"I dare not, I really do not dare. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me. It was the Empress who used my family to force me. Otherwise, how could I have the courage to attack the Imperial Concubine?
Please, Your Majesty, spare me this time because I didn't succeed. I did this for my family, so it's understandable, Your Majesty."
The midwife hated the queen so much at this moment. If it weren't for the queen, how could she have ended up in such a situation?
Just now I felt that I was unworthy of accepting the reward, but now I realized what kind of reward it was. It was my death warrant.
If I had confessed my guilt the moment I received the reward, would the emperor have not made things difficult for me?
"I have really learned a lot. You wanted to harm the imperial concubine. Regardless of success or failure, you have already done it. How can you ask me to forgive you?
The imperial concubine gave birth to my children. If I really let you go, how will I face her in the future?
Come, take this midwife away and interrogate her severely. I want to know if there is anyone else behind her besides the Queen.
If I remember correctly, she was the one who delivered Niu Niu when he was born. But Niu Niu only lived for a month..."
Shunzhi now suspected that his eldest son was also killed by the midwife, but the midwife refused to accept it. She said that this matter really had nothing to do with her and she could not admit it.
"Your Majesty, I admit to the murder of the Imperial Concubine, but the murder of the eldest prince has nothing to do with me.
When I delivered the eldest prince, he was already in poor health. Even if I had great skills, I could not help him turn things around.
Everything I say is true. If it is false, I will be struck by lightning. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
The midwife thought that since she was about to die, it would be better not to bear this false accusation. Not only would it be of no benefit, but it might also bring disaster to her family.
Seeing her sincerity, Shunzhi believed her words, but just in case, he still wanted to ask someone to investigate.
"Take her away. I don't believe her words. Have someone investigate thoroughly and don't let anyone who harms others go free."
"yes."
When the midwife was taken out of the delivery room, the queen's face turned pale. She had failed. Would she be the next person to die?
No, she is the queen and has the support of the entire Mongolia. The emperor will not treat her like this. She cannot lose her composure.
In the delivery room, only after Mu Sili was taken care of did Shunzhi feel like going to see his four newborn children.
"I never thought you would be so capable and give me three sons and one daughter in one go. I am so happy. I will give you a special gift at the full moon banquet."
"A gift? The Emperor has already appointed me as a noble concubine. I don't want to climb too high. If the Empress feels that I am hindering her, I'm afraid it will be bad for the children."
"I know, that's not what I'm talking about. Just rest assured and wait for the confinement. I will definitely satisfy you."
"Then I will wait until the children are one month old to inspect the emperor's gifts. If I am not satisfied, I will not agree."
"Alright, listen to me carefully. Take good care of the imperial concubine and the princes and princesses. If anything happens to any of them, I will be held responsible."
"Yes, we servants will protect the Madam and the young masters with our lives, and will not slack off in the slightest."
After looking at the newborn children again, Shunzhi prepared to name them. Before that, he had to deal with the queen's affairs first.
It wasn't long since Xiaozhuang and Dorgon died. If the queen died soon after, the court officials would definitely suspect that he was the one who did it, which would be disadvantageous to Mu Sili.
In this case, banishing the queen to the cold palace can save some face for Khorchin.
After all, he still has Khorchin blood in his body, and if he does something too ruthless, he might be punished by God.
I thought that since I was the queen, Shunzhi would let me go in to see the quadruplets, but I didn't expect Shunzhi to never mention it until he came out.
After dismissing everyone except the queen, the queen knew that her punishment was coming.
"emperor."
"Queen, I remember telling you before that as long as you do your part and don't ask for things that don't belong to you, I won't do anything to you, right?"
The queen stepped back palely, then replied softly, "Yes."
"It seems you remember this. Then tell me, you clearly promised me, why did you do this?"
The queen didn't care anymore. Since Shunzhi asked, she just told the truth. She might not have a good ending anyway, but she would definitely not die.
"It's interesting that Your Majesty asked this. Wasn't it you who forced me to do this?
I believe that I have been well-behaved since entering the palace, and have done my duty well, and have never caused you any trouble.
But look at me, have you given me peace of mind? I am the queen of a country, but I am not even as good as an ordinary concubine. Tell me yourself, have you ever been fair to me?
Shunzhi frowned. They had agreed on this from the beginning, so why should he ask for fairness now? If there really was fairness, he wouldn't have said so much to her when she first entered the palace.
"When the Empress Dowager was alive, I thought that with her protection, it didn't matter whether I wanted the harem's favor or not. I was the Empress Dowager, and no matter who ascended the throne, I would still be the Empress Dowager.
But the Empress Dowager is gone, and I have lost my source of protection. If I don't try to fight for it myself, it is really unknown whether I can sit on the position of Empress Dowager.
Originally, when I heard the news of the Empress Dowager's death, I gave up this idea, but the Empress Dowager's ghost was still lingering around, forcing me to take action against Concubine Xian. If I didn't take action, I would be the one to die.
I am still young and have the support of Khorchin. If I am bound to end up like the Empress Dowager sooner or later, I might as well give it a try.
If it succeeds, I will be the only empress dowager. If it fails, with Khorchin around, I will at most be deposed and put under house arrest. Either way, it's a good deal.
Moreover, after I do this, the Empress Dowager's soul will also be able to rest in peace. It is simply killing two birds with one stone. In this case, why shouldn't I do it?"
Shunzhi suddenly felt that she was a little crazy, and he was too lazy to talk nonsense with her. Didn't she want to be deposed? Well, it's time to make room for her.
"Since you have made such a request, if I do not abolish you, I would be somewhat sorry for your heartfelt words just now.
"Sir, Empress Borjigit murdered the concubines. The evidence is irrefutable. She is unworthy of the position of Empress. I depose her from the position of Empress, demote her to Consort Shen, and confine her to the cold palace."
"I thank the emperor for his grace."
At least she still had her life, but she didn't expect that she would have the same fate as her aunt. This palace was a hindrance to their Borjigit family.
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