121 Confrontation
◎The throne of Queen is yours◎
Upon hearing the news, Rong Qianyu suddenly lay back on the bed and let out a long sigh. After so many years, it was finally coming to an end, one by one.
More than a dozen eunuchs went to Cui Rumei's palace in a mighty procession. Their movements were not gentle at all and they accidentally broke several teacups and vases.
"What are you doing?"
The young eunuch bowed to her and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Empress is seriously ill. The Imperial Observatory has ordered a search of the entire West Palace."
Cui Rumei might be angry, but she had nothing to say. "Be careful! Get out of here after the search!"
She spoke urgently, urging the eunuchs to be more efficient. She was not very popular in the palace. Liu Chunyan and An Moru were also searched in the palace, but the eunuchs were all friendly and only treated her with such perfunctory attitude.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so hasty. What's there is there, and what's not there is not there. What's true can't be false, and what's false can't be true."
After searching the main hall, they searched the bedroom. All the quilts, clothes and jewelry were turned out and scattered all over the floor in a mess.
Cui Rumei sat aside. Hua Xue rushed forward, trying to stop them but unable to stop them. "Be gentle! These things are gifts from His Majesty. You can't afford to pay for them if they're damaged!"
A young eunuch found a locked box under the bed. According to palace rules, all boxes and other items had to be opened. However, this small wooden box, with its exquisite carvings, had long been covered with dust and was placed deep under the bed, as if it had been deliberately hidden.
"Sir, there's a discovery!"
The young eunuch took the box to show the steward, and Cui Rumei's expression became nervous.
The steward chuckled as he held the box. "Madam, where are the keys?"
Cui Rumei evaded the question by saying, "I forgot. It's gone."
"Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for us. It's one thing for Your Majesty to open it yourself, but it's another matter if you ask us to smash it." The steward said it gently, but it was the truth.
The box had remained unopened for a long time, raising numerous questions. The eunuch in charge then handed it to Cui Rumei, but seeing she still showed no interest in cooperating, he simply smashed the box open in front of her.
The object landed on the ground, and the accumulated dust flew everywhere. Inside was a small cloth bag. The manager picked up the bag and patted it. Inside was a puppet with Rong Qianyu's birth date written on it.
"My lady, what does this mean?"
Cui Rumei was shocked, her eyes flickering, "This is impossible! Impossible, someone must have framed me!"
The steward said nothing, but extended his hand calmly, "Your Majesty, please go to the Imperial Palace."
The young eunuch arrived at Huangji Hall before Cui Rumei. Rong Qianyu, Fu Hua and others already knew about this. Fu Hua paced back and forth in the main hall, not knowing what to say, and sweat was visibly oozing from his forehead.
By the time the people arrived, Fu Hua had calmed down. He held the doll in his hand and threw it in front of Cui Rumei. "What is this thing! What is it? Using witchcraft to frame the queen, this is a capital crime!"
Cui Rumei knelt on the ground, her eyes no longer bright, replaced by a dead look. "Impossible, it can't be, this thing is not mine, Your Majesty, please check it out!"
She couldn't help but scream, tears streaming down her face, her eyes bloodshot.
Fu Hua looked at Bai Yi, and sat there watching Cui Rumei, as if he was watching a performance, but he was still unwilling to admit in his heart that although his friendship with her had been exhausted, he still couldn't bear it.
"You're still trying to argue even now. Isn't this An'er's clothes? And you still say it's not you!"
Rong Qianyu knew Cui Rumei's importance to Fu Hua, and this time she was indeed a little anxious. "I know I have always had a grudge against you, but how did I offend you? I really don't understand it after all these years. Since you want the throne of Queen, how about I give it to you today?"
As she spoke, Rong Qianyu also started to act like a rogue and tried to take off her queen's clothes, but she had been sick recently and had little strength, so she also tried to take off the hair crown on her head.
Fu Hua felt a little guilty that a man who had always been well-behaved was suddenly forced to become so arrogant. This was the queen he married in a formal ceremony, and her current situation was inseparable from his indulgence of Cui Rumei.
This trick really worked. Fu Hua hurried to stop her and helped her put on her outer robe. Rong Qianyu had no strength left, so she fell into Fu Hua's arms and cried, muttering to herself.
"I'll give you the throne of Queen, why do you have to harm me like this..."
"No, I don't have such an idea. I haven't. I have never coveted the throne of queen!" Cui Rumei also cried with tears in her eyes, her voice trembling, revealing the anxiety and fear in her heart.
She crawled to Fu Hua's side in a panic, "Your Majesty, Erlang!" She hugged his thighs and pulled at his robes, crying, "You know me, I just want An'er to grow up well. I never had any such intentions!"
The two people beside him were crying, which gave him a headache.
He squatted down and wiped Cui Rumei's tears, "I don't really understand you now."
Seeing him being so vague, Rong Qianyu was really anxious. Cui Rumei was a very capable person, and Fu Hua was a soft-hearted person. She was afraid that she would miss this opportunity and put him to death.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Rong Qianyu could no longer care about anything else. She closed her eyes and was about to faint. Rong Pan helped her up, "Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine."
Since you have already clicked, you might as well stop while you are ahead, otherwise it will just look fake.
Rong Qianyu lay beside him, drinking medicine. Fu Hua felt an inexplicable blockage in his heart. After a long pause, he frowned and said, "You'd better have other credible words to prove your innocence. Otherwise, who will you believe? I have seen how you treat the Queen for so many years!"
"The Queen is so busy with Cui Zhicong's affairs. Your status, your position as concubine, and your brother's official position are all her responsibility, but she has done it all herself! Not only are you never grateful, but you are also calculating everywhere. How can I believe that you didn't frame the Queen?"
Fu Hua said these words with a conscience. Rong Qianyu had been married to him for nearly three years and had never had a peaceful day. It turned out that he knew all this.
He knew her life was not easy, but he took it for granted and never helped or dissuaded her, but just watched coldly. Rong Qianyu's heart had been throbbing before, but now she felt a little sad. It was rare for her to live like this.
Isn't this a kind of respect for each other?
Cui Rumei could no longer listen to anyone and just kept crying, "I really didn't, I really didn't..."
Bai Yi was annoyed by what she heard and said, "If Concubine Ke is unable to defend herself, I am exhausted. Emperor, please banish her to the cold palace immediately."
Rong Qianyu crawled over to the little man and touched the fabric. This was indeed the same material that An'er wore, but it wasn't made by her personally...
"Your Majesty, this dress was not made by me. Someone must have framed me!"
She glanced at Rong Qianyu, who was curled up in bed, wearing a string of red coral beads on her hand. This was a gift from the Empress, but Cui Zhicong had given Rong Ruoyu a different set. Looking up, she took out a longevity locket and played with it. It was made of silver, the same one An'er had worn before.
She knew she had done too much and asking for forgiveness was impossible, but the child was her only weakness, and An'er was still so young...if something unexpected happened...
Helpless, she lay on the ground, smiled bitterly, and when she raised her eyes again, the tears on her face had dried.
Bai Yi pressed the issue, "Who is that? Tell me!"
Her throat tightened and she rolled over, "It was...it was done by me."
Bai Yi glanced at her, as if to say, who else could have been responsible for such a filthy thing but you? It was no wonder she thought so. Even Fu Hua was hesitant this time. Over the past six months, his trust in her had declined, but he hesitated only because he couldn't bear it.
But it is impossible to say that Fu Hua has all the grudges in his heart.
Now that the dust had settled, she was powerless to argue or refute. She felt utterly exhausted and could only lie on the ground crying. She collapsed to the ground, clutching her face, the pain piercing her heart and lungs, each sob like a painful blow.
She used up her last bit of strength, climbed to Rong Qianyu's window, and pulled her clothes, begging for An'er, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I was wrong before. Please forgive me. I don't want anything, but An'er is still young, Your Majesty!"
"Let go! How dare you pull the queen?" Rong Pan pushed her away.
She held onto the edge of the bed and said, "I have a miserable life. I did go too far in the past. I deserve it!"
"Shut up!" Bai Yi scolded, "You lowly creature, are you worthy of being a concubine and raising a prince?"
"I deserve it, it's all my fault..."
Fu Hua remained silent the entire time, but couldn't help but scold him, "Mei'er, how long are you going to keep making such a fuss?"
"Emperor!" Bai Yi said, and the Huangji Palace fell silent.
"I have taken charge of this mess. Concubine Ke will be stripped of her title and demoted to Zhaoyi, and will be confined to her house. You, An'er, will not be allowed to see her anymore. Everyone in the palace will have their salary fined for six months, and the close palace maids will be given fifty strokes of the cane and dragged away!"
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your mercy..."
Cui Rumei crawled on the ground. Perhaps due to exhaustion, she knocked her head hard and suddenly fainted.
After fainting for a while, when he woke up, he was lying on the bed in the back hall, with an imperial physician beside him. Rong Qianyu and Bai Yi both had extremely ugly expressions.
Fu Hua sat beside the bed and said, "Ke Fei, you are pregnant. It has been a month."
He added, "There's no need for house arrest. I've pleaded with my mother, the Queen Mother. Please reflect on the past behind closed doors. There are many doubts about this matter, and a hasty resolution would be unfair to both the Queen and you. I will continue to investigate, so you can rest assured and take care of your pregnancy."
"Forget it, forget it." Bai Yi looked very regretful. Rong Qianyu, on the other hand, had her fingers turned white with anger, but she still tried her best to maintain the dignity of a queen.
This sudden change caught Rong Qianyu off guard. She was about to succeed, so why was she pregnant again?
Is it really so difficult to deal with the scourge that has lasted for thousands of years?
What will the situation be like nine months later? If it is a boy, her position as queen will probably be unstable.
Fu Hua asked, "Doctor, is there anything wrong with the child?"
"The fetus is fine, but the queen was frightened and the fetus is not stable. She needs to take some more medicine to stabilize the fetus."
"good."
"Also, regarding the Empress's poison, I have found some medicine that can alleviate the immediate crisis. This puppet has already been found. With slow nursing, it should recover."
After the farce, Cui Rumei returned to the palace safely. She was said to be reflecting on her mistakes behind closed doors, but her coming and going had no impact at all. After all, she was pregnant and no one dared to touch her.
However, the only person she was friendly with was An Moru, who arrived faster than the imperial physician, carrying a gift. "Congratulations, sister, on escaping this predicament. You are still favored as always."
After this incident, her temper calmed down a bit. She touched her belly and felt very thankful. "My child came at the right time. It solved my current difficulties."
While feeling thankful, I wonder what Rong Qianyu's expression would be like right now. Regret, resentment, it's too late for anything. Heaven is helping her. Rong Qianyu is a childless queen. I wonder how she will cope in nine months.
Regardless of whether the baby is a boy or a girl, it will be a huge threat to her position as queen. If she is lucky enough to give birth to another boy, it is unknown who will be the queen in the future.
With a rosy face and a proud look on her face, she pulled An Moru to sit down and spoke to her in a very kind manner, "Sister, you have been favored by His Majesty recently. You should get pregnant as soon as possible. You will be crowned a concubine in the future."
An Moru was a little shy, "How can this happen just because I want it? Isn't the Queen pregnant?"
"The Queen is not favored, how can she compare with you?"
"Thank you for the reminder, sister."
Cui Rumei looked at An Moru's eyebrows and eyes, which were somewhat similar to hers. She suddenly felt annoyed and said warmly, "I'm tired today. Come over the afternoon after tomorrow. The stitching on the clothes you made for An'er last time was very good. Teach me."
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