"What did you say?" Helian Qi stared at Song Qingzhi with a sharp gaze.
Song Qingzhi hesitated, she didn't want to admit that she lied...
But she didn't want to be sent out of the palace even more.
It is better to admit that you have deceived the gods than to be driven out as a person they hate.
"My concubine...what I just said was untrue. It was I who fell down the stairs, which caused the sacrificial ceremony to be interrupted. It was all my fault!" Song Qingzhi kowtowed heavily to Helian Qi, and then kowtowed to the statue:
"I sincerely repent to the God of Ji! I beg the God of Ji to forgive me."
She was forced to admit that she had fallen.
This was to prevent the incense from ever failing to light and being driven out of the palace as a person hated by the gods.
Helian Qi's eyes were cold, "In order to frame others, you even dared to harm the dragon fetus..."
"I didn't know I was pregnant... I really didn't expect this kind of consequence..." Song Qingzhi's face was full of regret.
Not sure if you are pregnant?
Then it all makes sense.
Helian Qi understood everything and was furious:
"Song harmed others and herself, so she was demoted to a concubine, confined to her house for a month, and required to copy scriptures by hand to reflect on her actions."
Although the lowest rank among concubines was selected as concubines, the lowest rank among official women who entered the palace through selection was Baolin.
Only palace maids and common people's women could be favored by the emperor, and then they would be selected as concubines.
Helian Qi was obviously very annoyed with her and did not give Song Qingzhi any respect.
However, given the emperor's temper, he did not banish her to the cold palace, which was already a consideration for the Song family.
Song Qingzhi's face turned pale, "Your Majesty..."
Helian Qi ignored her and instructed Wang Degui:
"The four concubines who gave false testimony to the Song family were all banished to the cold palace."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the shrine.
Wang Degui was stunned by this scene and quickly accepted the order, "I obey your order!"
"Your Majesty..." Song Qingzhi wanted to chase after him and beg for mercy.
Wang Degui stopped her and said, "Ms. Song, His Majesty has ordered you to return to the palace and be confined. Others have been banished to the cold palace, but His Majesty has already shown leniency to you. Don't go near him and make him angry..."
Song Qingzhi's eyes were filled with dejection and resentment. How cruelly did His Majesty treat her!
He misunderstood her as someone hated by the gods and sent her out of the palace without saying a word.
Otherwise, she would not have been forced to admit that she lied.
…
Helian Qi arrived at Lingxue Pavilion.
He was in a very low mood throughout the journey. He was angry at being fooled by the Song family, annoyed by the wrong judgment, sad at losing the royal heir, and a vague sense of guilt.
If it weren't for Ning Wanyin's advice, he would have misunderstood and sent her to the cold palace.
She did her best to work for him, and all she asked for was to be by his side, but he had no trust in this woman whose heart and eyes were filled with him, and was only cruel and ruthless to her.
Guilt is a weak emotion, and as an emperor, you shouldn't be weak.
Helian Qi suppressed all the emotions in his heart.
When he walked into Lingxue Pavilion, his face was expressionless and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
The little girl was still sitting in front of the painting, quietly waiting for him.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Ning Wanyin stood up and came forward, and asked directly, "How will Your Majesty deal with Concubine Song?"
Helian Qi raised his eyebrows slightly, "Have you guessed what happened?"
"Of course. She knows best what I didn't do. No one would have thought that you had tampered with the incense sticks that didn't burn. She can only suspect that it was because she lied." Ning Wanyin looked at him frankly:
"Gods above, she won't dare to make up another lie. Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing my name!"
Helian Qi looked unnatural, "This is your own credit."
"If Your Majesty did not believe that I was wronged, you would not have deceived Concubine Song. You would have thought that I was talking nonsense and directly sentenced me to death. I was able to clear my name thanks to Your Majesty's trust." Ning Wanyin's almond-shaped eyes were bright, and the light in her eyes was as dazzling as the stars in the night sky.
Helian Qi was stunned. She actually thought... I believed her.
He went to defraud the Song family only because it was a simple matter to verify the truth. Before defrauding the Song family, he did not believe Ning Wanyin's words.
But after hearing what Ning Wanyin said, he felt that he actually had something special about Ning Wanyin, so he was willing to check.
It turned out that without him realizing it, this little girl had gained a little weight in his heart.
"I will demote her to a concubine and select her. Those who falsely accuse you of perjury will be banished to the cold palace." Helian Qi could not reveal his thoughts to a concubine, so he turned to talk about the consequences of the punishment.
The mastermind of the false accusation was only demoted, but those who gave false evidence were all banished to the cold palace, because the former's surname was Song and the latter were from the Xue and Cen families.
Whenever the emperor found a reason, he would deal with outsiders without mercy.
Ning Wanyin immediately understood the reason and smiled, "I was very angry at first, but since Your Majesty has helped me vent my anger, I will not bother with Concubine Song anymore."
"You have always been sensible. You have been wronged this time..." Helian Qi was very satisfied with her knowing when to advance and retreat, and did not ask why Song Qingzhi was not sent to the cold palace.
Decided to give her more rewards to comfort her and compensate her.
"With Your Majesty protecting me, I have no grievances. Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself and don't hurt yourself because of sadness. Always put the dragon's health first." Ning Wanyin looked at him earnestly, her beautiful eyes gentle.
Helian Qi was stunned.
Everyone was concerned about the final outcome, and no one comforted him. As an emperor, he didn't need comfort.
But at this moment, there was an extra trace of guilt in my heart.
"I'm fine." Helian Qi looked at her, his expression as calm as ever, "I still have memorials to review, I'll leave first."
"Farewell, Your Majesty." Ning Wanyin bowed.
After Helian Qi left, the ban on Lingxue Pavilion was lifted, and the palace servants who had been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs came back to serve.
After a while, Wang Degui led people carrying boxes of sandalwood gift boxes.
They were all awarded by the emperor and were all precious gold, jade, and jewellery.
As usual, Ning Wanyin rewarded everyone in the pavilion, and everyone was delighted.
"Master, you have finally been vindicated! I was so worried..." Lian Rui's face was full of relief for surviving a disaster: "Fortunately, His Majesty still believes in you..."
Ning Wanyin smiled but said nothing. Those were just polite words. The emperor didn't believe her, so how could she not know?
But there is no need to expose the emperor's cruelty.
Questioning and complaining will only lead to worse results. Finding evidence is the most important thing.
She also wanted to ask the emperor to cooperate with her in deceiving Song Qingzhi, so of course she had to speak to him in a friendly and kind manner.
As for the fact that the emperor didn't believe her? That was normal. She had never believed the emperor either.
In this world, those who are gullible die the fastest.
Xiao Guizi hurried in to report: "Master, Lady Tang and Lady Ying are here to see you!"
Ning Wanyin was just about to tell them something.
He immediately said, "Please ask them to go to the flower hall, Lianrui, and pick out two good items from the gifts His Majesty just gave them."
"yes."
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