The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Xie Yuzhen and Concubine Ning were both second wives, but their identities were very different.

Meng Ronghua had a dark wish in her heart to see Xie Yuzhen being severely reprimanded by Concubine Ning, but things did not develop as she wished.

Concubine Ning called Xie Yuzhen over, took her hand and looked at her carefully, nodding her head: "She is indeed a beautiful woman with outstanding grace. Shouning Palace is not far from my Wenyue Palace. If you have time, you can come to my place."

"Empress Ning..." It was Concubine Qian, who had just been stunned by the scolding, who spoke again, "I'm afraid it's inappropriate."

Concubine Ning raised her eyebrows and looked over, and Xie Yuzhen also turned to look at her. Most of the women in the palace were dissatisfied with her, but even a fool like Meng Ronghua, who started to talk nonsense during the selection process, did not dare to be so talkative on the day when the new concubine met the queen.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Concubine Qian trembled slightly, and stood up and said to the queen in a slightly fearful tone, "Your Majesty, it's not that I have to say something unpleasant on such a good day, it's really that Miss Xie is rude..."

She seemed to have mustered up great courage, as if she was determined to do what she believed was right even though she was extremely scared. She was so righteous and so desperate.

Qian Guipin was almost moved to death: "The previous incident between Lady Xie and the second son of the Marquis of Wuwei was known to everyone, and it was already a disgrace. As a woman, you are not at all contented, and you don't know how to be content. If you are more self-conscious and don't come to the palace, or if you can change your ways after entering the palace and stop doing arrogant things, then I will never target you again."

Having just been reprimanded by Concubine Ning, Concubine Qian no longer dared to bring up her second marriage as an issue. She just kept accusing Xie Yu of not being obedient and submissive enough, and most importantly, of daring to seduce the emperor into her palace on the first day he entered the palace.

"...All of these things are not the right way for concubines like us to act!" Concubine Qian said with a righteous look on her face, and knelt down in front of the queen. "Your Majesty, Xie was arrogant and wanton. When she was still the daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Wuwei, she ignored her husband's family's reputation and forcibly attached herself to Your Majesty, and sent her husband to court. How can such a woman be compared with Concubine Ning?!"

The more she talked, the more excited she became.

She didn't notice at all that the Queen rubbed her temple helplessly, Concubine Song's face was full of sarcasm and she was about to laugh, and Concubine Li seemed to agree with her, but unfortunately she was held back by Concubine Deng and couldn't interrupt.

As for Concubine Ning, who was pulled out by her as a banner... Xie Yu really felt that the hand that she was holding on to him suddenly tightened.

"Everyone knows that the mother of Concubine Ning is the eldest princess, the younger sister of the previous emperor. She died protecting the emperor. Concubine Ning's second marriage was a last resort. And what about Concubine Xie? She is just the daughter of a minor scholar, a dirt-skinned woman who grew up in the market. Judging from her behavior, she is disrespectful to her husband, has an affair with another man, and even controls her husband's children... She has no virtues that a woman should have."

"How can such a despicable woman be worthy of associating with Concubine Ning? Concubine Ning should know the difference between fragrant orchids and stinky abalones. Don't let someone like her lead you astray!" Concubine Qian kowtowed heavily, her whole body shaking because of her heated argument just now.

She felt like a wise and righteous minister who dared to step forward and expose Xie Yuzhen's ugly true face when everyone was vague about her background and words and deeds.

I believe that once His Majesty hears of my fearless act today, he will surely come to his senses and turn back from his wrong path, no longer obsessed with that dissolute woman, Xie, and then... he will also realize how good I am.

Concubine Qian was excited, pleased, and a little shy as she thought.

"I don't know if Miss Xie smells good, but Qian Xianhui, your mouth is really stinky!"

Xie Yuzhen noticed that Concubine Ning's hand was getting heavier and heavier, and it even hurt him a little, but the temperature of this hand was slowly dissipating, gradually becoming cold, and began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Empress Ning?" Concubine Qian looked up with a confused look on her face.

Xie Yuzhen rolled her eyes, and took Concubine Ning's cold hand in her own. She did not even bow to Concubine Qian, but spoke directly: "Empress, since Concubine Qian has said such bad things about me, I have to defend myself."

"What else do you have to argue?!" Concubine Qian didn't understand why Xie Yuzhen was not ashamed at all. She subconsciously looked at the Queen, hoping that the Queen would agree with her theory, and even better, she would reprimand Concubine Xie for being unruly.

However, she only saw the queen's cold eyes of reproach... This shouldn't be the case. Shouldn't everyone look down on and hate a dissolute woman like Xie?

"Noble Concubine Qian, the divorce case between Zhou Ting and I was brought to court and publicly tried by the officials of Kyoto Prefecture. Since Noble Concubine Qian knows my life story so well, I believe you must be familiar with the details of this case, right?" Xie Yuzhen was still holding Concubine Ning's hand, his back straight.

She looked around at the people with different expressions. "Zhou Ting was in love with his mistress, and the family was harmonious. However, he deceived me into marriage because my family was of low status, so he could control me more easily. Later, in order to make Xiang his wife's wife, he even poisoned the food of his wife whom he had personally sought. After I saw through his trick, he still did not repent. Instead, he designed to lure me to a small boat on the Jing River and drown me in the river."

"If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet your Majesty and receive his help, I would have already become a wronged soul in the river. Concubine Qian, ask yourself, if you were in my position, not only was you trampled into the mud and bullied by your bedmate, but he also repeatedly set up poisonous schemes to kill you, would you obediently die and make room for his concubine, or would you tear off his false skin and renounce your friendship from then on?"

Xie Yuzhen said this not only to Concubine Qian, but also took the initiative to reveal the reasons for her divorce from her ex-husband, in order to prevent some people who love to confuse right and wrong from making a fuss about it. Even if the emperor didn't care, Xie Yuzhen herself felt annoyed after hearing it so many times, not to mention the emperor who kept his word and came to the harem only for comfort and entertainment?

She wanted to nip in the bud the possibility that the emperor would gradually become tired of her because of this matter.

So Xie Yuzhen looked at the queen and knelt down while pretending to cry: "Your Majesty, please understand. I have never meant to hurt anyone, and I don't understand why those people treated me so cruelly. Maybe my life was a little hard and lowly, but I am a poor woman, and I just want to live..."

The way she cried and complained frightened Concubine Qian, who had been as dignified as a noble warrior before, and she stammered and tried to argue: "...I..."

"You know nothing!" Xie Yuzhen looked like she was about to break down and go crazy, but she actually controlled her expression perfectly. Her facial features were not distorted while she was crazy. Instead, she had a kind of fragile beauty. Even the crystal tears hanging in the corners of her red eyes were just the right amount of fragile and beautiful.

"You don't know that I asked to leave the palace, but he secretly poisoned me to death!"

"You don't know how cold the water of the Jing River is, how helpless and scared I am, Concubine Qian, do you know that when a person is about to drown, he can't even make a sound to ask for help?"

She let go of Concubine Ning, who was full of worry, and approached the frightened Concubine Qian step by step with a distracted look: "You don't know, when I was struggling between life and death and finally saw Your Majesty, I was so..."

Qian Guipin's heart was pounding non-stop. She was completely frightened by Xie Yuzhen's crazy look. Just when she was trying hard to squeeze out a sound from her throat.

She saw the crazy yet fragile woman with an eerie beauty like a mountain ghost falling down limply in front of her.

And Concubine Qian clearly heard Xie Yuzhen calling softly before he fainted.

"His Majesty……"