Upon hearing this, Consort Chen's beautiful eyes widened instantly, and she almost dropped the calming tea in her hand. However, she quickly used anger to cover up her inner panic.
"What does Your Highness mean by this? You can't throw all sorts of accusations at me just to protect that vile concubine Ningyin. Even if I'm not the Empress, I'm still His Majesty's favored concubine. I won't tolerate your slander here."
Consort Chen spoke eloquently, and then walked towards the emperor, her eyes crinkling with tears as she tugged at his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, look at the Crown Prince's demeanor. He seems to be about to kill me. I have been wholeheartedly managing the harem, and yet I have been unjustly accused of plotting to harm the imperial heir. It is truly disheartening."
Her acting was superb; after speaking for only a few minutes, tears were already streaming down her cheeks, making her look truly pitiful.
The emperor pursed his lips, reached out and pulled Consort Chen's arm away, turned his head to meet the woman's fox-like eyes filled with tears, and finally spoke.
"Chen Xinrong, the Crown Prince did not wrong you. You know perfectly well what you have done!"
Consort Chen originally thought that the emperor would believe her, after all, she had done these things flawlessly, and Xiao Xuan would never be able to find any evidence to convict her with just words. It was too ridiculous.
Thinking it over, Consort Chen still held her head high and puffed out her chest, looking as if the innocent were innocent.
"Your Majesty, I have always been loyal to you and have never had any disloyalty to the royal family. How could I possibly do such a thing? It must be that vixen Ningyin's idea to deceive Your Majesty!"
Seeing that Consort Chen was still spouting nonsense and struggling, Xiao Xuan couldn't help but chuckle. He lifted his eyelids and gave the woman a cold glance, and the chill instantly enveloped the two people opposite him.
"Father, your beloved Consort says that I have slandered her. What do you think?"
The emperor sighed, removed Consort Chen's hand from his grasp once more, and then picked up two pieces of evidence from the jade table and threw them in front of Consort Chen.
"Chen Xinrong, stop pretending, I know everything!"
At this point, Consort Chen was on the verge of collapse. She squatted down and picked up the two pieces of paper, on which she clearly stated her crimes, word by word.
She had no idea how that cunning old nanny had turned against her. She had clearly taken control of her entire family long ago. Could it be that Xiao Xuan's men had already found them?
Upon thinking of this, Consort Chen's heart skipped a beat, as if she had fallen into an abyss, and her legs went weak, but she still wanted to turn the tide for herself.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! This evidence is clearly false!"
"How could I possibly bribe the Empress Dowager's nanny? Besides, I don't even know who the Ning family is. This Ning Chang Le is really good at making false accusations!"
"Shut up! Even now, you still show no remorse. Do you think that just because I've favored you for a few years, you can do whatever you want and disregard my son!"
"Your Majesty, I did not do it, I really did not!"
Consort Chen's voice rose several octaves; she was truly terrified now. She hurriedly crawled over and hugged the emperor's leg, but the emperor was already utterly disappointed in her. The evidence was irrefutable, yet she still dared to argue.
The emperor lost his patience and kicked Consort Chen in the stomach with such force that she fell backward, clutching her chest and coughing incessantly.
"Your Majesty, I am truly innocent!"
The woman sitting on the ground struggled pitifully, but the emperor didn't even glance at her. Consort Chen then turned to look at Xiao Xuan.
"Your Highness, I truly did not harm the Crown Princess. Heaven and earth bear witness! It must be someone with malicious intent trying to frame me. You must not wrongly kill an innocent person!"
Xiao Xuan snorted lightly, coldly glancing at the disheveled woman on the ground, his brows furrowing in disgust, as if he were very impatient.
"Father, since the evidence is conclusive, isn't it an eyesore to keep this criminal slave in the Imperial Study?"
His voice was clear and sharp, but to Consort Chen, it was a murmur carrying the aura of death, as if every word was a sharp blade, as if it would skin her alive.
"Chen Xinrong, you plotted against the imperial heir first, then framed the crown prince. You are jealous by nature and ruthless in your methods. I hereby strip you of your title of Imperial Concubine and demote you to a commoner. From now on, you will stay obediently in the Cold Palace!"
The emperor's words were like a bolt from the blue; Consort Chen collapsed completely upon hearing them.
He was demoted to a commoner and spent his life in the cold palace. All his planning and scheming had resulted in this outcome!
She suddenly let out a desperate, cold laugh, looked up at the expressionless emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, just now on the bed you said that you wanted me to stay with you for the rest of my life. How could you change your mind so quickly? Men are all the same, hahaha!"
Consort Chen crawled and twisted on the ground while laughing. The Emperor coldly ordered Zhuang Dahai, "Zhuang Dahai, drag this madwoman out of here!"
Startled by the emperor's rebuke, Zhuang Dahai's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his whisk.
Fortunately, Consort Chen, that madwoman, didn't confess to his affair with the old nanny. He had to drag her away quickly, or he would be in deep trouble himself.
The brocade robes rustled on the ground as Consort Chen was dragged out of the imperial study by Zhuang Dahai and another eunuch.
As if she had lost all support, her beautiful eyes were filled with despair and sorrow.
Watching the heavy gates of the Cold Palace slowly close, Consort Chen felt utterly devastated; her former glory and wealth seemed like fleeting clouds.
In the corner, there were squeaking sounds from mice and a spider crawling around.
"Hmph, she really is ruthless!" Consort Chen sneered, and by the moonlight, she looked around.
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