Chapter 125 The Empress is on a killing spree!
Jiang Nan withdrew his gaze, and the lazy and casual aura around him instantly disappeared, replaced by a calm and imposing presence.
She surveyed the entire room, spoke calmly, and her voice clearly echoed throughout the silent palace gardens.
"I am aware that these past few days, people in the harem have been talking badly about Consort Nara behind her back. Even her unborn child has been rumored to be an ominous sign, with some saying she won't be able to give birth."
She paused slightly, her voice softening, full of understanding and tolerance.
"You need not be overly alarmed. I am not an unreasonable person. Such gossip is everywhere in this deep palace. I cannot possibly drag out and beat to death every servant who has whispered such things in private. Therefore..."
Her gaze slowly swept over everyone again, her tone suddenly turning serious, each word striking a chord in everyone's heart.
"You just need to tell me honestly, who was the first to spread rumors in Yanxi Palace? Who instructed you to curse the imperial heir? Hmm?"
The courtyard was deathly silent. Everyone in Yanxi Palace looked at each other, none daring to speak first.
Jiang Nan grew impatient, and her voice gradually turned cold.
"My patience is limited. If no one speaks up, I will have to resort to torture. It can't be that Yanxi Palace is completely clean and no one has spread a single word of gossip, can it?"
Seeing that they remained silent with their heads down, Jiang Nan curled up a cold, emotionless smile and gave the order.
“Since no one is speaking up, then we shall all be considered accomplices. Zhao Deyi.”
"Your servant is here."
Zhao Deyi immediately bowed.
"Go and fetch the disciplinary rod. Today, everyone in Yanxi Palace will learn a lesson."
"Yes, sir!"
Zhao responded with a triumphant look and winked at someone behind him.
Several eunuchs from Yongshou Palace went down, and soon returned carrying heavy disciplinary rods.
Standing to the side, the air suddenly tightened, becoming so oppressive it was suffocating.
The eunuchs and maids of Yanxi Palace panicked and kowtowed repeatedly, trying to speak.
The voices began to point out each other in a chaotic manner.
"He's the one who said that!"
"It wasn't me, it was Xiaolinzi who said it first!"
"It was that girl Chunxi who started it!"
The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.
Jiang Nan frowned, showing a hint of impatience.
"Shut up."
The entire courtyard fell silent instantly, with only the soft sound of teeth chattering.
"Yanxi Palace is such a small place that only a few people can cause trouble."
Her gaze was sharp as she scrutinized the crowd.
"Who ordered this? Which head eunuch of Yanxi Palace gave the order? Or..."
She turned to Wanliuhashi, whose face was stiff, and chuckled.
"Wan Liuha Consort?"
Several eunuchs kneeling in the front row, who were already bowing their heads, suddenly trembled and buried their heads even lower.
Jiang Nan chuckled and gently placed the teacup on the table.
"Oh, so they're all loyal servants? All willing to take the blame for their master. Fine! If no one points it out, I won't force them."
She turned to Zhao Deyi and gave him a casual command.
"Zhao Deyi, let all these people in the courtyard receive twenty strokes of the rod first. Perhaps I was too polite, they felt it was no big deal, and these servants think I'm too easy to talk to."
Zhao bowed with satisfaction.
"Yes, sir!"
He then waved to the eunuch beside him.
The eunuchs with sticks responded in unison and stepped forward to arrest the man.
This terrified the people in Yanxi Palace, who rushed to shout out in alarm.
"It was Steward Wang who instructed me to spread the gossip."
"It was Qingzhu, she told us to tell her."
Jiang Nan raised her hand, then stopped moving.
Her gaze first fell on the pale-faced eunuch dressed in the chief eunuch's robes in the crowd, and her voice was flat.
"Are you the head eunuch of Yanxi Palace?"
Wang De scrambled forward, kowtowing repeatedly.
"It's me, Your Majesty... Please spare me, Your Majesty!"
Jiang Nan sneered at his terrified appearance.
"With your meager courage, you dare to stir up trouble behind the scenes? Tell me, was it your own idea, or was someone telling you to do it?"
Wang Deyong froze, his eyes instinctively glancing in the direction of Wan Liuha.
Wanliuhashi's heart skipped a beat as she looked at him, and he shouted sharply.
"You dog of a servant, what are you looking at me for?"
Jiang Nan didn't even lift her eyelids, but her voice turned cold.
"When did it become anyone's place to interrupt me when I was speaking? How can you be so ignorant of the rules? Zhao Deyi, go and teach Consort Wan Liuha what rules are."
Zhao Deyi responded with a sinister look on his face.
"Yes, sir!"
Two eunuchs instantly restrained Wanliuhashi.
Zhao raised his hand triumphantly and slapped down mercilessly, the crisp sound startling everyone into a panic.
Jiang Nan seemed not to hear the slap, only looking at Wang Deyong who was trembling like a leaf.
"Now you can continue."
Wang Deyong was so terrified by Consort Jin's swift and brutal beating that he completely collapsed, kowtowing repeatedly and weeping uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty, please understand. It was Consort Wan Liuha who instructed me to spread these rumors. She is the mistress, and I... I dare not disobey her."
Jiang Nan spoke sarcastically, as if she had heard a joke.
"So you dare not disobey? You, a mere head eunuch, are you afraid of a powerless concubine? Do you think I'm a fool?"
She stopped looking at him and simply called out softly.
"Chang Shun".
Chang Shun stepped forward quickly, bowed, and lowered his hands.
"Your servant is here."
"This man is spouting nonsense, let me punish him with a cane."
Chang Shun hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, how many strokes of the cane are there?"
Jiang Nan didn't even lift her eyes, and her tone was devoid of any warmth.
"Stop when someone dies, do you have to set a limit?"
Chang Shunxin felt a chill and quickly bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty! This servant understands."
He then waved his hand, and two eunuchs immediately stepped forward to lift Wang Deyong up.
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Wang Deyong's crotch instantly became wet, and he howled like a pig being slaughtered.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"
Wang Deyong kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
“This servant says, this servant will tell you everything. It was Consort Wanliuha who gave this servant money and forced this servant to spread rumors about Consort Nara in the palace.”
"She also gave me a packet of medicine, telling me to find a way to put it on Nala, but Nala was too cautious and the medicine failed. She then forced me to find an opportunity to accidentally get rid of Nala's unborn child. The collision on the palace road today was also caused by Consort Wanliuha, who was afraid that Nala would come to Yongshou Palace to complain to you. She forced me to find someone to cause the collision. She also said that as long as the unborn child is gone and Nala is seriously injured, she will naturally go back to Yanxi Palace to find the imperial physician to save her life and will no longer have the mind to come to you to talk about things."
"Please, Your Majesty, have mercy! This servant was forced by her and dared not disobey. Please spare this dog's life!"
Jiang Nan listened quietly to him finish speaking and nodded.
"You're quite obedient. I see you're getting on in years. Do you have any last words?"
Wang Deyong had no choice but to kowtow and beg for mercy; he wanted to live.
"Your Majesty, please have mercy! This servant will never dare to do it again. Please spare this servant's life."
Jiang Nan waved her hand when she heard that he had no last words.
“Drag him to the Imperial Prison. Since he’s still relatively well-behaved, I’ll leave him a whole corpse as a favor from me.”
"Yes, sir!"
Chang Shun's eyes sharpened, and he gave a knowing look to the two eunuchs behind him.
The two men immediately stepped forward and, before Wang Deyong could utter another cry, tightly covered his mouth.
Wang De struggled wildly with his limbs, and was quickly dragged out of the palace like a dead dog.
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