Consort Li was somewhat bewildered, truly bewildered.
She felt she had seized the opportunity perfectly; Granny Miao's actions would bring a very bad reputation to the Guarjia clan. After all, the Guarjia clan had already been crowned Empress, the mother of the nation, and should be very protective of her image.
If she had just been made empress and this kind of negative impact had occurred, it would have been a huge blow to her reputation as empress.
At this point, those who know how to make trade-offs will definitely make the best choice.
The best option is to abandon Granny Miao!
Consort Li's analysis was spot-on, accurately capturing the psychological state of a normal empress. However, she made a mistake: Guarjia was not a normal empress.
In the Crown Prince's vast harem, Guarjia had very few people she could rely on, and the only person she could trust completely was Granny Miao.
Now, Consort Li actually wants Guarjia to get rid of Granny Miao. What kind of behavior is this? It's practically wishing Guarjia dead, and she can't wait for Guarjia to die immediately.
"This humble servant wouldn't dare!"
Seeing that Lady Guarjia was angry, even if Consort Li was puzzled, she had to quickly apologize and beg for forgiveness.
"Tsk tsk, they're all pitiful people!"
Seeing how things had developed, Rong Xi, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Guarjia was pitiful because she married someone she didn't love, and she was powerless to resist. Even though this was a world where spiritual cultivation was paramount, and she had the opportunity to resist, long-term indoctrination had rendered her incapable of fighting back.
This is her tragedy, and also the tragedy of women in this era!
Consort Li and Consort Song were also pitiful, but their pitifulness stemmed from their inability to obtain what they desired.
They could have chosen to leave and pursue their own lives, but they seemed to be possessed, determined to cling to the crooked tree that is the Fourth Prince.
"They're all flawed!"
Rong Xi knew very well that there was always something hateful about a pitiful person.
Whether it's the Guarjia clan member who became Empress, or Consort Li and Consort Song who tried to seduce the Fourth Prince but failed, they have only themselves to blame for their current predicament.
There was clearly a second option, but they stubbornly clung to their convictions.
Rong Xi watched as the scene fell silent, her beautiful eyes blinking slightly. With things having come to this point, Guarjia's idea of using Consort Li and Consort Song to wreak havoc in the Fourth Prince's harem was probably hopeless.
"Get up!"
Lady Guarjia spoke calmly, but did not pursue the matter further regarding Consort Li's outrageous remarks.
Consort Song remained kneeling on the ground, and Lady Guarjia did not tell her to get up.
"Song, do you know your crime?"
After Consort Li stood up, Lady Guarjia looked at Consort Song, her voice instantly turning colder.
"This humble servant does not know."
Consort Song didn't hesitate much and directly retorted to Lady Guarjia. That was just her temperament; since reconciliation was impossible, she wouldn't back down. Although her status was lowly compared to Lady Guarjia, she wasn't entirely without standing.
As a secondary consort of Prince Yong, her status already carried considerable weight when compared to the Empress.
"You don't know?"
Guarjia snorted coldly, "This is my palace, and Granny Miao is my guardian nanny. Why did you provoke her? What is your purpose?"
If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.
Lady Guarjia originally intended to let the matter rest and allow Granny Miao to suffer some injustice. However, because Consort Li was relentless and wanted to kick her while she was down, Lady Guarjia's mind changed. Granny Miao was her protector on her path of cultivation; she could allow Granny Miao to suffer some injustice, but no one else, not even the Crown Prince, the Emperor, could.
Everyone and everything has a bottom line.
Guarjia's bottom line was that nothing could happen to Granny Miao.
At this moment, Consort Li was filled with deep regret.
Clever as she was, she quickly understood the intricacies of the situation not long after Lady Guargia's anger towards her. And by the time Lady Guargia began to pin the blame on Consort Song, Consort Li had completely grasped the situation.
A perfectly good hand of cards was ruined by her greed.
"I have none!"
"Your Majesty, even though you are the Empress and the mother of the nation, you cannot make your servant admit to things you did not do."
Consort Song was indeed not as quick-witted as Consort Li, but she wasn't completely dense either. Guarjia's words instinctively made her sense danger.
Cultivators at the Golden Core stage don't yet have the ability to foresee and prevent risks. However, they do have some degree of sensitivity to danger.
Consort Song looked up at Lady Guarjia and felt a chill creep over her. This feeling made her hunch her shoulders, and she knew that Lady Guarjia was about to find an excuse to punish her. She was the consort of Prince Yong; she couldn't just sit and wait to die. She had to fight for her life.
"How dare you! Are you saying that I am framing you and trying to harm you!"
Lady Guarjia spoke up angrily and stood up, glaring coldly at Consort Song.
She was indeed wronging Consort Song, but she was the Empress, the judge.
In the Qing Dynasty, any disputes among women that could not be resolved would be submitted to the Empress for final judgment.
The situation is now rather strange.
The adjudicator became the defendant.
“I did not say that.”
Consort Song raised her neck and looked at Lady Guarjia, but showed no intention of backing down.
"What a sharp tongue you have!"
Guarjia snorted coldly, "Back then, my fourth sister-in-law said that you, Song, were arrogant and domineering, and I didn't quite believe it. But after seeing it today, it really is true."
"In that case, I will clean up the backyard for my fourth brother and sister-in-law."
The fact that Lady Guarjia was chosen by Emperor Kangxi as the Crown Princess already proves her excellence. Otherwise, why would Kangxi have made her the Crown Princess? After all, once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Crown Princess will be the Empress, the mother of the nation.
"Your Majesty, this is an abuse of power. Even if I die, I will not submit."
Consort Song shouted, "Whether I am arrogant or not is not something you can judge with just a few words. How can you silence the public opinion of the people like this!"
When faced with life and death, anyone can become quick-witted.
Seeing that Lady Guarjia was about to harm her, Consort Song no longer showed weakness and simply unleashed her true nature.
Consort Song, her true nature unleashed, stopped kneeling on the ground and stood up abruptly, glaring hatefully at Guarjia. "Only my master and the prince have the right to deal with me. Even if you are the Empress, you have absolutely no right to lay a hand on me."
"Of course, if you are not afraid of the public opinion of the people, you can directly order the execution of the concubines!"
Consort Song was filled with unstoppable momentum. She was now at a critical juncture of life and death, and had no more reservations. She had only one thought: to survive at all costs.
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