PDLP Chapter 136 Connivance
Chapter 136 Connivance
As early as when Shen Meizhuang came to the Yangxin Palace, Su Peisheng noticed that she looked unwell. In order to prevent any accidents, he sent people to Suiyuxuan.
Seeing that the Emperor and Shen Meizhuang were about to quarrel, he was already scratching his head anxiously. In the distance, he saw a sedan chair and Jin Xi beside it. He knew that Concubine Wan had arrived. He ran into the hall quickly and interrupted the quarrel, "Your Majesty, Concubine Wan is here!"
Yongzheng suppressed his anger and said, "Spread it!"
Zhen Huan bowed and came to Shen Meizhuang's side, "Your Majesty, Sister Mei is still in the moon, how can you kneel on the ground!"
Yongzheng turned his head to the side and said stiffly, "I didn't ask her to kneel."
Shen Meizhuang did not act pretentiously. She stood up with the help of Zhen Huan, and Su Peisheng quickly put a cushion under her.
After settling Shen Meizhuang, Zhen Huan walked over to Yongzheng and said, "Your Majesty, you already know what happened that day. It was all caused by me. If Rong'er doesn't produce the imperial edict, will Concubine Hua let me and Sister Mei go?"
"Aren't you all okay?" Yongzheng said subconsciously.
Listen, listen, what shameless words are these!
Zhen Huan was choked and speechless!
Yongzheng also felt that this was inappropriate, and softened his voice again, "Noble Concubine Hua is just like that, why can't you be more patient?"
Shen Meizhuang was about to burst out in frustration, "Your Majesty, you also know that Concubine Hua is like that, so why did you give her the power to assist in managing the six palaces?"
"You..." This time it was Yongzheng's turn to be choked and speechless!
"What on earth do you want?"
"Your Majesty, please punish Concubine Hua severely to appease Rong'er!"
Yongzheng stopped talking and slowly took out a piece of paper from the book on the imperial desk. Su Peisheng took it and handed it to Zhen Huan respectfully.
Zhen Huan took it and looked at it. It was a letter left by Fu Xi, the witness of Noble Lady Fu Cha's miscarriage case that day, which was also the one Zhen Huan forged.
Oh no! This letter has been brought up again, and I'm afraid the truth has been exposed!
Sure enough, Yongzheng's voice came, "Hanhuan, this letter was written by you, right?"
Zhen Huan broke out in a cold sweat and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty!"
In just a short moment, she had imagined countless possibilities, losing favor, being deposed, and being sent to the cold palace, just asking the emperor not to involve her family.
But why did the emperor take out the letter at this time?
Shen Meizhuang saw that the truth had been revealed and knew that it was useless to defend herself or plead for mercy, so she knelt on the ground and said, "Since Your Majesty has already found out that this letter was written by me and others, he will surely also be able to find the real culprit behind Noble Lady Fucha's miscarriage, right?"
Yongzheng raised the paper in his hand. "I knew you were worried about Concubine Wen, so I sent people to investigate Noble Lady Fucha's miscarriage. Xiao Linzi and Fuxi were indeed bribed by Ma Yong. But this letter was not written by Fuxi. Fuxi entered the palace because his brother was sick and the family had no money to buy medicine. So although he didn't say it, he hated his brother in his heart. He never sent any greetings to his brother in the letters he sent home, except for this one!"
Zhen Huan had carefully considered the handwriting and the envelope, even the ink used was the most common in the palace. However, due to time constraints, they did not investigate Fuxi's family affairs in detail, leaving such a big loophole.
"Your Majesty, I forgive you, my concubine..."
Before Zhen Huan could finish, Yongzheng waved his hand to interrupt her and continued, "I know that you are doing this to protect yourselves and you have your own difficulties, so I forgive you. However, I also have my own difficulties, and I hope you can understand that the court and the harem are interconnected, and I will not hinder the stability of the court for a mere concubine!" Yongzheng looked at the two people kneeling on the ground and felt a little distressed. One was his beloved woman who was pregnant with his child, and the other was the mother of his beloved child who was in confinement after giving birth.
"The emperor keeps saying that he will rush back on the day I give birth, but in the end, the only one I can rely on and trust is the little concubine the emperor mentioned!" Yongzheng's words made Shen Meizhuang very uncomfortable. She felt very disappointed and said something without thinking!
Yongzheng's face was gloomy. "Don't think that I won't punish you just because you gave birth to the Sixth Prince!"
Zhen Huan tightly grasped Shen Meizhuang's arm and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I was so angry when I heard about Rong'er that I contradicted you. Please don't hold it against me for the sake of your difficult delivery."
Yongzheng said solemnly, "I have already made a decision on this matter. I will also order the Imperial Hospital to do its utmost to treat Noble Lady Wen. Please stop talking and go back to rest!"
The two were still stubborn and refused to leave.
"Hanhuan, don't embarrass me!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhen Huan knew that the matter was a done deal.
The two of them left the Yangxin Palace and did not take the sedan chair, but walked forward supporting each other.
After the two left, Yongzheng was still a little angry, "Su Peisheng, tell me, am I too indulgent towards them?"
Su Peisheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty, how can this be called indulgence? Concubine Hui and Concubine Wan are both people who value friendship and loyalty! If they saw Noble Lady Wen seriously injured and remained indifferent, that would show that they are narrow-minded and selfish. Didn't the Emperor see this and not punish them? Instead, he let the two concubines have a good rest!"
The phrase "loyalty and righteousness" calmed Yongzheng's anger. Indeed, his woman was so outstanding, but that Concubine Hua was so cruel and ruthless that she would take someone's life with one move!
Seeing Yongzheng's expression soften, Su Peisheng took the opportunity to suggest, "Your Majesty, the day before yesterday you took the Sixth Prince to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was very happy and asked you to go more often. I see that you are not busy today, so why not take the Sixth Prince to the Cining Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager?"
Speaking of the Sixth Prince, Yongzheng became happy again and agreed with his proposal, "Okay!"
Perhaps it was because the Sixth Prince reminded the Empress Dowager of the child who died young, and she felt a sense of "cherishing the people in front of her", so she began to care and love the Emperor, making the Emperor feel the long-lost maternal love!
Su Peisheng felt relieved and sent someone to Yonghe Palace to ask the wet nurse to bring the Sixth Prince over.
He actually liked this young lady Wen. Other ladies were also polite to him, but that was all because of his status as the chief steward in front of the emperor. He could feel from the attitude of young lady Wen towards him that she truly treated him as an upright person rather than a slave!
So whenever he has the chance, he will secretly help Master Wen!
Along the way, Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang were silent. They walked along the long palace road and entered the Longfu Gate, which was the Tiyuan Hall, where they had selected the concubines that day.
Shen Meizhuang stopped and asked, "Huan'er, do you believe in past lives and present lives?"
Zhen Huan raised her head and looked at Shen Meizhuang, whose eyes were red. "What do you mean, sister?"
"This is where Rong'er and I first met, but I always feel like I've seen her before!" Shen Meizhuang recalled the scene of the talent show that day. "Isn't it the same for you?"
Zhen Huan nodded, "Yes! This feeling is indescribable, it's wonderful!"
"I once asked her why we hit it off right away. She said that she had done something wrong to us in her previous life and that she was here to repay her debt in this life!" Thinking about it now, the tone in which An Lingrong said this did not sound like a joke. Looking back on the past, it seemed that she had always been protecting them and accompanying them wholeheartedly, and had never asked them for anything!
Zhen Huan listened, but shook her head, "Sister, I don't believe in past lives, I only believe in this life, I only believe in what I see and what I feel!"
"Yes, yes!" Shen Meizhuang shed two tears and turned to Zhen Huan, looking at her belly. "Huan'er, you are three months pregnant, right?"
"Yeah!" Zhen Huan nodded, not understanding why.
Shen Meizhuang looked Zhen Huan in the eye seriously and said, "Huan'er, we grew up together and have a special bond. If anything happens to me, you will help me take care of the Sixth Prince, right?"
Zhen Huan suddenly felt something was wrong. She held Shen Meizhuang's hand tightly and asked anxiously, "What do you mean, sister?"
"Since the emperor is unwilling to deal with Concubine Hua, then I will use my own method!" Shen Meizhuang looked into the distance, with a hint of determination in her eyes.
Zhen Huan followed her gaze, which was in the direction of Yikun Palace.