vrcanaries Chapter 1280 Who will she suspect first?
Chapter 1280 Who will she suspect first?
Concubine Zhuang's eyes turned slightly cold.
Wasn't all this the work of the Imperial Concubine? And here she is, pretending to be so!
However, no matter how resentful or unwilling she was, Concubine Zhuang could only kneel on the ground and said respectfully, "Yes."
"I will follow the instructions of the Imperial Noble Consort and reflect on my mistakes."
Shen Zhinian did not stay any longer, holding Fuqiu's hand, and left gracefully.
The concubines hurriedly bowed and saluted: "Your servants/concubines respectfully send off the Imperial Noble Consort!"
As soon as Shen Zhinian left, the atmosphere in the hall became even more subtle.
Concubine Zhuang only felt that hidden behind those drooping eyelids were all ridicule, pity and gloating towards her.
She has lost all face and prestige today!
Concubine Zhuang didn't want to stay in this suffocating place any longer, so she got up with difficulty and walked out with unsteady steps.
Her back no longer had any of the elegance and grace of a royal concubine, only embarrassment and panic.
After leaving the side hall, the cold wind of the first month blew in her face, but it could not blow away the humiliation in Concubine Zhuang's heart.
Her eyes inadvertently swept across the corner of the courtyard.
Ruoli, who was beaten to death, has not yet had his body dragged away.
Her eyes were wide open, full of resentment and resentment, and she was staring straight at Concubine Zhuang.
Concubine Zhuang stopped in her tracks abruptly, and her body trembled.
Two lines of clear tears silently slid down from the corners of her eyes. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the bloody air, and said to Ruoji, "After all, we are master and servant. Tell them to bury her...with honor."
Ruoji whispered, "Yes."
After all, this was the side hall of Changchun Palace. After Concubine Chun calmed down a little, she sat on the sedan chair and returned weakly to Shuixi Pavilion.
The doors and windows of the inner room were tightly closed, and heavy curtains were hung low, completely isolating the room from outside light and prying eyes.
Concubine Chun took off her pitiful disguise and lay on the bed with the support of Yingxiang. The misery and grief she had felt in Changchun Palace just now had long disappeared without a trace.
Although her face was still pale, her eyes were cold and clear, and even had a hint of pleasure after her plan succeeded.
Yingxiang carefully served a cup of freshly brewed red date and ginseng tea, and the warm steam slightly dispelled the chill in the inner room.
She looked at Concubine Chun's pale but remarkably lucid face, and spoke with a hint of regret: "...My Lady, although we got rid of that annoying Ruoli today and severely humiliated Concubine Zhuang, it's a pity...that we were unable to completely overthrow her."
"She still has the title of Imperial Concubine. It's really a bargain for her!"
Concubine Chun took the teacup but didn't drink it immediately. She sneered, her voice full of undisguised sarcasm: "Overthrow Concubine Zhuang?"
"Oh, who do you think she is, Zhuang Yumian?"
"She comes from the noble Zhuang family and is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor. Your Majesty currently relies on Grand Tutor Zhuang to stabilize the court and balance the forces of all parties. How could he easily touch her just because of a charge of lax discipline?"
"What's more, Concubine Zhuang was definitely not the mastermind behind this incident."
Having said this, Concubine Chun paused, a calculating glint in her eyes: "But the result we got today has exceeded my expectations."
"Noble Concubine Zhuang had just acquired her position, and before she could even warm up to it, her assistant position was taken away. Her reputation for virtue, which she had cultivated for many years, was destroyed in an instant. Furthermore, everyone in the palace saw clearly her true face of being incompetent."
"In the future, how many people in the harem will truly believe in her?
"This is the most fatal thing for Concubine Zhuang."
Concubine Chun narrowed her eyes, her gaze as cold as a venomous snake. "Good Yingxiang, think about it more deeply. Master Zhuang is respected as a leader in the literary world by scholars all over the world. He always teaches the world to be loyal, filial, chaste, and righteous, to be upright, to cultivate oneself, to manage one's family, to govern the country, and to bring peace to the world."
"The results of it?"
"He couldn't even properly educate his own daughter, yet he allowed her to cause such disgraceful trouble in the harem, leading to the demise of the imperial heir! How can Grand Tutor Zhuang still have the dignity to call himself a great scholar?"
"Hasn't his so-called self-cultivation and family harmony become a huge joke?"
"After this incident, the banker's ever-rising reputation will certainly be shattered!"
"In the court, those who are at odds with the Zhuang family, or who want to take advantage of the opportunity to rise to power, how could they miss this opportunity to attack them?"
"As long as the former dynasty is disturbed by this, the prince will have the opportunity to take advantage of it!"
Mentioning Prince Jin, Concubine Chun's icy eyes flickered with almost fanatical warmth and admiration, and her tone softened, "If this causes unrest in the former dynasty, and the situation becomes unstable... Your Highness will be able to seize the opportunity to plot and operate in secret."
"This is the most important!"
"As long as it benefits His Majesty's cause, what does it matter if I pay such a small price?"
Yingxiang's heart surged with emotion as she sighed from the bottom of her heart, "The young lady is very thoughtful and far-sighted, and her love for the prince is profound and sincere!"
"When the prince learns of this, he will surely be grateful for your kindness!"
Concubine Chun smiled sweetly, but then quickly regained her composure. "However... although we won today, we must be more cautious in the future."
"After this incident, Concubine Zhuang must be like a frightened bird, making her even more difficult to deal with."
Yingxiang said respectfully, "This servant understands."
Concubine Chun seemed to have suddenly thought of something, a sly glint flashing across her eyes as she asked, "Yingxiang, do you know that today's events, besides the obvious results, also have another extremely beneficial aspect for us? What is it?"
Yingxiang frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head blankly: "This servant is stupid, please explain clearly, my lord."
Concubine Chun chuckled lightly, her tone filled with a hint of pride: "No one would have thought that I was the one who sacrificed this fully formed prince to frame Concubine Zhuang."
"In everyone's eyes, I am the most innocent and pitiful victim. The pain of losing my son is enough to cover up all doubts and gain the greatest sympathy."
"And Concubine Zhuang..."
Concubine Chun paused, her eyes full of mockery: "Under her bodhisattva appearance, she hides a very sensitive heart, and is extremely suspicious."
"Noble Concubine Zhuang suffered such a great loss, losing her troops and power. How could she truly believe that what happened today was an accident? She would definitely suspect that someone was deliberately framing her."
"So……"
Concubine Chun's voice dragged out: "Guess, with her mindset, who will she suspect first?"
"Who in the harem is the most capable and motivated to strike her down?"
Yingxiang's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Noble Concubine Zhuang will definitely suspect that it was the Imperial Concubine who was secretly plotting to eliminate her and seize power back!"
"good."
Concubine Chun nodded in satisfaction, a cold arc appeared on the corner of her lips, and her eyes were full of the cold light of success: "Let these two high and mighty ladies fight, the more fierce the fight, the better!"
"We just need to wait and see, and if necessary... quietly add some more wood to make the fire burn even brighter!"
"Don't you have an old saying in the Great Zhou Dynasty, 'When the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits'? The muddier the water, the easier it will be for us to act."