vrcanaries Chapter 1278: Beating Ruoli to death (151 million reward points plus more)
Chapter 1278: Beating Ruoli to death (151 million reward points plus more)
"How long has the Imperial Concubine been in charge of the six palaces? There are people under her who pretend to obey her but actually disobey her, and who deceive their superiors and their subordinates. How can everything be blamed on the Imperial Concubine?"
"Yes, can the Imperial Concubine manage so many things by herself?"
"..."
However, their pale excuses seemed so powerless in the face of the ironclad facts and the miserable appearance of the three little eunuchs.
Regardless of whether Concubine Zhuang herself was aware of it or not, the accusation that she failed to manage her subordinates strictly and had a poor judgment of people was already set in stone.
The image of virtue and benevolence that Concubine Zhuang painstakingly cultivated was instantly covered with a layer of indelible dirt, becoming hypocritical and ridiculous...
Some concubines who originally had a favorable impression or awe of her because of her noble birth and dignified temperament, now looked at Concubine Zhuang with more or less suspicion in their eyes.
She couldn't even control the senior maids in her own palace, and allowed them to exploit the lower-ranking palace maids, which led to the disaster of the premature death of the emperor's heir. Can such a concubine really help manage the six palaces?
Concubine Zhuang knelt upright, clearly feeling the gazes from all directions, some suspicious, some disappointed, some gloating, and even some contemptuous.
She was still barely maintaining her dignified mask, but beneath her wide sleeves, her nails had already dug deep into her palms, oozing blood.
The reputation and image that Concubine Zhuang had painstakingly built up over the years were largely destroyed at this moment!
She could even feel the Imperial Concubine's calm gaze on her, as if silently mocking her failure...
All of this fell into the eyes of Concubine Chun, who was "heartbroken" on the couch.
She lowered her eyes to hide the pleasure that flashed across them.
The more embarrassed Concubine Zhuang is, the more successful her play is!
The emperor's face was already livid, and his gaze was like a knife as he glared at Ruoli and Concubine Zhuang. The anger in his voice was almost bursting out: "Great! What a Changchun Palace! What a virtuous and benevolent Concubine! Is this how you rule your subjects?!"
"My Lady, what else do you have to say?!"
There was a dead silence in the hall, and everyone's eyes were focused on Concubine Zhuang, waiting for her reaction.
The gazes of the crowd were like invisible needles, piercing her body to pieces.
Concubine Zhuang knew that now that things had come to this, if she did not decisively abandon Ruoli, she would not be able to escape heavy responsibility!
What's more, she has always regarded herself as compassionate, but she must wear this mask tightly at this moment.
Concubine Zhuang took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision.
She suddenly turned around, looked coldly at Ruoli who was lying on the ground with tears in her eyes, and then raised her hand.
"Snapped!!!"
A crisp, loud slap landed hard on Ruoli's face!
The force was so great that Ruoli fell to the ground, her hair disheveled and clear red marks from five fingers instantly appeared on her cheek.
"Bad maid!"
Concubine Zhuang's voice trembled slightly with anger, but she still tried to maintain her composure, her eyes icy cold. "I have always been grateful for your dedicated service and have treated you well. I have always taught you to be considerate of your subordinates and to be compassionate."
"How dare you, behind my back, commit such wicked acts of exploitation and cruelty, deceiving your superiors and your subordinates! Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?!"
"You have caused this great disaster today and harmed the heir to the throne. You are to blame for this!"
Ruoli was completely stunned by this slap.
She relied on the fact that she was a servant brought into the palace by Concubine Zhuang from her mansion, and that she was trusted and respected, so she always acted arrogantly in Changchun Palace. How could she have suffered such humiliation?
Ruoli subconsciously covered her burning cheeks, her eyes filled with incredible astonishment and grievance.
Which high-ranking palace maid or eunuch in the palace would not accept tributes from the servants?
She was just unlucky and ran into a gun, so how could she be considered an unforgivable sinner?!
But when she met Concubine Zhuang's icy gaze, Ruoli felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave, and finally realized that she had been treated as a discarded pawn...
The instinct of survival made her ignore the pain in her cheek and the resentment in her heart. She knelt down again, kowtowed desperately, and cried out, "Your Majesty, please calm down! I know I was wrong!"
"It is this servant who has been possessed by a demon! I have failed the Majesty's teachings!"
"Please, Madam, spare my life for the sake of my many years of service to you!"
Concubine Zhuang did not look at Ruoli again, but turned around resolutely and faced the emperor again.
She bowed deeply, her voice heavy with sorrow and filled with self-blame: "Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
"I, your concubine, was not strict in managing my subordinates and did not know how to judge people. I allowed this evil slave to stay by my side for many years without even noticing him. This led to his audacity and cruelty towards the palace maids, ultimately causing the premature death of the imperial heir..."
"I am ashamed to have failed to live up to your majesty's trust, and I am ashamed to face the grief of Concubine Chun's sister at the loss of her son."
As Concubine Zhuang spoke, she turned towards Concubine Chun and bowed to a noble lady as a concubine. "Sister Chun, I'm sorry for not being able to discipline the palace maids, and for letting you suffer so much..."
Finally, Concubine Zhuang once again turned towards Nangong Xuanyu, her forehead touching the ground. "All the blame lies with me. Your Majesty, please deal with me according to the palace rules. I have no complaints!"
Her apology was extremely humble and her confession of fault was extremely sincere. She placed all the blame on her lack of discipline towards her subordinates, perfectly avoiding the suspicion of intentionality or instigation.
He also portrayed himself as a compassionate victim who was deceived by the evil slaves, vividly.
Shen Zhinian watched Concubine Zhuang's performance coldly, with a sarcastic arc at the corner of his lips.
It is true that Concubine Chun plotted against Concubine Zhuang, but the people under Concubine Zhuang were so despicable and greedy that they were taken advantage of. Wasn't this also the result of her daily indulgence and negligence?
It's just a nest of snakes and rats.
Concubine Chun lay on the couch, listening to Concubine Zhuang's seemingly sincere apology, which was actually clearing herself of all guilt, and she couldn't help sneering in her heart.
She suddenly raised her tear-stained face and said in a shrill voice, filled with endless grief and accusation: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine said she knew nothing, and I am willing to believe her."
"But who in the harem doesn't know? Who doesn't know? How dare these servants act so boldly? Whose influence are they relying on? Whose will are they following?"
"Today it's Ruoli, who will it be tomorrow?! The Imperial Concubine allowed her subordinates to go this far, allowing these evil slaves to feel emboldened and harm my prince!"
"Please, Your Majesty... Please, Your Majesty, please help my poor child!"
Nangong Xuanyu's face was ashen. He glanced at Ruoli, Eunuch Zhang, and Xiao Liuzi, who were crying and begging for mercy, as if he were looking at a few corpses. His voice was icy cold without a trace of warmth: "Drag this bitch out and beat her to death with sticks!"
"Zhang's cruelty to the palace maids and Xiao Liuzi's neglect of duty have resulted in the premature death of the imperial heir. Their crimes are unforgivable and they must all be beaten to death!"
Eunuch Zhang and Xiao Liuzi were so frightened that they almost lost control of their bladders. Their cries suddenly stopped: "Your Majesty, please spare us! Your Majesty, please spare us!"
The next second, their mouths were roughly blocked by the eunuchs of the Ministry of Punishment and they were dragged out like dead dogs.