Bei Lingyao fell asleep, and Emperor Jiahe returned to the Yangxin Palace.
"Your Majesty, this is a recent trial. I dare not act on my own. Please direct your actions."
The leader of the Black Xuan Guards respectfully presented the results of the interrogation.
Emperor Jiahe took a quick glance and became furious.
He had guessed many people, but he never thought it would be the second-rank concubine Liang.
Below the queen is the first-rank noble concubine.
The imperial concubine is now the fourth concubine from the first rank.
Below the four concubines is the second-rank concubine.
Below the concubine is the second-rank Zhaoyi, the head of the nine concubines.
Concubine Liang was a palace maid who served Emperor Jiahe since childhood. She was also a palace maid in charge of personnel matters and the first woman that Emperor Jiahe fell in love with.
Concubine Liang was very favored by Emperor Jiahe, but she was arrogant because of her favor. She was always at odds with Emperor Jiahe and was jealous of him. She even locked Emperor Jiahe outside the palace when she was angry.
The first or second time, Emperor Jiahe would take it as a hobby, but after it happened too many times, Emperor Jiahe started to make a fuss.
After all, as an emperor, he was very proud in his heart. He was offended by Concubine Liang many times, so he naturally ignored her.
The palace is not short of beauties, and there is no shortage of people who have a romantic relationship with the emperor.
Concubine Liang felt a sense of crisis and showed weakness to win back Emperor Jiahe, often using physical discomfort and illness as an excuse to compete for his favor.
The concubines in the harem were pregnant one by one, not to mention Shufei, the niece of the empress dowager, who was named Shufei as soon as she entered the palace.
However, the three concubines, Jing Guifei and Hui Dexian, were all promoted from lower positions because they were pregnant with the emperor's heir, and they all surpassed Liang Guifei.
It was too late for Concubine Liang to regret now.
Her healthy body was made weak and sickly, and she would fall down at the slightest gust of wind. Once, she even passed her illness to Emperor Jiahe. The empress dowager was so angry that she ordered the removal of Concubine Liang's green card.
Only when you recover from your illness can you see Emperor Jiahe.
Although Emperor Jiahe remembered the past friendship, he also valued his life more.
Concubine Liang thus became unpopular in the harem.
But because Emperor Jiahe gave her rewards from time to time, Concubine Liang was not bullied in the palace.
Emperor Jiahe believed that he had done his utmost to be kind to Concubine Liang, but he could not tolerate her causing trouble in the harem and harming Concubine Zhuang and the offspring he had been waiting for so long.
Not to mention that Concubine Zhuang was pregnant with twins, his two children.
Late at night, Emperor Jiahe appeared in Concubine Liang's palace.
Concubine Liang did not sleep, nor could she sleep, and she coughed from time to time.
"The Emperor has finally arrived."
When she saw Emperor Jiahe appear, Concubine Liang knew that she had failed.
"Why?"
Emperor Jiahe had a cold face, and his whole body was filled with coldness and anger.
"Love breeds jealousy, Your Majesty. Whether you believe it or not, Your Majesty is the only one in the palace who loves you the most, and his feelings for you are genuine."
Emperor Jiahe scoffed at Concubine Liang's words, "Love??? I may have been moved by your talk of love in the past, but do you really love me? Perhaps, but so many of my concubines admire me.
"Loving me means you can harm my offspring? I would rather not have such love, and I don't even want it."
Concubine Liang coughed a few times excitedly, and her pale face flushed red. "You said you would protect me. I am your Rou'er."
"If I hadn't protected you, would you have been safe until now? You've been a maid in the harem since you were a child. Don't you know what life is like in the harem?"
Emperor Jiahe felt that he had been blind all along.
The virtuous and dignified queen is not virtuous.
The gentle and quiet Concubine Jing is neither gentle nor quiet.
Concubine Hui is not kind, Concubine Xian is not virtuous, and Concubine De is not virtuous.
Concubine Liang is not a pure and good person either.
None of the titles he bestowed were truly worthy of the person.
It's all the other way around.
"If it weren't for the Emperor, how could I be ill? I have been ill for many years. Someone must be trying to harm me and not let me get better."
Concubine Liang felt very aggrieved.
"Is it me who made you blow dry, I made you soak in cold water, I made you take poison to frame Concubine Jing?"
Emperor Jiahe felt that all his previous kindness had been wasted.
"But the Emperor was the first to like me."
Concubine Liang was so sad that her heart was broken. She was the first person to receive the emperor's love, the emperor's first woman, and the emperor's first favorite concubine.
She could have dominated the harem, ascended to the position of imperial concubine, given birth to an heir to the emperor, and become the most honorable woman in the harem.
But after the emperor married the queen, batch after batch of noble ladies, ladies from well-off families, and young ladies from wealthy families entered the palace.
As the first person around the emperor, she had no family to rely on, and her appearance, talent, and family background were all compared to others. She was very panicked, and the more panicked she became, the more confused she became, and the more mistakes she made.
Although the emperor protected her, he did not belong to her alone.
She hoped that the emperor would promote her family members and make her a noble concubine, rather than promoting her step by step from a beauty to a talented woman.
She disliked the concubines, who looked down on her and disdained her.
She took revenge on them by robbing and kidnapping people while they were serving the emperor.
She did not regret doing these things, but she regretted that she had quarreled too much with the emperor, which made the emperor drift further and further away from her.
"Then are you worthy of my love for you? Concubine Liang, I am very disappointed in you. As the emperor, I am destined to have concubines in addition to the empress. You are just a palace maid. When I first came to serve you, you recommended yourself, and I made you an eighth-rank beauty. I protected you because of your humble background and did not want you to become the target of public criticism in the harem."
Concubine Liang was dissatisfied. "I am of humble origin, but I am also the daughter of a virtuous family. But why should Bei, the daughter of a merchant and a divorced woman, be allowed to enter the palace and be a concubine even though she saved the emperor?"
However, the emperor not only conferred the title of Chunyi Earl on Bei's father, but also promoted Bei to the rank of noble concubine. When she became pregnant with the royal heir, he promoted her to the rank of noble concubine. Such an honor.
I have served the Emperor for many years, my father is only a village official, and my brothers have accomplished nothing..."
Emperor Jiahe couldn't stand it any longer. "Your father took the imperial examinations for many years but failed to even pass the examination to become a scholar. Your brother couldn't even pass the examination to become a student, and you blame me?
If I had not favored you as my good concubine, your father would still be a poor boy in the village, who had accomplished nothing but was aloof and arrogant, relying on your mother, a sickly woman, to do embroidery work and laundry for his support.
You took the initiative to enter the palace and became a maid. You were bullied when you were young. I saved you and let you stay by my side to serve me.
I pity your filial piety. The monthly allowance you send home is used to support your father's studies, your mother's medical treatment and medicine, and even the money you send back for your elder brother and younger brother to marry and have children.
But ask yourself, can your previous monthly salary support your entire family? Wasn't it all an extra reward from me?
I made your family of origin a big landlord and cured your mother. How can I still respect your two brothers who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun and indulge in the pleasures of life?
It's your father's fault that they don't strive for success and are untalented. Do you blame me?"
The more Emperor Jiahe spoke, the more he felt that he was the great victim that Yao'er had described, and he began to rant against Concubine Liang:
"You are my maid, and serving me is your duty. Instead of being grateful for everything I have given you, you blame me for harming my offspring.
Concubine Zhuang saved my life, donated a huge fortune to the national treasury, helped enrich my treasury, and is pregnant with my heir. It is not enough for me to favor her.
What have you given me? The love you always talk about. This kind of love is shared by all the concubines in the palace. They all long for my favor, for my offspring, for the wealth, status and power I bring.
You are worse than them. Compared with Concubine Zhuang, you are jealous of Concubine Zhuang. Are you worthy? You are bringing shame upon yourself! "
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
