Consort Chu cried pitifully, and Emperor Qingyuan looked at her with a hint of scrutiny.
The Empress, having finally caught Consort Chu red-handed, immediately spoke up.
"The Dali Temple has always been fair and impartial in its judgments. Does Consort Chu mean that the people of the Dali Temple are deliberately framing you?"
Consort Chu glared at the Empress with resentment, and said unwillingly...
"That's hard to say."
There are many women in the harem who are jealous of the Emperor's favor towards me and have probably disliked me for a long time.
It's not impossible that they conspired with outsiders to harm me!
Upon hearing the Imperial Concubine's sophistry, Xuan Yuanche immediately jumped out to refute it.
"You woman, you are truly vicious!"
All the witnesses and evidence point to your palace. You not only refuse to admit it, but you also try to implicate officials from the previous dynasty!
Could it be that the officials personally selected by the Emperor are all traitors, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices?
I think you're just holding a grudge against your elder brother because of what happened to the Chu family back then, and you can't stand to see him doing well.
That's why they went to great lengths to get rid of Princess Jingde, who had made great contributions to the Emperor and the Great Qi!
I think your intentions are despicable!
What emperor isn't suspicious? As soon as Xuanyuan Che said those words, Emperor Qingyuan's gaze towards Consort Chu immediately changed!
Overall, Emperor Qingyuan was a wise ruler. Although he showed some favoritism towards Consort Chu, it was within limits. This can be seen from the fact that the Empress Dowager always managed the inner palace. No matter how much Consort Chu was favored, she never touched any of the power in the inner palace.
So this slight favoritism seems insignificant when compared to the overall development of Daqi.
If Consort Chu's lingering attachment to the Chu family's affairs were to be added, she would be even more intolerable to Emperor Qingyuan!
Consort Chu seemed to realize this as well, and panicked, repeatedly assuring Emperor Qingyuan.
"Your Majesty, I am truly loyal to you! I have absolutely no complaints about my father's situation; the Eighteenth Prince is just making things up! You mustn't believe him!"
Seeing this, Han Boyu also stepped forward to speak.
"Your Majesty, Princess Jingde has improved houses, taught medical skills, made glass, and presented weapons diagrams. Her actions are evident to all and she is a role model for many young people to learn from and emulate!"
Such a talented person was openly framed and assassinated at a banquet attracting international attention. If Princess Jingde is not given an explanation, it will surely chill the hearts of righteous people throughout the land!
With everyone else being so supportive, Xie Yushu wasn't about to give Consort Chu a chance to feign pitifulness and gain sympathy. She also adopted a restrained yet indignant expression and said...
"Your Majesty, I beg you to do me justice!"
There were two things that Emperor Qingyuan absolutely could not tolerate: one was the disloyalty of his wife, and the other was the stable development of the Great Qi Dynasty. Consort Chu had committed both. The thought that the person he had indulged and doted on was now plotting revenge against him because of the Chu family made Emperor Qingyuan furious, and his gaze towards Consort Chu became unfriendly.
Consort Chu glanced at Hongxiu beside her.
Then, Hongxiu, the personal maid of Consort Chu, gritted her teeth and stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, please understand! I did all of this. The Imperial Concubine was unaware of it. She has always treated me very well. I couldn't bear to implicate her, so I confess everything. I did everything myself, and it has nothing to do with the Imperial Concubine!"
The Empress, of course, was unwilling to watch Consort Chu turn the tables, and immediately questioned her.
"You're just a lowly palace maid, aren't you just doing what your master wants?"
"How dare you make decisions on your own without the master's permission!"
That Red Sleeve Road
"Your Majesty, it's because I saw that General Xiao was always thinking about Xie Yushu, which made Miss Chu unhappy. Miss Chu was sad, and my Consort was also worried. So I had some wicked thoughts! I wanted to share my mistress's worries!"
"I bribed those people. I accept any punishment or beating Your Majesty may impose, but my mistress's loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day. I beg Your Majesty, please do not implicate the Imperial Concubine!"
Consort Chu also slapped Hongxiu at the opportune moment.
"Hongxiu! You're so foolish!"
Then the master and servant embraced and wept bitterly!
A hint of hesitation flashed in Emperor Qingyuan's eyes, and the Empress quickly added fuel to the fire.
"Your Majesty, this matter is no longer a trivial matter of sisters in the harem fighting over a man!"
Not only are the civil and military officials in the court and the women of each family watching, but even the envoys from various countries are waiting for a result. It is no longer something that can be covered up by simply finding a scapegoat!
I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
The officials who stayed behind to investigate the case also spoke up.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Consort Chu hurriedly brought up the twins.
"Your Majesty, I am truly devoted to you, and you should be able to feel it in your heart! Even though I have not been strict in managing my subordinates and have caused trouble, I beg Your Majesty to forgive me this once, considering that the young prince and princess are still very young!"
"I promise I will not repeat this mistake and will keep a close eye on my subordinates."
Seeing that Consort Chu was still not giving up, the Empress began to reprimand her.
"Consort Chu, if you truly love the Emperor, why do you keep making excuses and accuse him of being unrighteous and immoral?"
Do you really want the emperor to bear the stigma of being a tyrant because of you? I think you only love yourself!
The Empress's words were like thunder in his ears. Emperor Qingyuan, who always cherished his reputation, had completely lost any lingering affection he had for Consort Chu, and immediately said coldly...
"Consort Chu, who condoned her subordinates' plot to murder a first-rank princess of the court, is ungrateful and has put me in an unjust position, violating palace rules. Therefore, she is stripped of her title of Consort. Considering that she raised the princes and princesses, she is demoted to Consort Chu and confined to Zhongcui Palace to reflect on her mistakes!"
No one is allowed to visit!
All those involved in the plot to murder Princess Jingde shall be severely punished with thirty strokes of the cane and exiled to the border to serve as slaves to the armored soldiers!
Now, not only was Consort Chu demoted, but most of the people she had painstakingly cultivated were also removed! She even lost two trusted head maids, truly losing both her wife and her army!
As soon as Emperor Qingyuan finished speaking, Consort Chu cried out in surprise.
"Your Majesty! How could you be so cruel to your concubine!"
At the same time, Han Boyu and the others also spoke in unison.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qingyuan waved his hand and ordered his men to drag Consort Chu out and lock her up in confinement.
Consort Chu originally lived in Chonghua Palace. Just from the name, it's not hard to imagine how luxurious the palace was. It was no less luxurious than the Empress's Jingren Palace!
Now she has been thrown into Zhongcui Palace, a remote place that is not even as good as the side room where the servants in her Chonghua Palace live. How can she accept this?
What's even more tragic is that in the past, she had Hongxiu and Yuanyang, who were loyal to her, accompanying and serving her. She originally thought that as long as she extricated herself and pleaded with those two maids, she would at most get a few lashes and that would be the end of it. But the emperor showed no mercy and did not care at all that Hongxiu and Yuanyang were her personal maids!
Consort Chu, or rather, now Consort Chu, has come to realize more and more that the so-called imperial favor is completely unreliable!
Especially those who used to fawn over her and flatter her, now that she has just lost power, they dare to speak to her in a sarcastic and mocking manner. Her hatred is rising even higher. Not only these people, but also Emperor Qingyuan and Xie Yushu and their group, she hates them so much that she grinds her teeth. She secretly vows to turn the tables one day and make these people regret offending her!
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