Empress Xue raised her hand to cover her mouth and coughed lightly twice: "It wasn't a big deal originally. Consort Huo is a newcomer to the palace this time and lives in a side hall of Yanxi Palace. The maid lost her voice after entering the Shenxing Division. The servants serving Consort Zhou said that the maid serving Consort Huo spoke presumptuously. However, Consort Zhou's unauthorized handling of Consort Huo's maid is also presumptuous... I caught a cold those few days, and it was Consort Chi who took care of me."
Consort Chi, who had been watching the show, twitched at the sound, but she remained still, waiting for the Empress Dowager to continue.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager sighed, "Why did she have to commit such a terrible act... Where is Consort Huo? Consort Zhou was certainly wrong for overstepping her bounds, but it seems that Consort Huo also failed to properly educate her maids. It sounds like Consort Huo hasn't been punished at all."
I don't know who the Empress Dowager was referring to for committing evil deeds.
Huo Qinghe stepped forward from among the concubines in response. Her eyes were lowered and her delicate eyebrows were furrowed. She looked timid from afar, but her manners and etiquette were impeccable: "This concubine, Huo, respectfully greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
She wasn't actually panicked. When she originally planned to use Consort Zhou to deal with Jinzhan, she had already anticipated that Jinzhan would be accused of being negligent in her discipline. Consort Chi hadn't punished her before, but now the Empress Dowager was bringing it up...
For Huo Qinghe, it was just a matter of time.
But outwardly, she naturally had to pretend to be somewhat afraid.
The Empress Dowager seemed to hum softly: "He does seem like a decent child, but the people around you are useless. If you can't train your servants, that's your fault."
Her tone was gentle, sounding like she was admonishing a younger generation, but upon closer listening, it was actually quite sharp.
The concubines standing on both sides held their breath and watched the spectacle quietly.
Including Huo Yiyun, who was at the forefront.
She didn't even flinch, standing perfectly still as if she had nothing to do with Huo Qinghe.
Huo Qinghe, who had been bowing, knelt down instead. She did not try to defend herself: "Yes, Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty. Please forgive me. It is all my fault."
Jinzhan is now mute, so Huo Qinghe isn't afraid that she'll turn around and accuse her of instigating it. Now she's only admitting to her mistake of not disciplining her properly, and the punishment will be lighter than that for Consort Zhou, no matter what.
Right now, she is waiting for Green Locust to find a contraceptive. If she is confined to her quarters, she will naturally be spared from being summoned to the emperor's bedchamber.
Empress Xue then spoke up, "In the end, it was my fault for handling things poorly back then. Now that Your Majesty is causing you so much trouble, it is truly my fault."
Consort Chi stood up and apologized, since it was she who had spoken out to condemn him.
The Empress and Consort Chi both stood up, and the other concubines naturally followed suit, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Now, the only ones sitting are Empress Dowager Zhou and the Emperor.
The commotion of everyone kneeling finally alerted Pei Yuanhui. He casually lifted his eyelids and looked at Empress Dowager Zhou first.
"What does the Empress Dowager think should be done?" he asked.
The Empress Dowager didn't look at Pei Yuanhui, but stared at the palace concubines kneeling all over the hall: "These things are not my place to worry about. Consort Zhou is impatient. Once she is released from confinement, I will summon her to my presence for a reprimand. As for Consort Huo, she is not well-disciplined. I will remove her green plaque and confine her for another half month to reflect on her mistakes."
Pei Yuanhui said "Oh," and then suddenly said.
"However... when the new ladies enter the palace, the servants who attend to them are all arranged by the Imperial Household Department. The Empress Dowager said that they are not strictly disciplined. So, how many days did Lady Huo discipline them?"
Huo Yiyun raised an eyebrow. She naturally knew that the golden cup was brought into the palace by Huo Qinghe from her home, but she would not stab her in the back at this moment.
For a newcomer to enter the palace, being confined for half a month was considered a very serious matter.
Haven't you noticed that Consort Zhou has been confined to her quarters for the past two weeks? After a while, who will even remember you exist?
She was still counting on Huo Qinghe.
Empress Dowager Zhou did not show much surprise at Pei Yuanhui's words at this moment. She simply turned to the side and asked Pei Yuanhui, "Then what does Your Majesty think should be done?"
The mother and son addressed each other as "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," a display of extreme unfamiliarity.
Pei Yuanhui stood up, supporting himself with his hands on his knees: "At this point, Consort Chi had already made her decision, and the matter should have been closed. But bringing it up again now, I feel that the punishment for Consort Zhou was too lenient."
The witty banter between the imperial mother and son caused the kneeling concubines to lower their heads, afraid of offending anyone.
Clearly, the Empress Dowager wanted to make a decision for Consort Zhou today, or rather, she wanted to deal with Huo Qinghe, but His Majesty's attitude was also very clear: he refused.
This mother and son are clearly using Zhou Pin's trivial matter as an excuse to make a fuss.
This has nothing to do with Huo Qinghe anymore.
Judging from the tone of the official's sudden outburst, it didn't sound like he was defending Huo Qinghe.
Besides, everyone's attention had already shifted to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and apart from Huo Yiyun, no one was paying attention to Huo Qinghe anymore.
Empress Dowager Zhou finally met Pei Yuanhui's gaze. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Emperor, do you really intend to do this?"
Pei Yuanhui suddenly chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, you are exaggerating. Since Consort Zhou has already been punished, let's leave it at that. Zhu Yu, Your Majesty must be tired from returning to the capital. Why don't you help her to rest?"
Upon hearing this, the old nanny Zhu Yu beside the Empress Dowager merely bowed slightly but did not step forward.
Empress Dowager Zhou raised her hand, and Zhu Yu stepped forward to support her, saying, "Alright, I'm tired."
In the end, it was Mrs. Zhou who backed down.
In truth, this matter was Zhou Pin's fault, and no matter how much the Empress Dowager pursued it, she could not avoid this biggest mistake.
Seeing this, Pei Yuanhui lowered his head slightly, but showed no intention of seeing him off any further.
Empress Xue suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Her Majesty dared to disregard the Empress Dowager like this; she could not allow it.
She took two steps forward and quickly followed to support the Empress Dowager on the other side, while saying something, but her voice was naturally unintelligible once they entered the inner palace.
Pei Yuanhui didn't even glance at the rest of the group. He twirled the eighteen-bead red agate in his hand and then strode out.
"Let's call it a day." He said those words.
Only then did everyone slowly stand up.
Consort Cao waved her hand dismissively: "This concubine takes her leave."
Consort Chi didn't take it to heart: "Let them all go back."
Before leaving, Huo Yiyun turned around and glanced at Huo Qinghe, who had just stood up as well. The meaning in her eyes was clear: she wanted Huo Qinghe to follow her.
Huo Qinghe obediently followed Huo Yiyun out of Cining Palace.
The two walked together, one in front of the other.
"I told you before, don't stand out from the crowd. Today you almost got punished and confined to your quarters. You should have learned your lesson from this. Don't cause trouble!" Huo Yiyun blamed everything on Huo Qinghe without even asking what happened.
He immediately launched into a tirade of reprimands.
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