An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

"This..." Concubine Qi spoke first, "Your Majesty, I have never assisted in the management of the six palaces, so I don't know much about these things. If I speak up rashly, it would be considered as usurping power, so I will not speak up and participate in this matter."

"It's okay," the queen shook her head, as if she didn't mind the matter. "Today's situation is special, I allow you to speak up and participate. Whether you are right or wrong, I will not blame you."

“I feel that what Concubine Tian did is not punishable by death, but her actions were vile and cruel, and she should be demoted.

It just so happens that Concubine Xia doesn’t have a suitable palace to move to, so if Concubine Tian is demoted, it will also make way for Concubine Xia to take the main position.”

Concubine Qi laughed as she spoke, and she intentionally pulled Xia Dongchun in as well. Concubine Chun laughed along with her, and that look made Xia Dongchun feel uneasy.

Therefore, before the Queen Mother could speak, Xia Dongchun spoke up, "Queen Mother, I have lived in the Yanxi Palace for a long time, and sometimes I would like to live in a different environment.

There seems to be no main seat in the palace of Chuxiu, I wonder if the Queen can ask this concubine to accompany Concubine Qi and Concubine Xin?"

When Concubine Xia wanted to come over, Concubine Qi's face changed. "Today we are talking about Concubine Tian. How could Concubine Xia bring the focus to herself in just a few words? Your actions are embarrassing for the Empress."

"Oh, if you want to say it's difficult, it's you who is embarrassing Her Majesty," Xia Dongchun was not willing to admit defeat, and immediately raised her voice, "It was you who mentioned me first, why are you turning the tables?

No wonder she is the daughter of Guarjia clan, it seems she is really good at stabbing others in the back!"

Xia Dongchun has a sharp tongue and speaks without restraint, so when he speaks to Concubine Qi, every word he says can hit Concubine Qi directly in the lungs, making Concubine Qi's blood boil and she wishes she could rush up and slap her.

"Madam Xia, we can discuss matters, but how can you expose the shortcomings of Madam Qi in front of everyone?"

Concubine Xin was smiling happily. Concubine Qi and she had been competing for the main seat in Chuxiu Palace. When the emperor came to Chuxiu Palace to rest, the two of them would fight for it with all their strength.

It's just that Concubine Qi is young and beautiful, and she is always the winner. Concubine Xin was already angry, and now that she heard Concubine Qi was humiliated, she naturally rushed over to mock her.

"How could you, you two, collude with each other to bully me like this!"

"How can this be considered bullying? I am just telling the truth. Lady Qi, please tell me, how did I wrongly accuse you?"

When Xia Dongchun saw someone standing up to support her, she felt more confident. In addition, the Queen Mother was sitting aside watching the show, with a look on her face that she didn't care about the matter at all, which made her even more arrogant.

"Every word and every sentence are all unfair to me." Concubine Qi suppressed her anger and looked at the Empress who was still standing by and watching, then she stood up and saluted angrily.

This was an extremely perfunctory gesture. He just bent his legs slightly and then lifted them up in an instant. The movement was so fast that the Queen even thought she was dazzled.

"Empress, the Emperor has already made a decision on the matter of my family. I and my family are grateful for the Emperor's grace and have received the punishment we deserve.

But today, Concubine Xia and Noble Lady Xin kept seizing on the matter of my mother's family, and ridiculed me again and again, hurting my reputation.

Your Majesty, these two people don't know how to restrain themselves in front of you, and I don't know how they will arrange things among the concubines in private.

No matter what, please, Queen, make the decision for me!"

"Lady Qi, please sit down first." At this time, the queen had to speak. Her eyes moved among the three people, and after a long time, she spoke, "Sisters in the palace are familiar with each other, and it is inevitable that they will discuss some things privately and openly.

I usually don't restrict these things, but today you two have embarrassed Lady Qi, which is really a bit too much."

"Your Majesty, I am only concerned about Lady Qi. I would never think of embarrassing her."

Xia Dongchun also stood up and saluted. She was a little more sincere than Concubine Qi, but her legs were not bent very much. Anyone who saw it would think it was extremely perfunctory.

"It's obviously Concubine Qi who is making a big deal out of nothing. She lost her temper over a joke or two. I used to be even more impatient than her, but I never gossiped in front of the Empress."

"Alright, Concubine Xia." The Queen was annoyed and raised her hand to interrupt Xia Dongchun. "If you continue to talk too much and keep angering Concubine Qi, I will have to punish you to face the wall and reflect on your mistakes."

"Empress, it was obviously Concubine Qi who first started to criticize me, and she even deliberately said that she wanted me to take Concubine Tian's place as the head of Yanxi Palace.

If Concubine Tian heard this, she would definitely think that I am dissatisfied with her. Wouldn't this alienate the relationship between sisters?

I live with her in the same palace, and we see each other every day. If she instigates us like this, we will attack each other every time we meet in the future. Wouldn't there be no peace in the harem?

She is so unreasonable, but the Queen doesn't punish her, but punishes me. I really don't understand!"

Xia Dongchun was so angry that her tone towards the Queen was not very nice, but fortunately her words were well-founded and she was not accused of being unreasonable.

However, it was really too much to embarrass the Queen in public. The Queen gave him a sharp look, as if she didn't hear what Xia Dongchun said at all.

"After Concubine Xia gave birth to the prince, she became very vicious and even the Empress did not take her seriously."

Concubine Xin jumped out again to defend the Empress, and her words were full of hidden meanings, insinuating that Xia Dongchun had inappropriate thoughts after she had the prince.

Sure enough, the Empress's expression became even worse. Concubine Qi found the right opportunity to respond and even sang the same tune with Concubine Xin.

"Yes, the Queen asked me to speak up and said that she would not blame me for it, so I spoke up boldly.

But I only said a few words, and Concubine Xia started to verbally attack me.

Your Majesty, from now on, when I pay my respects to you, I will not dare to say a word more."

As Concubine Qi spoke, she wiped her non-existent tears with a handkerchief, looking as pitiful as possible.

At the same time, Xia Dongchun's raised eyebrows made her look a little aggressive. People who didn't understand the situation naturally thought that Concubine Qi was right and didn't have a good face towards Xia Dongchun.

"You...you..." Xia Dongchun became more and more angry, but because of his anger, his mouth was not working well. He tore his handkerchief in anger and couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Okay," Ling Rong suddenly spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it suppressed the voices of the crowd. "Can't you see that the Queen is getting a headache because of the noise?"

After these words were spoken, no one dared to say anything more. Everyone looked at the queen's face, fearing that they would anger her.

The queen kept silent on purpose until those people looked away, then she spoke, "You are arguing and quarreling in public, getting red in the face, where have you learned any rules?

Concubine Xia, Concubine Qi, after returning to the palace today, each of you should face the wall and reflect on your mistakes for an hour, and think carefully about where you went wrong."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The two of them bowed together and dared not say anything more. They just lowered their heads quietly.

"Since Concubine Sheng has spoken, why not tell me how to punish Concubine Tian?"

After Ling Rong opened her mouth, she knew that the Queen would throw this question to her. She sat on the chair without moving, "Your Majesty, beating a palace maid to death is a serious violation of the palace.

If it was below the rank of concubine, I could say a few words according to the palace rules, but Concubine Tian was a concubine and had the power to assist in managing the six palaces, so she did have the power to torture the palace maids.

So when it comes to the torture of the palace maid, there was nothing wrong with how Concubine Tian handled it. It's just that causing someone's death... this method was really a bit extreme.

I think that in addition to following the opinions of the concubines and punishing according to palace rules, we must also listen to the emperor's will."

Lingrong made it clear that she really didn't want to get involved in these things. After she finished speaking, she directly pushed the matter onto the Emperor, leaving the Empress speechless for a moment and her face even uglier.

But what Lingrong said was indeed correct, and the Queen had no way to refute it. She pondered for a while and sighed, "If the Emperor was in good health and had not fainted, I would not have asked the sisters in the palace to come up with some ideas."

The queen's eyes turned and fell on Concubine Jing's face, "Concubine Jing, what do you think?"

The Queen clearly didn't want to hear the Emperor ordering this. Concubine Jing pondered for a while and decided to handle it according to the palace rules. "Your Majesty, beating a palace maid to death is indeed a very serious crime.

If the palace maid had indeed committed a serious mistake, Concubine Tian could be punished by house arrest, and the duration of the punishment would be adjusted according to the mistake made by the palace maid.

If these are indeed minor mistakes, then the palace will be closed for three months.

But if the palace maid was not at fault, the punishment for Concubine Tian would be more severe. According to palace rules, she could be demoted or even stripped of her title.

If demotion is not enough of a punishment, then we really have to ask the Emperor to make the decision."

The queen heard the answer she wanted, and even her eyes lit up. She said, "Demotion is in line with palace rules, but according to Concubine Jing's opinion, which position is more appropriate?"

"This..." Concubine Jing clenched her hands. She raised her eyes slightly and looked at Lingrong, who just shook her head at her, and no one knew what she meant.

"This also depends on the severity of the mistake. Generally speaking, she will only be demoted one level. But Concubine Tian is a concubine after all. Shouldn't the Queen..."

"I understand."

The Queen did not want to hear such words from the Emperor, so she interrupted Concubine Jing and said, "In that case, demotion is the best punishment.

The reason I called all the concubines here today is because Concubine Tian’s behavior is too tyrannical, and I want all the concubines to take it as a warning.

After careful consideration of this matter, I decided that severe punishment would be best, so I demoted Concubine Tian to the rank of imperial concubine, stripped her of her authority to assist in the management of the six palaces, and punished her with house arrest for three months as a warning to others.

As for Feiyun's funeral expenses and the resettlement expenses of his parents, they will also be paid by Concubine Tian."

Today's greeting made the Queen show off her power, which made Concubine Jing feel uneasy. She thought she had said something wrong.

Lingrong didn't have the heart to comfort her. Now that Concubine Tian no longer had the power to assist in managing the six palaces, the Queen had taken back even more power. She might be the next one to be dealt with.

Instead of caring about the life and death of others, it is better to care about yourself, even if it means asking the queen to divert the target.

"Your Majesty, the Queen's punishment this time is a bit too harsh."

"The Queen's drastic measures are intended to shock the concubines in the harem and let everyone know that as the Queen, she has the power to demote concubines who make mistakes according to palace rules."

Lingrong took off her hairpins and rings and changed into a more comfortable nightgown. Her face was full of fatigue, and it was obvious that she had not slept well in the Yangxin Palace.

"In this way, while the emperor is in a coma, no one dares to cause trouble and can obey the queen's orders as much as possible.

Even if the emperor wakes up later, he will not scold the queen for acting on her own. Even if it causes dissatisfaction from the previous dynasty's Fucha family, the queen can take all the blame and ask the emperor to be the good man who restores Concubine Tian's position.

In this way, the emperor will trust the queen more, and at the same time resent Concubine Tian and the Fucha family who is putting pressure on her behind the scenes.

If my guess is correct, the Queen must have left a backup plan to deal with Fu Cha. "

Lingrong was indeed a little tired. While talking to Zhaoshui, she fell asleep on the chaise longue. Zhaoshui covered her with a quilt before leaving and going to the small kitchen to prepare a meal for Lingrong.

It was quiet today, and no one came to see Lingrong, and she didn't hear any words like Concubine Tian was dissatisfied with the Queen's punishment.

Of course, given her personality, there must be some news, but she couldn't leave the Yanx Palace, so the news couldn't get out.

Three days later, the emperor finally woke up from his coma. At the same time, rumors about the disloyalty of the Fucha family had spread all over the city.

The emperor just woke up and heard this news. He was so angry that he almost fainted again.

It was Doctor Zhou who was quick to act and used golden needles to prick the emperor's acupuncture points, causing the emperor's blood to surge, but he remained conscious.

"Su Peisheng, ask that Fu Cha to come to the Yangxin Palace to see me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Su Peisheng responded quickly, but the queen disagreed. She stopped Su Peisheng with her eyes and turned to comfort the emperor, "Your Majesty, I know you are angry, but you have just woken up from fainting, so you still need the imperial physician to treat you and stabilize your body.

If I were to be harmed again by such a scoundrel, how could the ministers and I rest assured?"

The Queen sighed as she spoke. Everyone knew that the Queen had something to say to the Emperor in private, so they all retreated and stood guard at the door.

While changing the emperor's clothes, the queen relayed the emperor's story from the previous dynasty, "Tianpin arrested someone at the gate of the emperor's Yangxin Palace and beat him to death. This behavior has made everyone in the harem feel insecure.

I had no choice but to demote her, but who knew that this would displease Lord Fucha, who repeatedly asked his wife to come to the palace to meet me.

In order to let the concubines in the harem learn from this, I did not agree to restore Tianpin's position. Who would have thought that it would cause a stir in the previous dynasty? It is really my fault. "