Chapter 92 Whose Evil Offspring
“Bang!”
A loud and crisp slap suddenly exploded in the silent side hall!
Everyone was shocked!
The queen's face turned ashen, her chest heaving violently, and her raised hand still suspended in mid-air!
As for Shen Jiao, five clear fingerprints quickly appeared on her fair cheek, and even a trace of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth!
She was stunned, covering her face in disbelief and looking at the queen.
"Empress..."
The Queen was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Chen Jiao and said in a sharp voice with undisguised anger:
"Shut up!"
"I am truly blind!"
"I trust you and your daughter so much that I've entrusted you with such an important task as the Blessing Ceremony, which concerns the fate of our nation!"
"You! How dare you do such a shameless and immoral thing!"
"In the pure land of Buddhism, you are doing this!"
"You are defiling the Buddha! You are bringing shame upon our ancestors!"
"The royal family's face! You've completely disgraced it all!"
Every word the Queen spoke was like ice, hitting Shen Jiao's heart hard, and also the hearts of everyone in the palace.
Shan Zhuyu's face turned pale. She wanted to step forward and beg for mercy, but was forced back by the queen's sharp eyes. She could only tremble her lips and dared not say a word.
Prosperity is shared by all, and loss is shared by all. The Queen was eager to distance herself from Chen Jiao and Shan Zhuyu immediately!
After scolding Shen Jiao, the queen took a deep breath and suppressed her churning emotions.
She turned around abruptly and knelt down towards the empress dowager sitting above her!
With a "thump", the sound of the knee hitting the ground was particularly dull.
"Mother!"
The Queen bowed her head, her voice trembling with just the right amount of guilt:
"This all happened because I didn't know how to judge people and used them properly!"
"I failed to properly discipline Miss Shen, which led to such a scandal, disturbing the Queen Mother and the Emperor, and even interrupting the grand prayer ceremony!"
"I cannot escape the blame!"
"Your humble servant...willingly accept the punishment from my mother!"
What a great move! The Queen took the initiative to take the blame, both to show her attitude and to keep the punishment within the range she could bear.
The Queen Mother looked coldly at the Queen kneeling on the ground, with a meaningful arc at the corner of her mouth.
I've been waiting for you to say this!
She slowly picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an invisible pressure:
"oh?"
"How does the Queen intend to be punished?"
"Punishment is a small matter."
The Queen Mother put down her teacup, her eyes sharp as a knife, piercing the Queen:
"But this blessing ceremony is to pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for our great descendants! Now the ceremony has been interrupted because of the scandal of the person you recommended!"
"Where is the royal family's dignity?!"
"Who should bear the responsibility for this interrupted national destiny?!"
The queen's back tensed instantly!
The Queen Mother's hat is too big!
She rested her forehead on the ground and said in a more respectful voice:
"Mother, calm down!"
"I would rather die than bear this crime!"
"From today on, I wish to fast and bathe in the palace, chanting scriptures and praying for the Great Zhou day and night to atone for my sins!"
"When the storm subsides, I earnestly ask Queen Mother for permission to invite another venerable monk to choose a new auspicious day to resume the prayer ceremony!"
The queen reacted very quickly and immediately proposed remedial measures.
Fasting is a gesture, and reopening the ceremony is the key, in an attempt to minimize the impact.
Chen Jiao, who was kneeling beside him, was struck by lightning when she heard the words "the ceremony is suspended"!
She actually stopped the grand prayer ceremony that affected the fate of the nation?!
What a heinous crime this is?!
She was only thinking about how to deny the pregnancy and how to get out of the situation, and she didn't realize the seriousness of the matter at all!
A sense of overwhelming fear instantly gripped her!
Her whole body was shaking like a sieve, her face was paler than paper, her mouth was open, but she couldn't utter a word!
The huge fear crushed Chen Jiao's last bit of luck, and she finally realized that she had caused a huge disaster!
The Queen Mother snorted coldly and did not comment on the Queen's proposal.
Her gaze returned to the limp, distraught Shen Jiao.
That look was cold and disgusted, as if he was looking at something dirty.
"snort."
The Queen Mother spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but clearly heard in every corner of the side hall:
“It has come to this point…”
"You still won't tell the truth?"
"explain!"
The Queen Mother's voice suddenly rose, and she asked sternly:
"Whose evil offspring is this in your belly?!"
The Queen Mother's harsh questioning was like a thunderclap that struck the silent side hall!
Chen Jiao shuddered, and her whole body went even limp, almost curling up into a ball.
Her lips trembled and tears rolled down her face like beads that had broken off the string.
In this suffocating silence——
The emperor, who had been watching coldly, finally spoke slowly.
His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty and coldness:
“Miss Shen Er has been living in Putuo Temple for how long?”
This question was asked by the palace servant next to him, and it was also a reminder to everyone.
A eunuch quickly bowed and replied:
"Your Majesty, it's been a full month."
The emperor nodded, his eyes like ice cones shooting towards the trembling Chen Jiao again:
"The imperial physician just said that your pregnancy will last less than a month."
"In other words..."
The emperor's voice was drawn out, and every word was like a hammer hitting people's hearts:
"This 'good deed' happened during my retreat at Putuo Temple."
"A pure Buddhist place, huh?"
Chen Jiao's face instantly turned as pale as a ghost!
She suddenly raised her head and looked at the emperor, her eyes filled with desperate pleading.
“No… no…”
Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's, crushed by fear.
The emperor didn't bother to look at her again and ordered directly:
"Go, invite the abbot of Putuo Temple to me!"
"I'd like to ask how this royal temple guards its gates!"
"yes!"
The eunuch received the order and hurriedly withdrew.
The atmosphere in the side hall became increasingly solemn and terrifying.
Chen Jiao seemed to have been drained of all her strength. She collapsed on the ground, tears flowing even harder, but she didn't even dare to cry out loud. She could only suppress and desperate sobs.
Not long after, an old monk wearing a cassock and with a gaunt face walked in with steady steps, led by a eunuch.
It was the abbot of Putuo Temple, Master Huian.
"I, the humble monk Huian, pay my respects to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."
The host clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, his expression calm.
The emperor raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.
"The host doesn't need to be polite."
The emperor's eyes were sharp, and he spoke directly:
"I asked you to come here today because I have something to ask you."
"The second young lady of the Shen family, Shen Jiao, was diagnosed as being pregnant less than a month ago during her retreat at Putuo Temple."
The emperor's voice was cold and hard, and he laid out the scandal directly.
Upon hearing this, although Abbot Huian maintained the composure of a monk, the slight trembling of his eyelashes revealed his inner shock.
"Amitabha……"
He chanted the Buddha's name softly and frowned slightly.
The emperor then asked:
"I want to know, in this month, besides the people sent by the palace to serve, has anyone else been to Jingsiyuan, where Miss Shen Er lives?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on host Hui'an.
Host Hui'an was silent for a moment, as if recalling something carefully.
The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The Queen Mother on the side was getting impatient and spoke coldly with a hint of sarcasm:
"Why isn't the host talking?"
“Could it be…”
The Queen Mother glanced at Chen Jiao, who was lying limp on the ground, and her voice became even colder:
"Which young monk in your temple has committed adultery and violated the precepts of lust?"
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