novelaction Chapter 506: Story of Yanxi Palace Er Qing 39
Chapter 506: Story of Yanxi Palace Er Qing 39
"Miscarriage?!"
Upon hearing this, Qianlong's face darkened. He turned to look at the palace maid beside him and asked sternly, "What exactly happened? The imperial concubine was fine, how could she have a miscarriage?!"
The palace maids were trembling with fear and knelt down, talking one after another about how Er Qing heard people talking about her being favored by the emperor while walking in the imperial garden, and how they said that the emperor did not attend the court early in the morning because of her, which led to her miscarriage.
After hearing this, Qianlong's face became even gloomier, and anger burned in his chest. He slammed the table and roared, "Ridiculous! Who gave them the courage to make up stories about the imperial concubine behind her back?!"
At this time, the Queen Mother walked slowly into the bedroom surrounded by palace maids. When she saw the scene, she understood what was going on.
She waved her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, then walked to the bedside, looked at Er Qing lovingly, and said softly: "Good child, you have been wronged."
Er Qing shook her head with tears in her eyes but said nothing. However, her pitiful appearance aroused Qianlong's desire to protect her.
"Empress Mother..." Qianlong was about to speak, but was stopped by the Empress Dowager's look.
The Queen Mother patted Er Qing's hand, turned to look at Qianlong, and said earnestly: "Emperor, I know you care about the concubine, but you must pay attention to the affairs of the harem!"
Qianlong was startled. He knew what the Queen Mother was referring to, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings...
Qianlong suppressed his anger. He knew that the Queen Mother was right. The affairs of the harem were never simply about who was right or wrong. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, turned around and ordered Li Yu: "Pass on my order, and investigate this matter thoroughly! I want to see who dares to stir up trouble in the harem and dare to murder the Dragon Descendant!"
Li Yu took the order and left. The whole Yongshou Palace was suddenly shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. Seeing that Qianlong had calmed down, the empress dowager did not say anything more. She only told him to take good care of Erqing and left with her people.
Soon, Li Yu found out that among the palace maids on duty near the Imperial Garden that day, there was a maid named Xiaoyu, who was from Jiapin's palace.
According to her account, she was ordered by Concubine Jia to deliberately spread rumors near the Imperial Garden that day, saying that the Emperor did not attend the court early in the morning and neglected the harem because of the Imperial Concubine, which caused the Imperial Concubine to have a miscarriage.
After learning the truth, Qianlong was furious. He slammed his palm on the dragon table and roared, "What a Jiapin! How dare you be so vicious and frame the imperial concubine!"
Qianlong was furious and immediately issued an edict to strip Jiapin of her title and demote her to a concubine.
Not only that, he also gave Jiapin's child, the fourth prince Yongsheng, to Concubine Xian to raise, completely cutting off Jiapin's thoughts. After doing all this, Qianlong was still not satisfied and ordered Jiapin to be confined to her house.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the entire harem was shocked.
Jiapin, the once domineering woman who relied on her family background and the prince to show off her power in the harem, now has ended up like this!
That night, Jiapin's palace was surrounded, and all the palace maids and eunuchs were taken under control and interrogated.
Jiapin, no, now she should be called Jin, was stripped of all her gorgeous clothes and only wore a plain Manchu dress, kneeling on the cold floor. Her former glory had long disappeared, replaced by endless despair and regret.
Jin collapsed on the ground, her originally delicate makeup was washed away by tears and mottled. She cried out at the top of her lungs, "Your Majesty! I want to see you! Please show me mercy!"
She wanted to get up, but was rudely pushed to the ground by the eunuch guarding the gate, who showed no regard for the fact that she was once the high-ranking Concubine Jia.
Jin was pushed to the ground. The rough tiles hurt her, but the pain was far less heartbreaking than losing her child.
She desperately crawled to the feet of Li Yu who came to deliver the imperial edict, and cried out with all her might: "Eunuch Li, please, let me see the emperor for the last time! I really know I was wrong, please have mercy on me, don't take Yongsheng away..."
Li Yu was unmoved. He just sighed slightly, threw away the whisk in his hand, and said coldly: "Mr. Jin, you offended the imperial concubine and murdered the Dragon Clan. Now you are in this situation. It's all your own fault! The emperor is merciful. Sparing your life is a great gift from heaven. If you don't repent and continue to make trouble, don't blame us for being merciless!"
"No, I only want Yongcheng..." Jin cried desperately, like a mother animal that lost her cub, her eyes full of sadness and despair. She tried desperately to get up, but the eunuch behind her pressed her to the ground, unable to move.
Li Yu looked at Jiapin, who had once been so glorious but now had become so miserable, and felt a little bit of pity in his heart.
But he was someone close to the emperor, so he naturally understood the emperor's thoughts. The emperor was furious about what happened today, and no one's pleas would be of any use. He waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs behind him to take Jin away, and he turned around and left in a hurry.
Jin was dragged away, and her desperate cries echoed outside the palace, making people feel creepy.
The Yongshou Palace was filled with a faint soothing aroma, and the light gauze curtains were hanging low, surrounding the bed tightly. Qianlong sat beside the bed, holding Erqing's hand, his brows full of worry.
"Your Majesty, I'm fine, you don't have to worry." Er Qing's voice was weak, but with a hint of sweetness. She gently held Qianlong's hand, as if she was afraid of disturbing him.
Qianlong gently patted the back of her hand and said softly, "You were frightened and the baby was almost lost. How can I not be worried? The imperial physician said that you need to rest. You should rest assured and take care of the baby in Yongshou Palace these days. We can talk about other things after you are better."
"Your Majesty, I am not in the way..." Er Qing wanted to say something but was interrupted by Qianlong.
"You are pregnant now, so you should pay more attention to your health and stop worrying me."
Er Qing glanced at the palace maid kneeling beside the bed and said softly, "Go and see if the bird's nest porridge in the kitchen is ready. The emperor hasn't had his meal yet, don't let him get hungry."
"Yes." The maid responded and retreated.
Qianlong was touched that Yu Erqing was still thinking about him at this time. He held her hand tighter and said softly, "You are so sensible. How can I not feel distressed? I know you have been wronged, wait..."
"Your Majesty, I am not wronged. I am just worried about the child..." Er Qing interrupted him, tears welling up in her eyes.
She said, gently stroking her flat belly, her tone full of love and concern.
"The child is still so young, he almost... I'm sorry, Your Majesty, for not protecting him well..."
Er Qing's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, wetting the quilt embroidered with delicate peonies. She sobbed, her tone full of self-blame and fear, as if she was really just a mother who was heartbroken because her child almost got into trouble.