Xu Lejin changed into a light blue palace dress, styled her hair in a simple double bun, and arrived at Zhongcui Palace with Yingchun and Ruhua. By then, Consort Ma Jia's pregnancy had been saved.
Although her anger caused a miscarriage, Consort Ma had been taking good care of herself since becoming pregnant, and the pregnancy was stable, so there was no major problem.
Xu Lejin bowed and stepped forward, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
"Please rise, Consort Xu."
The Empress glanced at Xu Lejin with a solemn expression and spoke in a cold voice.
Xu Lejin said respectfully, "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty the Empress!"
The Empress's expression was solemn as she pondered.
Consort Zhao and Consort Dong lowered their heads slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long while, the Empress looked at Xu Lejin and said, "Consort Xu, I heard that today when you returned to Yikun Palace from Qianqing Palace, you encountered Consort Ma Jia on the long street and had a verbal conflict with her, which indirectly caused Consort Ma Jia to have a miscarriage."
"Although the imperial physicians have determined that Consort Ma's unborn child is not seriously injured, she still needs to rest in bed for half a month. How does Consort Xu explain Consort Ma's miscarriage?"
Xu Lejin looked up at the Empress and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I met Sister Ma Jia on the long street. I praised Sister Ma Jia for her great fortune, having conceived four times in succession, which is unique in the palace."
"This humble servant truly does not know why Sister Ma Jia became angry, which caused her to have a miscarriage?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression froze.
Turning her head to the side, the Empress looked at Caiwei, the personal maid of Consort Ma Jia.
Caiwei bowed and knelt before the Empress, saying with trepidation, "Your Majesty, it is indeed as Consort Xu said, but..."
"At that time, my mistress followed Consort Xu's words and said that she was good at bearing children. Consort Xu covered her mouth, her face full of mockery and disdain. I saw it all clearly from the side."
"It was because of Consort Xu's mockery that my mistress became angry, which led to a miscarriage."
After Caiwei finished speaking, she bowed deeply to the Empress and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, you must seek justice for my mistress and for the little prince in her womb!"
The Empress's expression changed, and she looked at Xu Lejin.
Consort Zhao Jia and Consort Dong, who were standing to the side, glanced up at Xu Lejin and the palace maid named Caiwei, then quickly lowered their heads, looking down at each other.
Xu Lejin slightly curled her lips, looking at Caiwei with a half-smile.
After a moment's thought, the Empress spoke coldly, "Consort Xu, Caiwei, who serves Consort Ma Jia, says you mocked Consort Ma Jia. How do you explain that?"
"Your Majesty, this concubine did not."
Taking a deep breath, Xu Lejin said softly, "At that time, I just suddenly thought that Sister Ma Jia had worked hard to continue the Emperor's lineage and expand the family. The Emperor must love Sister Ma Jia very much and care about the dragon child in her womb. I did not mean to mock Sister Ma Jia."
"Your Majesty is wise. Sister Ma Jia is very fertile, and she has been pregnant one after another, giving birth to princes and princesses for the Emperor. We, the concubines and sisters in the harem, are too envious to even think of mocking her."
After speaking, Xu Lejin lowered her head, leaving the Empress's decision to her.
The Empress raised her eyes and glanced into the inner room.
Half an hour later, the Empress spoke in a deep voice, "Although the matter of Consort Ma Jia's miscarriage has nothing to do with Consort Xu, the matter ultimately arose because of you."
"Consort Xu, as the mistress of the harem, I am trusted by the Emperor and hold power in the palace. I must be fair and just in all matters, otherwise it will be difficult to win the respect of the people. This time, Consort Ma Jia has suffered a miscarriage, which concerns the imperial heir. I hereby punish you, Consort Xu, to confine yourself to your quarters for half a month and copy the 'Palace Rules' ten times. Do you accept this punishment, Consort Xu?"
Xu Lejin raised her eyes, glanced at the Empress, and lowered her head without saying a word.
Consort Zhao Jia, standing to the side, covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.
Consort Dong hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Your Majesty, I believe that Sister Ma Jia's miscarriage has nothing to do with Sister Xu."
"Your Majesty, it is reasonable for you to punish Sister Xu by confining her to her room for half a month to reflect on her mistakes. However, I think it is too severe to make her copy the 'Palace Rules' ten times."
The Empress's face darkened as she looked at Consort Dong.
Consort Dong trembled weakly, lowered her head and slumped down, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Xu Lejin smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise, and I am willing to accept the punishment. However, I am worried that if this continues, if any of the concubines in the harem become pregnant and their miscarriage is disturbed by their own overthinking, will they blame others instead?"
"Sister Ma Jia has worked hard to bear the Emperor's heir, and I shouldn't hold such a grudge. However, I have many doubts in my heart, and I hope Your Majesty can enlighten me..."
After speaking, Xu Lejin looked up, her gaze fixed intently on the Empress.
The Empress gave a cold laugh.
"Consort Xu herself just said that the imperial heir is of utmost importance, so even if I have wronged you, for the sake of the imperial heir, you should obediently accept the punishment instead of questioning my decision."
With a cold snort, the Empress looked down at Xu Lejin. "I am the Empress, the mother of the nation. I do not need to explain the reasons for my punishment of you."
Xu Lejin lowered her head, a cold smile flashing across her eyes.
The Empress's meaning was clear: she was telling Xu Lejin that she was the Empress, and even if she twisted the truth and called a deer a horse, Xu Lejin, a mere concubine, had no choice but to obediently confess her crimes.
Consort Dong opened her mouth, but swallowed the words that were about to come out because Consort Zhao Jia stopped her.
Consort Zhao Jia smiled sweetly and said, "Your Majesty the Empress is absolutely right. As the mother of the nation, you are discerning and would never wrong Sister Xu."
Changing the subject, Consort Zhao Jia smiled and looked at Xu Lejin, saying, "Sister Xu, it's just half a month of confinement and copying the 'Palace Rules' ten times. Her Majesty the Empress is kind, and Sister Xu should understand Her Majesty's good intentions."
After speaking, Consort Zhao Jia gave Xu Lejin a wink.
Xu Lejin smiled slightly, "Thank you for your kindness, Sister Zhaojia, but I am foolish. Black is black, and white is white. I ask myself honestly, I would never admit to something I didn't do."
"Your Majesty, I am foolish and afraid that I will fail to live up to your good intentions. I have heard the older palace servants gossiping that since she was pregnant with her first child, Sister Ma Jia has been craving spicy food."
"Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl. This humble servant dares to guess that Sister Ma Jia might be overthinking because the baby might be a princess, causing instability in the pregnancy. Today, this humble servant happened to have a disagreement with Sister Ma Jia, and they exchanged a few words. So, Sister Ma Jia pretended to be having trouble with her pregnancy in an attempt to suppress me..."
After saying this, Xu Lejin raised her eyes and looked at the Empress with a half-smile.
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