Chapter 195 Concubine Mei was demoted
Xiao Heng slowly put down the teacup in his hand, his thin lips curled coldly: "I underestimated her."
Meipin has been the apple of her parents' eyes since she was a child. Because she is used to living a reckless life on the grassland, in Xiao Heng's heart, she is just a beautiful woman.
Willful, arrogant, but not scheming.
But she never thought that she was so brave as to save Ruan in secret.
What's more, Ruan was her biggest enemy in the palace.
In order to eliminate more enemies, she would not hesitate to cooperate with the enemy.
However, she probably didn't expect that Ruan had woven a big net for her before her death.
"I just went to the Ministry of Punishment, and Concubine Mei begged me earnestly, asking the Emperor to give her a lighter punishment for the sake of the Third Prince."
"Give me a lighter punishment?" Xiao Heng smiled coldly, his awe-inspiring expression evident without even getting angry.
"The crime of deceiving the emperor alone is enough to cost her life."
If she hadn't rescued Ruan, what happened last night wouldn't have happened.
The two people he cared about most in the harem almost died at the hands of Ruan.
How could he give a lighter punishment?
As for the Third Prince...
Concubine Mei is not worthy of being his mother.
After a moment's contemplation, Xiao Heng spoke coldly, "Jiang Defu, issue an order immediately. Meipin Bai has deceived the emperor and disturbed the palace. She is to be demoted to a concubine and banished to the cold palace."
If Meipin was not the princess of Yan State, such a crime would be enough to punish her with death.
But for the sake of peace between the two countries, he was only reduced to a concubine.
"The deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department and the personal maids around Bai Cainu will all be executed. Those who confess will be sent to hard labor."
Zhou Defu quickly agreed: "Yes, I will go and convey the order right away."
On that day, Bai Cainu was banished to the cold palace.
The third prince was sent to Le'an Palace as usual.
Xiao Heng stayed in Yaoyue Palace for a whole day, and only left after King Beichen asked to see him after dinner.
As the saying goes, the moon is fullest on the 16th day of the lunar month. After changing the medicine, Liu Yuetang sat on the chaise longue to enjoy the moon.
The moonlight was cold and white like snow, pouring down and casting a faint silver glow on Liu Yuetang's face.
Seeing Liu Yuetang sitting quietly for a long time without saying a word, Wanqiu took out a thin blanket and covered Liu Yuetang with it.
"It's autumn now, and the night wind is a bit chilly. My lady, please be careful since you are wearing thin clothes."
Liu Yuetang smiled faintly and changed to a more comfortable sitting position.
"Your Majesty, are you thinking about Bai Cainu?"
Liu Yuetang nodded slightly, looking at the bright jade plate outside the window and said, "Bai Cainu, keeping her will be a disaster sooner or later."
"Now that I am pregnant, I have to be careful."
After what happened with Ruan, she understood more and more the importance of eradicating the problem completely.
If she had not smashed the teacup in the warm room that day, she would most likely have become a dead soul under Ruan's knife.
When facing the enemy, we must never show any mercy.
What's more, it's an enemy who wants to kill him.
"My lady, what do you want to do?"
A cold light flashed in the depths of Liu Yuetang's pupils, and she whispered, "Aren't there many crazy people in the cold palace? Then let them get even crazier."
Wan Qiu was stunned for a moment. After Liu Yuetang whispered a few words in her ear, she finally understood and whispered, "Don't worry, Madam. I will arrange it right away."
Liu Yuetang nodded gently, her deep eyes filled with calmness.
As soon as Wanqiu went out, Liu Yuetang heard hurried footsteps.
Immediately afterwards, Su Nanqing came quickly in a jade-colored gauze dress. The pearls and jade on her temples swayed with her steps, making messy sounds. She was completely unlike her usual dignified and gentle self.
"Why are you here, sister?" Liu Yuetang sat up.
"Lie down, don't move." She walked quickly to Liu Yuetang's side, examining her hands and body as she spoke. "I wanted to come see you today after paying my respects to you at Weiyang Palace, but I saw the Emperor's dragon chariot as soon as I arrived at Yaoyue Palace, so I had to turn back. I just heard that Prince Beichen was in Qinzheng Palace, so I figured the Emperor should have left, so I finally had time to come see you."
She had suffered such a great injustice, so naturally what she wanted most was Xiao Heng's company and sympathy.
So when she saw Xiao Heng in Yaoyue Palace, she turned back, unwilling to break this warmth.
"I heard your hand was bleeding a lot. Is it seriously injured?"
She held Liu Yuetang's hands, but because they were wrapped in gauze, she couldn't see the injuries inside.
Seeing her eyes full of heartache and concern, Liu Yuetang was also moved and said with a smile: "Don't worry, sister, it's just a minor injury, it will be fine after resting."
Su Nanqing breathed a sigh of relief, but the wrinkles between his brows remained deeply furrowed. "What an unexpected disaster! I heard from the Queen that Ruan originally wanted to harm Concubine Zhao?"
Liu Yuetang nodded: "Maybe this is my destiny, but fortunately, I escaped it."
Su Nanqing's brows finally relaxed, and she looked at Liu Yuetang's belly with a gentle expression: "I went to bed early last night, and when I heard the news this morning, I was both sad and happy. One moment they said you were injured, and the next moment they said you were pregnant and promoted to Concubine Xi. I don't know whether to be happy or heartbroken for you."
"I made my sister worry, but in the harem, nothing is smooth sailing. Being able to survive is the greatest achievement."
Su Nanqing sighed slightly: "Yes..."
"Now that you're pregnant, you have to be even more careful. Countless eyes in the palace are staring at your belly, and who knows what conspiracy or trick they might come up with to murder you. Don't..."
Her tone was stagnant, and sadness filled her eyes: "Don't follow in my footsteps."
"Sister..." Liu Yuetang called out awkwardly.
Su Nanqing retracted the sad look on her face and pursed her lips slightly: "It's okay, everyone has their own destiny. Now I just hope that the child in your belly can be born safely."
"I heard that Rongpin contributed to your safe escape from Ruan's sword last night."
When mentioning Rong Yue, Liu Yuetang felt a touch of gratitude in his heart.
She and Rong Yue were only conspiring for their own benefit. Although they were less wary of each other after Ruan's fake death, Liu Yuetang had never trusted her wholeheartedly.
But unexpectedly, she would deliberately walk behind at that time, and use the figures of the concubines to cover up her little movements.
When she walked to He Yunzheng, she gave him a wink.
He Yunzheng had been in the palace for several years and was very good at observing people's words and expressions. He immediately understood what was going on and handed the flying knife to Rong Yue without saying a word.
Afterwards, Rong Yue pretended to persuade Ruan Yuxiao to turn back and handed the flying knife to Xiao Heng.
Liu Yuetang knew that she was deeply favored and was the enemy of all the women in the six palaces.
It was a blessing that they didn't hope for his death, let alone save him.
But Rong Yue saved herself from danger without hesitation.
Liu Yuetang will definitely remember this love in her heart.
After learning what had happened, Su Nanqing was horrified and clutched her chest, saying, "It seems I misunderstood Rongpin before. She had always been by Ruan's side, so I treated her as an enemy."
Liu Yuetang lowered her eyes and smiled, the tassels under her bun reflecting a cold light in the moonlight and candlelight.
Sometimes, enemies become friends and are more reliable than friends.
But when a friend becomes an enemy, it is more dangerous than when an enemy becomes an enemy.
She did not expect her relationship with Rong Yue and Su Nanqing to be very close, she just hoped that it would always be like this, cherishing each other and not being suspicious of each other.
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