The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Because high-ranking concubines in the palace died one after another, the emperor announced that he would suspend court for a few days. But even if he suspended court, he did not really lie down and ignore state affairs from then on. He just stopped attending the morning court.

Important officials in the court still had to get up early every day and go to the Lizheng Hall to assist the emperor in handling government affairs.

Since the death of Concubine Deng, the Emperor had a "cordial and friendly" conversation with the Duke of England. On the condition of welcoming the Fifth Miss Deng into the palace as a concubine and conferring the title of Prince on the Second Prince, the Emperor wanted to make the Duke of England and other men of the Deng family who held important positions step back.

The Duke of England was confident that no matter what happened to his family now, he would have the Second Prince, the only healthy male heir of the Emperor, to provide a safety net in the future. He thought for a moment and then said with trepidation that he was loyal to the Emperor and that thunder and rain were all grace from the Emperor... Your Majesty, whatever you say is what it is. However, you are going to continue to give my daughter a high position and make my grandson a king. This is really too good for my family. I am old and it is time for me to enjoy the happiness of my descendants. So I beg to retire...

The resignation of an official, especially an important official like the Duke of England, cannot be handled in a day or two. Therefore, although the emperor was very "touched" by the Duke of England's "knowledge of when to advance and when to retreat" and was happy to immediately wave his hand and tell him to go home and lie down, he still had to tolerate him hanging around for a while before the affairs of the Duke of England and others were completely handed over.

Naturally, the Duke of England will be present at today's small court meeting.

Inside the Lizheng Hall.

As soon as the emperor arrived, the drama that Xie Yuzhen was no stranger to began to be performed again.

However, this time, one of the charges against the queen changed from a comet rising from the east as a warning to a stone tablet appearing in the capital river and an evil spirit being born in the harem.

As for the other statements, they are no different from the previous one.

"...... Concubine Ning poisoned the late emperor, and the Empress assisted the tyrant. I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will thoroughly investigate this matter to comfort the late emperor's spirit in heaven!" The first person to jump out and accuse was still the Minister of Rites Cao, while Marquis Yuyang stood in a position not too far from him, nor too close to him. He seemed neutral, but in fact he added a few words to support him.

The resignation was a foregone conclusion, and the Duke of England, who had originally intended to just watch the fun, also squinted his eyes and started to think - his fifth daughter's position in the palace would definitely not be too low, but if it could be higher... or if she didn't have to have the Empress of the Central Palace to pressure her, wouldn't that also be a great thing?

"Your Majesty, my family members mentioned this rumor not long ago. Although it is plausible, the Empress has always been virtuous, and Concubine Ning was once one of the most noble ladies. How could they do such an immoral, disloyal and unfilial thing? I beg Your Majesty to investigate it thoroughly so that the Empresses can have a clear name."

As soon as the Duke of England opened his mouth, Marquis Yuyang looked at him several times: Old thing, you are so bad, you want to pick fruits?

no way!

He glanced at Minister Cao from a distance, and said with a folded hand: "Your Majesty, although this matter is just some rumors and not worth mentioning, since a stone tablet with warning words has appeared in the Jinghe River, I think it is better to check it out. If the rumor is false, those fools who are making groundless accusations should be punished. If it is true..."

If it is true, Concubine Ning must die, and the best outcome for the Queen is to be deposed.

The emperor's head was slightly stabbed.

He knew very well that the Jinghe Stele must be a forgery, but the impeachment memorial submitted by Minister Cao and others actually found out exactly how he had prepared poisoned wine for the late emperor, how he had poisoned the late emperor, and how he had put the blame on Concubine Yuan, Yi and others.

There is no problem for them to investigate. After all, the real cause of death of the late emperor is actually a million miles away from the so-called "truth" they know. If they investigate along this line of thought, Concubine Ning and the Queen, who did not really plot to poison the late emperor, will naturally be safe. In the end, they will only be blamed.

But the only problem is...

Concubine Ning was investigated.

But the emperor didn’t check it!

It was the emperor who wanted to poison the previous emperor and frame his political enemies!

He lowered his head to glance at the memorial, then looked up at the court officials below the stairs, with a hint of impatience in his eyes.

The courtiers who saw the emperor's eyes did not realize that their master was guilty. Instead, they thought that their master valued the queen too much and did not want his wife to bear a stigma.

"Your Majesty, how can you be a woman in the harem and ignore the peace of our royal father in the netherworld?" Minister Wen sighed with a look of grief on his face.

The emperor felt a headache when he saw him like that, and he opened his mouth to say something.

But then I heard a commotion coming from the side door of the Lizheng Hall.

Many people shouted "Empress" in panic.

One of the sharp female voices stood out: "Help! Your Majesty, help me!!!"

The emperor was unfamiliar with this voice. He threw away the impeachment memorial to the empress and Concubine Ning, frowned and said to Li Zong: "What's going on? Go and take a look."

Li Zong obeyed the order solemnly. Not long after he left, everyone in the Lizheng Hall heard the usually prudent eunuch screaming, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?!"

"Ouch!"

After several cries of pain, Li Zong came in, holding onto his hat, and said, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened. Concubine Zhao is chasing after Concubine Wang with a sword in the side hall. She...she, she...no one dares to step forward to stop her!"

what?

The emperor was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously began to wonder who this concubine Wang was and what she had done to make his beloved so angry.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, the emperor immediately stood up.

Wen Shangshu had been unhappy since he heard the noise coming from the side hall. When he heard that Concubine Zhao was openly chasing after the imperial concubine with a sword, he was about to burst out with displeasure: "Your Majesty, the Lizheng Hall is not a place where women can act so unruly. Why don't you quickly order the Imperial Guards to capture this woman?"

His voice was old and harsh. As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xuanshi, who was almost collapsed by the pursuit, rushed out from the small door connecting the side hall and the main hall, shouting: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, save me! Xie is going to kill me!!!"

She rushed towards the emperor, who dodged to the side and looked at the woman who was chasing after Wang Xuanshi: "Xianming, why are you crying?"

Xie Yuzhen deliberately drove Wang Xuanshi towards the Lizheng Hall at an unhurried pace, like driving a pig. She first glanced at everyone present calmly - very good, everyone who was there that night was there, and there were also a few more unfamiliar faces who did not come that night.

She pointed her sword at the imperial concubine Wang who was hiding behind the imperial table: "Your Majesty sentenced Concubine Ning to death for this bitch who colluded with the previous dynasty, and then let her kill the Empress. I'm afraid it will be my turn next. I'm just crying for myself in advance, so what?!"

The emperor was put on the spot for no reason. His mind was buzzing and blank. He only remembered that his queen had died. His eyes were wide open: "What did you say?!"