Chapter 328 Conferred the Title of Princess Qingping

The emperor was followed by some ministers, and Countess Robert and his wife also came. They had also been attracted by the sound of the gong. When they saw the scene before them, everyone was stunned and dumbfounded.

What followed was naturally a barrage of verbal attacks and moral condemnations.

When Consort Yan and Consort Zhao saw the Emperor arrive, they both wanted him to help them, completely forgetting their plan to harm Luo Ziqiong, and began to complain all at once.

With the harem in such a state, the emperor felt utterly humiliated, and the empress, who should have been present, was nowhere to be seen.

The emperor was plagued by a host of troubles in the court and another in the harem. Everyone sought his advice, and the emperor felt a splitting headache. "Silence!" he shouted.

When the Emperor got angry, no one dared to utter a sound. He understood what was going on and remembered how they had come to him demanding a divorce, with Princess Yu offering all her rewards and gifts in return.

Seeing this scene, Count and Countess Luo quickly hugged their daughter and comforted her, saying, "I never thought Consort Yan was such a heartless person. What good will it do you to have my Qiong'er defiled? You are still a daughter of the Luo family. Since Qiong'er married Prince Yu, she has served Consort Yan wholeheartedly. Even if you don't treat her as family, don't think of such a vicious way to harm her."

Madam Luo was so angry that she burst into tears. She lifted the bruises on Luo Ziqiong's arm to show everyone, "My Qiong'er was beaten like this by Prince Yu, with new wounds covering old ones. We have tolerated all of this, but now she is causing this trouble again. Is Consort Yan trying to drive my daughter to her death?"

The Luo couple naturally came today to seek justice for their daughter.

Lady Zhao and Minister Zhao were also present. They were utterly humiliated to see their daughter and Prince Yu climb off the bed, especially since their daughter had been personally brought into the palace by Consort Zhao to choreograph the program.

Now that their daughter's innocence has been ruined by Prince Yu, they are furious. Given the Zhao family's status and position, Zhao Yunhui was destined to marry the Crown Prince sooner or later. They were just waiting for the Crown Prince to choose a consort again before sending their daughter to the palace. But now...

The Zhao family dared not speak out against their anger.

These things were caused by Consort Zhao and Consort Yan. The emperor directly banished Consort Yan to the Cold Palace, and Consort Zhao was also confined to her quarters. No one said how long she would be confined. Since the emperor didn't give any instructions, it's estimated that they would be locked up for life.

Michelle Reis became the victim, as her mother-in-law and husband conspired to frame her. Who could live like that?

She knelt before the Emperor and said, "My relationship with the Prince has long since ended. I know I cannot have children. I am sorry to the Prince. Now I humbly request to be divorced. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."

This time, she didn't mention divorce again, but instead voluntarily accepted the divorce. If the Emperor allowed Xie Yu to divorce Luo Ziqiong again, it would be a blatant favoritism towards Xie Yu. No matter how the word got out, it would be considered that the Emperor was being unfair, and the censors would add insult to injury to the royal family. How would future generations judge the royal family?

Now the emperor could only issue an edict to divorce them and return Luo Ziqiong's dowry. She had suffered so much injustice over the years, so to appease her, the emperor also bestowed upon her the title of Princess Qingping as compensation.

Having a title or not makes a big difference to a divorced woman. A county princess is a rank, and people without a rank would address her as Qingping County Princess and greet her with proper respect.

Xie Yu had done such an outrageous thing and slept with someone's daughter, so naturally he couldn't shirk responsibility. Therefore, the emperor directly bestowed a marriage upon Xie Yu and Zhao Yunhui, and Zhao Yunhui fainted on the spot.

If Zhao Yunhui didn't marry Prince Yu, no one would dare to marry her in the future. So the Zhao family had no choice but to swallow their bitterness. After all, it was a marriage bestowed by the emperor, and she was Prince Yu's wife, so her status and position were not low.

Prince Yu dared to hit Luo Ziqiong because she couldn't have children, but Zhao Yunhui was different. What if she could have children? Besides, she had the Zhao family backing her up, so Xie Yu wouldn't dare to hit a daughter of the Zhao family.

After such an absurd incident, Prince Yu was suspended from his post and made to reflect on his actions in the palace. This was considered a minor punishment to serve as a warning, and no one dared to raise any objections.

-

Empress Cheng returned to Kunning Palace and cried all night. Xie Shang's hurtful words to her caused her unbearable pain. She felt that she had endured for more than 20 years, all for the sake of her son, but now he hated her and even misunderstood that she was not his biological mother.

These words were more agonizing than if she had been torn to pieces.

Granny Xi heard the Empress crying as she stood outside the bedchamber, but she didn't go in to comfort her.

How could the Empress blame the Crown Princess for Consort Zhu's miscarriage, and even use it as an excuse to beat the Crown Princess?

In fact, Granny Xi knew that the Empress was just looking for an excuse to vent her anger on someone. She had been neglected by the Emperor, and then she saw the Emperor and Consort Ya being affectionate. The Empress was angry, and then Consort Zhu miscarried. She didn't dare to go to the Crown Prince to assert her dominance, so she called the Crown Princess to her side and scolded her.

Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince arrived in time; otherwise, who knows how the Empress would have humiliated the Crown Princess.

At this moment, the Empress opened the door again and said coldly, "I am going to see the Emperor."

Granny Xi, not wanting to cause any more trouble, quickly advised, "It's so late, Your Highness should go to sleep first. It's not too late to find out what needs to be done tomorrow. Your Highness has already displeased the Crown Prince and the Emperor. If you go again this time, I'm afraid the Emperor will be even angrier, which would be bad for Your Highness! The Crown Prince is just angry right now. If Your Highness treats the Crown Princess better in the future, perhaps the Crown Prince will stop being angry, and your relationship with the Crown Prince will gradually improve."

Hearing what Granny Xi said, Empress Cheng became even angrier. "You mean I have to fawn over Jiang Fenghua to get the Crown Prince's forgiveness? I am the Empress. She doesn't serve me, but I have to fawn over her. Is there any logic in the world of a mother-in-law serving her daughter-in-law?"

Realizing she had said the wrong thing, Granny Xi immediately knelt on the ground and remained silent, for the Empress had misinterpreted her words.

Who told His Highness the Crown Prince to be in love with the Crown Princess? Your Highness, you can't win over the Emperor's heart, and now you're estranged from the Crown Prince, so all you can do is curry favor with the Crown Princess.

Once a man marries, isn't his wife the closest person to him? If he's also close to his mother, wouldn't that affect their marital relationship? The empress only thinks about her own son; why doesn't she think about other people's daughters?

At this time, the news that Consort Yan had been banished to the Cold Palace by the Emperor also reached the Empress's ears.

Upon hearing the palace maid's report, Empress Cheng said, "Divorce! Divorce is good! Let whoever wants to be the empress be it!"

Granny Xi quickly told the palace maids to shut their mouths, otherwise they would all suffer the consequences. The palace maids then quickly withdrew.

Granny Xi was also at a loss with Empress Cheng, so she quickly closed the door, assuming that the Empress was just drunk and acting crazy tonight, and that she would be back to normal when she sobered up tomorrow morning.