The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

The emperor's eyes visibly darkened.

"To answer your question, Your Majesty, yes... the birthday of the Imperial Concubine written in the memorial doesn't match..." Cui Liu replied.

During the Dasheng Dynasty, whether performing rituals for the living or the dead, a carefully written letter had to be burned after a series of rituals, in the hope that one's grief or prayers to heaven would be conveyed to the immortals in charge of their respective duties.

The name and date of birth on the letter are the most important parts. No matter which family is performing the ritual, they must be carefully checked several times. Only after confirming that they are correct can the next step be taken.

If the three palace maids of Yanzhang Palace were transferred to Yuchunju by the Shanggong Bureau, which only made the emperor furious, but at the same time he still maintained a trace of inexplicable tolerance for Concubine Deng; then, on the day of his newly deceased beloved concubine's funeral, he used her birth date to make a fuss, made many arrangements, and secretly ordered the palace maids to take advantage of the information gap between the two sides and the existing conflicts between them to stir up conflicts between the other two concubines he liked recently, and even caused him to lose another healthy child...

Faced with this situation, the emperor could no longer stop the situation by reprimanding Concubine Deng for her incompetence and depriving her of her right to assist. He had to give a reasonable explanation no matter what.

The dead eyes of Concubine Chen could not be erased from Xie Yuzhen's mind. She pondered over the schemes that were linked together. On the surface, it was just that Liu Shuyi was instigated and deceived by the palace people, and she had evil intentions to make Concubine Xu lose her child and favor, and then take her life. But if you look into it carefully, all of them point to the dereliction of duty of Concubine Deng, the "hand" that helped the Queen manage palace affairs.

It's more than just dereliction of duty.

It also secretly pointed out that Concubine Deng was the murderer who fanned the flames of this series of accidents.

But without any concrete evidence, we cannot make any clear accusations.

Besides...

The emperor forgave and tolerated Concubine Deng several times for unknown reasons, and although Concubine Chen remained silent for many years after the loss of her son, she was obviously not the kind of person who would rush out and seek revenge at all costs after suddenly learning the truth.

She did not make her intention clear to the emperor, but spoke gently and slowly, secretly putting pressure on the emperor who seemed to want to cover up any trace of Concubine Deng's existence in the matter.

"Empress Xianfei, I wonder which female official is in charge of the memorial." After a slight hesitation, Xie Yuzhen decided to ignore the emperor's thoughts and follow Chen Guipin's words, pretending to ask this question innocently.

She also wanted to see whether the emperor would still protect Concubine Deng after she made such obvious mistakes one after another. If the counterattack system had not said that the emperor's true love was a nobody with no family background, no status, and not even any open favor, and who could only give birth to sons one after another, Xie Yuzhen could not help but suspect that Concubine Deng was the true love who was in a "sadomasochistic love" with the emperor.

hiss......

Could that weird thing have deceived me?

Xie Yuzhen suddenly doubted the authenticity of the true love that the counterattack system talked about.

But the current situation did not allow her to distract herself.

Because Concubine Deng remained calm and replied calmly, "It is He Shangyi from the Shangyi Bureau who is in charge."

"He Shangyi..." The slight smile on Concubine Chen's lips became more obvious. "She has been an official for many years, how could she make such a mistake? Could it be that she is like Concubine Xian, old and just finished the big event of her nephew marrying a daughter of the Deng family? She was too exhausted and made a mistake out of fatigue."

"I am guilty." Concubine Deng concealed the expression in her eyes and kowtowed to the emperor for the first time.

The emperor looked at her and took a deep breath. At this moment, the hall was silent and no one dared to speak rashly.

In the quiet atmosphere, Xie Yuzhen suddenly discovered that during the process when Concubine Deng was reprimanded by the emperor, her power was taken away, and she knelt down to kowtow, the empress, who had always been on good terms with her, did not even say a word to help or plead for mercy.

Xie Yuzhen, who had focused most of his attention on analyzing today's events, looked at the empress sitting on the other side of the emperor with suspicion. He saw that her face was abnormally pale and her hands were hidden in her sleeves. Although she tried her best to restrain herself, upon closer inspection, Xie Yuzhen could still see that she was trembling slightly and shaking non-stop.

"Miss."

When no one spoke and even their breathing became quiet, Xie Yuzhen stood up suddenly, causing the emperor to look back at her.

Xie Yuzhen walked over and said, "Your Majesty has just recovered from her illness. I'm afraid it's not suitable for you to sit for a long time. Why don't you go to the inner room and rest for a while."

As if Xie Yuzhen's action had given the emperor a way out, he supported the queen with a worried look on his face: "Why did Zi Tong endure the discomfort?"

He glanced at the concubines and palace maids kneeling below him, and then at Concubine Chen who was standing there like a wooden stake. He sighed helplessly and said, "The palace maids involved will be detained and sent to trial immediately. Liu Shuyi and Concubine Xian will both be confined to their homes. After Concubine Xu wakes up, we will..."

"Your Majesty, I am fine. Please do not neglect this case because of me..." The queen broke free from the emperor's hands and leaned most of her body weight on Xie Yuzhen.

Xie Yuzhen suddenly sensed a deep sadness from her.

The Queen ignored the Emperor's surprise and dissatisfaction, and cried uncontrollably: "Qingzhi, you and I have worked together for many years, and we have known each other for many years. I know that women trapped in the inner house will inevitably have conflicts and dissatisfaction with each other over some things, but this is just a normal thing between people, it's just a small matter... You also know me, you know that I believe you can't do those conspiracies that damage your morality, so I asked for your permission to assist you in managing the six palaces."

"Empress." The emperor interrupted his wife's complaints, "Since you are not feeling well, go down and rest first."

The Queen looked up at him and said, "Your Majesty, what is the crime of Concubine Xu? What is the crime of the heir to the throne?"

Before the emperor could speak, she continued, "Your Majesty was busy with state affairs in the previous dynasty, and you entrusted all matters of the harem to me because you trusted me. However, I failed to discipline the concubines in the harem to be virtuous and kind, and not to be arrogant or jealous. This is my dereliction of duty as the queen. I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case and find comfort for the innocent!"

At this point, the queen still had to excuse the emperor and even take all the blame on herself to prevent the emperor from thinking that this was a scandal that would damage his reputation and trying to smooth things over again.

But the same thing.

Isn't this also a form of persecution of the emperor?

The emperor, who was used to having his way with people, was naturally angry, but his anger was directed at Concubine Deng who was secretly stirring up trouble, at Concubine Chen who was cold and indifferent, and at the empress who was willing to take the blame and seek the truth... but not at himself.

"Xianming, tell me, the palace maids Fangfei and Jiaqi had evil thoughts about their master, and they instigated the two. Liu Shuyi was arrogant and foolish, Concubine Xian was not energetic enough and failed to supervise, and He Shangyi neglected her duties. All these interactions caused Concubine Xu to lose her child innocently... Is this the case? Isn't it clear yet?"