sbdcsierra Chapter 129: Destroying Queen Jiang’s Arm
Chapter 129: Destroying Queen Jiang’s Arm
The Imperial Concubine was cunning and deliberately made a big fuss in the palace, causing His Majesty to conduct a massive investigation. She was unlucky to be found out, so she naturally could not implicate the Empress.
Queen Jiang was naturally heartbroken, but as things had developed to this point, she could only choose to sacrifice the car to save the king: "Fanghua, you are confused..."
Concubine Liu and Queen Jiang have been fighting for so many years, and finally gained the absolute upper hand. Naturally, they would not let go of such a good opportunity.
"Your Majesty, Fanghua is the head nanny of Kunning Palace. It is hard to convince everyone if she says that this matter was not ordered by the Empress!"
"In my opinion, it would be better to throw her into the Ministry of Punishment and torture her severely so that the mastermind behind the incident can be found! If the Queen is truly wronged, then it would be better to clear her name."
Queen Jiang said nothing because she knew the emperor would not agree.
As expected, Nangong Xuanyu glanced at Concubine Liu and said without hesitation, "The Queen is still ill, how could she have the energy to plot against others? The matter has been made clear. It was this lowly maid who acted recklessly. There is no need to interrogate her further."
How could he not know that Fanghua would not have been so courageous without the Queen's instructions?
However, the imperial concubine's power in the harem is unmatched. If the queen is punished again, the harem will become a place where the Duke Dingguo's Mansion has the final say.
After all, the most important thing for the emperor is the country and the people. He doesn't care which woman in the harem has been wronged, he only cares about the current situation and whether it is what he wants.
Concubine Liu was unwilling to let go of such a good opportunity and wanted to say something else, but she saw Shen Zhinian gently shaking his head at her.
She had no choice but to take a deep breath, suppress her resentment, and force a smile, saying, "Since it is your Majesty's golden words, I believe it cannot be wrong. It is also because the Queen is seriously ill and neglects to discipline her that this lowly maid took advantage of the opportunity!"
The emperor spoke, and even the imperial concubine compromised. Naturally, those low-ranking palace concubines who had been victimized did not dare to bite Queen Jiang anymore, and could only look at Fanghua with hatred.
"Your Majesty, there is such a wicked slave in the harem. You must punish her severely and rectify the harem! Otherwise, if everyone dares to murder the master, won't the harem be in chaos?"
Queen Jiang's face was as pale as paper. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed several times. She said weakly, "Fanghua is indeed unforgivable. But I beg Your Majesty to consider that she has not caused a big disaster yet. She has served me wholeheartedly over the years. Even if she has no merits, she has worked hard. Please be lenient with her!"
"This is the only person I love by my side..."
Nangong Xuanyu always used thunderous means to deal with things. In other times, he would have sentenced all the people involved to death.
But looking at Queen Jiang's deeply sunken cheeks and remembering the imperial physician's words that she didn't have much time left, the emperor finally softened his heart towards his first wife.
"Fang Hua has been demoted to the lowest rank as a palace maid. She can only serve the Queen in Kunning Palace for the rest of her life. She cannot leave until she dies!"
"Xiao Dezi, beat him to death!"
Queen Jiang held on to her body and said weakly, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Fanghua didn't expect that she could still save her life.
Although she knew that His Majesty meant that she would die on the day the Queen passed away, she was still grateful: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"
At least she can still accompany the Queen and complete the last part of her journey.
Somehow, Nangong Xuanyu subconsciously looked at Shen Zhinian.
This little girl's heart was as clear as crystal, as pure as a clear spring, and she loved him deeply, wanting to have children for him. She must have been sad and scared to suddenly find out that she was being schemed against and that was why she had not gotten pregnant.
Sure enough, her shoulders were trembling slightly, and even though she tried her best to restrain herself, there was still a hint of panic in her charming eyes.
The emperor felt more and more distressed, but in front of everyone, he couldn't favor anyone too much, so he looked away for a moment.
Concubine Liu understood that the Queen was the mother of the country after all, and it was impossible for her to be overthrown by such a small matter. However, it was the first time she saw the Queen in such an embarrassing state, and she felt very happy!
"Your Majesty, it's almost time for lunch. I have prepared your favorite soup in Yongshou Palace."
The eldest princess was the emperor's only child, and even for this reason, the emperor would not offend Concubine Liu in front of others. Moreover, she was also a victim in the matter of the Hetian jade bracelet.
"In this case, how can I disappoint my beloved concubine?"
"Go to Yongshou Palace!"
Everyone immediately saluted: "Farewell, Your Majesty!"
"Farewell, Madam Royal Concubine!"
After this episode, the palace concubines left one after another.
Only Concubine Liang comforted Queen Jiang and Fanghua for a few words before leaving Kunning Palace. She then ordered people to send rewards to all the injured concubines.
Concubine Liang has always been a good person, so no one found this move strange.
The huge Kunning Palace has become empty.
Fanghua helped Queen Jiang walk to the inner room and said distressedly, "Your Majesty, you took medicine this morning and haven't rested yet, but the Imperial Concubine came and made such a scene. You must take care of yourself."
Queen Jiang said with a hint of guilt: "It is I who have implicated you."
Fang Hua shook her head with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, please don't say such things. It was because of my incompetence that I didn't handle things properly, so the imperial concubine took advantage of the opportunity. Fortunately, His Majesty didn't blame you, otherwise I would really be blamed..."
A cold light flashed in Queen Jiang's eyes: "No, something is wrong today."
"Noble Concubine Liu has always been domineering and arrogant, and has never been willing to be inferior to me. Given her personality, she should not give up if she finds me doing something wrong."
"Your Majesty is suspicious. If this happens, he will surely suspect that the Imperial Concubine is trying to seize my power and deliberately set up this trap. I will be able to cut off the source of the trouble."
"But she actually stopped when she saw the opportunity, preventing me from taking advantage of the situation. This is totally unlike her..."
Fanghua asked in surprise, "Your Highness, do you suspect that someone is behind the Imperial Concubine's actions?"
Queen Jiang narrowed her eyes coldly, and a figure suddenly appeared in her mind: "It must be Shen who gave the imperial concubine the idea. I have underestimated her in the past!"
Fang Hua gritted her teeth and said, "I used to think that a mere noble lady like Rou was not worth your Majesty's efforts. But now it seems that she is indeed a disaster!"
Queen Jiang said coldly: "Tell Concubine Liu to hurry up. I don't want to see Shen survive this winter!"
"Yes. A woman who stands in the way of the Empress should not be alive in this world!"
However, she was confined to Kunning Palace by His Majesty and could not leave unless she died, so he had to let others go to Yilan Pavilion to deliver the message.
……
Yongshou Palace.
Concubine Liu served the emperor at meals.
She and the Queen had had many confrontations before, but never like today, where she directly crippled the other's arm. The strategy formulated by Concubine Rou really worked!
Concubine Liu was thinking about how to find a topic to move on to the next step: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that we should eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer. Please try this radish and duck soup."