Consort Rou was in a panic.
The Empress Dowager appeared calm, though her phoenix eyes had turned somewhat cold.
"Consort Rou, you have truly surprised me."
"Your Majesty...it's a misunderstanding, it really is a misunderstanding, I truly never thought..."
"Whether you thought about it or not, you did do things that you shouldn't have done in your position."
"I have no...malicious intent."
"You and Consort Rong have always been on good terms. Today, you will share the punishment with her."
Two lines of clear tears streamed down Consort Rou's stunned eyes.
Her waist went limp, and she sat down straight.
The Empress Dowager then said, “You didn’t say anything wrong, but you did something wrong, so I’ll slap your mouth and your hand. With each slap, you must say, ‘This concubine has absolutely no desire for the Empress’s position.’”
Consort Rou's face turned pale, and she choked up even more, nodding resignedly.
The Empress Dowager's move was to tell her that no matter who ascended to the position of Empress in the future, it would never be her, and she could give up on that idea.
Even though she hasn't held the Phoenix Seal for so many years, she still manages many things in the harem because of her high rank, but she still can't win the favor of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
No matter how much she did, the position of empress was still out of her reach.
Even today, she still has to embarrass herself in front of Consort Yun, who has only been in the palace for three months.
Consort Rou closed her eyes, unwilling to watch the old woman with the board beat her, nor to look at the other concubines' eyes.
"Smack!" A sharp pain shot through my palm.
"I have absolutely no desire for the Empress's position." Her voice choked with emotion, but every word she uttered was clear and distinct.
"Smack!"
"I have absolutely no desire to become Empress."
...
After twenty strokes of the cane, Consort Rou's voice had become hoarse.
The Empress Dowager looked at the two people who had been beaten, her expression growing increasingly displeased. "Alright, you don't need to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet today. Don't spoil everyone's enjoyment of the flowers. Go back now."
"...Yes." Consort Rou and Consort Rong had been kneeling for too long, and their knees were so weak that they could only stand up shakily and limp towards the other side of the Imperial Garden.
Before they could even see the stone path clearly, the two suddenly lost their footing and let out painful whimpers.
Both of them had their necks gripped tightly by a hand with prominent veins. When they opened their eyes, they saw the emperor's scarlet eyes.
The emperor had been standing behind the crowd for some time now, seemingly waiting for them to come closer so he could deliver a fatal blow.
"Your Majesty... spare my life..."
Consort Rong was unable to speak at all; only Consort Rou could barely utter a few words of pleading.
But the emperor's grip tightened, showing no intention of letting them go.
"I've disliked you two for a long time, so I might as well take this opportunity to send you on your way."
For a fleeting moment, Consort Rou thought His Majesty was a demon who only knew how to kill, and that he couldn't understand her pleas for mercy at all.
The other concubines knelt in a huddle, trembling with fear.
They had witnessed the emperor killing people before, and none of them dared to step forward to stop him.
The Empress Dowager and Gu Jiangli had already stood up from their chairs, and the Empress Dowager's eyes revealed a rare hint of worry.
"Heng'er... what's wrong?" she murmured worriedly, holding Gu Jiangli's hand.
Gu Jiangli could completely understand the Empress Dowager's worries.
Because the emperor when he goes mad is completely unlike a normal person.
For the Empress Dowager, who had lived in the mountains for many years, this was probably the first time she had seen the Emperor like this, so it was normal for her to feel scared and panicked.
Gu Jiangli grasped the Empress Dowager's hand in return, unsure how to explain to her.
The emperor's reputation as a tyrant was not unfounded.
To uninformed outsiders, he was a tyrant who killed people at the drop of a hat.
She also wanted to stop him from killing, but after thinking it over, she realized that she had only succeeded once before, when she acted impulsively and risked her life.
In this situation, she couldn't possibly rush up to the emperor and say something like, "Stop killing them, kill me instead."
As Rong Zhaoyi's head kept tilting back, Gu Jiangli could almost see her rolling her eyes.
If this continues, these two will die.
The Empress Dowager's palms were already sweating with anxiety. "If Heng'er were to kill two concubines in front of so many other concubines, and this were to reach the court officials, it would likely cause a great deal of trouble..."
The Empress Dowager murmured a few words, then released Gu Jiangli's hand, took a few steps forward, and anxiously advised, "Heng'er, what are you doing! They may have made a mistake, but it doesn't warrant death. I have already punished them. Stop it!"
The emperor ignored him and tightened his grip even more.
Consort Rou was on the verge of losing consciousness when she stammered, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager... save... me."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Heng'er, let go quickly."
The Empress Dowager was anxious, and so was Gu Jiangli.
Her thoughts were simpler; she just didn't want to see the emperor do things he didn't want to do anymore.
His eyes now clearly showed that he was being controlled, and killing these two concubines was not his intention.
What should we do?
Seeing that Consort Rong's hands were hanging limply at her sides, Gu Jiangli cried out in desperation, "Your Majesty! I'm pregnant!"
Upon hearing this, all the concubines kneeling on the ground were stunned, and even Consort Rong, who was already in a semi-conscious state, trembled slightly.
The emperor's eyes cleared a little, but not much, and the strength in his hands did not lessen.
He tilted his head stiffly, panting heavily, and asked, "What...did you say?"
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