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Chapter 306
Chapter 306
Chapter 306
Empress Wei drew a sneer from the corner of her lips as she looked at the mother and daughter kneeling on the ground, with sharp eyes she said indifferently: “Filial piety, do you mean deliberately scattering catkins where this empress passes by?”
Imperial Concubine Xu and Changning froze as if they had been slapped in the face, both mother and daughter forgot to cry and looked up at Empress Wei in disbelief.
How did the empress know about this?!
Meanwhile, Qin Jiu: Sure enough!
“Someone.” Empress Wei raised her hand and made a gesture.
The door curtain was immediately opened from the outside, and Xiao Kouzi walked in followed by two other servants escorting a maid in blue, soon a group of people filed in and bowed to the empress.
“Empress, this servant had brought Mingfang, and Li Rende.” Xiao Kouzi bowed to Empress Wei and said.
Imperial Concubine Xu and Changning’s expressions changed as their gazes fell on the palace maid, Mingfang.
Mingfang was a palace maid in the Changning Palace.
The palace maid, Mingfang staggered to her knees on the ground, her face paling while her whole body trembling like a falling leaf against wind and rain.
Empress Wei slightly nodded, Xiao Kouzi turned to a square-faced palace maid beside her and said, “Li Rende, you speak first!”
Li Rende also bowed to Empress Wei and said tremblingly, “On the first day of the first month, before the Empress went for a walk in the imperial garden, this servant saw Mingfang carrying a basket past Yuanxiang Water Pavilion and went up the rockery next to it. At that time, this servant thought that Mingfang was going to pick flowers, and did not care.”
Xiao Kouzi took a bamboo basket from another round-faced palace maid behind her and presented it to Youbai, then said, “This basket was found in Mingfang’s room, and there are still willow catkins in it.”
With just these few words, Mingfang’s body trembled even more.
“Your Majesty, the empress, please spare this slave’s life.” She kowtowed heavily to Empress Wei that her forehead knocked with a thud, and within a few kowtowed her forehead was now red and swollen, “It was all because Her Highness, the Third Princess, she instructed this servant to do so.”
Imperial Concubine Xu’s complexion was extremely uglier at this time.
Witnesses and physical evidence were all there, and there was no way to refute them.
In other words, the emperor already believed it, and it was useless for them to say more!
Empress Wei’s eyes became even colder as she looked down at Imperial Concubine Xu and Changning who were kneeling on the ground, and the sarcasm at the corner of her mouth intensified, “So this is filial piety!”
“…….” Imperial Concubine Xu was speechless.
Changning, on the other hand, was too shocked to move, she knew that the situation would get worst after seeing Mingfang and at this moment her mind was blank, and couldn’t think at all.
She had no other way but to make this decision, after all, she was just a concubine-born daughter and although she was regarded as a princess in the eyes of others, she was still a concubine-born daughter. And one of the people who could decide her marriage with one word was the empress.
She didn’t intend to harm the empress and just wanted to let the empress get a little sick so that she could give her a chance to show her filial piety.
Obviously, since childhood, as long as she cries everyone would soften their heart for her, so this time she thought it would be the same.
She clearly calculated everything, so why did things develop to this point?!
Changning felt cold all over her body and even pierces her heart.
“Imperial Mother, this daughter…knows she’s wrong!” Changning took a few steps towards Empress Wei’s knees in fear, and tears slid down her cheeks again as she begged pitifully. “Please forgive this daughter, this daughter didn’t intend to harm you!”
That’s right, wasn’t the empress doing fine, she has no desire and intention to harm anyone! She just wanted to find a way out for herself!
Imperial Concubine Xu at the side was also crying as she begged, “Empress, Changning knows her mistake and from now on, Changning will listen to you. She is weak and cannot marry far away in a barbarian place like the Northern Yan.”
Empress Wei raised her willow eyebrows and said calmly, “Can’t marry far away? It’s okay, Second Prince Yelu will have an extend stay in the capital and so in the future, the emperor will give him a residence soon.”
“As for Changning…”
Empress Wei’s cold gaze fell on Changning’s teary-eyed pretty face appearing all pitiful without a bit of softness.
She still remembered how Changning had used low-handed means to plot against Qin Jiu at the hunting palace last year, fortunately, Qin Jiu was smart enough to prevent her from succeeding.
Changning had many thoughts running inside her head after hearing the empress and thought that things could get more out of hand.
Empress Wei continued: “Changning, don’t come back here in the palace after you get married, so as to avoid the willow catkins floating around and making the palace uncomfortable.”
Changning: “!!!”
Changning’s pupils shrank and couldn’t believe her ears as if all her strength was suddenly drained away.
Before coming to Fengluan Palace today, she imagined that the worst situation would be going to Northern Yan and getting married.
Thinking that since no matter what she was still a princess, her status was higher than that of Yingluo so naturally, she would be the main wife, and Yingluo could only be the concubine, therefore even if she marries far away, she would still keep her status as the wife consort and may even become the queen of Northern Yan in the future.
However, she never thought that Yelu Luan would stay in the capital as a hostage, and she would be also put under house arrest. Wouldn’t that be the same as going to prison?!
Then wouldn’t she be trapped in a square inch of land for the rest of her life, and only seeing that square inch of the sky?!
Deep despair appeared in Changning’s eyes; her life was over before it even started!!
“……” Changning’s throat tightened, she wanted to talk but couldn’t make any sound, and could only taste a strong bitterness spread from the bottom of her throat.
“Empress…”
Imperial Concubine Xu on the other hand still wanted to intercede for her daughter but Empress Wei didn’t want the mother and daughter to speak anymore, she said. “As for Imperial Concubine Xu, you will be demoted to the third class from today onwards and you will never be allowed to come out from your palace without an order from this empress.”
If Imperial Concubine Xu was demoted to the third class, she, Changning her daughter would be a daughter of not even a mere concubine without a title, but a meiren*.
(*beautiful lady)
Empress Wei ordered again, “Xiao Kouzi, send those people back. The third princess is about to get married so make sure she stays in her palace and prepares for her marriage.”
Xiao Kouzi immediately bowed to accept the order and had a few maids boorishly “helped” Meiren Xu and Changning up from the ground and escorted them out of the Fengluan Palace.
These palace maids were not polite at all, after all, anyone could see that Meiren Xu and Changning, this mother and daughter have been completely ruined. In the palace, this kind of thing has long been common.
Changning’s mind was buzzing, and her whole person was confused as she was dazedly dragged out of the East Side Hall by the palace maids.
When she went out from the main hall, she saw a familiar figure not far ahead of her and slightly narrowed her eyes.
Tai Qin Wang Fei led Yingluo into the main hall of Fengluan Palace, Yingluo was following behind her mother in a daze as if she didn’t see Changning at all.
Boom!
Changning only felt as if a flame exploded in her head, and anger instantly spread to her whole body, burning her out of reason.
***