Chapter 120 Taking Back the Palace Power
When Su said this, Song Wanyan looked at Su Qingrong as if she were a monster. She laughed in anger: "You were deceived, you were misled, you almost misunderstood me? How dare you say that?"
"Who just now kept saying that I was defiling the imperial palace, keeping eunuchs as concubines, and having an affair?! Do you know how serious a crime that is? You said it was a misunderstanding, so what?"
"Who in this world can be as flexible and resilient as you, Su Qingrong! You've already found the physical and witness evidence, and you're eager to nail me to the pillar of shame. And you think you can just brush it off with a simple misunderstanding?"
Su Qingrong gritted her teeth, "Yes, I admit it. I was the one who falsely accused Concubine Song, and I voluntarily accept the punishment! But can you dare to say that your conscience is clear? You are in charge of the six palaces, and letting such a person with evil intentions around is not a negligence and dereliction of duty!"
Song Wanyan glared at her fiercely and turned her head away silently.
She knew that the Su family came prepared today just to bring her down, and the crime of dereliction of duty was already the lightest charge.
Jiasui entered the palace and agreed to the marriage. For the sake of the Song family, His Majesty went along with it and was willing to admit that it was a misunderstanding.
Otherwise, once Your Majesty investigates carefully, he will surely discover that this marriage is indeed between her and Xie Huaiyu.
If she made any excuses at this moment, she would be ungrateful and His Majesty might really punish her severely.
Seeing Song Wanyan's silence regarding her dereliction of duty, Su Qingrong's eyes flickered with a triumphant smile. She looked at Xiao Chenglan and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I, a humble concubine, have brought a false accusation against my superior. I willingly accept the punishment. However, I filed this complaint because I fell into a trap set by a treacherous person. I hope Your Majesty will consider my dedication to upholding the royal family and grant me a lighter punishment."
Then, she changed the subject and continued, "As for why this traitor was able to stir up trouble in the harem, it was all because Concubine Song failed in her duty. She was completely unaware that such a sinister person was lurking in the harem, even right next to her! I believe that Your Majesty should thoroughly investigate Concubine Song's dereliction of duty!"
The concubines in the hall looked at Concubine Song kneeling in the hall, and they began to feel scared belatedly.
It is frightening that Concubine Song allowed the treacherous person to linger around her without her noticing. However, if Concubine Song was punished for dereliction of duty, then perhaps the power of the palace would fall into the hands of others, which is even more frightening.
If the palace power falls into the hands of Su Zhaoyi, I can’t even imagine what life will be like in the harem from now on!
Just as everyone was holding their breath, Lian Qiao hurried into the hall, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Empress Xiuyi has been feeling increasingly unwell since returning to Zhaohua Palace. She keeps calling for Your Majesty. Please go and see her quickly!"
This was something that no one had expected. Everyone couldn't help but look at His Majesty secretly. In an instant, His Majesty stood up, as if he was impatient with what was happening here. He spoke coldly and finalized the outcome of the matter.
"Su Zhaoyi falsely accused the higher-ups and made alarmist statements, and was punished with twenty strokes of the cane. As for Concubine Song, her dereliction of duty was even more egregious, and there was no way to defend herself. She was stripped of her palace power and ordered to reflect on her mistakes."
Once the final word was spoken, no one dared to breathe.
Upon hearing that Concubine Song's palace power had been stripped away, Su Qingrong had no time to feel sad about the twenty strokes of the cane she had received. Her eyes were filled with joy that her plan had succeeded.
Twenty lashes in exchange for palace power is definitely worth it.
Su Qingrong and Song Wanyan both bowed deeply in the direction where Xiao Chenglan strode away.
The concubines all said in unison: "Your Majesty, your concubines respectfully send you off."
After Xiao Chenglan left, everyone stood up, looking sad, and no one dared to speak first.
Su Qingrong adjusted her sleeves, straightened her neck, and glanced proudly at everyone in the hall, finally stopping at Concubine Song, and smiled domineeringly.
"Empress Song, in this palace, the feng shui has always been changing."
Song Wanyan looked at her, her eyes still sharp, "Su Zhaoyi, I advise you to remember this sentence."
Su Qingrong snorted coldly and strode out of Roufu Palace with her head held high.
Everyone had a gloomy look on their faces and followed Su Qingrong from a distance.
After everyone left, Song Wanyan couldn't bear it anymore and rushed over to hug Song Jiasui.
"Jia Sui, why are you so stupid! Why do you have to acknowledge me? Is this the solution father and the others came up with? How can we push you out!"
Song Jiasui nestled in Song Wanyan's arms, not feeling sad. She said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't blame your uncle. I wanted to enter the palace on my own initiative. I know the pros and cons. Your Majesty entered the palace for the Song family. If Your Majesty is in trouble, the Song family should naturally find a way to calm her down. Jiasui is not only Your Majesty's fifth sister, but also a daughter of the Song family, just like Your Majesty."
"Then what about your future marriage? What happened today is bound to get out. Although it's not your fault, there's no guarantee that someone won't make a big fuss about it."
Song Jiasui wasn't worried at all. "When my mother sent me to the carriage, she told me not to be afraid. I think what she said makes a lot of sense. If the family I'm considering marrying looks down on me because of this, then the marriage will be meaningless. Besides, there aren't many families in the capital that are a good match for my Song family. How dare I be so picky? Besides, if marriage is really difficult, my uncles have said that the Song family can support their daughter. I can stay at home forever, and that's fine."
Song Wanyan finally held back her tears of heartache and burst into laughter.
Well, her Song family is still the Song family.
"Don't call me Niangniang anymore. It's so strange. It makes me so sad."
Song Jiasui blinked: "I actually wanted to call you, Third Sister!"
The two sisters hugged each other.
Song Jiasui asked again: "Sister, are you sad that you have lost your power in the palace?"
Song Wanyan waved her hand nonchalantly. "What's that? Although my resignation was somewhat undignified, it's a good opportunity to quit. I was born to enjoy comfort and can't stand boredom. But... having said that, I've been working for so long and have managed the messy palace affairs. If Your Majesty were to hand over the power of the palace to Su Qingrong and let her enjoy the shade under my tree, I would be furious."
Song Jiasui patted her to comfort her.
"Since my sister has given up, don't worry. As for Concubine Su, from what I've seen today, her words and actions don't seem like a smart person at all. Even if she is given power in the palace, she will most likely end up getting burned."
Song Wanyan agreed deeply. "You're right. Never mind. It's rare for you to enter the palace. Let's have a good talk."
On the other side, Xiao Chenglan had already arrived at Zhaohua Palace.
Jiang Yingli, who was very sick, stretched her neck to watch at the palace gate. When she saw Xiao Chenglan coming, she jumped up to him like a rabbit.
"Your Majesty, how is the situation at Roufu Palace?"
Xiao Chenglan did not answer, his eyes staring at Jiang Yingli quietly.
"Is this the Ning Xiuyi who was so sick she couldn't get out of bed? How could she be so lively and energetic?"
Jiang Yingli hugged his arm and swayed, "Ah, Your Majesty, you should know that this is just an excuse. I am thinking about your majesty. It must be very noisy in the palace. Your Majesty, come here to hide away and calm down before dealing with this matter, okay?"
Jiang Yingli was worried that Xiao Chenglan would get angry and bring down a serious crime.
Xiao Chenglan pulled Jiang Yingli into his arms, a smile on his lips, and said calmly:
"Thank you so much for thinking of me, but I've already taken the punishment I deserved. They're done arguing, and I've already dealt with this matter. There's no need to be calm."
Jiang Yingli paused, then asked hesitantly, "How did Your Majesty deal with this? Did you punish Concubine Song?"
Xiao Chenglan looked at her concerned expression, a hint of displeasure flashed through his mind. He walked straight into the hall without saying a word.
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