sbdcsierra Chapter 368 Defeat
Chapter 368 Defeat
Concubine Qi's face turned pale as paper in an instant. Beads of cold sweat kept appearing on her forehead, dripping down her cheeks onto the cold ground. Her lips trembled slightly, and she wanted to say something, but fear choked her throat.
"Her father and mother committed suicide, and all the men in the clan were exiled to Ningguta." An Lingrong spoke word by word, each word like a hammer, hammering down on Concubine Qi's heart. "I'm telling you, the people behind you can't protect your family."
After hearing this, Concubine Qi's eyes turned dark, her body swayed, and she could no longer hold on and fell limply to the ground.
The Queen's eyes flickered. Her father was still in office and there was no way the situation An Lingrong described was happening.
She immediately understood An Lingrong's plan and said anxiously, "Fang Chunyi's father and mother..."
Before she could finish her words, Zhen Huan interrupted her coldly: "Empress, please stop pleading for the criminal in front of the Emperor, otherwise the Emperor and his sisters will inevitably think too much!"
Yongzheng looked at the queen with a hint of warning, and the queen had to shut her mouth.
An Lingrong smiled meaningfully, "Well, why don't you tell me who's behind you?"
A trace of struggle flashed in Concubine Qi's eyes, and her gaze shifted between An Lingrong, Zhen Huan, Yongzheng, and the Empress. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but was tightly restrained by her inner fear and concerns.
Seeing that she was still hesitant, An Lingrong leaned close to her ear and said in a low, sinister voice, "Do you know how Fang Chunyi is doing now? I'm telling you, she's already dead."
When she said the word "dead", An Lingrong paused deliberately, observing Concubine Qi's reaction. She saw Concubine Qi tremble, and the fear in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
An Lingrong did not give up. She raised her hand, and her cold and gorgeous armor flashed a cold light in the dim light. Then, her armor gently lifted Concubine Qi's chin, and with a little force, slowly drew a white mark on the face that was once bright and charming but now full of fear.
"She was killed with a cup of poisoned wine. What a pity! She was only eighteen." An Lingrong's voice was gentle, yet like the north wind outside the window, carrying an endless chill. "In the end, she was wrapped in a tattered mat and thrown into a mass grave, left for wild dogs to devour. I'm afraid there's not a single bone left of her body now."
As Concubine Qi listened, the fear in her eyes grew more intense.
"Your face is much more beautiful than hers. Wild Dog will probably like you more..." An Lingrong continued, with a faint smile on her lips, but that smile did not reach her eyes. There was only bone-chilling coldness and ruthlessness in her eyes.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Concubine Qi completely collapsed. She no longer cared about her manners and crawled a few steps on her hands and feet, kneeling towards Yongzheng. Her voice was full of pleading, "It was the Empress, the Empress, who ordered me to do this!"
An Lingrong then stood up, looked at the Queen provocatively, straightened her sleeves, and sat back in her seat.
Yongzheng's already gloomy expression became even uglier, and he squinted at the queen.
The Queen felt a chill run down her spine, her face quickly filled with panic. "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Noble Lady Qi and Noble Concubine Xi have a personal grudge. She has repeatedly asked me to punish Noble Concubine Xi, but I refused. That's why she harbored a grudge and slandered me. Your Majesty, please stand up for me!"
Zhen Huan said angrily, "Empress, you were the one who prepared the water for the blood test!"
"That water..."
"Your Majesty, this was not intentional. When Your Majesty went to prepare water, I took a handful. I forgot I had just washed the alum in the backyard and accidentally got my fingers wet. It was an unintentional mistake, Your Majesty!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Huichun, the first-class maid in Jingren Palace, kneeling on the ground and crying.
Zhen Huan snorted coldly, "Purging alum? Purifying alum is for purifying water. How dare the Imperial Household Department send unclean water to your Jingren Palace? Besides, is a first-class palace maid like you really necessary to do such a thing as purifying alum? Huichun, are you taking us for fools?"
Huichun was unable to answer several consecutive questions and could only kowtow and apologize.
Concubine Qi burst into tears: "Your Majesty, since I entered the palace, I have been loyal to the Queen. Everything I did was instructed by the Queen. I dare not ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness, but I only ask Your Majesty not to implicate my family!"
The queen knelt on the ground, unable to hold back her tears any longer: "Your Majesty, you must believe in me."
Yongzheng suppressed his anger and said, "Trust you? Everything points to you. How can I trust you?"
"Your Majesty, seeing how close Concubine Xi and Concubine Wen are to each other, I am reminded of my own sister. If she were still alive, she would definitely believe me without hesitation. I miss her so much!"
Looking at her crying, Yongzheng showed a trace of pity in his eyes.
I started using my Chunyuan credit card again!
An Lingrong said coldly, "I have heard that Empress Chunyuan is kindhearted, benevolent, and impartial. If Empress Chunyuan were still alive, faced with the situation today, she would also be extremely disappointed with the Empress. She would certainly not blindly favor the Empress just because she is her sister."
The queen suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of anger and unwillingness, staring at An Lingrong, as if she wanted to cut her into pieces with her eyes.
"Your Majesty, my sister has always loved me and will never let me suffer such injustice. Your Majesty, please make the decision for me!"
"I really wish your sister didn't have a sister like you!"
Yongzheng plucked the beads vigorously, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Seeing that the matter had come to an end, An Lingrong let out a long sigh and brought the teacup to her mouth.
Before he could even sip the tea, a young eunuch hurried into the hall.
It’s Xiao Shi!
"Your Majesty, Concubine Hui is about to give birth!"
"What!" An Lingrong panicked and the teacup in her hand lost its strength and fell to the ground, shattering the porcelain pieces into pieces.
She stood up suddenly, without even bothering to say goodbye, and ran out of the hall with her skirt lifted up.
When she reached the door, she turned back abruptly, her gaze like a knife, coldly shooting at the queen. This look was filled with endless warning and contempt, just like the gaze of an eagle or a wolf, sharp and fierce.
The Queen felt a chill running down her spine, and her whole body shuddered. When she came to her senses, An Lingrong had already disappeared.
Zhen Huan didn't even bother to greet him and quickly followed him. Due to her big movements, the hem of her dress overturned the stool, breaking the bowl on it into several pieces, and the light red water quickly soaked into the carpet.
Feng Ruozhao also hurriedly followed.
Yongzheng didn't care about the rudeness of the three of them and went to Yonghe Palace.
After everyone left, the Queen relaxed and her eyes fell on the letter from Fang Chunyi that An Lingrong took out.
Jianqiu noticed her gaze, walked over and picked up the letter. The queen took it and opened it, but there was no word inside.
"An Lingrong!"
The queen gritted her teeth. She had lost today's game miserably.
(The blood test is over.
I'm about to go back to my hometown for the holiday. I haven't packed my things yet and haven't bought any New Year's goods. I'm very busy.
Actually, I also know that there is a pit at the end of today, and you may not give me leave, but I still want to ask:
Can I take a day off today? My dear children!