Chapter 75 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey
Zhen Huan clenched her fist secretly. Was Consort Nian really so arrogant and domineering? How dare she make her kneel as punishment while she was pregnant?
She pursed her lips and remained silent. She knew that Nian Shilan would not give up just because she said a few words of pleading and softening. So she simply refused to do what she despised most, gritted her teeth, straightened her back, and remained silent.
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but gasp. Consort Jing was the first to lose her composure. She felt that this scene was familiar, and anxiously looked around. Seeing that neither of the two was willing to speak, she stood up and bowed—"Your Highness, the sun is blazing outside, and granite is the hardest material. Consort Wan is pregnant and cannot kneel!"
Zhen Huan lowered her eyes, appearing submissive, but her words were quite the opposite—"Your Highness is furious, but I must say that Your Highness is pregnant, and the Emperor and Empress Dowager are taking extra care of you. This is not for Your Highness's sake, but for the sake of the ancestral temple and the state. I have no intention of offending you today. But with the Emperor and Empress above, and the Empress Dowager in the palace, what Your Highness just said truly frightens me."
Her words made Consort Jing turn around to look at her, secretly thinking to herself, "This is bad."
Even if you try to smooth things over with Nian Shilan, you'll get bitten off; she's the type of person who can't stand being provoked.
She frowned and gently waved her hand, trying to stop Zhen Huan from speaking again, when she heard Consort Hua's extremely sarcastic tone rushing towards her—"How dare you use the Emperor and Empress to intimidate me! The palace rules are not strict and should be properly rectified. Even when the Emperor and Empress are here, it's still the same! Consort Wan, are you going to leave or do you want me to find someone to help you up?!"
Her face turned pale upon hearing these words, and she glared fiercely at Zhen Huan kneeling below, gritting her teeth.
Shen Meizhuang never looked up, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her inner thoughts. Although she and Consort Wan had already drifted apart, seeing her being targeted by Nian Shilan today still made her uncontrollably worried. She frowned, wanting to get up and say something to help, but before she could move, she saw Zhou Ninghai, who was by Consort Hua's side, limp over to Consort Wan's side.
He looked down at her with a hint of contempt and mockery in his arms—"Consort Wan, please."
Zhen Huan's chest heaved violently a few times. Nian Shilan just wanted to see her beg for mercy and make a fool of herself. She was unwilling to give in to her wishes, so she gritted her teeth, supported herself with Jinxi's hand, slowly got up, turned around and walked out of the hall.
Consort Hua was still not satisfied and stood up to follow her outside. Seeing this, everyone else had no choice but to get up and follow. When the group went outside, they saw Zhen Huan standing in the open space outside the palace with a bare face. Her lips looked even paler under the scorching sun.
"If I have made a mistake, I should be punished. However, I am carrying the emperor's child and cannot kneel for long. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider." Zhen Huan's tone had softened somewhat, no longer as confrontational as before.
Consort Hua's anger had been ignited and was not so easily quelled—"Do you think I'm stupid? I've asked the imperial physician, and your pregnancy has always been fine. Besides, you're already past the first trimester. Kneeling for an hour won't hurt you." As she spoke, the more she looked at Zhen Huan's stiff face below, the angrier she became. She angrily gave Zhou Ninghai a meaningful look.
"Songzhi, move all the concubines' chairs to the front of the corridor and let them see what happens when they disrespect me." Nian Shilan raised her fan to shield her eyes from the sun, then suddenly remembered something—"Oh right, go and invite Consort Xian to come too, so she can sit with us and see."
Don't think that just because she's been made a Noble Consort, you can completely disregard her. The fact that the Emperor entrusted her with the power of the harem before leaving the palace is enough to show that she holds a position in the Emperor's heart that Lü Yingfeng can't compare to. All she can do is give birth to a child.
Consort Jing stood to the side, her face full of worry and anxiety, wishing she could go up and help her. She finally remembered why the scene felt familiar. When she heard that Consort Hua was going to call Lü Yingfeng, she became even more anxious.
She took two quick steps to Nian Shilan and bowed in greeting: "Your Highness, please reconsider. Do you still remember when Consort Xian was pregnant with Hongzhao and Hongjin in the Prince's Palace? Consort Xian was always in good health. That day, she knelt for less than half an hour and almost lost the baby. Today, under the scorching sun, Consort Wan looks really uncomfortable."
Almost everyone present was chosen to enter the palace after the Emperor ascended the throne. No one knew about this incident in the Prince's residence before. They were quite surprised to hear this. When they entered the palace, Consort Xian already had two sons and a daughter, but they never expected that she would be bullied by Nian Shilan in the Prince's residence in the same way.
Seeing that Consort Hua was wavering, Shen Meizhuang quickly stepped forward without hesitation, saying, "Your Majesty, if something happens to Consort Wan's unborn child, the Emperor will surely blame you when he returns!"
Upon hearing Consort Jing's words, Nian Shilan recalled the image of Lü Yingfeng lying on the couch, drenched in cold sweat, at the Prince's residence that day. However, what she remembered most was what had happened at the Prince's residence before. Even after this incident, the Emperor hadn't punished her harshly, so she figured this time would be no different.
With this in mind, she calmed herself down and said, "Then I'll kneel for a quarter of an hour first. If anyone else pleads for mercy, I'll kneel with Consort Wan."
An Lingrong hesitated, wanting to get up. But upon hearing Consort Hua's words, she shifted her body but then sat back down. Her fear of Nian Shilan seemed ingrained in her bones, and she hesitated for a long time before finally standing up.
Consort Fucha raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes fixed on Zhen Huan kneeling on the ground, her face full of satisfaction.
"I accept the punishment, but justice is clear and in the hearts of the people, and cannot be changed by punishment." Zhen Huan gritted her teeth, even though she was now at the mercy of others, her pride would not bend in the slightest.
"A husband may remarry, but a wife may not remarry; hence the saying..."
Time passed second by second. Zhen Huan leaned her head back against Jinxi, clutching her stomach tightly with one hand. Although the sun was scorching, she was sweating profusely from the cold, feeling as if each day was an eternity.
Nian Shilan leaned against the chaise longue, watching Zhen Huan's affected manner below with impatience. She pinched her handkerchief and tapped her nose, saying, "Go and bring out the Huan Yi Incense and let it waft properly in front of Consort Wan. I think she's a bit listless."
The servants, upon receiving the order, carried a half-person-high incense burner and placed it in front of Zhen Huan. The fragrance of the Huan Yi incense was already strong, and when she got close, it was so strong that she couldn't even open her eyes. Jinxi waved her sleeves to fan the flames, but the effect was minimal.
When no one was looking, An Lingrong pinched her sleeve to cover her nose, frowned slightly, and a thoughtful look flashed across her eyes.
Liu Zhu stood outside the door, peeking inside. Seeing her mistress being punished to kneel, she stamped her feet in frustration. After waiting for a long time without Consort Hua calling for her to get up, she gritted her teeth, turned around, and ran towards Shou Kang Palace, lifting her hem.
She had heard the conversation clearly. It was still unknown whether Consort Xian could extricate herself from this matter. At this moment, the safest course of action was to seek help from the Empress Dowager, rather than going to the nearest place.
After a long while, Zhen Huan's recitation became so weak that it was almost inaudible, broken and intermittent, with two bright red teeth marks on her lower lip indicating that she was enduring immense pain. She was in so much pain that she could barely support her waist and put all her strength on Jinxi.
Nian Shilan closed her eyes to rest in the palace, with two palace maids gently fanning her. Two large ice basins were placed in front of her. She lazily raised her eyes and glanced at Zhen Huan's affected manner, then said indifferently, "If Consort Wan is going to be so perfunctory, don't blame me for being ruthless. Guards, beat her."
Every time she spoke today, she left the concubines in the harem speechless. Consort Jing gritted her teeth and stepped forward to dissuade her, saying, "Your Highness, it has been a quarter of an hour. It is time to let Consort Wan get up."
An Lingrong had calmed down since the beginning, and now she finally mustered up the courage to stand up and speak – “Your Majesty, Consort Wan is pregnant, she must not be aborted.”
Nian Shilan shook her head dismissively, looking at the "best viewing spot" she had specially prepared for Lü Yingfeng, which was still empty. Songzhi had not returned either. She said lightly, "Since she still has the energy to act, I'll let her kneel for another quarter of an hour. Since we can't hit the one who's pregnant, we'll hit the one next to her."
She was determined to make an example of someone today; the show wouldn't end until the biggest monkey showed up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
