"Drag him away!" The emperor didn't even bother to look at him again.
Instead of wasting time on this, he should think about how to trick the Imperial Advisor into giving him the basic cultivation techniques. He figured the little mirror that was bound to Fang Ruotang could definitely produce it.
"Father, she seduced me, Father..." The Third Prince panicked when he saw that the Emperor didn't even glance at him or reprimand him for his sophistry. He instinctively shifted the blame onto Consort Yu.
Consort Yu turned her head in shock, looking utterly dejected. However, she didn't dare to shirk responsibility like the Third Prince, and instead calmed down.
She knelt low, bowing low, and began to beg for death.
"I am shameless and have caused chaos in the harem. I dare not hope that Your Majesty will spare my life. I only beg Your Majesty to spare my family. They know nothing about this."
"Guards, bring poisoned wine."
The Emperor's words terrified the Third Prince so much that he clung to the Emperor's leg, crying his eyes out.
"Father, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. I will never do it again. Father, please forgive me this time."
The Third Prince kept repeating the same sentence.
The emperor felt ashamed and kicked him.
"Put the Third Prince in the Imperial Prison and await his fate."
Soon, an old man brought over the poisoned wine.
Fang Ruotang's face paled, and she bit her finger while screaming in her mind and in front of the little mirror.
Did I kill her? If I hadn't come to see her, would she still be alive?
【No way! It has nothing to do with you. In the original timeline, her affair with the Third Prince was also discovered.】
Fang Ruotang's heart was pounding; she was very flustered.
[It has nothing to do with you. She was just stupid. Even after entering the palace and becoming a concubine, she still believed the Third Prince's nonsense, pursuing some kind of love and romance. She's seriously ill. This kind of woman deserves to die. Her death would be a relief, but it will bring ruin to her entire family.]
【But……】
Fang Ruotang actually understood the reasoning; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so angry when Xiao Jingzi asked her to seduce Rong Shizi.
Some mistakes she made cannot be erased by her own death; all the sisters in the mansion must pay the price for her mistakes.
Consort Yu's case is even more serious; she could face having her home raided and being executed.
[Don't overthink it. Consort Yu dared to do such a thing; she's not someone who values family ties. Now that she's about to die, she's pretending to beg the Emperor to spare her family. What good is that?]
The little mirror doesn't pity such people.
To do something knowing it's impossible is foolish.
"I'm just feeling a little unwell." Fang Ruotang secretly rubbed her chest.
She had only thought that she had never seen anything like this before and was eager to broaden her horizons, without considering the consequences. Now, seeing the Emperor about to poison Consort Yu, she realized that revealing this matter would cost the other woman her life.
The Emperor felt a little uncomfortable, but he wouldn't admit that it was his fault for killing someone in front of Fang Ruotang. He just scolded the Crown Prince for being disappointing.
"Why don't you hurry up and take the Imperial Advisor away? Why are you joining in this sordid spectacle?"
"Let's go first."
The Crown Prince hesitated and gently tugged at Fang Ruotang's sleeve. Fang Ruotang followed the Crown Prince for two steps, then looked at Consort Yu kneeling on the ground.
“Your Majesty, it was the Third Prince who actively seduced Consort Yu, not Consort Yu who seduced the Third Prince.” Fang Ruotang paused, feeling that she should make this clear.
"Alright, alright, I will spare her family."
The emperor waved his hand impatiently. He had been cuckolded, but he wasn't as angry as one might expect, and naturally, there was no need to kill anyone to appease the emperor's wrath.
Although they could escape the death penalty, they could not escape punishment, and the good days of Consort Yu and her family were coming to an end.
Next time, remind me not to watch the excitement.
It's not wrong for you to watch the show; they're the ones who did wrong.
The logic is sound, but to expose it personally feels like pushing them to their deaths, which is somewhat uncomfortable.
[You're too kind. This Third Prince and Consort Yu are no good. In the original timeline, the Empress was the first to sense something was wrong, but she was poisoned to death by the two. Later, the Emperor was furious and thoroughly investigated the harem, which brought the truth to light. Consort Yu was executed by slow slicing, her entire family was wiped out, even the Third Prince was beheaded, and the Imperial Concubine was banished to the Cold Palace because of this, and her maternal clan was also implicated.]
Although Emperor Jiankang was not a devoted lover, the Empress held a special place in his heart; otherwise, the Crown Prince's position would not have been so secure.
In the original timeline, Consort Yu and the Third Prince would have taken the Empress's life without hesitation, and Emperor Jiankang would naturally not have let them off the hook, unlike now where it's just a half-hearted attack.
The Crown Prince's brows furrowed as he stared at the Third Prince, whose breathing had become shallow. His presence was oppressive, and his aura was no less imposing than when the Jiankang Emperor was enraged.
Just moments before, Emperor Jiankang had been calm and collected, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was being cuckolded, but suddenly his attitude changed, and he laughed in exasperation.
"The Third Prince has wreaked havoc in the harem, is disloyal and unfilial, and intends to commit treason. Guards, imprison him in the Imperial Mausoleum, demote him to commoner status, and forbid him from ever stepping out again. The Consort has failed in her duty to educate her son; she shall be moved out of Jingren Palace immediately and demoted to Noble Lady."
The third prince, pale-faced, slumped to the ground, bewildered and speechless.
[The Third Prince can have any woman he wants, so why does he want to mess with the Emperor's woman?]
[It's all for the throne. After all, among the new concubines, only Consort Yu has gained favor. Moreover, Consort Yu's family is powerful; the Third Prince had met her several times before she entered the palace and already intended to take her into his harem!]
[You're sick! If you want the throne, fight for it fair and square! If he's more capable than the crown prince and has a better chance of becoming a wise ruler, the emperor will choose him, and the court officials will choose him too. What kind of nonsense is it to use a woman?]
Fang Ruotang felt a little disgusted.
The Fang family was afraid of getting involved in such a power struggle, so all the sisters in the family were betrothed at a young age.
She was the fourth sister, who was born out of wedlock. She was originally supposed to marry a nephew of her aunt's family, but the two of them were not destined to be together, as her cousin passed away a few years ago.
It's said that the Fang family's daughters have all had some bumpy roads when it comes to marriage, which is why Fang Shutang was manipulated by Mrs. Xie before her marriage.
"Never mind these things. Father will decide this matter. I will accompany you to the Li family's gathering."
"...Never mind, I won't go."
Fang Ruotang hesitated for a moment, then lost interest.
[Go on! The Li family is putting on a big show today, with a real and fake heiress. You'll regret missing this spectacle!]
Fang Ruotang paused slightly, her curiosity piqued.
[Real or Fake Heiress? Women Giving Birth in the Backyard, Could the Baby Have Been Switched?]
【Why not? The father himself switched the children; what a show! The stage's all set up now, are you sure you don't want to go see it?】
Fang Ruotang has been in poor health since childhood and has always grown up in the backyard. Now that her health has improved, her mind has become wild. She is greedy for food, loves to play and join in the fun. These little bad habits cannot be hidden.
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