Although Yu Shan gave him the antidote, Hongli hated being schemed against and believed that those who committed crimes must be severely punished!
Having just entered the palace, Consort Cheng met such an end. As a woman herself, Su Yushan couldn't help but sigh, "She was only sixteen years old, and she was left in the cold palace like this. Wouldn't she have to waste her whole life?"
Hongli may have favored Consort Bucheng, but at least he could have given her wealth and honor. Yet she did something so foolish, so he couldn't blame him for being ruthless. "She made a mistake, so she has to pay the price!"
Looking at the whole incident, Su Yushan was still willing to believe Consort Cheng. "The fault lies not with her, but with the Empress Dowager. It's unlikely that a young girl who has just entered the palace and is inexperienced in the ways of the world would come up with such a plan. In the end, she was just a pawn used by the Empress Dowager. Can we not blame her?"
Hongli knew these women were pitiful, but as the emperor, he could not be soft-hearted. "If I don't punish them severely, these women will resort to underhanded tricks in the future, and that will be terrible!"
She understood his concerns. After a moment's thought, Su Yushan said, "If we really have to punish someone, then punish them severely."
He assumed Yu Shan would plead for Consort Cheng, but to his surprise, she demanded severe punishment. Yu Shan wasn't a heartless person, which astonished Hongli.
"Oh? How do you plan to punish me?"
Su Yushan boldly voiced her thoughts, "Instead of letting her die alone in the palace, we might as well take this opportunity to drive her out of the palace. After all, she has only just entered the palace and has not yet served the emperor. She can remarry after leaving the palace."
After hearing her idea, Hongli suddenly realized that Yushan's so-called severe punishment was actually a kind of salvation. "But she has already been promoted, and others will think that I have already favored her."
“You can tell the outside world that she was promoted because she is the Empress Dowager’s niece and the Empress Dowager favors her, so she was promoted as soon as she entered the palace.”
Originally, Yu Shan shouldn't have interfered in this matter. Once a young woman enters the palace, her fate is essentially sealed and cannot be changed. However, this unexpected incident happened, and Su Yu Shan decided to take advantage of the situation and go with the flow.
"Don't the newly selected ladies-in-waiting have a month-long observation period? If there are any major problems, they can still be rejected. She's only been here for half a month, so she still has a chance to leave the palace."
"What big problem? I can't possibly tell the world that my mother conspired with the concubines to poison me, can I?" Hongli was unwilling to make such a scandal public, and did not want to become a laughing stock for the world.
Su Yushan also knew how to keep things in check. "This matter cannot be made public. We can find another reason. Just say that she is sick, ate something, and developed a rash. You find it disgusting, accuse the commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner of concealing her illness, and then use that as an excuse to drive her out of the palace."
A rash can be a serious matter or a minor one. If a candidate has a rash before passing the palace selection, she will definitely be removed from the selection. However, if a candidate has already passed the palace selection and a rash is found, she should be treated by an imperial physician.
However, Yu Shan's words made sense; according to palace rules, it was indeed permissible to expel someone before a month had passed.
“I know you mean well and hope she can have a new life and find a husband who loves her, but she may not think so. In the eyes of some women, being driven out of the palace is very shameful. She would rather stay in the cold palace and live a lonely life than leave the palace to find a husband again.”
Women today have been so deeply poisoned by feudal ethics that most have lost their own thoughts.
"She is still young and manipulated by her family. She doesn't know how to plan her own life. When she gets married in the future, she will realize that it is better to be someone else's wife than the emperor's concubine."
After a moment of silence, Hongli slowly turned his head to look at her, "You think so too?"
"Huh?" Su Yushan was stunned for a moment, carefully recalling what she had just said. She belatedly realized that something was wrong and immediately explained:
"I was referring to Consort Cheng, not myself. Since you don't like her, it would be better for her to marry someone else. You've been so good to me, of course I wouldn't have any other intentions!"
Yu Shan coaxed him gently, and Hongli finally smiled again, "Alright, then let's do as you say."
Since Hongli doesn't like Consort Cheng, it doesn't matter whether she stays in the Cold Palace or leaves the palace. As long as Yushan is happy, he's willing to grant her wish.
After soaking in cold water, Consort Cheng's medicinal effects did indeed wear off, but due to the invasion of cold into her body, she fell seriously ill with a cold and fever, which caused her great suffering.
Hongli ordered her to be banished from the palace. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager could not sit still and personally went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to plead for her niece.
"Rouzhu has already entered the palace, and I have even given her a title. She is already your woman, how can she leave the palace again?"
Hongli disagreed, saying, "I never touched her, so she doesn't count as my woman."
"But outsiders don't think that way! If you drive her away, her life will be ruined!"
Hongli was too lazy to care about Consort Cheng's later life. If it weren't for Yushan's concern for her, he wouldn't have cared about Consort Cheng's life or death. "How could I let her off so easily after she did such a thing?"
Regardless, Rouzhu was still her niece. If something happened to Rouzhu, she wouldn't be able to explain it to her brother! Left with no other choice, the Empress Dowager softened her tone and pleaded for her niece.
"The armor was a gift from me, it was my idea, and Rouzhu was unaware of it. Your Majesty, if you want to blame someone, blame me, but don't take it out on Rouzhu. Even if you want to punish her, just demote her to the rank of Consort. I have no other requests, as long as she is still in the palace."
The Empress Dowager's request seemed well-intentioned, but it was actually quite cruel: "You only care about your reputation and never truly consider whether she is happy!"
However, in the Empress Dowager's eyes, she was the one who truly cared about Rouzhu. "Her happiness is to be your concubine. This is her greatest honor and the meaning of her life!"
Is this how an aunt treats her niece? Compared to Yu Shan, the Empress Dowager is truly utterly cold-blooded.
"This is your definition of happiness, but not everyone thinks so."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Rouzhu and see what she thinks," the Empress Dowager said kindly, but Hongli refused outright.
"This is my harem. If she makes a mistake, I shall decide for her. There is no need to ask for her opinion."
No matter how much the Empress Dowager pleaded, Hongli refused to change his mind. To protect her niece's reputation, the Empress Dowager steeled herself and simply began negotiating terms with her son.
"If you're willing to leave Rouzhu behind, I'll depart for Changchun Garden tomorrow and won't concern myself with your affairs any further."
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