Chapter 185 He loathed women like her
"Drag him away and beat him to death on the spot. Let everyone in the palace see the consequences of stealing palace items and selling them, as a warning to others."
The Empress then addressed the Emperor, saying, "I wonder if my actions are in accordance with the rules. I believe that Consort Xian's rule has been lax; she may be spared the death penalty, but she will not escape punishment..."
Her maid was truly loyal, willing to take the blame. Did Jiang Fenghua think she would escape so easily? She was determined to make sure that no one with the surname Jiang could get away with it.
"It was all my doing. I will atone with my death. Is Your Majesty satisfied now?" The next second, Lianye picked up a silver hairpin from the ground and resolutely stabbed it into her neck. Blood flowed freely instantly. She was dead. Now the Empress would have no reason to cause trouble for her young lady.
Jiang Fenghua was caught off guard by her suicide attempt and turned pale with fright. She held Lianye in her arms, covering her wound, and said in a trembling voice, "Lian... Lianye, no, imperial physician, quickly summon the imperial physician."
"Miss, have you forgotten? When will we be able to afford the imperial physician? Rather than let them beat me to death, I'd rather end it all myself. I wish... I wish that you would no longer be bullied by them. I can no longer serve you, Miss. Hongxiu, please take good care of you for me..." She used her last strength to finish speaking before closing her eyes.
Hongxiu never expected Lianye to be so brave, and she cried uncontrollably.
Jiang Fenghua held Lianye's body, tears streaming down her face. Lianye's blood had soaked into her body, staining her clothes and the Chenxi Palace red.
No matter how hard she tried to stop it, the blood kept gushing out. She didn't know how one person could have so much blood. "Lianye, wake up! Look at me! I'm your young lady! How could you be so foolish, Lianye?"
"Your Majesty," Hongxiu cried, her eyes red, "Lianye has left us; she is dead."
"No, she's not dead! Hongxiu, quickly bandage her up! Stop the bleeding! She'll die from losing so much blood! Hongxiu, please help me, stop this bloody hole!" She clung to Lianye's body, refusing to let go. "Lianye, wake up!"
“Your Majesty.” Hongxiu was also very sad. She and Lianye had followed their mistress since they were young. Their mistress never treated them as maids. They were like sisters. In the deep palace, Lianye was more optimistic than her. She was very talkative and always had something to say.
Lianye committed suicide to protect the young lady.
The entire Morning Light Palace was filled with Jiang Fenghua's cries. Everyone was stunned and dared not make a sound.
The Emperor stared at Jiang Fenghua, and seeing her crying pitifully, a trace of pity rose in his heart, but it quickly disappeared.
Seeing this, the Empress stood in front of him and said, "You think you can escape punishment by dying..."
The emperor said coldly, "Now that the matter has been investigated and the leader of the bandits is dead, let's leave it at that!"
Su Tingwan said, "Today is the Emperor's birthday, but Consort Xian allowed her maid to commit suicide, offending the Emperor, so she was punished by being sent to the servants' palace..." She didn't say the words "servant".
"Punish her by making her copy the palace rules a hundred times!" the Emperor said. "Sending a concubine to the servants' quarters is inappropriate and against the rules."
"Yes, Your Majesty is very thoughtful." Su Tingwan bit her lip. The Emperor really liked her handwriting. What was Wang Mama up to? What was she doing with so many manuscripts? What did she write that made the Emperor remember her handwriting so quickly and was unwilling to let her become a servant?
"Yes." Su Tingwan added, "Your Majesty is wise. Consort Xian has committed such a serious crime, yet she is only punished by copying the palace rules a hundred times. Consort Xian, why don't you come and thank His Majesty for his great kindness?"
Jiang Fenghua held Lianye's body, as if she hadn't heard anything.
At this moment, Granny Wang and others came over and forcibly brought her before the Emperor. "Your Highness, please express your gratitude. The Empress and the Emperor will not hold your theft of palace items against you."
Jiang Fenghua's eyes were icy cold, her body covered in blood. She looked up at the Emperor, her eyes devoid of any emotion. She had been foolish for so many years, harming herself, Lianye, and the Jiang family. She had been deluded by the love of an emperor, hoping that he would look at her for the sake of their two children.
The child? Where is her child? Jiang Fenghua knelt on the ground, covered in blood. The child would be terrified if he saw her.
The Emperor stared into her eyes and felt only emptiness and coldness. He suddenly recalled the time he went to Chenxi Palace to consummate his marriage with her. In her eyes, besides affection, there was also pleading. She was begging him to cherish her. He loathed such a woman.
"Consort Xian, hurry up and express your gratitude," the Emperor said coldly.
Jiang Fenghua's lips curled into a barely perceptible cold smile. She bowed respectfully and prostrated herself on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty and Empress, I thank you for your grace."
The Emperor frowned, feeling that her gratitude was too perfunctory, but her manners were impeccable and her attitude respectful, leaving no room for criticism.
Jiang Fenghua continued, “Although Lianye has committed so many wrongdoings, she is indeed guilty of a thousand deaths. However, she is already dead. Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me mercy and allow me to send her out of the palace to be buried in the Jiang family ancestral hall. She was an orphan, and I was her mistress and servant. I beg Your Majesty to grant me mercy.”
“She’s just a palace maid, and besides, she probably stole more than these things. It would be better for her to die and live a carefree life, with someone even erecting a memorial tablet for her after she dies.” Yunfang retorted, “It’s one thing to do bad things, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“Make a list of what was stolen from Consort Yun, and I will compensate her accordingly,” Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice.
Yunfang was stunned. She glanced at Su Tingwan and then said, "I didn't have anything stolen, just some jewelry. I'm worried that other ladies in the palace, like the Empress, might have lost some valuables."
"I will compensate for everything. As long as the ladies can name what was stolen, I will compensate them accordingly." Upon hearing this, no one dared to utter a sound. Consort Xian herself was living in poverty, so how could she possibly compensate them? Besides, they all followed the Empress's lead and did whatever the Empress said they would compensate for.
So everyone's eyes fell on the Queen.
The Empress blushed slightly, secretly cursing Jiang Fenghua for having such a crazy idea. What could a mere concubine like her have to compensate for something stolen from her, the Empress? Wouldn't that make her seem petty in front of the Emperor?
The Empress said, "These are all worthless items, let's just forget about them! Consort Xian is very kind."
The other concubines also said, "Forget it, it's not worth much." Who would ask her for money in front of the Emperor? Wouldn't that make them lose face in front of the Emperor?
Jiang Fenghua glanced at the women. They had killed someone with a single sentence, and now they were pretending to be magnanimous, saying it was worthless.
The Emperor said, "Empress, arrange for someone to send the body out of the palace. Consort Xian need not worry about this matter." This meant that it was not Jiang Fenghua's business how to dispose of Lianye's body.
Jiang Fenghua was dumbfounded. If she handed Lianye to the Empress, would the Empress still be able to leave Lianye with a complete corpse?
After the Emperor finished speaking, he left Chenxi Palace directly.
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