Upon hearing this, Consort Qian's legs immediately went weak, and she quickly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I had no intention of offending you! Please spare my life!"
Changning was very impatient: "Consort Qian, it's not that you don't have the intention to offend, it's that you're too arrogant."
Once the dragon soars in the sky, the mortals are reduced to mud beneath their feet.
Have you forgotten the days when you were a humble servant in the Prince's mansion?
I gave you a chance, but you were useless.
They've been causing trouble time and time again, and this time they're even trying to obstruct my imperial decree and hinder the implementation of my policies.
According to palace rules, I wouldn't mind if you beat me to death!
When she finished speaking, Changning shouted angrily, which scared her out of her wits. It was as if Niohuru's tongue was still in front of her. Consort Qian cried with snot and tears streaming down her face.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again. I just felt that there weren't enough people to serve you, so I didn't dare to have any opinions about Your Majesty or overstep my bounds!"
Changning, holding onto the chair, slowly stood up, glanced down at Consort Qian with utter disgust, and said, "You? You dare to overstep your bounds?"
"Guards, convey my imperial decree: Consort Qian is stripped of her title and demoted to the rank of Lady-in-Waiting, relocated to the inner palace, and confined for three years. From this day forward, there will be no more Consort Qian in the palace, only Lady-in-Waiting Liu."
Liu was stunned and looked up at Changning blankly before realizing that she had been demoted and was no longer the principal consort.
This realization almost made her faint.
She couldn't hold back her tears and cried out, "Your Majesty!"
Her wailing was so loud that Changning glared at her again and said coldly, "The Third Princess and the Fourth Princess are in the side hall. If you frighten them, it won't just be a matter of being demoted or confined."
Liu Daying, who had been crying out with her mouth wide open, suddenly covered her mouth upon hearing this and dared not make a sound anymore.
Changning was finally satisfied.
"I am not a cold-hearted person. Since you say there are too few servants, according to the rank of a concubine, there should be two maids to serve you. But cutting a quarter of them is not a good solution, so let's just leave none of them."
From now on, you'll have to do your own chores in the palace. Stay in your quarters and have meals brought to you. If you behave well, I'll release you sooner.
Ha, that sounds nice, but what does it mean to perform well?
Wouldn't it be better to rely entirely on the Empress's words?
However, Liu Yingying had no will to resist anymore.
She had realized that she was powerless to resist, and that struggling would only be like throwing an egg against a rock, a futile and self-defeating act.
Liu agreed to leave.
The entire harem received the news.
Consort Qian made quite a grand entrance, leading the entire palace to Chengqian Palace to demand an explanation. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen.
Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Empress has not made a move for a long time, and everyone has really forgotten about her methods.
What about the once high and mighty Consort Qian?
She hadn't even survived a single move from the Empress before being demoted to the lowest rank of concubine, confined to her quarters for three years, and not given a single servant. By the time she was released, who knew how old she would be.
The concubines were all still somewhat shaken.
Consort Yu, watching the spectacle, exclaimed, "Oh dear, this Sister Liu is really something! We're all sisters living in the same household, and she used to act like such a kind person. But once she entered the palace, she completely changed. She's always saying, 'I'm a concubine! I'm a concubine!'"
"Tch, now look what's happened, all it took was a simple agreement."
Everyone knows that Consort Yu loves to make sarcastic remarks, and Consort Ning didn't stop her because she thought the same thing.
Such an arrogant person should have been dealt with by the Empress long ago.
However, when it came to reducing staff, Consort Yu was unsure and quickly went to Consort Ning to discuss it.
"Sister Wu, what do you think Her Majesty means by this? Why is she cutting our manpower? Has something serious happened?"
Consort Yu felt uncertain, while Consort Ning shook her head: "I don't know either. I only know that the entire harem is being cleaned up. Perhaps since His Majesty ascended the throne, he hasn't had time to reorganize the inner court, so now it's a good opportunity for Her Majesty the Empress to take charge. But I always feel that there's something going on here."
Consort Yu seemed to have thought of something, and secretly lowered her voice: "Do you think there might be something unclean in the palace? Is the Emperor and Empress using this as an excuse to investigate?"
Consort Ning thought it unlikely: "What unclean things could there be?"
"Wild men! And witchcraft and the like."
"You idiot, you're really crazy! How could you say such nonsense?" Consort Ning was startled and quickly covered her mouth. She looked around and thankfully, it was just the two of them.
Consort Yu realized she had spoken out of turn and dared not say anything more. It's no wonder she was so distracted; the Empress had indeed given no warning whatsoever, leaving everyone baffled.
Many people were equally baffled, but some responded positively.
Consort Zhang and Noble Lady Gao were very proactive.
On the very day the Empress's decree was issued, they immediately sorted things out and even provided a list of those who were being sent away, without any hesitation or delay, which left everyone speechless.
Consort Mao acted quickly; the three of them finished the task in a flash and then came to show their loyalty to Changning.
"Your Highness, I've had all the palace servants who should be sent out of the palace packed up, so they can leave at any time," Consort Mao said in a friendly tone, clearly trying to ingratiate herself.
Consort Shu was not to be outdone: "I am also waiting for Your Majesty's order."
The noblewoman's usually beautiful face now showed a hint of excitement. She felt that from today onwards, she would definitely be a member of the Empress's faction!
Fearing that being a step too late would make the Empress think that her intentions were not sincere, Consort Gao hurriedly followed up: "Your Highness! Your Highness too! Those people have already packed their bags."
Changning nodded in satisfaction. It was indeed good to have such a few sensible concubines as role models.
First, Consort Qian, who disobeyed the imperial decree, was demoted to Lady Liu. Then, three other concubines obeyed the decree without hesitation and set an example.
Changning felt that there shouldn't be any problems this time.
But trouble struck just two days later.
That night, Changning was nestled beside Yinzhen, the two sleeping in each other's arms, when suddenly a hurried sound broke the silence of the night.
Changning had been preoccupied with something these past few days and was sleeping lightly. She called out, "Chuixue, what's going on outside?"
Hearing Changning's voice, Chuixue rushed in to answer, her voice filled with panic: "Your Majesty! Yuqiu just came and said that the Second Princess has suddenly developed a high fever! She's already delirious from the fever!"
Changning immediately jumped up, goosebumps rising on his skin. Yinzhen was also awakened by the noise and was startled to hear that Hutu had suddenly developed a high fever.
While calling for someone to help them get dressed, the two hurriedly asked, "Explain yourself! What happened? Why did you suddenly get a fever? Hutuli has always been healthy; he's never been sick before!"
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