mesbooks Chapter 175: Rejection
Chapter 175: Rejection
At this time, Li Yu, who had been stunned for a long time, also moved. He knelt down slowly like Hai Lan.
"Your Majesty, I acknowledge my guilt. I beg Your Majesty to examine everything that happened today. I am willing to take full responsibility..."
Li Yu looked at the situation in front of him, his heart filled with helplessness and despair.
He accepted his fate. Now that there were witnesses and evidence, each piece of evidence was like a heavy shackle, firmly tied to him, making it impossible for him to deny it.
He knew clearly that if he did not confess his guilt, the Empress would be implicated. The Empress had always been very kind to him, and he could not bring danger to her because of his stubbornness.
For now, he could only accept it and wait for the future. Although he was filled with resentment, he understood that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him, and forcibly denying it would only make things worse.
Li Yuhong's eyes were filled with resentment and grievance. His lips trembled slightly, and the anger and helplessness in his heart surged like a tide. However, for the Empress, he had no choice but to make this choice.
After a long time, he slowly lowered his head and reluctantly admitted his guilt.
Seeing this, Yan Wan immediately said sympathetically, "Your Majesty, I don't think what happened today has caused me any harm. Your Majesty, please be lenient with me. This will also be a blessing for the dragon fetus in my belly..."
What she meant was that she didn't want her child to be contaminated with human life before he was born.
Of course, Yan Wan is not that kind.
As soon as these words were spoken, Rui Ji slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, Li Yu used witchcraft to slander Concubine Ling. This is a capital crime. Even if Concubine Ling is magnanimous, she cannot be forgiven lightly. In my opinion, even if the death penalty can be avoided, the punishment of life imprisonment cannot be escaped..."
"I beg Your Majesty to make a wise judgment to comfort Concubine Ling and the unborn child in her womb for the injustice they have suffered." Yihuan stood up and saluted.
"Your Majesty, please make your decision..."
As soon as Yihuan stood up, all the concubines present, except Hailan and Yanwan who was eight months pregnant, stood up and saluted in unison.
The emperor was extremely troubled and just wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.
He thought for a moment, then slowly stood up from his seat and stared down at the two of them.
"Since Concubine Ling has personally pleaded for you, I will spare your life. However, considering your disloyalty, I will punish you with eighty strokes of the cane. If you are loyal, I will lead the execution at the gate of the Yikun Palace, and let the servants watch. This is the fate of betraying your master. In the future, I will see who dares to serve two masters. I don't want to see you again. After beating you, send you to the temporary palace. Whether you live or die depends on your own luck..."
"As for Concubine Yu, you have bad conduct, a narrow mind, and have harmed the concubines. Considering you are the prince's biological mother, I will strip you of your title, demote you to a noble lady, and confine you to the Yanxi Palace."
"I thank the emperor for his grace."
"I thank the emperor for his grace."
Upon hearing the emperor's punishment, they both thanked him at the same time, their faces turning pale.
After saying that, the emperor started walking away. When he passed by Concubine Yu, he seemed to have thought of something and looked at Hai Lan with disgust.
"How can Yongqi become a pillar of the country with a mother like you? Send the Fifth Prince to Xiefang Palace to be raised. No one from the Yanxi Palace or Yikun Palace is allowed to visit him. The Empress is also forbidden to have any contact with the Yanxi Palace. As for this little maid, you belong to the Yongshou Palace, so let Concubine Ling deal with you. Since the Empress can't manage the harem well, all palace affairs will be handed over to Concubine Shu to assist. I am tired, let's all go..."
The emperor was not a stupid man. He knew very well that Hai Lan and Li Yu both had a very deep friendship with the queen.
Now, when faced with the accusations, they both readily confessed. The emperor saw through their intentions immediately; their actions were undoubtedly an effort to protect the empress. Even if the empress was not directly responsible for this matter, she was by no means completely innocent.
Thinking of this, the emperor's face became even gloomier, and the disgust on his face became even stronger.
The imperial harem, supposedly a place of peace and tranquility, was surprisingly no more peaceful than the previous dynasty. It was also rife with intrigue and deception, as the concubines, vying for favor and power, resorted to unscrupulous schemes against one another. They fought openly and covertly, each pursuing their own interests, completely disregarding honor and forming cliques for personal gain.
The emperor slowly looked around and found that everything he saw was dirty.
After the emperor left, Yan Wan said with a look of regret: "Sisters, please go out first. I have something to ask Concubine Yu... No, I should call her Concubine Hai."
"Tsk tsk tsk, why are you doing this? You're taking on everything to protect the Queen, but the Queen may not even remember your kindness..."
Yan Wan looked down at Hai Lan, and as she spoke, she paced quietly beside her like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
In front of Hailan, she finally took off her disguise, with a smug look on her face, and her eyes were full of ridicule when she looked at Hailan.
Look at it like a defeated enemy.
This Empress is a melancholy ghost. When will she ever feel sorry for her efforts? I think when she learned about this, she would just sigh, feel relieved for a while, and then let it go. She would still think about her young men, taking their dedication for granted and gradually forgetting about them.
Besides, Hai Lan was too impatient. She was afraid that the emperor would become suspicious of the queen, so she hurriedly admitted all the blame.
If she denied it flatly, Li Yu would be tortured but would not be able to reveal who the real culprit was. The case would most likely be left unresolved and would not affect her.
Now that she has admitted everything so readily, it will only increase the emperor's doubts.
No matter what they choose, they cannot escape the fate of the emperor being suspicious of Ruyi.
It didn't let her painstaking efforts go to waste at all!
She wanted to see if Ruyi's life would still be so smooth without Hailan, her lackey, by her side...
"It has nothing to do with you, Concubine Ling. You are so ambitious and will get your comeuppance sooner or later."
Hailan's eyes were bloodshot as she looked at her arrogant attitude, her eyes full of resentment.
After what happened today, she finally saw everything clearly.
This familiar scene is exactly the same as the situation when Jin was exposed that day. I am afraid that in order to expose Jin's actions so smoothly at that time, Concubine Ling must have done a lot of things behind the scenes.
It was because she was not careful for a moment that she stepped into the same trap, causing the same disaster to happen again.
Yan Wan ignored her miserable appearance, glanced casually at Jin Zhong who had been waiting beside her, and left the inner hall.
"Master, I'm sorry, I will take care of them and ask them to hit me less harshly..."
After everyone left, Jinzhong walked over to Li Yu, who was about to be executed, and said with pretended regret.
Li Yu looked at Jinzhong with a sincere face, nodded, and a warm feeling passed through his heart.
Unexpectedly, in the end, it was this apprentice who could give him a little warmth, which made his cultivation of him these days worthwhile.