Chapter 214 Public Slap in the Face (Second Update)
Consort Shu never expected this outcome. Wasn't Gu Jinyu talking about her invention? How could a four-year-old child do it?
Consort Zhuang, always eager for drama, said, "Consort Shu, could it be that Xiao Wu secretly learned someone else's skills and then claimed them as his own?"
Consort Shu felt a pang of guilt, her face flushing red: "What are you saying, Noble Consort? How could Xiao Wu possibly do such a thing?"
Consort Zhuang smiled faintly: "Could it be that they stole Xiao Wu's skills?"
Empress Xiao said solemnly, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. I just heard that the child say that his family already knew how to do it."
Consort Shu forced herself to say, "Little Five has been able to do it for a long time!"
Consort Zhuang said, "That's not what you just said. Didn't you say that Xiao Wu only came up with it yesterday?"
"I..." Consort Shu did mention earlier that the Fifth Prince had brought up this idea with her last night.
Consort Zhuang continued, "Could it be that Xiao Wu and Xiao Qi mentioned it, and Xiao Qi taught the child, but the child lied and claimed that his family taught him?"
Empress Xiao said solemnly, "Last night, Xiao Qi stayed with me after returning from the Imperial Academy. His Majesty was also there. Afterwards, His Majesty sent Xiao Qi to the East Palace. Consort, tell me, how did Xiao Qi meet with Xiao Wu? And why did Xiao Wu tell Xiao Qi about this?"
Given the significant age gap between them and their less-than-close relationship, there was no way the Fifth Prince would tell Qin Chuyu such a thing.
Qin Chuyu is a child, what does he know?
Consort Zhuang bowed slightly: "It was my fault for speaking out of turn."
Consort Zhuang was never speaking up for Consort Shu, and Empress Xiao understood that as well.
The emperor's gaze toward Consort Shu became complicated.
To be honest, the emperor doted on Consort Shu. New concubines came and went in the palace, but Consort Shu remained the most favored. The reason was simple: Consort Shu was charming and beautiful, and she knew how to coax people; she was a rare and wonderful confidante.
However, today's events have crossed the emperor's bottom line.
The emperor was already furious about Gu Jinyu's fraudulent claim of credit without any evidence, and he hated people who would steal credit the most!
Of course, the emperor was essentially a man who valued evidence.
The emperor asked, "Do you have any evidence to prove when Xiao Wu first made this kind of mortar?"
Consort Shu was speechless.
The emperor continued, "He didn't just imagine it out of thin air; he has to actually do it before you'll believe him, right?"
Consort Shu was completely speechless.
The emperor summoned Eunuch Wei: "Go and ask that child when his family first made this?"
"Yes!" Eunuch Wei went off with small, quick steps, and soon returned to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, he said that many of his neighbors' walls are plastered with this kind of mortar, and it started last month."
The emperor gave Eunuch Wei a wink, and Eunuch Wei understood. He then turned and summoned several imperial guards, instructing them to go to Biyue Alley.
The concubines originally came to see the emperor, but now they've turned it into a spectacle of seeing Consort Shu.
Consort Shu had been in the palace for many years and had never been in such a predicament.
Gu Jinyu, you've really screwed me over!
Before long, the imperial guards returned to the palace, and one of them said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, there is indeed the same mortar."
Now the evidence is conclusive: the mortar was first laid by the child's family.
So the question is, how did the Fifth Prince know about mortar? Did he figure it out himself, or... did he learn it from someone else?
Empress Xiao couldn't help but speak up: "Consort Shu, why don't you tell the truth quickly?"
Consort Shu was filled with regret. If she had known this would happen, she would not have fallen for Gu Jinyu's trick and would not have come to claim this credit. Now how should she cover up her lie?
It would have been fine if the Fifth Prince hadn't been involved, but he was.
Consort Zhuang smiled faintly: "Why don't we summon the Fifth Prince and ask him?"
"No!" She hadn't even rehearsed her story with Xiao Wu yet!
Calling Xiao Wu here at this critical juncture is just asking her to expose her mistake right there and then.
But just as Consort Shu feared, her worst fears came true—
"Huh? Father? Mother? What are you doing here?"
The Fifth Prince has returned to the palace and is striding towards us. "Mother, I heard you had something urgent to discuss with me!"
He entered the pavilion and saw Empress Xiao and the others seated there. He cupped his hands and greeted them one by one.
"Mother, you look terrible." The Fifth Prince looked at Consort Shu strangely. Everyone else was seated, but Consort Shu stood in the center of the pavilion, looking like she was being interrogated. The Fifth Prince frowned. "What happened?"
Consort Shu gave him a wink.
Empress Xiao pointed to a bucket of mortar beside her and asked, "Xiao Wu, do you recognize this?"
Consort Shu desperately tried to wink at him!
The Fifth Prince didn't see it. He looked at the mortar and asked with a look of disgust, "What kind of filth is this?"
With just one swear word, what else could the crowd not understand?
Turns out he doesn't even recognize mortar!
Consort Zhuang covered her face and laughed: "Little Fifth, Consort Shu said you made this?"
The Fifth Prince was disgusted: "How could I have made such filthy things?"
Consort Zhuang burst out laughing.
The remaining concubines also covered their mouths with handkerchiefs.
Empress Xiao, maintaining the airs of the mother of the nation, did not chuckle in the slightest.
Consort Shu felt like dying.
What happened to the supposed bond between mother and child? Can't they have any more understanding?
"You may leave now," the emperor said to the fifth prince. This matter was clearly none of his business, and the emperor was not going to hold a grudge against him for the time being.
The fifth prince was puzzled, but since the emperor had given the order, he could only silently withdraw.
The emperor's cold gaze fell on Consort Shu's face: "What exactly happened? Why don't you tell me the truth?"
With witnesses and physical evidence, it was impossible for Consort Shu to exonerate herself. After so many years in the palace, this was the first time she had been publicly humiliated, and one of the witnesses was her own son.
Consort Shu was extremely aggrieved, and with red eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, I didn't mean it... I had my reasons for doing this."
Consort Shu recounted her visit to Gu Jinyu in the prison. Of course, she didn't mention that Gu Jinyu wanted to give her credit, but instead said, "...The princess knew she had angered His Majesty and feared that His Majesty wouldn't believe her method, so she asked me to lie and say that it was Xiao Wu's idea. She said she hoped to serve His Majesty one more time. How was I supposed to know that she had stolen someone else's method?"
It's Gu Jinyu again!
They plagiarized Little Doctor's stuff again!
Well, that's great! He was just worried about not being able to find evidence about the bellows, and the mortar delivered the evidence right to his door.
The Emperor looked at Consort Shu: "So, Consort Shu was also deceived, and she was the only one who committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor from beginning to end?"
What could Consort Shu do? Admit that she almost deceived the emperor as well?
In order to protect herself, Consort Shu had no choice but to admit that Gu Jinyu had deceived the emperor.
Consort Shu bit her lip, knelt down in front of everyone, kowtowed and said, "My niece has committed a grave mistake. I am willing to teach her, but please punish her, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor said, "Princess Hui has stolen others' achievements, claimed credit for others' work, and deceived the Emperor. Considering that Consort Shu pleaded for her, her title of Princess is hereby revoked!"
Consort Shu was stunned. Was this really for her sake? She couldn't even be a princess anymore!
The crime of deceiving the emperor is actually difficult to be strictly punished. For example, Qin Chuyu always lied that he did not steal candy, and the Third Prince would lie that he had done his homework well... These are all acts of deceiving the emperor, but they are generally not prosecuted. They will only be punished if they cause great consequences.
The mortar incident clearly did not have any major consequences. The reason why His Majesty still stripped her of her title and the title of Princess seems to be that he was using this as an excuse to make trouble.
Everyone couldn't help but recall the explosion at the Ministry of Works and the rumors circulating in the palace that the bellows was not invented by Gu Jinyu.
If it's because of the bellows, then it makes sense.
Consort Shu, it turns out your niece isn't as capable as you said. She's completely ignorant, plagiarized others' work, and even modified it without permission, resulting in a disaster.
If you don't punish your niece, who will you punish?
The way the other concubines looked at Consort Shu changed at this moment.
This woman, who was at the height of her success, finally suffered a setback.
Consort Shu was punished by the emperor with a year's salary reduction and confined to her quarters for one month.
Consort Shu's face turned green; this was a perfect example of being slapped in the face.
The entire harem laughed at her; from now on, this dark history of hers can never be erased!
The emperor frowned and glanced at her: "What? Aren't you leaving? Are you dissatisfied with my punishment?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not. I take my leave." Consort Shu stood up in a disheveled manner, bowed to the Emperor, and staggered away with the help of palace maids.
She had only taken a few steps when the emperor suddenly called out to her: "Consort Shu."
Consort Shu was overjoyed and turned around with teary eyes, hoping that the emperor would comfort her, since she had also been implicated. However, the emperor only said coldly, "Summon Xiao Wu to the Imperial Study. I want to test his studies."
Consort Shu froze immediately!
(End of this chapter)
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