Chapter 215 A Man's Dignity Is Shattered
"By imperial decree—the Lin family has deceived the emperor and framed a high-ranking official; their crimes are heinous. They are hereby demoted to the rank of concubine!"
Lin had only been promoted to a noble position a few days ago, but now she has fallen from grace overnight.
Consort Lin...now known as Lady Lin, was as if all her strength had been drained away, and she was limply supported by two cold-faced eunuchs, one on each side.
She stopped crying and arguing, only smiling blankly, her eyes staring empty into the void, muttering indistinctly, "Prince... my prince..."
Such a horrifying sight caused several weak-willed concubines to turn their heads away, unable to bear looking any longer.
Clearly, Lin Yingying's mind has collapsed, and she is in a state of extreme confusion.
The surrounding concubines had various expressions; some mocked Consort Lin's audacious and delusional ideas, while others trembled with fear at the Emperor's thunderous wrath...
Just as the guards were about to drag Consort Lin away and send her back to her residence to be confined, a slender, short figure suddenly rushed out from behind the crowd and knelt heavily before the emperor.
This person was none other than the little palace maid, Xiao Duo, who had just testified.
Suddenly, a person jumped out in front of Emperor Zhaoheng, and the several guards following behind him almost reflexively drew their swords and stepped forward.
He could see that Xiao Duo was kneeling in fear before Emperor Zhaoheng, kowtowing violently as if her head was hitting the ground.
Emperor Zhaoheng then raised his hand to signal, and the guards slowly sheathed their swords and retreated.
Xiao Duo's voice was trembling with sobs, and the last syllable trembled with fear.
However, she possessed a rare courage that enabled her to finish speaking in front of Emperor Zhaoheng.
"Your Majesty! Her Majesty the Empress..."
"Your Majesty and Empress, please have mercy! Please...please allow this servant to go with you, Your Highness! You are in such a state, you cannot be left unattended!"
Xiao Duo was in tears, her face showing some regret. She hadn't expected that Lin Ying would be so devastated after the truth was exposed.
But she witnessed Cui Zi and Physician Xu spiking the young mistress's tonic. Unable to bear seeing the young mistress's health suffer from the medicine, Xiao Duo went to find Yin Zhu...
At this moment, it seemed as if two voices were arguing inside Xiaoduo's heart. One voice blamed her for going to find Yinzhu, while the other voice said that she was right and that it would be too late to stop Lin Yingying if she got sick!
Xiao Duo said with tears in her eyes, "This servant is clumsy and doesn't know how to speak, but... I only ask to accompany my mistress, to serve tea and water, to clean and tidy up... Whether it's good or bad, this servant accepts it! I beg Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort to grant my request!"
This sudden request stunned everyone present.
A young palace maid who had just exposed her former master's conspiracy was now willing to give up the possible reward, or even the chance to leave this cannibalistic palace, and follow a former master who had been demoted, gone mad and lost power.
Even Emperor Zhaoheng raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on Xiaoduo's frail body, which seemed as if a gust of wind could knock her over. His deep eyes held a scrutinizing look, as well as a faint trace of pity.
Narcissus was even more shocked.
She watched Xiaoduo's resolute kneeling figure, watching her willing to give up everything for a former master who had gone mad and might even retaliate against her later...
In that instant, she seemed to see her past life through Xiao Duo's figure.
The self who poured out his heart to Yi Guichun, who deeply believed in the "master-servant relationship" and "sisterly affection," was ultimately discarded like trash and crushed into the dust.
This blind, even foolish, loyalty cost her her life.
But at this moment, looking at Xiaoduo, what welled up in her heart was not mockery, but an indescribable bitterness.
In this cannibalistic harem, a sincere heart is rarer than gold...
Emperor Zhaoheng had no interest in such trivial matters. He was in a bad mood and simply waved his sleeve, saying indifferently, "Since you are willing, I grant your request."
The Empress was worried about how to completely sever her relationship with Consort Lin so as not to implicate herself if the Emperor investigated further. When she saw Xiao Duo take the initiative to change the subject, she immediately went along with it, even squeezing out a gentle smile on her face as if she pitied Xiao Duo.
She said to Xiao Duo, "It's rare to find someone so loyal. Considering your merit in exposing this today and your strong sense of loyalty, I will grant your request. Go to Consort Lin's side and serve your former master well."
Xiao Duo felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty the Empress!"
She stood up, not daring to look even once at the narcissus who had promised to protect her after she reported her, and jogged to catch up with the eunuchs carrying Lin Yingying.
Xiao Duo's small, slender figure quickly disappeared at the end of the path in the Imperial Garden, her back view revealing a resolute determination.
Narcissus gazed in the direction where she had disappeared, a lingering unease in her heart.
No one knew better than her that a servant's dedication and sincerity, offered up with such passion and sincerity, was more likely to result in death...
Xiao Duo's journey here is likely to be fraught with danger.
She is not someone who readily shows kindness, but Xiaoduo's actions today touched the softest and most painful part of her heart.
She turned her head slightly and instructed Tinglu beside her in a very low voice, "Keep an eye on the Cold Palace, don't... cause any trouble."
In the end, she couldn't bear to see such a sincere girl perish silently in a corner of the deep palace, unnoticed by anyone.
Hearing this, he understood immediately and nodded quietly.
After dealing with Consort Lin and Xiao Duo, Emperor Zhaoheng's cold gaze swept over Cui Zi, who was slumped on the ground, and Imperial Physician Xu, whose face was ashen.
"As for these two treacherous lackeys who deceive the emperor..."
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was chillingly cold, filled with murderous intent.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
The Empress hurriedly spoke up, her tone carrying just the right amount of comfort, "Although Cui Zi's actions were inappropriate, ultimately she was acting under orders and had no choice in the matter."
"Cui Zi is a foolish penguin who was misled by Consort Lin into believing that Consort Lin is pregnant. I wanted to send Cui Zi to take care of Consort Lin in place of my 'sickly' self, but I never expected to be used... I can vouch for Cui Zi; she was absolutely forced into doing this by Consort Lin..."
The imperial physician Xu seized the opportunity, kowtowing repeatedly and cleverly refuting the accusations: "Your Majesty is wise! This humble servant... this humble servant only prescribed the medicine according to Consort Lin's... no, Lady Lin's request!"
"It was Consort Lin who, in her eagerness for an heir, secretly abused drugs. This humble subject... this humble subject, though guilty of oversight, had absolutely no intention of framing Your Majesty and the Empress! I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"
Emperor Zhaoheng frowned as he listened to these sophistry.
Under normal circumstances, he would definitely investigate thoroughly and punish the perpetrators severely.
However, at this moment, he was gripped by an even heavier and more dejected emotion.
The fact that Lin had faked his pregnancy was exposed meant that the faint hope that had just been ignited in him—that he might not be completely childless—was once again ruthlessly extinguished.
He remained the emperor who struggled to have an heir.
The immense disparity between gaining and losing, the blow of confirming his own incompleteness, left him depressed, as if all the strength to investigate had been drained away in an instant.
He rubbed his temples wearily, waved his hand, and spoke with a listless indifference.
"Enough! Palace maid Cui Zi, expel her from the palace and never employ her again. As for this negligent imperial physician... he shall be stripped of his position as imperial physician, demoted to a commoner, and never allowed to practice medicine again."
Although it seems that both Cui Zi and Physician Xu have been severely punished, their lives have been saved.
This lenient punishment is a world apart from the ruthless measures taken against Lin Yingying earlier.
A moment of relief flashed across the Empress's eyes, and she quickly signaled the palace servants to take away Cui Zi and Physician Xu, who were repeatedly expressing their gratitude.
In the past, the Empress used only her most trusted confidants and had few scruples in her actions.
But nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people she can rely on. Neither Cui Zi nor Physician Xu are people she can fully control.
The Empress was also afraid that if their lives were truly threatened, they would betray her in order to protect themselves.
Narcissus saw all of this and understood.
Although she wanted to investigate, when she caught a glimpse of the deep disappointment and self-doubt in Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes, Shui Xian promptly kept her investigation into the connection between Cui Zi, Physician Xu, and the Empress to herself.
Now is not the best time.
Shui Xian subtly withdrew her gaze, knowing that this was not the best time to pursue the matter; on the contrary, she needed to comfort the dejected Emperor Zhaoheng.
A man's vulnerability is the perfect opportunity for her to enter his heart!
——
As night fell, the Qianqing Palace was brightly lit, yet it could not dispel the invisible oppression.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat alone behind his desk, surrounded by a mountain of memorials. Unusually, he did not review them, but instead gazed at the flickering candlelight. Half of his face was shrouded in shadow, making him appear somewhat obscure.
Soft footsteps came from outside the hall. After entering the hall, Feng Shunxiang cautiously announced, "Your Majesty, Consort Jin has arrived."
Emperor Zhaoheng rubbed his tired temples and said in a low voice, "Summon him."
After returning from the Imperial Garden, Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't explain what was wrong with him.
But he didn't want to do anything; all he could think about was Pei Jichuan's diagnosis.
Lin Yingying... has never been pregnant from the beginning.
Aside from Narcissus, who had a special constitution, he truly never fathered a child after nearly freezing to death while on military campaigns...
Although he now has three lovely children, the flame of hope has been repeatedly extinguished, which is a fatal blow to a man.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng was deep in thought, Shui Xian, dressed in a moon-white fox fur coat, gracefully entered the Qianqing Palace.
She took off her fox fur coat and put it aside, revealing the soft, light dress underneath.
"emperor......"
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