vstars Chapter 346: Expelled from the Palace
Chapter 346: Expelled from the Palace
The Seventh Princess had already been carried away by Ruyue. Empress Dowager Li then sat up straight and said, "Queen, I have something to discuss with you. It's not a bad thing."
At this time, Jiang Yuxian walked out from the side hall with light lotus steps. She knelt on the ground without saying a word and bowed her head respectfully.
Lan Qingwu was surprised and asked, "What's this for? Such a big ceremony? Stand up!"
Empress Dowager Li took a sip of the fragrant tea and was not in a hurry to speak.
The Sixth Prince narrowed his eyes slightly and was about to speak, but Lan Qingwu glanced at him lightly and said, "Chen'er, take your brothers and sisters and go ahead."
The Sixth Prince glanced at Empress Dowager Li, and then at Jiang Yuxian who was crawling on the ground. The fourteen-year-old boy already knew what was going on. He was afraid that the Empress Dowager would force his mother to take in this Jiang girl for his father.
Lan Qingwu restrained his smile and looked at the motionless Sixth Prince: "Be obedient! What's going to happen next is not suitable for you to be present!"
The Sixth Prince had no choice but to take the Seventh Prince and the Seventh Princess and leave first.
It is indeed not appropriate for me to be present or speak when my father, the emperor, takes a concubine.
As soon as Lan Qingwu said this, Empress Dowager Li felt a little uncomfortable. Her grandchildren were still present, and she was indeed not thoughtful enough.
Lan Qingwu had long been accustomed to Empress Dowager Li's unreliability towards Emperor Shenwu and himself. Everyone has their own length, but if parents are biased and partial to one side, there is nothing you can do even if you are heartbroken.
By the time the Sixth Prince left the main hall, Empress Dowager Li had returned to normal. "Empress, over the years, I have long since given up on the affairs of the harem. I no longer wish to be involved in so many matters. However, this time, I have encountered a woman who is deeply in love with the Emperor. Xian'er is of noble birth, innocent, and understanding. I believe she will serve the Emperor and Empress well after entering the palace."
Lan Qingwu looked at Empress Dowager Li and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has refused her entry into the palace, right?"
Empress Dowager Li did not hide anything. "Yes, the Emperor has his concerns, but it's not that he is dissatisfied with Xian'er. Yesterday, the Emperor said that if Xian'er entered the palace, she would only be a concubine for the rest of her life. I also felt that was inappropriate, so I wanted to find another marriage for Xian'er. However, this girl is stubborn and has fallen deeply in love with the Emperor. Yesterday, she even begged me bitterly, saying that she would rather enter the palace and be a concubine of a low rank for the rest of her life, just to be devoted to Your Majesty. I was unable to persuade such an infatuated woman, so I am speaking these words to the Empress today."
"This isn't a big deal. I'll just fulfill her wish and dispel some rumors that were spread against the Queen."
Lan Qingwu's eyes turned slightly cold. Rumors about her? They were just rumors that the Empress had been her favorite for many years, and that the Emperor Shenwu had not chosen anyone from among the people for many years because of the Empress.
"Speaking of Miss Jiang, I do have something to say!"
Lan Qingwu gently placed the lid on the teacup: "Miss Jiang was bossy and overbearing when she first met me. How can you say she's innocent, cute, and considerate?"
Empress Dowager Li looked at Lan Qingwu in surprise: "You have met before."
Jiang Yuxian, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled. She thought that the Queen had never spoken about that matter, and didn't care or had forgotten it. She didn't expect that the Queen would reveal the matter in front of Empress Dowager Li.
Jiang Yuxian quickly bowed her head again, "It was your humble servant who was so rude! When I saw the Empress in her casual clothes, I thought it was a maid from Jianyue wandering around the Lotus Pavilion. Please punish me, Empress!"
Lan Qingwu said coldly, "The first time you entered the palace, you barged into the Lotus Pavilion. You thought you were a palace maid and wanted to punish her without explanation. When you found out about my identity, you acted clever and evaded the important issues! I didn't want to say anything more because you are Concubine Jiang's niece, but I didn't expect you to be so careless and actually think about your aunt's master! I wonder what Concubine Jiang is thinking!"
Empress Dowager Li was about to speak when Lan Qingwu interrupted her without hesitation: "However, I don't know what Imperial Concubine Jiang thinks, but this is what I think, Jiang Yuxian—you are truly disgusting and repulsive!"
Lan Qingwu looked at Empress Dowager Li again and said, "Your Majesty, your judgment is truly poor! This woman is nothing but a flattering villain. She's two-faced and has just entered the palace, yet she's already vain and greedy for wealth and glory! In just a few days, she's already fallen deeply in love with a stranger? It's a complete joke! She even intends for her aunt and niece to serve Your Majesty together. Your Majesty, do you think a woman from an aristocratic family would act this way?"
Lan Qingwu didn't care about Empress Dowager Li's ugly face at all: "There is no way Jiang Yuxian can enter the Dasheng harem through me! I will never acknowledge a woman that His Majesty has already rejected!"
Lan Qingwu stood up and bowed gracefully and dignifiedly: "Empress Dowager, I have said everything I need to say. If you still want Jiang Yuxian to enter the palace, please do so!"
However, I will not show any mercy then.
Lan Qingwu turned around and tried to leave. Jiang Yuxian, who was kneeling on the ground, was trembling all over. She suddenly realized that in the eyes of these people, she was not taken seriously at all. She was the only one who performed a one-man show from beginning to end, and these high-ranking people, including her aunt, all watched everything happening with cold eyes!
Jiang Yuxian suddenly raised her head, looked directly at Lan Qingwu and said, "Empress, you are jealous! You are afraid! You are afraid that His Majesty will no longer favor you! You are afraid that a minister will enter the palace and end your favor! You are afraid that His Majesty will no longer look at you!"
Lan Qingwu said casually: "Slap!"
Empress Dowager Li was shocked: "Queen!"
Ru Ping turned a deaf ear to him, and pulled Jiang Yuxian up with one hand, and started beating her with both hands for more than ten times. Lan Qingwu then said, "So that you know, even if I am jealous and afraid, you have no right to come to me and shout at me! I am the queen personally appointed by His Majesty of the Dasheng Dynasty! I am His Majesty's wife, and even the officials of the previous dynasty dare not disrespect me! Who are you! Who do you think you are!" A mere servant?
"I only gave you these few slaps because of Concubine Jiang's kindness! If you disrespect me again, your Jiang family will not be able to bear the consequences!"
Jiang Yuxian was beaten so hard that blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, and her delicate face was already red and swollen. She had an indignant expression on her face, but when she heard the Jiang family, she became scared. What if her parents, brothers and sisters were implicated? She was distracted and couldn't help but collapse to the ground.
Lan Qingwu walked away, saying, "Propagate this imperial decree: Jiang Yuxian has disrespected me and is expelled from the imperial palace effective immediately! Inform the other six palaces, and let this serve as a warning!"
Ru Ping said respectfully, "Yes!"
Before nightfall, the imperial decree had spread throughout the six palaces. The concubines inquired about what had happened and learned that Jiang Yuxian, who was once in the limelight, had been sent back to Baifu Pavilion with a red and swollen face. She was being beaten and tortured! And it was in Empress Dowager Li's Quanhe Pavilion!
Emperor Shenwu was reviewing memorials in the front hall of Qingliang Palace. Upon hearing this, he only said one sentence: "Are you really angry?"
Li Xiang nodded innocently, thinking, "How would a servant know that?" However, the Empress rarely punished palace maids. What had happened this time? To make the Empress so angry, punishing a minister's daughter with such fanfare?