dognovel Chapter 169 I will not let this go lightly!
Chapter 169 I will not let this go lightly!
She stood there for a full two hours, until the sun hid behind the clouds and the sky gradually darkened. Only then did Granny Lin gracefully emerge from the main hall once more.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, Granny Lin showed a hint of disgust.
"Consort Qiao, please. The Empress Dowager is waiting inside the hall."
"Thank you for leading the way, Granny Lin."
Chu Qingyin raised her head, tidied her slightly disheveled hair that was damp with sweat, and gave a weak but proper smile.
She forced her slightly trembling legs to keep steady as she followed Granny Lin into the hall.
The candlelight flickered inside the hall, filling the air with the scent of sandalwood.
The fragrance was so strong and overpowering that Chu Qingyin felt dizzy for a moment, but she tried her best to steady herself and did not reveal any flaws.
The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, still holding prayer beads in her hands.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chu Qingyin's disheveled appearance, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
The woman in front of him looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, yet her demeanor and movements were becoming increasingly similar to those of the deceased Consort Chu.
Empress Dowager Wang narrowed her eyes, momentarily lost in thought.
Previously, she disliked Consort Chu the most because she had monopolized the Emperor's favor, which was why the Empress had been unable to conceive for so long. Now that another woman with an extremely similar appearance had appeared, she naturally couldn't like her either.
"Consort Qiao, do you know why I summoned you here today?" The Empress Dowager's calm voice was as if it were wrapped in the frost of the twelfth lunar month, cold and sharp.
She sat on the high platform, her sharp eyes slightly narrowed, exuding endless majesty.
Although she is now the Empress Dowager, she is only in her forties. Because she takes good care of herself, there are no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and she looks elegant and noble.
Chu Qingyin immediately bowed gracefully, her voice still clear and gentle: "This concubine does not know, please enlighten me, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"Don't know? I can tell you know perfectly well." The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, her voice carrying a chilling intimidation, like a cold wind emanating from a deep, ancient well.
"I have heard that His Majesty has been staying in your palace every day these past few days, to the point that he has neglected state affairs! Consort Qiao, is this true?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin trembled slightly, then lowered her eyes and stammered, "I beg Your Majesty to see clearly that His Majesty is coming, how could I dare to stop him?"
"Besides, Your Majesty comes to me to confide your worries when you are not busy with state affairs. I am just a listener and try to comfort you."
"If Your Majesty neglects state affairs because of me, then I deserve to die."
"Ha, what an eloquent tongue!"
The Empress Dowager said coldly, "Do you know that the duty of the concubines in the harem is to help His Majesty stabilize the harem, not to disturb His Majesty's mind? Now His Majesty is neglecting state affairs because of you, do you think you can get away with a few excuses?"
Seeing that the other party was clearly going to make trouble, Chu Qingyin remained calm, slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, and said pitifully, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is absolutely right. It was I who was momentarily immersed in this tenderness and neglected to advise His Majesty. I beg Your Majesty the Empress Dowager to punish me."
Empress Dowager Wang leaned back on the soft couch, making no attempt to conceal the disgust in her eyes.
I originally thought that Consort Qiao, born into the Qiao family, must be a gentle person and perhaps be able to be used by me. I never expected that she would be so stubborn and unyielding. I gave up after trying to win her over many times.
Now, relying on His Majesty's favor, she has become increasingly arrogant and domineering, showing no regard for her whatsoever.
Then don't blame her for giving her a warning.
"Very well, since you have admitted your mistake, then I will punish you by making you kneel in that ancestral hall all night to repent for your wrongdoing!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I obey."
Chu Qingyin's voice grew weaker and weaker. She supported herself on the ground and slowly stood up, but because she had been kneeling for a long time, she felt dizzy and fell straight down.
"Yinyin!"
Pei Yuanling, who had rushed over, happened to witness this scene. His pupils contracted slightly, and he took three steps in two, rushing forward to catch the unconscious Chu Qingyin: "What happened to you?"
"Your Majesty, what brings you here..."
Chu Qingyin's eyelashes trembled as she forced an extremely weak smile, inwardly sneering. Hadn't she made it obvious enough? And yet she was still asking her what was wrong?
Pei Yuanling felt even more distressed seeing her pale face, her thin body soaked in sweat, and her clothes sticking to her body in such a disheveled state.
His chest heaved involuntarily, and he turned to look coldly at the Empress Dowager by the bedside, "Mother, what did you do to Yinyin?"
"What did I do to her? I haven't even asked you yet, and you're already asking me."
"Your Majesty, these past few days you've neglected state affairs because of this vixen, and the ministers have even come to me with their complaints! Where do you expect me to put my face?"
The old lady's face turned ashen. She flung the prayer beads in her hand and they slammed onto a small table with a sharp crack. The rope snapped, and the beads scattered all over the floor.
"I only wanted to teach her some manners, to make her understand what is right and wrong in this harem, but you, the moment you arrive, you question me! Do you even have any respect for me as your mother?"
"Or is it that I, the Empress Dowager, am not even allowed to discipline a mere concubine?"
Pei Yuanling held Chu Qingyin firmly in his arms. When he looked at the Empress Dowager, his tone remained respectful, but with an air of unquestionable authority: "Your Majesty may do whatever you wish, but Consort Qiao is kind-hearted by nature and is not what Your Majesty thinks."
"Hmph, innocent?"
The Empress Dowager sneered, "Look at her now, with her vixen-like appearance. She's clearly a shameless witch! Your Majesty, don't be fooled by her appearance."
As soon as he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the hall.
The palace servants present wished they could be blind and deaf, and all hung their heads as if they wanted to bury themselves in the floor tiles.
The mother and son faced each other in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, seeing that Pei Yuanling's attitude remained firm and he refused to back down even slightly, the Empress Dowager felt a surge of resentment.
As expected, he's a wolf cub that can't be tamed!
But now is not the time to fall out with this wolf cub.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's tone softened slightly. On the surface, she was gentle, but inwardly she was sharp. She earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, think about it carefully. Since she entered the palace, how long has it been since you visited any of your other concubines? If you favor one person so much, won't the harem fall into chaos?"
Before Pei Yuanling could speak, Chu Qingyin in his arms stirred slightly.
He was slightly taken aback. Looking down, he saw Chu Qingyin slowly open her eyes and say sadly, "Your Majesty, it is my fault that you and the Empress Dowager had a dispute. I am willing to accept any punishment, I only ask that Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager not let this matter damage your harmony."
No, this has nothing to do with you.
Pei Yuanling squeezed her hand reassuringly, then looked up at the Empress Dowager, "Mother, this matter is my fault, it has nothing to do with Yinyin. From now on, I will visit the Empress more often and not make things difficult for her."
Pei Yuanling spoke stiffly, enunciating each word clearly: "Yinyin's health is already weak. If she were to kneel in the Buddhist hall all night, she might not be able to bear it. I hope that Mother Empress can show leniency and forgive her this time."
Seeing Pei Yuanling so protective of Chu Qingyin, the Empress Dowager was displeased, but she didn't want to push him too far.
After a moment of silence, she said listlessly, "Fine, since Your Majesty has said so, I will spare her this time."
Her piercing gaze fell upon Chu Qingyin once more. "But Consort Qiao, you must remember that the rules in this harem are strict. If you violate them again, I will not let you off lightly!"