boyutpedia Chapter 66 Continuous Demotion
Chapter 66 Continuous Demotion
Should it be handed over to the Censorate?
Chu Qingyin raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man in the seat above, whose anger was barely concealed. Was he serious this time?
Upon hearing the name of the Censorate, Yu Xiu, Qiu Zhu, and Zi Juan all turned pale and nearly fainted.
They had heard of the brutal methods of torture used by the Censorate. Going there, regardless of life or death, even leaving behind a whole corpse would be a pipe dream.
"Zijuan, are you still unwilling to tell the truth? Do you really have to go to the Imperial Prison before you will reveal the truth?" Consort Shu looked at Zijuan, seemingly advising her kindly, but actually implying a threat.
Upon hearing this, Zijuan's bright eyes instantly filled with deathly light, as if she were making some kind of decision.
Chu Qingyin thought to herself, "This is bad!"
Sure enough, the next moment, Zijuan raised her eyes to look at the Emperor and Empress on the throne, her voice shrill: "Your Majesty, this matter was indeed instigated by Consort Lu, there is absolutely no falsehood. If you do not believe me, this servant is willing to die to prove it!"
Having said that, he resolutely rammed his head against the gilded bronze cauldron beside him—
With a loud "bang!", Zijuan was already bleeding profusely on the spot.
"what!"
Upon seeing this, the concubines present all picked up their handkerchiefs to cover their eyes, so as not to be horrified by the bloody scene.
Only Chu Qingyin quietly looked at Zijuan lying on the ground, her eyes wide open in death, and sighed deeply in her heart.
If you're not even afraid of death, why not live a good life?
In just a moment, Consort Shu had composed herself. She looked at Pei Yuanling with a sorrowful gaze, wiping away her tears, and said, "Your Majesty, Zijuan has proven her innocence with her death. You must do justice for me!"
Seeing this, Lu Mingzhu also knelt down in front of Pei Yuanling and said mournfully, "Your Majesty, this matter was absolutely not done by me. If you do not believe me, I am willing to die to prove my innocence."
As soon as she finished speaking, she made a move to run towards the gilded bronze cauldron.
"Consort Lu, stop fooling around!"
Empress Wang shouted angrily, her usually dignified and gentle face showing a rare hint of anger.
She is the Empress, and just now a life was lost before her eyes. Now Lu Mingzhu is going to act foolishly again. What does she take her Fengyi Palace for? An execution ground for killing people?
Seeing the Empress's intervention, Lu Mingzhu seemed to have found her pillar of support and said with aggrieved expression, "Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
Chu Qingyin watched this scene with a cold eye, and for the first time, she felt a slight sense of affirmation towards Lu Mingzhu.
It seems she's not completely stupid; she knows that Consort Shu is clearly trying to frame her and kill her.
"enough!"
Seeing the farce escalating into something absurd, Pei Yuanling pressed his forehead and swept his cold gaze across the crowd: "Since Zijuan has already confessed by committing suicide, this matter ends here. However, there is no smoke without fire. In my opinion, Consort Lu and Consort Shu, you two may not be innocent either."
Consort Shu immediately exclaimed in surprise, crying out that she was innocent: "Your Majesty, this matter really has nothing to do with me!"
“It has nothing to do with me either,” Lu Mingzhu retorted, not to be outdone.
Pei Yuanling was annoyed by their nagging. His brows furrowed, and his tone grew increasingly impatient: "Consort Shu, you are a first-rank consort, yet you do not think about cooperating with the Empress in managing the harem. Instead, you are full of cunning schemes, plotting against the other concubines. If it weren't for your lax governance, how could this disaster have occurred today?"
"I think you are not fit to be the head of the four consorts. Chen Zhongliang, convey my decree: from today onwards, Consort Shu is demoted to a second-rank consort, confined to her quarters for half a month, and her salary is reduced by one year, as a warning to others."
"Your Majesty, I..."
Consort Shu was about to argue when Empress Wang coldly interrupted her: "Consort Shu, His Majesty's decision this time is already lenient. Quickly accept the decree and express your gratitude!"
Consort Shu was filled with resentment. She had planned everything meticulously, and Chu Qingyin should be the one kneeling on the ground begging for mercy. Why had everything changed in the blink of an eye?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but turn to look at Chu Qingyin, a surging dark color surging in her eyes.
Chu Qingyin pretended not to see it and still put on an innocent look of concern for her.
Seeing this, Consort Shu became even angrier. She silently tightened her slender fingers in her sleeve, suppressing her anger and trying not to act impulsively.
"Is Consort Shu dissatisfied with my treatment?" Pei Yuanling asked, frowning.
"I don't dare."
Consort Shu took a deep breath and finally lowered her eyes to reply, "Thank you for your lesson, Your Majesty. I will certainly reflect on my mistakes in the future."
Pei Yuanling withdrew his gaze and looked at Lu Mingzhu again: "Consort Lu."
Lu Mingzhu originally thought that His Majesty's punishment of Consort Shu was because he believed in her innocence.
Now that she had been called out again, she panicked and looked up at Pei Yuanling, her eyes brimming with tears: "Your Majesty!"
"Your palace maids had affairs with other men because you harbored resentment towards Consort Qiao. You should bear the primary responsibility for this. I understand that you are new to the palace, so I demote you to a fifth-rank concubine and order you to reflect on your actions within the palace for one month. You are not allowed to leave the palace without an imperial edict."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhu's face paled: "Your Majesty, this concubine—"
She wailed, but stopped abruptly when she met the emperor's cold gaze, and resignedly lowered her head: "Your concubine obeys the decree."
"Your Highness, you said you would spare my life if I told the truth!"
Both concubines were punished, and the fate of these servants was predictable, but she didn't want to die!
Qiu Zhu struggled free from the guards' grasp and crawled toward Chu Qingyin with a sorrowful expression. In an instant, she was forced to the ground by the strong guards and unable to move.
"Qiuzhu, you betrayed your master for personal gain, which is a capital offense. Now that His Majesty has made the decision, I am powerless to change it."
Chu Qingyin's tone was helpless, and as she lowered her head, she skillfully concealed the coldness in her eyes.
Qiu Zhu continued to plead, "Master, please save me. His Majesty dotes on you so much, if you just ask, he will surely spare my life."
“Even Consort Shu and Consort Lu were punished, how could I possibly have such power?” Chu Qingyin said, as she slowly raised her eyes to look at the man seated above her.
Noticing her gaze, Pei Yuanling pursed his thin lips, pondered for a moment, and said, "Since Yinyin is the aggrieved party, the decision on how to deal with this maid is entirely up to you."
The doting tone in these words surprised everyone present.
Even the usually dignified and composed Empress Wang almost lost her composure.
Chu Qingyin sneered inwardly. Did she want the power to dispose of a mere maid? What she wanted was for Consort Shu to be stripped of her title and to atone for her sins with her death!
Pei Yuanling, do you dare to agree to this?
Although she disdained men's words, she still had to maintain appearances.
Chu Qingyin put on an expression that was both moved and dignified, rose and bowed gently: "Your Majesty is so kind to me, so naturally I do not wish to make things difficult for you. In order to restore peace to the harem, I hope that you will treat everyone equally and not show favoritism to me, and handle the matter impartially."
She looked at Qiuzhu again, her eyes filled with tears, as if she had made a great decision: "Qiuzhu, if you want to hate, then hate me!"
Qiu Zhu suddenly lost her strength and collapsed to the ground.
Pei Yuanling sat upright in the seat of honor, glanced thoughtfully at Chu Qingyin who had her head bowed, then raised his eyes again and raised a finger, "These two have betrayed their master and colluded, disregarding palace rules. Drag them to the Department of Punishments and have them beaten to death."
A single, casual remark sealed two lives.
In an instant, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
Only when Qiu Zhu and Yu Xiu's mournful cries rang out did the guards quickly drag them away.
"I am also tired. You, Empress, can handle the rest."
Pei Yuanling lifted his robe and stood up, then walked towards Chu Qingyin and extended his hand: "Yinyin, you come back with me."
Looking at the long, slender hand outstretched before her, Chu Qingyin's long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she still placed her hand on it.
The next moment, her small hand was firmly grasped by the man.
He led her away, followed by the respectful farewells of the Empress and others.
As she watched the two tall, slender figures gradually disappear into the distance, a deep chill crept into Empress Wang's usually calm eyes.
Pei Yuanling, do you really like Chu Qingyin that much?
So much so that he was willing to lose face for General Huwei's mansion in order to stand up for her and punish Consort Shu, all for the sake of a substitute or a fake?