Chapter 121: Show your filial piety to the Queen Mother

Concubine Lian was so angry that she felt dizzy. She wanted to catch up with the Queen, but she also didn't want to miss why Dong Zhi came. So she had to stay for a while and look at Dong Zhi eagerly.

Dong Zhi paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and smiled warmly, "Empress Dowager, Lady Lian, this old servant has come to convey the Emperor's instructions. Lady Lian's filial piety is commendable. From now on, Lady Lian will temporarily reside in the Cining Palace, serve the Empress Dowager well, and fulfill her filial duties on behalf of the Emperor..."

"What!"

"this--"

Concubine Lian and the Queen Mother both changed color, and the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the hall were all stunned.

Concubine Lian was panicked and looked at the Queen Mother in fear: "Aunt, please help me! You must help me! The Emperor is, this is..."

The emperor asked her to temporarily live in the Cining Palace to serve the empress dowager. Will she still have the opportunity to serve the emperor?

There were countless concubines in the harem, and it was impossible for the emperor to summon someone from the Cining Palace to sleep with him, let alone visit a concubine in the Cining Palace. Concubine Lian was sent to the Cining Palace, which was equivalent to cutting off her chance to sleep with him.

There is no hope at all!

How could Concubine Lian not panic?

The Empress Dowager was also panicked, her heart sinking to the bottom. She thought more than Concubine Lian. How could the Emperor ask Concubine Lian to fulfill her filial duty? He was simply dissatisfied with Concubine Lian's complaint and her meddling in harem affairs, so he called the Empress to question her. The Emperor was taking revenge!

"Dong Zhi, go back and tell the emperor that I have someone to serve me here, and I don't need Concubine Lian. Concubine Lian is a concubine in the harem, and it is her duty to serve the emperor. Concubine Lian, please go back. You don't need to come to me anymore."

"Yes, it's the Queen Mother!"

Dong Zhi smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, the Emperor said, 'A king's words are not to be trifled with.' Furthermore, filial piety is of paramount importance. It is a good thing that Concubine Lian is filial. In any case, please ask Concubine Lian to stay here and serve the Empress Dowager. Would Concubine Lian be unfilial?"

Don't you like to go to the Cining Palace every other day and complain? Then just live in the Cining Palace! You can complain to your heart's content.

Concubine Lian was furious. "Why am I just a concubine? What about the Empress? What about Concubine Yu and Concubine Shu? And what about Concubine Chen Zhaoyi? Don't we need to be filial to the Empress Dowager?"

"Shut up!" Before Concubine Lian could finish her words, the Queen Mother angrily scolded her.

The Empress Dowager glared at Concubine Lian and said to Dong Zhi, "Eunuch Dong, please go now. The Emperor is so thoughtful. I am very grateful that he cares about me so much. Concubine Lian... please stay with me for the time being."

"aunt--"

The Empress Dowager glared at Concubine Lian fiercely. Concubine Lian had never seen such a ferocious expression on her face before. She was so frightened that she choked on the second half of her words.

Dong Zhi saw it all, but pretended not to notice, and smiled at the Empress Dowager: "Yes, Your Majesty, as long as Your Majesty likes it, I will go back and report to the Emperor."

"Go ahead."

"I'll take my leave."

As soon as Dong Zhi left, Concubine Lian was so anxious that she almost cried, "Aunt, what should I do?"

"How dare you say that!" The Empress Dowager felt pain in her heart, liver and spleen, and her head was swollen with dizziness. She was angry with Concubine Lian and the Emperor.

Her son had really grown up and didn't give her any face at all! As Concubine Lian's elder, what was wrong with her being a little biased towards Concubine Lian and showing a little more concern for her?

Even this, he couldn't tolerate...

Does he look down on the Fu family so much?

The Queen Mother took a deep breath and glanced at Concubine Lian. "Don't you see clearly? The Emperor is angry that you targeted Concubine Chen Zhaoyi and complained to me. Be more sensible in the future. Concubine Chen Zhaoyi is favored and has nothing to do with you. If she did something wrong, the Queen will discipline her. It has nothing to do with you. So, just keep quiet!"

Concubine Lian was stunned, and she felt jealous and unwilling: "How could the emperor do this!"

The Queen Mother sneered: "The concubines in the harem are all the emperor's women. Does the emperor need to ask for your consent for what he wants? Concubine Lian, don't be so self-righteous!"

Concubine Lian's eyes were red with grievance: "But what do you mean, Queen Mother? Doesn't the Emperor care?"

"Shut up! Who am I? I am the Emperor's biological mother. The Emperor will never be unfilial to me. I don't need to interfere in other matters! If it weren't for your incompetence, the relationship between me and the Emperor wouldn't have come to this!"

Concubine Lian was now unable to utter a single word and could only stay here in pain and resentment.

If she had known this, why would she have come to the Queen Mother to complain? The Queen Mother couldn't help her at all, only blamed her, and kept saying that it was for her own good and that she would protect her. What kind of...

The emperor ordered Concubine Lian to stay in the Cining Palace to serve the empress dowager, and all the concubines were happy to see her.

Everyone more or less guessed that this matter might have something to do with Chen Zhaoyi, and became more and more wary of Xu Lanshan.

In the harem, there is no one else who can do this except her...

Without the interference of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Lian, the Queen's thorough investigation of Yuming Palace went smoothly. She interrogated the palace maids and eunuchs one by one about their whereabouts that day and searched their residences. Unexpectedly, she got something.

Bloodstained clothes were found in the residence of a eunuch in Yuming Palace. Apparently, the clothes had not been disposed of in time.

The eunuch turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

The evidence was irrefutable, so how could the Queen let him go? She immediately ordered him to be taken to the Ministry of Punishment and severely tortured.

This wicked slave, who keeps crying out for justice, is just a hopeless person who's still waiting for Concubine Lian to rescue him! He's just dreaming!

The eunuch was finally beaten so badly that he confessed.

The Empress closed the case and reported it to Emperor Yuan Yong.

Emperor Yuan Yong sneered, "Concubine Lian is getting bolder and bolder. She treats human life as worthless, frames others, and even cries thief, what is there that she wouldn't dare to do? That eunuch was beaten to death with clubs. Concubine Lian is demoted to Concubine Lian and sentenced to six months of service. Everyone in the harem, take this as a warning!"

The Queen respectfully accepted the order.

Finally, she found out something that allowed her to give the emperor a clear explanation. Otherwise, she would not be able to bear the emperor's anger.

Concubine Lian was furious and resentful, repeatedly protesting her innocence, claiming she knew nothing about the incident, otherwise she would never have allowed her subordinates to do such a thing. She dared not object to the emperor's severe punishment of the murderer, but why did he implicate her? Even the empress dowager could not stop her, and she went straight to the Qianyuan Palace to complain.

As a result, Emperor Yuan Yong didn't even meet her, but ordered her to be escorted back to the Cining Palace, warning her that if she continued to be so ungrateful and disregard the palace rules, she would have to live with the Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace for the rest of her life!

Concubine Lian was shocked, frightened, angry and aggrieved, and burst into tears.

The evidence is irrefutable. This time, even the Queen Mother has nothing to say.

Lianpin is so ignorant that she cannot bring any benefits to the Fu family!

When paying respects to Fengwu Palace again, Xu Lanshan regained her former glory.

It goes without saying that people of lower status like Fang Changzai, who hadn't dared to compare themselves with Xu Lanshan since some time ago, and Concubine Mo, Concubine Feng, Concubine Deng and others also felt bad...

Who would have thought?