novelaction Chapter 115 Royal Face
Chapter 115 Royal Face
The sudden male voice outside the door startled both of them inside the hall.
Looking back, they saw the young emperor, dressed in black casual clothes, striding towards them.
He stood tall and straight, his fine fabric embroidered with gold dragon patterns, and a piece of white jade with dragon patterns tied around his waist, exuding solemnity and majesty.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here?" Empress Wang hurriedly bowed, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Her mind was in turmoil. Why had His Majesty come here so quickly to interrogate her? Could it be that Qiao Qingyin had said something behind her back, instigating the Emperor to suppress her?
"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that this harem was a place where any filthy person could come." Pei Yuanling's expression was cold and stern, his eyes like a cold knife, piercing straight to the heart.
"Empress, you have truly managed my harem exceptionally well."
These words immediately created a very heavy atmosphere in the hall.
The Empress knelt down, her face pale. Even Lu Mingzhu, who had just woken up, scrambled to her feet, stumbled, felt dizzy, and fell to the ground.
Because of the excessive movement, the wound on his forehead, which had just been bandaged, started to bleed again, flowing down his temples, making him look truly horrific.
"Your Majesty, this concubine greets you..." Lu Mingzhu's voice was barely audible as she shakily raised her head to look at the imposing young emperor, her face deathly pale.
She didn't know what had gotten into her, that she dared to use such despicable means against His Majesty.
Given His Majesty's style of doing things, whether it succeeds or fails, anyone who dares to poison the Emperor will only face death.
Pei Yuanling looked down at the woman on the ground with a sidelong glance.
This Lady Lu is beautiful, but she is incredibly stupid. I don't know why the Lu family sent such a person into the palace.
Or is it that the Lu family has squandered its ancestral legacy by acquiring a genius like Lu Zhiheng?
Looking around, apart from Lu Zhiheng, there are indeed few other intelligent young members in the entire Lu family. This year, not even a single member of the collateral branches made it onto the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations.
In this comparison, someone as outstanding as Lu Zhiheng seems to stand out from the crowd.
"Consort Lu, you have quite the nerve." Pei Yuanling's voice was low and cold, echoing in the silent hall and sending chills down one's spine.
Lu Mingzhu prostrated herself on the ground, her body trembling like a leaf, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This concubine... this concubine was just confused for a moment..."
Pei Yuanling snorted coldly, his disgust undisguised: "A moment of confusion? You call drugging me a moment of confusion? It seems I've been too merciful, allowing you to dare to lay your hands on me!"
The Tingxiang Pavilion is open on all sides. If something were to happen there, it would surely be seen by all the palace servants. If the news of the emperor's licentious behavior in broad daylight were to reach the court, where would he put his face as emperor?
Where does this leave the royal family's dignity?
After saying that, Pei Yuanling flicked his sleeves and turned to sit down on a sandalwood chair on the side. His raised sleeves stirred up the murky air in the room like a whirlwind.
Before Lu Mingzhu could respond, Pei Yuanling's sharp gaze swept towards Empress Wang like an arrow.
"Your Majesty, are you aware of this matter?"
Empress Wang's heart tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm and replied, "Your Majesty, I only just learned of this myself and was about to ask you about it when Your Majesty arrived. I apologize for my negligence in overseeing the situation."
Pei Yuanling stared intently at Empress Wang, as if trying to see through her: "Such a thing has happened in the harem. If it is not thoroughly investigated and purged, I think you can forget about sitting on the throne as Empress!"
These words were quite harsh, showing a complete disregard for the Wang family's reputation.
Upon hearing this, Empress Wang's face turned deathly pale. She knelt down again and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I will do my utmost to rectify the harem and never allow such a thing to happen again."
Since she had made her stance clear, Pei Yuanling stopped looking at her and turned his gaze to Lu Mingzhu, who was begging for mercy on the ground. "Lu family, who ordered you to do such a treasonous thing?"
The man's voice was cold and hard as ice, echoing in the hall and sending chills down everyone's spines.
Lu Mingzhu's face had already turned pale, tears welling up in her eyes. She prostrated herself forward, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, I... I was just too infatuated with Your Majesty, and for a moment I was bewitched. Please forgive me this time, Your Majesty. I truly know I was wrong..."
Pei Yuanling laughed in fury, the sound particularly jarring in the hall: "Spare you? Today you were bewitched and used a sleeping potion, who knows if you'll be so audacious as to poison me with arsenic in the future!"
He paused, his eyes revealing a resolute coldness that seemed to freeze everything around him. "I will spare your life because you are a daughter of the Lu family. I will grant you a complete corpse and give you three feet of white silk. You may end your own life."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhu collapsed to the ground like a petal withered by a cold wind, tears streaming silently down her face. Her red, tear-filled eyes looked pleadingly at the Empress: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, save me! You just said you would protect me..."
Before she could finish speaking, Empress Wang's expression tightened, and she suddenly knelt down, silencing Lu Mingzhu's words. She hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, Consort Lu is the sister of Grand Secretary Lu. The court is now stable. If Your Majesty executes Consort Lu at this time, it may hurt the hearts of loyal ministers."
"Furthermore, Consort Lu is deeply in love with Your Majesty and desires your favor, which is why she committed such a foolish act. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider and, even just for the sake of the Lu family, spare her life..."
Her voice wasn't quiet, and the maids and eunuchs outside the hall knelt down in a dense mass, their necks hunched over like quail eggs, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, not daring to utter a sound.
Empress Wang's heart was pounding like a drum, fearing that Lu Mingzhu would become desperate and implicate Consort Qin, which would lead to further trouble... The remaining Rejuvenation Pills were still in her palace, and if an investigation were launched, she would inevitably be implicated.
Having been in the palace for many years, Empress Wang had never seen Pei Yuanling so enraged over matters of the harem, to the point of executing a concubine. She became even more convinced that Consort Qiao had whispered in His Majesty's ear, causing him to act in this way...
If Qiao Qingyin hadn't been clinging to His Majesty all day long, why would she have needed to resort to such degrading methods?
"Then, according to the Empress, how should this be handled?" Pei Yuanling asked calmly.
The Wang family's influence in the court is complex and intertwined, and cannot be eliminated overnight. At this point, the biggest taboo is to act rashly. Now that we have the pretext of Empress Wang's improper management of the harem, it will be easier to deal with in the future.
"Your Majesty, Consort Lu is currently seriously injured. The imperial physician says that due to the scorching heat and the considerable size of the wound, she will likely be left with a scar. Disfigurement is the greatest punishment a woman can suffer."
Seeing that His Majesty was no longer as angry as before, it was clear that he had taken her words to heart.
Empress Wang's anxiety eased somewhat, and she earnestly said, "How about we demote her to the rank of Baolin, send her back to the palace to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors, and also punish her with a six-month salary deduction as a warning to others? What does Your Majesty think?"
Lu Mingzhu had only recently been demoted to the rank of Liangdi, and had not yet gained the Emperor's favor. Her rank had been repeatedly lowered, which would be a complete joke if word got out. She had incurred the Emperor's displeasure and would probably never be able to receive his favor again in this lifetime.
"You are the Empress, so this matter is entrusted to you."
Pei Yuanling deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "Empress," and glanced coldly at Lu Mingzhu, who was kneeling on the ground.
Her face was as pale as porcelain, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were rumpled, and bloodstains slid down her cheeks, giving her a somewhat eerie and ghostly aura.
Because he arrived so suddenly, he hadn't even put on his coat in his haste. When he heard that the emperor was willing to pardon his death sentence, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground in despair.
At least I'm alive, no need to die.
Pei Yuanling rubbed his temples. He had worked hard all night and was exhausted. Seeing Lu Mingzhu's terrified appearance, he felt disgusted and did not want to stay here for another second.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely keep a close eye on all the concubines in the harem from now on, and I will never let such a thing happen again." Empress Wang breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. It seemed that His Majesty was satisfied with her handling of the matter.
Pei Yuanling glanced at Empress Wang meaningfully and said abruptly, "Empress, as the head of the harem and in charge of the household affairs, you should know that harmony in the harem is of paramount importance. An empress should act like an empress and not disappoint me."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
Empress Wang's back was covered in cold sweat, soaking through her already thin clothes.
"Lu Mingzhu, you should be grateful that you have such a good brother." Pei Yuanling didn't even bother to call her "Liangdi" anymore, addressing her by her given name. After saying that, he didn't look at them again and strode away.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Lin Qing walked forward shakily, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped the sweat from Empress Wang's body.
The matter has been passed by in a veil of ambiguity. As long as His Majesty does not investigate further, I am safe and sound.
After resting for a while, Empress Wang forced herself to get up, a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes. She hadn't forgotten that the foolish Lu had almost betrayed her!
She will definitely settle this score with Consort Qin and Lu Mingzhu, but not now.
As the empress, dealing with an unfavored concubine would be a piece of cake.
She waved her hand, and Lin Qing immediately understood. He straightened up and his sharp eyes swept over the many palace maids and eunuchs in the hall.
There were no fewer than twenty people in total, and they all buried their heads in their chests, wishing they were blind and deaf and had never witnessed what had just happened.