Gu Wanying only felt fatigue permeating every part of her body. Even at this time, her good mother was still speaking for Gu Qingqing!
"Stop talking! Mother, if I hadn't had someone protecting me, I would have died long ago! Can little Jingyan be born safely? Why don't you think about me? In your eyes, my life and Jingyan's life are not worth mentioning?" Gu Wanying's eyes were red and her voice was choked with sobs.
Gu Chen was a little overwhelmed by Gu Wanying's yelling, and there was a look of confusion on her wrinkled face.
Isn't it normal for an older sister to help her younger sister? Why is life involved? Is it really that serious?
Gu Xiang's face was not very good. He had previously thought that Gu Qingqing was just a little stubborn and competitive, but he didn't expect that it would lead to such a disaster!
Now, of the two daughters, one is gentle and elegant, while the other has been spoiled like this.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my daughter this time considering that she is young and is a sister of Concubine Wan." Gu Xiang said as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the emperor.
Gu Wanying could see the white hair on Gu Xiang's temples, each strand bearing the vicissitudes of time.
He is a good official, but not necessarily a good father. Prime Minister Gu is also largely responsible for Gu Qingqing's current condition.
"Yingying, what do you think?" The emperor asked in a low voice while embracing Gu Wanying.
In fact, the emperor did not agree to let Gu Qingqing off easily. After all, it was about the royal heir, which was also about the country and the people. It was not a trivial matter.
But since Prime Minister Gu, who had devoted half his life to the country, knelt down and begged him, he softened his heart a little.
Gu Wanying closed her eyes and a chill rose in her heart.
Her father even knelt down for this matter, what else could she say?
"Then please give me a lighter punishment, Your Majesty. I'm tired and want to rest." After saying this, Gu Wanying closed her eyes and leaned weakly on the emperor, with a tear falling from the corner of her eye.
The emperor's heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, but his Yingying was still so kind!
"Then let's do as Concubine Wan said. Although the death penalty can be avoided, you cannot escape the punishment of living punishment. You will be flogged thirty times first, and you will not be allowed to enter the palace for the rest of your life." The emperor's voice was resounding.
It is hard for an ordinary man to endure thirty lashes, let alone a woman with delicate skin and tender flesh?
After thirty lashes, his skin will be torn to pieces.
But Prime Minister Gu knew that this was indeed the lightest punishment. Otherwise, for Gu Qingqing's crime of killing the concubine, the Gu family would be executed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Prime Minister Gu kowtowed three more times.
Sun Chongming felt sorry for this punishment and thought the emperor was being a little unreasonable.
"Your Majesty! My wife is a weak woman. Can I do the thirty lashes for her?" Sun Chongming knelt down and asked decisively.
The emperor was too lazy to look at him. His wife was a weak woman, but what about Yingying?
Did she deserve it?
The emperor did not give in in the end, and Gu Qingqing still endured thirty lashes.
The whip immediately tore a hole in his clothes, and blood oozed out.
After being whipped thirty times, Gu Qingqing looked unrecognizable and had fainted.
Gu Chen cried even harder, calling her poor son "poor boy" all the time, which made Sun Chongming feel inexplicably upset.
He really wanted to ask, is it true that only Gu Qingqing is her daughter, and Gu Wanying is not?
On the other side, Gu Wanying returned to her room in a daze, and let Yuetao help her get into bed and cover her with the quilt. She just closed her eyes tiredly.
Little Jingyan had just been protected by Yuetao and fed by the wet nurse, and was now sleeping soundly.
The emperor knew that she was upset and sat quietly beside her bed to accompany her.
The poisonous insect case has been fully investigated and it is considered concluded with Gu Qingqing. If the investigation continues, the emperor will lose face.
After being whipped, Gu Qingqing was accompanied by Gu Chenshi home first. When Yue Tao told Gu Wanying about it, she just closed her eyes and nodded.
Yue Tao knew that her queen was really sad.
Knowing that Gu Qingqing was punished and the case was closed, Concubine Xian breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she had escaped a disaster.
But before she could be happy for a few days, she saw Eunuch Feng walking towards her with a cold face.
"Eunuch Feng, what are the emperor's instructions?" Concubine Xian was a little nervous.
"Your Majesty must have known that Concubine Wan gave birth prematurely because she was frightened by a poisonous insect. Do you think you can clear your suspicion with just a few words?" Eunuch Feng said with a forced smile, looking at Concubine Xian as if he were looking at a dead person.
The Xianfei's smile froze at the corners of her mouth. "Why don't I understand what the eunuch said?"
The virtuous concubine was an elegant woman, even at this critical moment.
"The maid has confessed, and there are other witnesses. The virtuous concubine invited Madam Sun to have tea and chat, and at the end she gave her a cloth bag. The virtuous concubine also called in Imperial Physician Jiang to treat the heatstroke, and it just so happens that Imperial Physician Wang broke his leg. Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"
"Who said that? I'll tear his mouth apart! And I did catch a heat stroke that day. Wasn't it reasonable to ask Imperial Physician Jiang to treat me? And how did I know that Imperial Physician Wang's leg would be broken so coincidentally?" The virtuous concubine spoke quickly and urgently, sounding a bit noisy to Eunuch Feng.
"The emperor already knew the whole thing, but he didn't expose it publicly in order to save your reputation and that of the royal family." Eunuch Feng still stood straight, exposing the virtuous concubine's lies without changing his expression.
When Concubine Xian saw the three old dishes on the tray of the eunuch behind Eunuch Feng, she was so frightened that she wanted to run away.
But as soon as he stepped over the threshold, Xiao Cheng pressed him to the ground.
The sound of cicadas in summer was annoying. Gu Wanying tossed and turned in restlessness. Unable to sleep, she had to sit up and read a book.
The sun is high in the sky outside, and it is another sunny day.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Xian suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away yesterday." Yue Tao told Gu Wanying about this, and her tone was as if she was saying that the weather was very good today.
Gu Wanying paused, lowered her eyes, and concealed the expression in her eyes.
She had not yet recovered from the fatigue of that day, and Gu Xiang came to see her once but was turned away by her.
After what happened yesterday, she had clearly realized that her mother might love her, but not that much.
Most of her mother's love was poured into Gu Qingqing, while she was dispensable.
But it doesn’t matter. She still has the emperor who loves her the most, and Xiao Jingyan who is related to her by blood. That’s enough.
The news that Gu Qingqing returned to the Gu family with injuries was known to the Sun family. Sun's mother came to visit with gifts. After learning the truth, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with Gu Qingqing.
"She is the Emperor's most beloved concubine, and she is also your sister. The bond between sisters is thicker than blood. How could she let it go like this? When your injuries are healed, go talk to her. After all, they are sisters, and Concubine Wan is kind-hearted. She won't really hold a grudge."
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