This was a pleasant surprise!
No matter what the final outcome is, the water is getting more and more muddy.
Nangong Xuanyu looked at Concubine Zhuang who was kneeling on the ground crying, then looked at Concubine Chun who was weeping on the couch, and was silent for a moment.
The emperor's suspicion prevented him from completely trusting either side.
He finally turned his gaze to Su Quanye, who had been standing there with his head bowed, and said in a voice that was neither happy nor angry: "Su Quanye, bring up that eunuch who neglected his duties!"
"I want to ask the question myself."
Su Quanye bowed and accepted the order, then quickly retreated: "Yes!"
In just a moment, two eunuchs from the Ministry of Punishment came in, bringing a young eunuch who was covered in wounds and shaking like a sieve after being tortured. They roughly forced him to his knees on the cold floor tiles.
This person was Xiao Liuzi, who was in charge of sweeping that section of the palace road.
The emperor's gaze fell coldly on Xiao Liuzi. His voice was low, but filled with chilling emotion: "I'll ask you one last time, what's going on with the thin ice and moss on the palace path?!"
"If you tell me even a lie, I will destroy your entire family!"
Xiao Liuzi was so frightened that he glanced in the direction of Concubine Chun in a very obscure way.
Then, as if completely overwhelmed by the emperor's pressure, he kowtowed violently, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, spare my life! I will tell you! I will tell you everything!"
"It's, it's Eunuch Zhang who's in charge of the servants... He, he relies on being trusted by the Imperial Concubine and loves to be sneaky and deceitful. He also always withholds the servants' wages and uses it to curry favor with the aunts and maids above him..."
"He severely deprived us servants. We often couldn't even get a full meal, and in the cold weather, we didn't even have a thick cotton coat..."
"My hands and feet are frozen, and my mind is confused. This is why... this is why I made such a huge mistake while cleaning..."
"Your Majesty, please spare my life! I really didn't mean it..."
While Xiao Liuzi was crying, he glanced in the direction of Concubine Zhuang with a look of fear, as if he was extremely afraid of this Concubine who trusted Eunuch Zhang.
These words instantly pointed the finger at the internal management of Changchun Palace!
Concubine Zhuang's heart sank suddenly, and her eyes suddenly turned to Ruoli beside her.
As a noble concubine, she oversaw the complex affairs of the six palaces and could not do everything herself. Many specific matters were naturally handed over to trusted palace maids.
The old eunuch who was in charge of sweeping the palace was the person in charge of Ruoli!
Ruoli's face turned as pale as paper when Xiao Liuzi said "please the aunt and nanny above"!
Yes.
She received a lot of filial gifts from Eunuch Zhang.
Who would mind having too much money?
What's more, she was hoping that one day she would win the emperor's favor, and she needed money to buy fashionable rouge and powder and to make connections.
It was because Eunuch Zhang often used silver to please her that she gave him the job of sweeping the palace roads.
How could she have imagined that such a horrific disaster would happen!
Being stared at by Concubine Zhuang's cold eyes, Ruoli felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.