Chapter 421 Protecting One's Own
Consort Chen and Meng Lingge had no personal grudges, and in fact, Consort Chen and the Empress Dowager did not have any major grudges either. However, since they were both once the women of Prince Anshun, their private rivalry and competition had long been ingrained in their bones.
For the past six months, she has repeatedly provoked the Empress Dowager over the issue of her grandson, and the Empress Dowager has tolerated it all. This made her think that the Empress Dowager no longer had the iron fist she had when she was young. She thought that the Empress Dowager, having no grandson, was already too oppressed to lift her head and dared not argue or quarrel with her on this matter.
The Empress Dowager couldn't bear the humiliation.
That's why she had the audacity to utter such offensive words in front of her son and daughter-in-law.
By gaining a verbal advantage, they made the Empress Dowager unable to express her grievances in front of the younger generation.
Even if Meng Lingge is angry, she won't make things too difficult for her out of consideration for Wen Kehao and Su Leyan. After all, she is an elder, and Meng Lingge, as the Empress, cannot be dealt with arbitrarily.
But Consort Chen never expected that the Empress Dowager would be so angry over the fact that she had spoken so rudely to Meng Lingge on several occasions.
In the surrounding silence, Consort Chen could clearly hear Granny Qian's resounding voice.
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager. According to regulations, the title should be revoked, the person should be given twenty strokes of the cane, expelled from the palace, and ordered to return to their residence to reflect on their actions."
Consort Chen was startled, and her face turned pale instantly.
At this moment, she realized that the Empress Dowager had not changed at all; she was still the same as she had been at the Prince of Anshun's residence.
Don't get angry easily, but once you do, make the other person regret it.
With her children and grandchildren all in front of her, if she were to have her title revoked and be beaten twenty more times in this Moon Palace today, not to mention the severity of her injuries, the key question would be: where would she put her face afterward?
If she were punished like that, it would be tantamount to taking her life.
Wen Kehao and Su Leyan realized what was happening and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. My mother's words and actions were indeed inappropriate and she deserves to be punished. However, she is old and frail and cannot withstand severe punishment. I am willing to take the blame for her."
"My mother has been unwell recently and often speaks incoherently and incoherently. Please forgive her, Your Majesty."
Don't hit someone in the face, and don't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings.
It is common knowledge that the Empress has been troubled by the issue of having offspring in recent years. For Consort Chen to bring this up in front of the children and servants was indeed extremely inappropriate.
The Empress Dowager said that she had been disrespectful to the Emperor and had disregarded imperial favor, but she was not wrong to accuse her.
Wen Kehao and Su Leyan pleaded for her, but they could not defend her and could only take the blame for her or say that she was mentally unstable.
Consort Chen had now come to terms with reality. The Empress Dowager had already broken off all pretense of civility, and if she didn't back down, this matter would certainly not be resolved.
She forced a fawning smile and echoed Su Leyan's words.
"Yes, yes, I haven't been resting well lately, and my mouth just keeps talking nonsense. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Empress are magnanimous and please don't hold it against me."
But the Empress Dowager's expression did not soften in the slightest, and she said coldly.
"Feigning madness before me and the Empress, showing no remorse, this is an even greater crime. Granny Qian, slap her!"
As the Empress Dowager traveled along the road, she sometimes felt that she had been bewitched and had given Meng Lingge such an outrageous idea, and other times she felt that Meng Lingge was ungrateful.
However, all these thoughts turned into anger when he heard Consort Chen's offensive words to Meng Lingge.
When did it become the place for Consort Chen to criticize and interfere in her daughter-in-law's affairs?
This is the daughter-in-law she chose, the daughter-in-law she truly cherishes. Even though there is a slight rift between them now, only she can talk to her about it. No one else can bully her!
She really didn't want to get into a fight over the issue of imperial succession, but it wasn't just because she was afraid of losing face, but also because she cared about Meng Lingge's reputation and didn't want her to feel bad after finding out.
She could tolerate Consort Chen saying a few words to her.
She couldn't stand it at all if she said it in front of Meng Lingge.
Although Granny Qian was old, she was well-maintained by the Empress Dowager's side and had eaten a lot of nourishing foods, making her strong and healthy.
Normally, he had nowhere to vent his brute force, but now, on the Empress Dowager's orders, he stepped forward decisively and slapped Consort Chen twice across the face.
If Consort Chen dared to expose the Empress's shortcomings, she would dare to slap Consort Chen in the face.
She acted swiftly, and being under the Empress Dowager's orders, she retreated to the Empress Dowager's side after the attack, allowing everyone to recover from their astonishment.
Consort Chen was stunned by the blow, and felt a metallic taste in her mouth. Even her teeth were loosened from the blow.
In front of everyone, she was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to vomit or not, and she squatted on the ground, sobbing in distress.
Wen Kehao and Su Leyan both looked displeased, but it was indeed Consort Chen who had been rude first, so they had no choice but to ask the Empress Dowager for forgiveness again.
Su Leyan is pregnant, and her two children are also present; it's not appropriate for the family to make things too ugly.
Moreover, the plan that Wen Zhiming mentioned should not offend the Prince Zhong's Mansion too much.
Thinking of this, Meng Lingge wanted to step forward and say a few words of advice, but she knew that the Empress Dowager was standing up for her, so she could not plead for her no matter who pleaded for her at this time.
Meng Lingge turned her gaze to Wen Woyu, and the mother and daughter exchanged a glance. The little girl immediately understood her mother's meaning.
Wen Woyu jumped down from her seat, walked over gently, and tugged at the Empress Dowager's trouser leg, saying coquettishly, "Grandmother, please don't be angry. Woyu is hungry, and Woyu wants to sit next to Grandmother."
With her clear, bell-like voice and adorable appearance, the Empress Dowager's heart softened at the first glance.
This little darling, though not a grandson of the emperor, was still very much loved by her.
The Empress Dowager bent down and picked up Wen Woyu, saying affectionately.
"Of course my little Woyu should sit next to my Empress Dowager. You are my precious darling. Your father hasn't arrived yet, so let's serve some snacks and fruits first. Woyu, you can eat while you wait for your father, shall we?"
Wen Woyu was quite thin, and the Empress Dowager could pick her up without any effort.
Upon hearing this, Wen Woyu kissed the Empress Dowager on the cheek.
"Alright, Woyu will listen to Grandmother."
The Empress Dowager's smile deepened as she held Wen Woyu and sat her down at the table, then invited Wen Kehao and Su Leyan to sit as well.
Seeing their mother still squatting on the ground, Wen Kehao and Su Leyan couldn't possibly sit down.
The Empress Dowager then looked at Consort Chen and said.
"Get up. I'll let this matter go this time for the sake of my precious granddaughter. But if you dare to be disrespectful to the Empress again, or to speak ill of the imperial heir, I will not let you off lightly."
Consort Chen lost face and refused to get up. Wen Kehao and Su Leyan had to pull and drag her to the lower seat.
Palace maids came in and placed some snacks and fruits on the banquet table.
But at this moment, everyone at the banquet had different thoughts, and the atmosphere was not as good as before.
Consort Chen was filled with remorse. She couldn't understand why the Empress Dowager, who had tolerated her offensive remarks in the past, couldn't stand it today for saying just one thing to the Empress.
Although few servants saw her being slapped by Granny Chen, being beaten in front of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson would make her lose all dignity as an elder in front of the younger generation.
Moreover, she had clearly seen that although her son and daughter-in-law were trying to help her, the disdain and blame in their eyes were obvious.
Even her grandson, who is still too young to understand, seems to think she is a disgrace.
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