Chapter 73 The Concubine's Punishment

Jun Zechen's mind kept echoing what his mother had said to him at that time.

"Will the Crown Prince be satisfied only if the baby in Concubine Su's belly becomes the sacrifice for the Crown Princess's growth?!"

He closed his eyes, but these words kept echoing in her mind and couldn't be shaken off.

Jun Zechen suppressed his inner anger for a long time before he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze, like a sharp sword, swept over the imperial concubine who was kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly.

But there was no sympathy at all.

He sat back in his chair, his voice calm, as if his anger had been completely suppressed.

"My dear concubine, I have told you before that I have changed my mind. It is my fault. Please do not place your hatred on Concubine Chun Shu."

"I don't know if you tampered with Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress, but as one of the four concubines, Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress should have been the responsibility of Chen Shangfu or Li Shangfu, or at least one of the four officials of the Shangfu Bureau."

He paused, his eyes becoming colder.

"If it weren't for your suggestion, would the Shangfu Bureau have treated Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress so lightly? Even the Yunjin that Concubine Chun Shu sent to the Shangfu Bureau herself was replaced?"

He didn't point out some things, not because he didn't know, but because he wanted to turn a blind eye.

But Ling Yue is getting more and more excessive!

"I am not sure whether it was you who poisoned Concubine Chun Shu. I will wait for An Shun to find out everything."

Jun Zechen's voice sounded like a wake-up call.

The concubine was hit hard by his words. She raised her head with despair written all over her face.

He didn't believe her...

"Yes, this is all your Majesty's fault. I should hate you, but you are the emperor. How can I hate you?"

"I can't hit you or scold you. I can only watch you become more and more fond of Concubine Chun Shu! Watching you two become happier and happier, right?"

Her voice became louder and louder, and finally she was almost hysterical: "Your Majesty, are you too cruel to me?"

Jun Zechen looked at her expressionlessly, but there was a hint of anger burning in his eyes.

"My Lady, I am the Emperor. Did you really not think about this problem when you married me?"

He spoke slowly, his tone as cold as a sword, "Now that things have come to this, have I changed, or is the you I know not the real you?"

There was no longer any emotion in his eyes, only endless indifference and disappointment.

The imperial concubine was completely devastated by these words. She covered her face, cried silently, and collapsed to the ground.

The palace was dead silent, with only the sound of the concubine's soft sobs echoing, making the already solemn atmosphere even more depressing.

There is already an unbridgeable gap between the two of them. Will there be a future for them?

The imperial concubine lowered her head, her eyes dim.

Is the girl that Jun Zechen knows not the real her?

She knew that she was the prince, and before she married him, she thought that he would have many women, but Jun Zechen made a promise to her, and she thought she was his true love, so she gave him her heart.

Maybe she does love the taste of power, but she also truly loves this man.

Back then, he was the high and mighty prince of the kingdom and a young general full of vigor and vitality. Which woman could not be moved by him?

She grew up in the Ling family, under the watchful eyes of others. Her father was away from home all year round, and she only had the love and care of her mother.

After her mother passed away, she was neglected even more.

After arriving in the Great Wall, she kept company with horses, or did some work in the town, and made some generous friends.

She became more lively, but deep down, she longed to be loved by others.

She fell in love with Jun Zechen at first sight, and she deliberately approached him, and he fell in love with her at that time.

He even gave her unprecedented love and favor, how could she not be overwhelmed by it?

Now that he has changed his mind, how can she accept it?

She knew that Concubine Chun Shu was not wrong and that she had a kind heart.

No matter that Concubine Chun Shu had saved her in the past, or that she had lost her own flesh and blood because of her today, Concubine Chun Shu's kindness made her feel extremely despicable, and she even despised herself.

But, is she going to passively accept the result that her husband falls in love with someone else?

Is it wrong for her to want to win back her husband's favor?

But in order to protect another woman, he admitted that the mistake was his and let her hate him.

How could she hate him?

The concubine's mind was full of thoughts, and the tears in her eyes had long since dried up.

After a long moment, she raised her head, her eyes firm and calm.

"Your Majesty, you have changed, and I have changed too." She spoke with a calm tone.

"I was jealous and made my subordinates not pay enough attention to Concubine Chun Shu's dress, which led to such a big flaw in Concubine Chun Shu's dress. I am willing to accept any punishment from your majesty."

She said this with a calm expression, already prepared for the worst.

Now Jun Zechen has completely lost trust in her. It was all because she was too stupid that others found an opportunity to harm Concubine Chun Shu and then turned their attention to her.

Who did all this with so many traps and such a sophisticated layout?

Could it be An Zhaorong again?

No, not necessarily. There are thirty-five new people in the harem now. If they want to gain the emperor's favor, the ones they want to get rid of the most are her and Concubine Chun Shu.

Because after the new bride entered the palace, Jun Zechen spent most of his time in Zhaochun Palace and Yikun Palace. The only three people who were summoned to his palace were Lin Ronghua, Ye Ronghua and Chu Meiren.

Concubine Chun Shu had a miscarriage. Jun Zechen would definitely punish her severely today. She had nowhere to hide and could only retreat in order to advance.

But today, she was abandoned by His Majesty, and Concubine Chun Shu was unable to serve him in the emperor's bed for a short period of time due to a minor miscarriage, so the one who benefited was the new concubine.

The noble concubine felt that she was becoming more and more ridiculous. She was blinded by jealousy and was stupid without realizing it. Now she had no choice but to accept any punishment that Jun Zechen gave her.

Jun Zechen's eyes were calm as he finally made the final decision.

"Demote me to the position of concubine, take back the power to assist the six palaces, and confine me to the Yikun Palace for two months. During the confinement period, kneel in the Yikun Palace Buddhist Hall for two hours every day to pray for my unborn heir."

He paused, his eyes becoming colder.

"If I find out that you were the one who ordered the poison on Concubine Chun Shu's dress and the palace maid who fell off the platform today, then you will be sent to the cold palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Concubine Ling accepted the decision without hesitation, her voice calm and firm.

So what if you can’t accept it?

He is now the emperor above all others, not her lonely husband.

"Back off." Jun Zechen said coldly.

After paying her respects, the imperial concubine turned and left, her eyes full of sadness.

After Concubine Ling slowly left, Jun Zechen walked back to the bedroom.

When he pushed open the door, he saw the person on the bed lying on his side, with his eyes wide open, motionless.

How did she wake up?

Jun Zechen was startled and quickly walked to the bed and sat down.

"Why are you awake, Yaoyao?" His voice was gentle and soothing, for fear of disturbing her.

Su Jingyao sat up slowly and leaned on his shoulder.

Her face was facing the head of the bed, her eyes were indifferent, but the tone of her voice was extremely weak.

"Your Majesty, I heard everything. Your Majesty punished Concubine Ling because of me."

Jun Zechen frowned, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"Does Yaoyao think my punishment is too light?"

Su Jingyao didn't say anything, just shook her head dejectedly.

Jun Zechen lifted her up from his shoulders and saw that she had drooped eyelashes and looked a little lost.

His heart tightened, and he quickly comforted her: "Yaoyao is not satisfied? I can..."

Before he could finish his words, Su Jingyao raised her head and covered his mouth with her small hands.

After crying, she looked at him with her big bloodshot eyes, and then shook her head gently.

Jun Zechen frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Su Jingyao put down her hand and asked softly, "Is your majesty sad?"

Jun Zechen was stunned, wondering why she would ask such a question.

How could he not be sad when he lost his child?

He was grieved by the death of his child, and felt extremely distressed for her.

"I am not only sad, I am heartbroken."

His voice was low and hoarse, his eyes were deep, and a strong sadness was surging in them.

Su Jingyao hugged his neck, her cheek pressed against his neck, and her words brushed lightly over his skin.

"I want to ask, will Your Majesty be sad if he punishes Concubine Ling?"

Her voice was soft, with a hint of sob.

"I... don't want Your Majesty to regret it."

"I know that your majesty has always regarded Concubine Ling as your first wife. Your majesty wants Concubine Ling to be recognized by the Queen Mother, so I don't want any problems to arise in the Queen Mother's birthday banquet hosted by Concubine Ling because of me."

Su Jingyao raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and her gaze was sad.

"But, I lost my child because of this, and I can no longer be generous enough to forgive Concubine Ling."

Her voice became lower and lower, and finally she almost choked.

"Your Majesty, I don't know what to do, wuwu..."

Jun Zechen was stunned.

It turns out that the reason why she had always protected Ling Yue was because she thought he cared about Ling Yue.

Before, he thought that she cared so much about Ling Yue because he ignored her at that time, and Ling Yue showed her care when she was in the East Palace.

How could he be so stupid as not to see through her thoughts?

Obviously, what she cared about most was his feelings.

Why is she so silly, always showing her true heart nakedly?

Jun Zechen stroked her back and looked ahead with complicated eyes.

"Yaoyao, you are the one I care about the most. No matter how many times do you want me to tell you, don't hurt yourself because of Concubine Ling again." His voice was low and firm.

"I punished Concubine Ling because she made a mistake. Yaoyao doesn't need to forgive Concubine Ling because the mistake was hers."

Jun Zechen took her into his arms and hugged her small body tenderly.

Su Jingyao nodded, buried her face deeply in his arms, and finally burst into tears.

Her shoulders shrugged, as if venting all the grievances and pain in her heart.

Jun Zechen hugged her quietly and let her cry in his arms.

He knew that she had just lost her child and needed such an opportunity to vent.

Su Jingyao's tears flowed like a flood. She had been crying for a very long time. Her originally lively eyes were now red and swollen, like two ripe peaches.

Under Jun Zechen's gentle touch and patient comfort, her tears gradually stopped, but she would still sob from time to time.

After calming down, Su Jingyao spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, I know that the baby in my belly has not yet been born. According to the rules, the heir to the throne who has not lived past one year old cannot be enlisted in the royal parade, but..."

"But she is my child. How can I pretend that she never existed? I will always remember her."

Su Jingyao said with sobs, her eyes full of pain and reluctance, her hands tightly grasped the corner of Jun Zechen's clothes, as if that was her only support.

"So, in order to give me a thought, Your Majesty, can you give this child a nickname? I want to copy the mantra for him, hoping that he will be happy in his next life and not meet an irresponsible mother like me."

Su Jingyao raised her head and looked at Jun Zechen with tears on her face, her eyes full of pleading.

Jun Zechen frowned slightly, and looking at her like this, his heart was filled with pity.

Then he said firmly: "This child is my first son after I ascended the throne. Even if he is not born, he is still my second prince. I will give him a name and let him enter the imperial court."

When Su Jingyao heard this, she was stunned for a moment, with a dazed look on her face, as if she couldn't believe what she heard.

"His Majesty?"

"It's against the rules to do this, and I don't even know whether the baby in my belly is a boy or a girl."

Su Jingyao came back to her senses, her face full of shock and confusion.

"It doesn't matter. I said he is my second prince, the first son after I ascended the throne, so he is."

Jun Zechen's tone was firm, and his eyes revealed unquestionable majesty.

It had only been a few months since she gave birth and now she had another miscarriage. Doctor Li said that she could not get pregnant for at least a year, otherwise it would be bad for her health.

He had secretly ordered Doctor Li to add contraceptives to her daily health-preserving soup.

However, Jun Zechen was worried that she would overthink it and did not intend to tell her about it.

After all, the first son born after the emperor ascends the throne always gives people a certain illusion. Since Yaoyao cannot give birth to the first son, there is no need for other concubines to have those unrealistic fantasies.