Consort Mei forced herself to remain calm and gracefully bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I do not know what Your Majesty means."
Xie Zhichu was merely my childhood neighbor, an older brother I haven't seen for many years. Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand.
Emperor Rongsheng snorted coldly: "Childhood brother? Consort Mei must think I'm a fool. No wonder you never care about Lang'er, it turns out you have someone else in your heart."
Consort Mei bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes: "Since Your Majesty has made up your mind, I have no way to defend myself. But the Ninth Prince is Your Majesty's own flesh and blood. Although I may have been negligent in my observation, I have never had any other intentions."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Rongsheng's heart stirred slightly.
He looked at Consort Mei and saw her looking pitiful, and the scenes of their past love flashed before his eyes.
But thinking of the scene in his dream, he hardened his heart: "You don't need to say anything more, my mind is made up. If you are unwilling to leave the palace, you will be moved to the Cold Palace starting tomorrow. As for the Ninth Prince, I will arrange for someone to take good care of him."
Upon hearing this, Consort Mei felt as if she had been struck by a thunderbolt, and her body trembled violently.
Her beautiful eyes widened to the extreme as she stared in disbelief at the emperor who stood high above her, the one with whom she had once sworn eternal love.
Immediately afterwards, her legs went weak, as if she had lost all her support, and she collapsed limply to the ground.
At this moment, Consort Mei's face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and her exquisite makeup could not conceal the despair and sorrow deep within her heart.
She lay there blankly on the ground, staring vacantly in the direction of the emperor, as if the whole world had collapsed at that moment.
Just then, the nanny who had been serving Consort Mei suddenly knelt down with a thud.
The loyal old nanny, her face streaked with tears, kowtowed and pleaded desperately, "Your Majesty! The Empress has been truly sincere towards you, without the slightest falsehood! Please, for the sake of the Ninth Prince, have mercy on the Empress!"
Back then, when they learned that the Emperor was coming, Consort Mei and the palace maids and eunuchs around her were all overjoyed, thinking that the Empress's good days had come again and that she would be able to live the same kind of pampered life as before.
But who could have imagined that the Emperor would be so ruthless and heartless, issuing an edict to banish the Empress to the Cold Palace without any explanation.
The speed at which they turned their backs on us was faster than turning the pages of a book, catching us off guard and chilling us to the bone.
The Empress has not committed any wrongdoing, so why was she so ruthlessly banished to that cold and lonely Cold Palace?
Emperor Rongsheng gazed intently at the pitiful Consort Mei before him, his expression unreadable, making it impossible to fathom what he was thinking.
Only then did Consort Mei snap out of her daze, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam. She cried out hoarsely, "Your Majesty! Please tell me, where did I go wrong? If you tell me, I will surely repent and change my ways. Please, please don't abandon me..."
Consort Mei wept bitterly, her face streaked with tears, a sight that truly moved me to tears.
However, she never imagined that the emperor, who had once shown her such favor and care, would treat her so cruelly.
Over the years, she had been favored by the emperor and had long been accustomed to a life of luxury and ease.
Now that she has been suddenly banished to the cold palace, it is more painful than taking her life. She simply cannot bear to suffer in the cold palace.
The Emperor is already aware of Xie Zhichu's existence. Even if he doesn't execute him immediately, it's foreseeable that Xie Zhichu will have little chance of ever rising to prominence again.
Consort Mei knelt at Emperor Rongsheng's feet, her face streaked with tears, her body trembling uncontrollably, clearly filled with fear and unease.
At this moment, she had no time to care whether Xie Zhichu was alive or dead.
From the moment she gave birth to the Ninth Prince, she clearly realized that any possibility between her and Xie Zhichu had been completely severed.
It was precisely because she gained Emperor Rongsheng's exclusive favor that she was able to taste all the sweetness that power brought.
Her true desire deep down was to become the Empress Dowager, a figure of immense power and prestige.
Before today, she had been dreaming of making this dream come true.
But why did everything vanish without a trace overnight, like a mirage?
Emperor Rongsheng stared at the pitiful Consort Mei with a stern face, and said coldly, "Guards! Immediately demote Consort Mei to the rank of Noble Lady, and send her to the Cold Palace. The Ninth Prince will be raised by Consort Jing."
The words had barely left her lips when they struck Consort Mei like a bolt of lightning.
Her eyes widened, and she stared in astonishment at the emperor high above her, her expression of disbelief as if she had suffered the cruelest blow in the world.
The entire Plum Blossom Palace fell into a deathly silence. The servants were terrified and stood frozen in place, completely unsure how to deal with this sudden turn of events.
What heinous crime did Consort Mei commit that enraged the Emperor, leading him to banish her to the Cold Palace?
At this moment, Consort Mei was already weeping uncontrollably, her cries utterly heart-wrenching, like the mournful cry of a cuckoo. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! How can you be so heartless? I'm innocent!"
She screamed desperately, but Emperor Rongsheng remained unmoved. His mind was made up, and he firmly believed in the ominous scene that had appeared in his dream.
Not executing Consort Mei was already his greatest act of mercy.
"Your Majesty, my relationship with Xie Zhichu is completely innocent. We have never done anything improper! Please investigate!"
Consort Mei wept uncontrollably, her heart filled with despair.
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