Chapter 72 Character Collapse
Liang Chengbi's face turned ashen and his body was shaking.
At this moment, she already understood that she had fallen into Lu Haozhi's trap.
However, things have come to this point and she is in a difficult situation.
If she admitted to instigating Liu Miaoyi, then as a high-ranking concubine in charge of palace affairs, she was the first to violate palace rules, which would be an even greater crime.
If she didn't admit it, she couldn't just lose face and say "I'm actually not guilty" and then walk away, right?
Besides, she didn't know how much Lu Haozhi knew.
For a moment, Liang Chengbi felt his heart was in turmoil, as if thousands of cat claws were scratching him.
Rong An didn't urge her. He stood at the door of the Yangxin Palace with a whisk in his hands, looking up at the sky.
Liang Chengbi knelt on the ground, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead to the ground.
But in just the time it takes to stick up an incense stick, she feels like she has already experienced three years of autumn.
“Your Majesty…”
The cold wind kept blowing on her back, penetrating her thin clothes and making her feel cold all over.
The two coiled dragons carved under the eaves looked alive, baring their fangs and claws, as if they wanted to swallow her alive.
Perhaps it was the cold wind, or perhaps it was the fear and anxiety, but Liang Chengbi suddenly felt dizzy.
"I... instigated Lady Liu to enter the Yangxin Palace without permission. Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me!"
In the end, she couldn't bear the overwhelming pressure and spoke out.
The hoarse voice was carried by the wind into the Yangxin Palace and reached Lu Haozhi's ears.
This Liang Chengbi really can't stand being scared.
Lu Haozhi was playing with a sweet white porcelain double-handled pot, his thin lips tugging slightly.
He only applied a little pressure, but she couldn't bear it and vomited it all out.
In fact, at present, Liu was only detained in the Ministry of Punishment, and no order for trial had been issued yet. Spreading these rumors was just to make Liang Chengbi lose his composure.
Now that she has admitted her guilt, the rest of the matter will be easy.
Her father, Liang Benwu, has been quite restless in the court recently, with his followers jumping around. It's time to give them a lesson.
Although the ministers in this palace all had the merit of following the emperor in the past, their thoughts were different.
"Rong An!"
Lu Haozhi was about to issue an order to deal with the matter, but he heard a commotion outside, and then the sound of a palace maid crying for her parents came. He frowned slightly.
Rong An hurried in from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort suddenly fainted outside the palace."
Liang Chengbi is dizzy, and it’s really the right time.
Lu Haozhi didn't care. "Propagate my decree. Imperial Noble Consort Liang has been found wanting in her conduct and has violated palace rules. She has received the Emperor's favor but has not thought of repaying it. She has instigated the concubines to defile the palace. Considering that she has acknowledged her mistakes and has shown repentance, she is demoted to a concubine."
ah?
The emperor demoted the imperial concubine while chatting and laughing?
Rong An was secretly shocked, and said that the current emperor was really decisive and ruthless, and his cunningness was amazing.
Liu Da Ying was imprisoned but not sentenced to any punishment. Liang Chengbi was tortured and waited for her to come and confess her crime. This was making a fool of Concubine Liang!
"Since you said she fainted..."
Rong An was sighing in his heart when he suddenly heard Lu Haozhi's cold and indifferent voice again, and he quickly pricked up his ears.
"Then we can call a few people to send her back to Yikun Palace and ask an imperial physician to examine her."
Lu Haozhi's tone was indifferent, without any concern in his eyes.
Rong An obeyed and asked, "Your Majesty, should we wait until the Empress wakes up before delivering this decree?"
Lu Haozhi didn't even raise his head. "Pass it on immediately, so she won't make any more trouble when she wakes up."
Rong An looked at the emperor burying his head in his papers again, and his heart was filled with emotion.
Why did Concubine Liang do all this? The emperor actually never cared about her. She is bringing disaster upon herself. Why bother?
Liang Chengbi was sent back to Yiku Palace right after the emperor's decree of demotion arrived.
Everyone in the Yikun Palace was stunned at first, unable to believe this sudden disaster, and then there was a sound of ghosts wailing and wolves howling.
Rong'an had served the emperor for many years and had seen many storms, so she didn't take these things seriously. She ordered the palace servants to remove all the furnishings related to the Imperial Noble Consort's rank, and immediately forced the head maid Chunqing to hand over the Imperial Noble Consort's golden book and golden treasure.
Chunqing's eyes were red and her face was pale. Although she was extremely reluctant, she knew that she could not defeat the opponent, so she found the two treasures and handed them over.
After Rong'an left, the noblewoman Zhao Chunfang also rushed over after hearing the news. Seeing that everyone in the main hall of Yikun Palace was in mourning, she was filled with shock and doubt. She asked, "What's going on? Is the rumor true? Your Majesty... Is Your Majesty okay?"
Chun Qing was filled with rage, and she gritted her teeth as she cried, "It was all your good idea. The Empress went to the Yangxin Palace, and the Emperor demoted her to a concubine!"
Zhao Chunfang was also dumbfounded. Liang Chengbi went to the palace to admit his fault. Logically, the emperor should show leniency to him. At most, he would be confined to his house and fined.
Why doesn't the emperor play by the rules?
Seeing her dazed and bewildered look, Chun Qing became even more furious. She walked up to her and pushed her without caring about her status.
"Lady Zhao, the Empress has always followed your advice. Now that we've been in trouble, what do you think we should do? If you don't give us an explanation, I'm afraid our Prime Minister's Mansion will be in trouble with your Zhao family!"
A palace maid actually dared to step on her head!
Zhao Chunfang felt a surge of anger rushing up to his lungs, and he managed to suppress it with great difficulty.
Who told her that she was an unfavored noble? Who told her that her family was just a fifth-rank civil servant? She relied entirely on the protection of Liang Chengbi and the prime minister's mansion to have such a future.
How dare she not bow her head under someone else's roof? She had no choice but to swallow her anger and force a smile.
"Miss Chunqing, please don't panic. Now that things have come to this, we should hurry and send a message back to your mother's family so that Lord Liang can learn about it sooner so he can come up with a plan."
It is a taboo for the king to have connections between the harem and the former dynasty. However, Zhao Chunfang, a woman in the deep palace, does not understand these principles.
Chunqing had already lost her composure, but she thought what she said made sense, and hurriedly went to find someone to pass on the message.
Imperial Noble Consort Liang Chengbi was demoted to a concubine, which immediately caused an uproar in the harem.
Liang has always been known as a virtuous concubine. She has been serving the prince since he was in his palace and is deeply trusted by the emperor. This is the consistent impression people in the palace have of her.
Now, she was actually charged with violating palace rules and instigating concubines to commit debauchery in the palace, and was demoted to a concubine by the emperor, which was enough to shock the six palaces.
Some people were talking about how the Imperial Noble Consort had fainted in the Yangxin Palace the previous month, and the Imperial Noble Consort had fainted in the Palace this month. In just one month, two concubines had already fainted in the Palace.
Even after the imperial concubine fainted, the emperor's favor remained undiminished.
After the imperial concubine fainted, she was demoted by the emperor.
They were both concubines who fainted in front of the Yangxin Palace, so why was there such a big difference between them?
When Meng Yan heard the news, she was also quite shocked.
Liang Chengbi's character as the virtuous concubine has collapsed completely.
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