Chapter 103 The Queen Mother's Request
Behind the Empress Dowager, a group of palace maids followed in, and the imperial guards knelt down one after another.
Chu Li and others also saluted the Empress Dowager.
Concubine Rong knelt down in front of the Empress Dowager, crying, as if she had seen a savior and suffered a great injustice.
"Mother, please make the decision. The Crown Prince brought so many men to my chamber. If I hadn't wanted to prove my innocence, I would rather die."
The empress dowager, dressed in a royal blue brocade dress and with a phoenix hairpin on her head, had kind eyes and was dignified and generous.
Although he is over 50 years old, his complexion is ruddy and there is not a single gray hair in his hair.
She looked around and when she saw a dead person next to the pillar, her pupils shrank and her body trembled with fear. Nanny Gui supported her.
"Amitabha." The Queen Mother looked at Chu Li, "What's going on?"
Chu Li informed the Queen Mother what happened today.
As the Queen Mother listened, she looked Chu Li up and down in the firelight.
It is said that her grandson has changed a lot recently.
She worships Buddha every day and has not seen Chu Li for a long time.
Today, when she saw Chu Li standing there straight, graceful, neither humble nor arrogant, as if he was a completely different person, she believed it a little more.
"Prince, I know you have been acting as regent recently. State affairs are very busy, and you have been very busy. Please leave the affairs of the harem to me."
"Yes." Chu Li calmly waited for how her royal grandmother would handle the matter, and by the way, she also wanted to understand her royal grandmother's style of doing things.
The Queen Mother looked at Chu Li with admiration in her eyes.
"The Crown Prince is concerned about the fate of the Great Chu State, and has entrusted the responsibility of supervising the state to you. The Imperial Grandmother is very relieved. Today, you personally brought the Grand Tutor, General Mu, and Lu Jianzheng with you. You have done things thoughtfully and preserved the reputation of you and Concubine Rong."
She lowered her eyes slightly and changed the subject, "However, Concubine Rong was also confused for a moment. Because she had been experiencing bad luck recently, she wanted to exorcise evil spirits and avoid disasters, but the malicious Taoist priest took advantage of her opportunity."
Ye Hanting's eyes darkened. The Empress Dowager was favoring Concubine Rong.
Chu Li did not respond, she knew clearly in her heart: the Royal Grandmother clearly saw that Concubine Rong was targeting her or was deliberately biased towards her.
Fortunately, she was prepared. She clapped her hands and Huanyan brought Lvliu up.
Chu Li nodded and said, "Grandmother, this maid is called Lvliu. She went to serve my grandson in the palace and took two strands of my hair and gave them to Concubine Rong. If I hadn't had someone replace my hair with Lvliu's, perhaps my grandson would be like Lvliu today, neither human nor ghost."
Lvliu was completely frightened tonight. Her face was covered in blood and she looked at the people in the palace in horror.
"Ghosts, they are all ghosts, don't eat me, I was wrong, I will never dare to harm the prince again, I was wrong..."
She suddenly saw Concubine Rong, whose face was covered with blood like hers. She subconsciously stepped back, kneeling on the ground trembling.
"Empress Rong, I am wrong. I failed to do my job well. Please don't kill me!"
Concubine Rong was horrified. "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you a maid in Concubine Shu's palace? Why are you framing me?"
She cried and begged the Empress Dowager, "Mother, I don't have the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince by my side now. You see, everyone wants to bully me, even Concubine Shu's people want to frame me. You have to help me make the decision!"
Concubine Rong thought: She has already suffered a great loss at the hands of Chu Li today. If she could drag Concubine Shu into the water as planned, she would feel better.
Chu Li smiled faintly, "Grandmother, the Imperial Concubine Shu suddenly gave two maids to her grandson. I felt that Lvliu was suspicious, so I asked someone to check Lvliu's identity."
Concubine Rong swallowed and clenched her fingers nervously.
"Lvliu is the daughter of the county magistrate of Taiyang County. She had no worries about food and clothing when she was young, but unfortunately her father died early and her mother remarried. When she was young, she had servants to serve her and no worries about food and clothing, so she boasted of her nobility and beauty and looked down on other palace maids."
Lvliu looked at Chu Li with her pupils wide open. She actually found out her identity in such a short time.
Chu Li continued, "Lvliu has another identity. Aunt Liu in Concubine Rong's palace is from the same hometown as Lvliu's adoptive father. The two families are neighbors."
"Empress Rong, do you need me to tell you how Lvliu entered the palace?"
Chu Li smiled at Concubine Rong, who pretended to be calm.
"Even if Lvliu entered the palace through Madam Liu's relationship, she has never worked for me!"
Chu Li sneered, "But, we found a lot of rewards from Concubine Rong on Lvliu, Lvliu, you tell me yourself."
Luliu was silent, "I will help Royal Concubine Rong to keep an eye on Royal Concubine Shu's every move and pass on information for her."
"Bitch, you are talking nonsense!" Concubine Rong was angry.
After listening and watching for a long time, the Empress Dowager almost figured out that Lvliu was Concubine Rong's woman, and Concubine Rong wanted to kill two birds with one stone and harm the Crown Prince and Concubine Shu.
Recently, the third and fourth princes of Concubine Rong's family had accidents one after another. It's no wonder that she was anxious.
The Empress Dowager said in a deep voice: "Noble Concubine Rong, please be aware of your identity!"
Due to the Empress Dowager's majesty, Concubine Rong immediately fell silent.
The Empress Dowager's eyes fell on Ye Hanting and Mu Feng. They were both young talents in the court, and she wanted them to be her grandsons-in-law.
Concubine Rong's behavior would only make the two of them laugh at her.
The Empress Dowager twisted the Buddhist beads in her hand and looked at Concubine Rong with a gloomy face. "You, you are actually doing these superstitious things. That old Taoist also has bad intentions. However, the dead are gone, karma will be repaid, and the grievances will be paid. I will punish you to confine yourself to Xihua Palace for half a year and copy a Buddhist scripture every day."
"Mother!" Concubine Rong was very angry. She didn't want to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. Wouldn't Chu Li and Concubine Shu be very happy if she did that?
Seeing that Chu Li did not speak, the Empress Dowager must be dissatisfied with this decision, so she continued, "For the next six months, the harem will be handed over to Concubine Shu to manage."
Chu Li felt relieved, and she said that the Empress Dowager had a clear mind like a mirror and knew exactly what kind of person Concubine Rong was.
Concubine Rong clenched her back teeth and tears rolled down her face unwillingly. She suffered too much loss this time and had completely lost the power to manage the harem.
Once you lose it, it won’t be easy to get it back!
The Queen Mother looked at Lvliu again and said sternly, "This maid is a traitor who is plotting against her master. Go and join the army as a laborer!"
"Yes, sir!" The imperial guards came up to catch Lvliu.
"Empress Dowager, please have mercy!" Lvliu trembled. She hugged herself in fear and begged miserably, then was dragged away by the imperial guards.
The Empress Dowager looked at Madam Liu who was kneeling at the door and said, "Give this old slave twenty strokes of the cane!"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!" Nanny Liu fell to her knees and fainted on the spot.
Concubine Rong pleaded for Liu Ma on the grounds that she was too old to withstand a beating, but in the end she was given ten beatings.
After the Queen Mother had dealt with all matters, she looked at Ye Hanting and Mu Feng.
"I have something I want to discuss with Master Ye and General Mu."