The Empress hadn't expected Concubine Lian to say this; she'd assumed she'd force Meng Qi to apologize to Princess Duan. However, a month's confinement was acceptable; at least it showed her stance.
In fact, it was Princess Duan who instigated this matter today. She firmly believed that everything was planned by Princess Duan and even by Concubine Xiang. The only thing that was disgusting was that they actually attacked a child.
If today's fault was equally divided, a punishment of one stroke would be enough. But the Queen recalled what her son, Prince Cheng, had said to her yesterday. The conflict between Prince Duan and Prince Rui was growing deeper, and Prince Duan had reached the point where he no longer wanted to tolerate Prince Rui. This was a good thing for Prince Cheng. If Prince Duan could be used to eliminate or weaken Prince Rui, it would be even better.
The Crown Prince is now relying more and more on Prince Rui. To capture Prince Rui, one cannot kill him directly. As long as he is not given the qualifications and energy to run around for the Crown Prince again, it will be the biggest loss for the Crown Prince.
Moreover, they can take the opportunity to bring down Prince Duan. Concubine Xiang has been making frequent moves recently. Last time, she failed to let her nephew marry the granddaughter of Minister of War Lu, and lost the opportunity to hold military power and add support. Prince Duan is very anxious. There are people from Prince Duan coming and going in the northwest, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou.
Therefore, we should first let their inner houses become chaotic, so that the two houses can fight each other. This way, we can stand on the sidelines and watch the fun, and make plans.
The Empress nodded and was about to speak when she heard Concubine Xiu say quietly, "Princess Rui made a mistake in the palace. If she is confined to the palace, do we have to send someone from the palace to watch over her?"
Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she bowed to the Queen and said, "Originally, that's fine. After all, it's just a quarrel between the two princesses. As long as Princess Duan agrees and Princess Rui accepts, where they're confined is none of our business. But today is Her Majesty's birthday. If they make such a fuss, where will Her Majesty be placed? Where will all the hard work of Princess Yong'an and Princess Fanghua be placed?"
Imperial Concubine Xiang's eyes lit up. She had never expected that Concubine Xiu, who she usually thought was close to Concubine Lian, would actually say such a thing. Seeing Concubine Lian's face flushed red at Xiu's words, Imperial Concubine Xiang said proudly, "Sister Xiu is right. I'm thinking of choosing a place in the palace for Princess Rui to be confined to. How about that?"
The Queen went to see Concubine Lian, "What does Sister Lin mean?"
Concubine Lian sighed, "I will follow your Majesty's arrangements."
"I've already said that Meng is your daughter-in-law. You have the final say on how to punish her."
Concubine Lian thought for a moment and said, "How about sending Princess Rui to the Imperial Ancestral Temple? She should be punished by copying scriptures every day and offering them before the ancestors."
"How can that be called a punishment? Going there and being disrespectful will only make our ancestors angry." The speaker was Concubine Zhen. Because her brother was under house arrest, but not for a full day, she was allowed to come to Kunning Palace today in the name of celebrating the Queen's birthday.
"What does Concubine Zhen mean?" Concubine Lian asked unhappily.
"If you ask me, it would be better to go to Hanyuan, where you can also copy and recite scriptures. Wouldn't that show your sincerity more?"
Xianfei frowned slightly. Ever since the last incident, her niece had become less and less attentive to her. She knew she blamed her for not helping her with her nephew's affairs. But even so, she couldn't just turn her arm around and ask Xiang Guifei for help.
"What do you mean, Concubine Zhen? Hanyuan is a place that Princess Rui can go to, but no one has lived there for many years." Concubine Lian turned to the queen and said.
"It's precisely because there's no one staying here that Princess Rui was allowed to go. Does she have to sleep soundly? According to..." Before Noble Concubine Xiang could finish her words, Meng Qi said, "I am willing to go. However, today's incident is not entirely my fault. You can't just punish me."
Princess Duan received a look from Consort Xiang and said to the Empress, "I made a mistake today. I thought today was my mother's birthday, a joyous occasion, and wanted to settle the dispute as quickly as possible. However, I used the wrong method and said the wrong thing, causing Sixth Brother's wife to persist and ruining the Empress's mood. Therefore, I am willing to be confined to the palace for a month as a token of my repentance."
The Queen sneered inwardly, but kept it hidden from her face. "No need. It's true that you said something wrong, but it's even more wrong for Meng to take action. Let her be confined to Hanyuan for a month, and you will return to Prince Duan's mansion and be confined there for a month."
Seeing that Princess Duan was about to say something, the Queen waved her hand and said, "No need to say more. This is settled. Aunt Sang will take Princess Rui to Hanyuan. Princess Duan can go back. The others can go and rest. I'm afraid I will need to explain this matter to the Emperor in person."
After saying that, he took Yong'an's hand and walked back to the East Hall.
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