Emperor Guangqi's words were so harsh that Consort Liang's eyes widened and her mind went blank.
Princess Jingyue trembled and quickly knelt down, crying, "Father, please forgive me! Father, please forgive me!"
"Your subject had no idea you were in her palace! Your subject had no idea you were here!"
Emperor Guangqi frowned at her: "So you think you can act recklessly just because I'm not here? Even to the point of bullying the concubines and your stepmother?"
After saying this, he looked sharply in the direction of Consort Liang and asked, "Consort Liang, how exactly did you raise your daughter?"
Princess Jingyue swallowed hard and shook her head hastily: "No, that's not it! Father! It was Consort Zhen who hit me first. I felt that she was in a hurry and seemed to have a problem, so I came here."
"But she evaded the question, which was highly suspicious, so I did this!"
Consort Zhen lowered her head and nodded: "Your Majesty, I slapped the princess twice in a moment of panic."
Song Xizhi added coolly, "If it weren't for Consort Zhen's intervention, I'm afraid I would have been stripped naked and searched on trumped-up charges, and then thrown into the imperial prison, never to see Your Majesty again!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi's chest trembled, even more so than when he had witnessed Consort Zhen's miserable state: "Stripped naked and searched? Thrown into the imperial prison?"
"Jingyue! Your hands are so long! Do you know she was... a high-ranking court official in the previous dynasty!"
Emperor Guangqi was truly enraged at this moment. His gaze was fixed on Princess Jingyue, his chest heaving, and his face paled.
"Guards, strip Jingyue of her title and confine her to the palace. Without my permission, she shall never step out of the palace gates again!"
Everyone was stunned by the emperor's words. Even Consort Zhen raised her eyes in disbelief and looked at the emperor's face.
Unexpectedly, Princess Jingyue, who had always been pampered by the emperor, was stripped of her title so easily and even imprisoned in the palace, never to step out of the palace gates again!
What's the point of her keeping the title of princess?
She was nothing more than a concubine imprisoned in the cold palace, practically a living dead!
Everyone was incredulous, but Song Xizhi knew that this was the lightest punishment the emperor could give, and he still felt a pang of pity for Princess Jingyue.
After all, although the emperor was angry at her arrogant behavior, he was even more angry at what Princess Jingyue had done. If it weren't for Consort Zhen's intervention, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
If Princess Jingyue were to take her away, it wouldn't just be her who would be humiliated; the emperor would likely pass away immediately as well.
Princess Jingyue was truly panicked at this moment. She suddenly knelt down on the ground, then hurriedly crawled a few steps, grabbing Emperor Guangqi's robe, her face streaked with tears.
"Father! Father! I am your daughter! How could you treat me like this..."
Princess Jingyue's movements caused Emperor Guangqi to sway slightly. Consort Zhen hurriedly supported the emperor and persuaded Princess Jingyue to loosen her grip on his robe.
Consort Liang's face was now deathly pale. Watching Consort Zhen's actions, she suddenly realized that this was all a deliberate scheme by Consort Zhen.
"Consort Zhen! You did this on purpose! You did it on purpose, didn't you!"
As she spoke, she hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Emperor Guangqi's sleeve: "Your Majesty! Consort Zhen is definitely not as innocent as you think. Consort Zhen did it on purpose!"
"It was she who deliberately slapped Jingyue, causing me to bring her to our door. It was also she who deliberately pretended that there was something shameful going on in the inner palace, forcing me to break into the inner palace!"
The more Consort Liang spoke, the more hateful she felt in her heart. She had completely fallen into Consort Zhen's trap: "And she just kept quiet and deliberately let me and Jingyue humiliate her in front of you! It's all her fault!"
Emperor Guangqi closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with disappointment as he looked at Consort Liang.
He steadied himself before taking a step back: "Consort Liang, I bestow upon you the title of Consort Liang, but it is a pity that you are not pure and kind."
"You say you were forced into everything, but I clearly heard her say that I was in the inner palace, and you don't believe her."
“She said she was afraid of disturbing my rest and wanted to go out to resolve the matter, but you slapped her in the face inside the palace.”
"She begged and pleaded not to harm others, but you wouldn't even spare Dr. Song, who treated my illness. You are truly heartless."
The emperor would pause slightly after each sentence and take a breath.
But Consort Liang didn't notice this; tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You were really in her palace! I didn't know!"
"Why are you inside, hearing the voices but not appearing?"
If Emperor Guangqi had arrived in time, Consort Liang would never have mistakenly believed that Consort Zhen was harboring an adulterer, much less have been so aggressive and ruthless.
Consort Liang felt that her question was just right, but the emperor's expression changed immediately upon hearing it.
Without further hesitation, he spoke directly:
"Consort Liang is arrogant, vicious, and has failed to properly educate her daughter. She is stripped of her title, demoted to the rank of Noble Lady, and confined to the palace."
As he spoke, he looked at Consort Zhen beside him again. He recalled the words Consort Zhen had spoken when he was on the verge of death on his bed, and his eyes showed a tenderness he had never felt before.
"Consort Zhen is promoted to Imperial Concubine Zhen and granted the power to assist in managing the six palaces."
He patted Consort Zhen's hand: "You were wronged today. I will never let you suffer any more grievances in the future."
Upon hearing this, Consort Zhen trembled, and tears streamed down her face.
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