PDLP Chapter 367 Slander
Chapter 367 Slander
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Seeing Yongzheng pick up the small portrait and walk over to Zhen Huan to start comparing, Prince Guo had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Royal brother, this is the small portrait of Miss Huanbi."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was focused on Huanbi behind Zhen Huan.
Huanbi lowered her head and her face turned red.
"Huanbi?" Yongzheng was clearly confused by the answer. "Why do you keep Huanbi's portrait close to you?"
"Brother, I am deeply in love with Miss Huanbi. I went to Ganlu Temple to fulfill the request of Concubine Hui and to visit Miss Huanbi."
"Why didn't you say it at the beginning?"
"Huanbi is a woman. A woman's reputation is more important than Mount Tai. How dare I speak so lightly? As for Concubine Xi, I believe that the emperor will give her justice."
Yongzheng laughed and said, "You, are you so protective of the woman you like?"
At this moment, Yongzheng felt a strange sense of pleasure. This Seventeenth Brother before him had always been the best in everyone's eyes, with outstanding talent, elegant demeanor, and everything that surpassed him. He had never expected that he would actually like a lowly servant girl who only knew how to dress in red and green.
"I have been alone for many years. Now I finally have a woman I like. Naturally, I have to consider her." Prince Guo knelt on the ground with a sincere tone. He lowered his head, and his thick eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyelids, making it difficult to see the emotions in his eyes at the moment.
"Well, you have a point." Yongzheng leaned back in his chair, his right hand resting lightly on the armrest, his fingers tapping occasionally, "You are already past the age of getting married, Huanbi, you..."
This brought the topic back to where it had strayed.
An Lingrong quickly said, "Your Majesty, we can discuss the matter of Prince Guo and Huanbi later. The most urgent matter is Concubine Xi!"
Prince Guo raised his head, his eyes filled with earnestness. "Brother Your Majesty, I have nothing to do with Concubine Xi. Everything this nun said is slander. I don't know how I have offended her and Concubine Qi. Please help me."
Yongzheng turned his gaze from Prince Guo to the trembling Jingbai beside him, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as a knife: "What else do you have to say?"
Jingbai was so frightened that her whole body trembled. She collapsed to the ground with a plop. She could only kowtow desperately and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, everything I said is true... It was Prince Guo and Concubine Xi..."
"Jingbai!" An Lingrong stepped forward and squatted beside Jingbai, her eyes gleaming with a playful, cat-and-mouse taunt. "Let's be frank. I admit I wronged you that day. But before the Buddha and Bodhisattva, dare you swear to heaven, are all your words today true?"
Seeing that she admitted it, Jing Bai raised her head suddenly, her anger burning away her rationality, her eyes flashing with a fierce light: "You can slander me, but I can't take revenge!"
"I am the emperor's concubine, of noble status. How could I be so mean to a mere sister-in-law like you? Don't you even think about why?"
Jingbai choked, unable to speak for a long time. She could only squeeze out a few words from between her teeth: "You...you have bad intentions!"
A fierce glint flashed in An Lingrong's eyes. "Hmph, I learned this when I visited Concubine Xi at Ganlu Temple. In the middle of winter, you forced her to chop wood and wash clothes. Not only did her hands get frostbite, but no one cared when she was sick. I'm truly heartbroken, so I'm finding a reason to punish you. Today, in front of the Emperor and the Empress, I'm telling you this: if you want revenge, come after me. Why bother dragging innocent people into this?"
Jing Bai was so angry that he was shaking all over, veins popping out on his forehead. He roared, "It's all your fault. You made me lie in bed for a whole year! If I weren't strong enough, I would have died. You are so cruel and ruthless, aren't you afraid of retribution?"
An Lingrong's expression was stern. She met her gaze fearlessly and spoke word by word, "Whether I will be punished or not is up to fate. But you, who maliciously framed the Imperial Concubine, will be punished immediately!"
After saying that, he stepped aside and stopped looking at her.
Upon hearing this, Jingbai suddenly turned to Yongzheng and the Empress, and knelt on the ground with tears streaming down her face. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, she has admitted it. You two must make the decision for me!"
Yongzheng's face was as gloomy as water, and he exuded a chilling pressure. He looked at Jingbai as if he were staring at a dead body. Then, he turned his gaze to Zhen Huan, his eyes filled with endless pity, and said softly, "Huan Huan, it was my negligence that made you suffer so much!"
Tears glistened in Zhen Huan's eyes, and her tone was gentle but full of affection: "I was able to survive those difficult times thanks to Rong'er's care. I am deeply grateful to her."
As she spoke, she came to Jingbai and said, "I thought you had repented, so I didn't punish you when you returned to the palace. I didn't expect you to frame me. Tell me the truth, were you instructed by someone?"
Jing Bai collapsed to the ground with a thud, shaking like a sieve, tears streaming down her face. "Noble Concubine Xi, please spare me! I know I was wrong. I was instructed by someone to do such a foolish thing."
"Who ordered you to do that?"
Jing Bai trembled, pointing at Concubine Qi with a shaking finger, her voice almost collapsing: "It's...it's Concubine Qi. She gave me a lot of money and asked me to frame Concubine Xi. She also said that if Concubine Xi fell, Concubine Wen would also be implicated. This is why I am obsessed with it."
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Concubine Qi. Her face was pale, but she still pretended to be calm. She knelt down and said urgently, "Your Majesty, please understand. Jingbai is slandering me. She was the one who reported it to me, and I only believed her one-sided story."
"That's enough!" Yongzheng looked at her coldly. "Last time, I gave you a small punishment and a big warning. I thought you would correct your mistakes, but I didn't expect you to go even further and cause so much trouble. Concubine Xi, I leave her to you to deal with!"
Zhen Huan said, "Lady Qi, I don't believe you have the guts to slander me and Prince Guo. If you can reveal the person who ordered this, I might spare your life."
Feng Ruozhao echoed, "What Noble Concubine Xi said makes sense. If we allow this person to stir up trouble in the palace, I'm afraid the harem will still have no peace in the future."
At this time, the Queen nodded slightly, her tone calm but with hidden meaning: "Noble Lady Qi, you'd better tell the truth, so as not to implicate your family."
Concubine Qi knelt on the ground, her body trembling slightly. She gritted her teeth, looked at Zhen Huan fiercely and roared, "No one ordered me to do this. I hate you so much myself."
"Really? Ever since the rise of the Guarjia clan, your father has been jealous of my father and you've hated me."
"It has nothing to do with my family!" Concubine Qi suddenly screamed, her eyes wide open, her eyes full of madness. "How can my family background and appearance be inferior to yours? Why do you always steal the show in front of the emperor? Why?"
Her voice was almost hysterical, echoing in the hall, "So, all of this was my own idea. I hate you, I hate you!"
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was so solemn that one could squeeze water out of it.
An Lingrong sneered, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Oh, let me tell you in what way you are inferior to Concubine Xi."
An Lingrong's lips curled up in a mocking arc, her eyes filled with disdain. "Your brains are no match for Concubine Xi's. Did you really think Fang Chunyi swapped the red musk beads that day?"
As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom and held it high up. "A few days ago, she asked someone to bring me a letter."
Afterwards, An Lingrong slowly squatted down and looked at Concubine Qi, who was slumped on the ground, level. "Do you know how her family is doing now?"