Chapter 392: The Concubine Who Was Buried with the Emperor VS The Ruthless and Romantic Emperor 40
Yu Yao didn't say anything and was about to express her gratitude.

Then Ning Zhaoyi came out, her gentle voice carrying a barely perceptible sharpness.

"Your Majesty, although I know that you love Concubine Qin and the dragon fetus, the promotion is a serious matter and must follow the palace rules. Concubine Qin has risen from a palace maid to the third rank in just half a year. The speed of her promotion is unprecedented. I am afraid that your Majesty's move will not convince the public and will also chill the hearts of the sisters in the harem."

She always felt that she had overlooked something. Although the emperor seemed to favor Concubine Shu, it was all superficial.

As for Concubine Qin, it seemed that her favor had been taken away from her since Concubine Shu entered the palace, but the benefits that the emperor gave her were all real.

Although he lived far away, the emperor never forgot to visit her.

Wen Zhaoyuan also echoed, "Sister Ning is right. I also think this matter needs to be considered carefully. Although Concubine Qin was frightened, fortunately the dragon fetus has been saved. If the emperor really loves Concubine Qin, it would not be too late to promote her after she gives birth to the child."

Emperor Jing's eyes were deep as he scanned the concubines present, and finally fell on Yu Yao. Seeing her pale face, he felt pity for her.

He sighed softly and said slowly: "I have made up my mind. The promotion is not only to appease Qin Zhaorong, but also to show my importance to the dragon fetus. In the harem, having a son is the most precious thing. This is an ancient saying. If any of you is pregnant with a dragon fetus, I will also promote him or her."

After that, he turned to Ning Zhaoyi and Wen Zhaoyuan, and his tone was a little more unquestionable: "My two beloved concubines, there is no need to say more. I know my limits. You two have been in the palace for many years, and you should be more considerate of my heart instead of causing trouble at this moment."

Ning Zhaoyi and Wen Zhaoyuan's faces changed slightly when they heard this, but they dared not say anything else. They could only bow and say, "Your Highness obeys your order."

"Alright, everyone, please leave. Don't stay here and disturb Qin Zhaorong's rest."

Emperor Jing waved his hands impatiently, as if he was driving away a group of annoying mosquitoes.

"Yes, the concubine is retiring."

The concubines present looked at each other, and saw helplessness and disappointment in each other's eyes.

Afterwards, they bowed and left the Xinghua Palace one after another.

I thought that since Qin Zhaorong had lost so much blood, the dragon fetus would definitely not be able to be saved, but I didn't expect it to be just a false alarm and nothing happened. Instead, she was promoted through this, which was really a blessing.

At the same time, Guanju Palace.

The Queen didn't know what the situation was in the Xinghua Palace, but the Emperor had asked her to deal with the matters of Concubine Yu and Concubine Shu, so she couldn't leave.

At this moment, she just wanted to finish dealing with things here as soon as possible and then rush to Xinghua Palace to take a look.

She looked at Imperial Concubine Yu with cold eyes and disgust, and rebuked her harshly: "Imperial Concubine Yu, as an imperial concubine, the head of a palace, you should set an example for all the concubines in the harem. However, you are narrow-minded and jealous. What crime did Concubine Shu commit that you tortured her like this? Your behavior is really a disgrace to the royal family."

Imperial Concubine Yu was so angry that her eyebrows were raised. She said angrily, "I said that she was the first to disrespect me. I just punished her a little. Don't put the blame on me."

What right does this old woman have to blame me? Who the hell is she?

The Queen snorted coldly and said, "What a punishment! You made her copy scriptures under the scorching sun. This is clearly a way to kill her. Your behavior is really unworthy of the dignity of a noble concubine."

Imperial Concubine Yu looked sarcastic, "You can always find a pretext to accuse her. Just kneeling under the sun and copying scriptures is enough to put her to death. It's her own health that's not working, but she blames me. As an Imperial Concubine and the head of Guanju Palace, it's my job to discipline the concubines."

The queen was too lazy to waste words with her, and pointed directly at Xiangju, Shu Jieyu's personal maid, and said, "You tell me what happened, and tell me the truth."

Xiangju knelt down in front of the queen with a plop. Her eyes instantly turned red and she said excitedly:

"Empress, please save my master. Since my master has received the grace of the emperor, every time she comes back from the night sleep, she is called to the main hall by the imperial concubine. The imperial concubine tortures my master for all kinds of unfounded reasons."

"Sometimes, I was punished to copy scriptures under dim lights all night long, and my hands were covered with blisters. Sometimes, I was punished to kneel all night long, and my knees were swollen and the slightest movement was painful. Sometimes, I was beaten for no reason, and my body was covered with bruises, without a single intact spot."

"Especially the night before yesterday, the Imperial Concubine actually ordered someone to forcefully press my young mistress onto the needle board..."

Before Xiangju could finish, Imperial Concubine Yu quickly stepped forward, slapped her hard, and said angrily, "You slut, you dare to slander me, you deserve to die."

"Empress Yu, you are simply lawless. Do you still have me in your eyes?"

The queen was furious. She was confused and pointed at Concubine Yu, too angry to speak.

In fact, she felt very happy in her heart. Although it was not a big deal for a noble concubine to punish the concubines in the harem, if the means were too cruel, at least the emperor would not be able to pass it.

Even if the Queen Mother wanted to protect him, there was no reason for her to do so.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and said in a loud voice: "Pass on this imperial decree. Imperial Concubine Yu is arrogant and bullies the concubines in the harem, which is unbecoming of an imperial concubine. She is ordered to copy the palace rules three hundred times, and from now on she is confined to the palace to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. She is not allowed to leave without the imperial decree. I hope she sincerely repents and corrects the harem's atmosphere. If she disobeys, she will be severely punished."

She actually wanted to punish him more harshly, but she also knew that it couldn't be too severe, otherwise the Queen Mother would not let her go.

Even if there is to be punishment, it must be done by the emperor himself.

Concubine Yu was so angry that she was shaking all over, her face ashen, "Queen, you are clearly seeking revenge for your personal grudge and maliciously slandering me. I don't accept it, I will go find the Queen Mother."

The Queen looked at Concubine Yu coldly with disdain in her eyes and said, "Everyone knows what you did. Now that the evidence is irrefutable, you still dare to quibble. Humph, I don't have time to tangle with you here."

After saying that, she turned around resolutely and wanted to take people away.

However, just as she turned around, her eyes fell on Xiangju and her eyes flashed slightly.

As a key witness, Xiangju's importance is self-evident. If she were to expose Concubine Yu's evil deeds in front of the emperor.

How much does the emperor know about his cousin, Concubine Yu?
The queen winked at Jin Xuan who was beside her, and Jin Xuan immediately understood and stepped forward to take Xiangju away.

Concubine Yu watched helplessly as the Queen took Xiangju away. The anger in her heart was like a raging fire. One can imagine how angry she was.

But then, he became uneasy.

She knew very well how she had treated Concubine Shu during this period. She couldn't imagine what would happen if her cousin and the Queen Mother knew the truth.
Concubine Yu left quickly, wondering what to do.

Shu Jieyu was lying on the bed, her hands tightly grasping the quilt, which was wrinkled by her, and her eyes were full of resentment.

"How can just copying the palace rules three hundred times be enough? That bitch is too cheap."

Shu Jieyu gritted her teeth and whispered hatefully.

Fortunately, Xiangju was taken away by the Queen, and no one knows what the Queen will do next.

Xinghua Palace.

At this moment, the Xinghua Palace was as quiet as a lake in the middle of the night, without a single ripple.

Yu Yao had already changed her stained and bloodstained clothes, and after drinking the pregnancy-preserving medicine, she fell into a deep sleep. Emperor Jing stayed with her in the Xinghua Palace for a while, and seeing that she slept soundly, he gave detailed instructions to the people around him, asking them to take good care of Qin Zhaorong, and then returned to the imperial study.

After Emperor Jing left, Xiao Qingzi walked in with an anxious look.

When he saw that the empress was resting, he stopped again, not daring to disturb her.

He was originally a member of Concubine Lu's palace. Although he has now decided to be loyal to Empress Qin, he cannot be separated from this matter after all.

If Eunuch Lu Xi found out that it was Cuiwei who asked him to tamper with the sedan chair and conspired with Empress Qin to rebel against Concubine Lu, the Emperor would certainly not let him go, and his end would be extremely miserable.

Yu Yao was not actually asleep. She noticed it when Xiao Qingzi approached.

I also understand what the other party is worried about.

She slightly opened her eyes and looked at Xiao Qingzi who came in. "Xiao Qingzi, I know what you are worried about. Don't panic, I will protect you. Lu Xi is investigating this matter, and I have a plan. Please listen to me."

Xiao Qingzi hurriedly moved closer, with his ear almost touching the edge of the bed, not daring to breathe.

Yu Yao whispered, "You go and pretend that the eunuch who tampered with the sedan chair has been silenced by Concubine Lu. Find a eunuch's body and make it look like he was murdered. Throw it into the dry well in the cold palace and find a way to have Lu Xi find it. In this way, Concubine Lu will not be able to explain herself even if she has a hundred mouths."

In this deep palace, eunuchs, due to their low status, often suffered various kinds of oppression and torture. It was not uncommon for them to fall ill, have accidents, or be punished to death by their masters.

It is not difficult to find the body of a recently dead eunuch.

It just requires the right opportunity and time.

When Xiao Qingzi heard the Empress' plan, he was shocked. He didn't expect Qin Zhaorong to be so ruthless and decisive.

But thinking of his own situation, he could only grit his teeth and reply: "Your Majesty, this is a very good plan, but the eunuch's corpse..."

At this time, I really don’t know where to find it.

Yu Yao smiled gently and said, "In the harem, eunuchs and palace maids die every day for various reasons. You just need to go and look for them. This place is very close to the cold palace, and there must be some in the dry well of the cold palace. But you have to do it covertly and quickly, so that no one will find out that it was you who did it."

Xiao Qingzi listened carefully, knowing that this matter concerned his life, and nodded quickly, "Yes, I understand, thank you, Madam."

After saying that, he quietly retreated.

After Xiao Qingzi left the Xinghua Palace, he quietly walked towards the cold palace.

The environment around the cold palace is eerie and terrifying, as if shrouded in darkness and despair.

There were indeed quite a few corpses in the dry well, but most of them had already rotted, and it was not easy to find a suitable corpse.

He did not leave either, but waited quietly in the cold palace.

Sure enough, when it was late at night and everything was silent, the entire harem seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

He saw two young eunuchs carrying a corpse and throwing it into a dry well in the cold palace, and then they left quietly.

Xiao Qingzi hid in the dark and watched, not daring to make any movement or sound.

He didn't dare to come out cautiously until the two little eunuchs had gone far away.

He took out the rope he had prepared long ago and tied one end of the rope to the crooked tree at the edge of the dry well.

The big tree looked like a monster with bared fangs and claws in the night.

He slowly descended into the dry well along the rope.

After Xiao Qingzi went down into the dry well, the pungent stench almost made him vomit.

But he endured it and found the eunuch's body that had just been thrown down in the faint moonlight shining through the well.

It had not yet been buried by other debris. Its face was pale and its eyes were wide open. It was obvious that it died with its eyes open. In the deep dry well, it looked particularly eerie.

Xiao Qingzi suppressed his fear and dragged the body aside with great effort.

He pulled out a dagger he had prepared in advance and cut several holes in the corpse's clothes.

He also made a wound on the corpse's neck that looked like a cut in the throat by a sharp weapon, trying to make it look like the result of a struggle when being silenced.

After finishing all this, Xiao Qingzi picked up some dirt from the wall of the well and smeared it on the corpse so that its original appearance could not be seen.

Finally, he stuffed an object related to Yingyue Palace into the little eunuch's arms and climbed out of the dry well along the rope.

The night was as dark as a huge black curtain, covering the entire harem.

The moonlight poured down like water, sprinkling on the glazed tiles of the palace, emitting a faint cold light.

In Yingyue Palace, the flickering candlelight illuminated Concubine Lu's nervous and angry face.

The atmosphere in the palace was depressing.

"Even after losing so much blood, the dragon fetus is still fine. Is that bitch's belly made of gold? This is ridiculous."

Concubine Lu was so angry that she swept the teacup on the table to the ground, and the pieces flew everywhere.

"What's even more abominable is that, not only did the dragon fetus not get aborted, but that lowly maid was able to turn a disaster into a blessing and was promoted to the third rank Zhaorong. Does that lowly maid deserve it?"

Concubine Lu paced back and forth in the hall, her face extremely gloomy and she kept cursing.

At this moment, she really hated the imperial doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau. What was the point of having such superb medical skills?

If it weren't for the imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital, I would have lost my dragon fetus.

The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall were trembling with fear. They knelt on the ground, lowered their heads, and dared not speak a word.

Concubine Lu was filled with resentment and resentment. She thought she could deal a fatal blow to that bitch Yu Yao, but she didn't expect things to turn out like this.

The worst thing is that Lu Xi is investigating the matter and there is no telling whether he will find out anything.