freenovelworld Chapter 194 The Concubines' Reactions Are Undercurrents
Chapter 194 The Concubines' Reactions Are Undercurrents
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The Emperor did not accuse you of plotting to murder Concubine Xian. He still trusts you."
Nanny Qin hurried to comfort her master.
"Yes! Madam."
Jingyan followed suit:
"If the emperor really didn't trust you, why didn't he mention anything about Concubine Xian? The emperor was concerned about you, but Xiao Quzi died suddenly at that time, and all the evidence pointed to you. Under the watchful eyes of the public, the emperor had no choice but to punish you."
With the comfort from Nanny Qin and Jing Yan, Concubine Nianhulu's complexion finally looked better. However, when she thought of the little song that Jing Yan mentioned, her face became gloomy again.
"Investigate why Xiao Quzi appeared in the lotus pond out of nowhere, and why he died suddenly."
"I'll go down and check it out right away." Jing Yan immediately went back to investigate.
Nanny Qin looked at Concubine Niuhulu, pursed her lips and said:
"My lady, I'm afraid we won't be able to find anything from Xiao Quzi. Since the other party dared to take action, they must have wiped out the trail."
Although Concubine Nianhulu still had a gloomy expression, her emotions had gradually calmed down. When she heard the words, the corners of her mouth curled up in a cold arc.
"Of course I know, but Xiao Quzi died outside my Ruijingxuan, so I must investigate thoroughly. If she dares to betray me, I will not let her off easily. And Xiao Quzi was the one who instigated Fanghua to have sex with me, so I must investigate thoroughly, otherwise others will think I am guilty."
"Your Majesty is wise." Nanny Qin looked relieved, but then she thought of something and her expression turned serious again:
"But who is behind this, using Concubine Xian to frame you? Could it be Concubine Rong? If she hadn't exaggerated and added fuel to the fire today, the emperor wouldn't necessarily suspect you."
When mentioning Concubine Rong, Concubine Nianhulu thought of the scene in Danningju and was filled with hatred. However, she still had some reason and denied it immediately.
"It can't be Concubine Rong. Although Concubine Rong is a troublemaker and likes to sow discord, she won't attack me for no reason."
"Who could that be?" Nanny Qin frowned and thought.
Concubine Niuhulu narrowed her eyes.
“If we don’t know who it is, then we’ll see who the ultimate beneficiary is.”
Nanny Qin followed the Empress's thoughts, and after a while, she listed the suspects one by one.
"According to the Queen's thinking, regardless of whether Fanghua can succeed in climbing into the bed, the people behind the scenes don't know about our musk, and Concubine Xian will be severely slapped in the face. It is obvious that the people behind the scenes are not on good terms with Concubine Xian."
"But although there are many people in the palace who envy Concubine Xian, there are very few people who are at odds with Concubine Xian and have the ability to set up this situation. There are roughly only four concubines, Hui, De, Rong, Guo Luoluo, and Concubine Ping."
At this point, she narrowed her eyes:
"But why didn't the person behind the scenes frame anyone else, but you? Does it mean that he has a grudge against you and wants to kill two birds with one stone? Among the five concubines who are so suspicious, I think Concubine Hui and Concubine Ping are the most suspicious."
Concubine Hui likes to compete with the Empress because of the eldest prince, and Concubine Ping is the most jealous of the Empress because both she and the Empress are half-sisters of the Emperor's successor.
After hearing Nanny Qin's analysis, Concubine Nianhulu fell into deep thought.
Although Concubine Hui often competed with her, she was devoted to the eldest prince and had long stopped vying for favor. She didn't seem like someone who would deliberately slap Concubine Xian in the face and then frame her.
On the contrary, given Pingpin's personality, it is very likely that she would frame Concubine Xian in order to take revenge on her.
Thinking of this, Concubine Niuhulu gritted her teeth and said fiercely:
"I will not let that bitch Pingpin go."
Not only was Concubine Nianhulu analyzing today's events, but Concubine Hui was also discussing it with Concubine Liang as soon as she came back.
"Your Majesty, Wu Su agreed to kneel outside." Yun'er came in to report.
When Concubine Hui heard Wu Su's agreement, her face darkened:
"Let her kneel down and ignore her."
It had been so long since she had been fined by the emperor. Of course she didn't care about her monthly salary. What she cared about was her face.
Liangpin, who was sitting at the bottom, saw this scene and her eyelashes trembled. The next moment, she looked up at Huifei, and suddenly stood up and knelt to apologize:
"My lady, I failed to teach Wusu well and failed to live up to your trust. I failed in my duty. Please punish me."
Before, Concubine Hui asked Wusu to promise to study behind her so that she could teach her. Now that Wusu has made a mistake and implicated Concubine Hui, she naturally has to apologize and accept the punishment.
Naturally, Concubine Hui took her anger out on Concubine Liang.
But Liangpin was the only one who was most useful in her palace. Wusu promised to be the next one she favored, but she thought he was smart, but he turned out to be so useless and stupid that his thoughts were seen through by the emperor in public!
After this incident, she will definitely be disliked by the emperor and be considered useless. Now there is no one else he can use, so he naturally cannot vent his anger on Concubine Liang.
"Sister, get up quickly. Today's incident has nothing to do with you. It was Wu Su who promised me that I had bad intentions and made a stupid mistake. Nanny Jiang, go and help Concubine Liang up."
"Your Majesty is so magnanimous." Nanny Jiang stepped forward and helped Concubine Liang up. Concubine Liang sat down again, looking extremely moved.
Concubine Hui picked up the teacup and took a sip. She no longer mentioned Wu Su's promise and brought up the topic of Concubine Xian's murder today.
Their analysis results were similar to those of Niu Hulu and his servant, except for their speculation about who was the mastermind behind the scenes. Concubine Hui simply said indifferently:
"No matter who is behind this, it has nothing to do with me. All I have to do is prevent others from accusing me of this."
As she spoke, she looked in the direction of Dan Ning Ju, put down the teacup, and smiled:
"I am already past the age of competing for favor. Even if Concubine Xian is favored again, or even gives birth to a little prince, so what? My eldest prince has already married and had children. There is such a big age difference that he poses no threat to the eldest prince. I will not do anything stupid to offend the emperor."
Liangpin immediately complimented:
"Your Majesty is wise, and the eldest prince is smart and brave. The Emperor loves him very much. You don't need to care about Concubine Xian."
The corners of Concubine Hui's mouth curled up slightly, but when she thought of something, a hint of anger flashed across her face.
"The eldest prince is a good person, but unfortunately he is feared by the crown prince. A few days ago, the crown prince impeached a subordinate whom the eldest prince valued in the army. The eldest prince pleaded for mercy, but was blamed by the emperor. I originally wanted to plead for the eldest prince, but Wu Su promised not to live up to his expectations..."
Concubine Hui got angry when she mentioned this.
A few days ago, she had finally managed to use the lotus viewing banquet to make the emperor temporarily ignore Concubine Xian, giving Wusu a chance to take advantage of the opportunity, successfully accompany the emperor, and even receive the emperor's reward.
Although she was not able to sleep with the emperor, as long as she caught the emperor's eye, it was only a matter of time. Who would have thought that Wu Su promised to do something ungrateful before she was truly favored, and today she was punished by the emperor.
A dark light flashed in Concubine Hui's eyes, and it seemed that she had to look for someone again.
Liangpin took Huifei's expression into her eyes, and a gleam of light flashed across her eyes when she lowered them, but when she looked up again, she was as gentle and calm as usual.
She comforted Concubine Hui for a while before retreating. As soon as she walked out of the door, she saw Wu Su Da Ying kneeling outside the main hall.
Wusu Da Ying noticed the noise and thought that Concubine Hui had calmed down. She asked someone to call her up and looked over expectantly, but she didn't expect that the person coming was Concubine Liang. She couldn't help but reveal a trace of disappointment on her pale face.
Liangpin walked up to Wusu Daying and stopped.
"Usu promised, are you okay?"
Kneeling outside for half an hour, how could it be good? But Wu Su agreed and just said:
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Liangpin. I have made a serious mistake and have caused trouble for you. I feel guilty and just want to apologize."
Liangpin looked at Wusu and agreed, and sighed softly:
"You have only been in the palace for a short time. You are not familiar with the palace rules. It is inevitable that you will make mistakes. It is not intentional. Remember to be more careful next time."
Then he added: "I have something else to do in the palace, so I'll leave first."
"Farewell, Madam Liangpin."
Watching Liangpin's figure disappear, Wu Su agreed to continue kneeling outside the palace. It was not until another half an hour passed that there was movement at the door again and Yun'er walked out.
"Wusu agreed. You were disrespectful in front of the emperor and were confined to his room for a month. The queen said that you should reflect on yourself in your room during this month and you don't need to come to the main hall to pay respects."
Wu Su's already pale face now looked even more bloodless. Concubine Hui had given up on her!
On the other side, a carrier pigeon flew across the sky. Concubine Guo Luoluo, who received the news in the Forbidden City, smashed the teacup in anger.
"I failed to steal a chicken and indirectly helped that bitch Concubine Xian. Could it be that I am blessed by God and have great fortune?"
Qiaohui stepped forward and served her master another cup of tea.
"Your Majesty, calm down. We have gained something. The Emperor has punished the Imperial Concubine. The hatred between the Imperial Concubine and Concubine Xian has deepened. The two of them are irreconcilable. We can only sit back and reap the benefits."
Concubine Guo Luoluo took the teacup and calmed down.
"You're right. I'll just watch as those two fight each other."
In Changchun Palace, Pingpin, who had no idea that she was being blamed and was misunderstood by Imperial Concubine Nianhulu, smashed things in anger when she heard the news.
God is unfair. How could there be someone as lucky as Concubine Xian in the world!