allonlinenovel Chapter 133: Killing the chicken to scare the monkey...
Chapter 133: Killing the chicken to scare the monkey...
"Why, do you want to be punished with the extermination of your entire clan?"
Eunuch Cheng was kicked to the ground and couldn't help groaning in pain.
When Nanny Zhou said this, his eyes were filled with fear and he dared not say another word to accuse her.
He kowtowed and confessed his guilt: "I was wrong. I deceived the Imperial Concubine and was disrespectful to Her Majesty. I deserve to die."
"Pass on the Empress's decree. This dog slave dared to disrespect the Imperial Concubine and must be killed immediately." Nanny Zhou had Eunuch Cheng dragged away, hardly giving Qiao'er any chance to speak.
The sound of caning was soon heard outside.
After just over twenty hits, Eunuch Cheng, who had been wailing and begging for mercy, died instantly without a sound.
Qiao'er's expression changed. Nanny Zhou curled her lips and smiled, "This slave has been in this harem for many years. He is a seasoned old fox. I don't know how many such insubordinate acts he has done over the years."
"I'm sorry that the Imperial Concubine has been wronged this time. Go back and report this to her. Such a thing will never happen again. Anyone who dares to neglect her will be severely punished by the Empress. Eunuch Cheng's death today is just a warning to others..."
The palace maids in the imperial study all prostrated themselves on the ground.
Nanny Zhou promoted that little Li Zi to be the new manager of the imperial kitchen.
She instructed Xiao Lizi that no matter what time it was, he must not cut off the imperial concubine's blood swallows, otherwise if he did it again, he would be beaten to death with sticks.
Little Li was ecstatic. This was truly a godsend. Not only did he get five taels of silver, he also got to show his face in front of Sister Qiao'er. Now he was promoted to the manager of the imperial kitchen.
He finally got over it.
Leo expressed his gratitude and responded repeatedly.
Qiao'er felt a lump of anger stuck in her throat, unable to move it up or down.
I originally wanted to help the Imperial Concubine to beat Eunuch Cheng to death to establish my authority in the harem, but who knew that the Queen would be so well-connected that she received the news so quickly and sent Nanny Zhou over.
The effect of Madam Zhou's execution of Eunuch Cheng was different from her own execution.
She originally wanted to interrogate the mastermind behind Eunuch Cheng, but now, all of them have gone to hell with Eunuch Cheng.
Qiao'er brought her people back to Yuanchen Palace.
She told Zhou Lingge the whole story.
Zhou Lingge smiled after hearing this.
She looked at Qiao'er's depressed and guilty expression and soothed her softly, "It's okay... You've done very well, and I'm very satisfied. I can only say that the Queen's influence in this harem is complex and deeply rooted... She knows everything about any disturbance in the palace."
"After all, she's been the Empress in the harem for five years... I'm not surprised she's so alert. This also shows that the mastermind behind Eunuch Cheng is not only Concubine Rou but also the Empress... They just want to use the blood swallow incident to test me."
"Oh, today hasn't been a complete failure. They wanted to test me, and I also wanted to use this opportunity to test the Emperor... I guess someone has already reported the news to the Emperor by now."
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Eunuch Liu brought people to the palace gate to ask for a meeting.
Jin Xin's eyes were full of joy as she ran in to report.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Liu has brought two people to our Yuanchen Palace. He said he's here to deliver His Majesty's instructions..."
Zhou Lingge raised her eyebrows, and then she laughed softly.
Qiao'er immediately helped her up and walked out of the hall.
When Zhou Lingge stepped out of the hall, Eunuch Liu had just arranged what Qin Feiling had told him to do.
As soon as he saw Zhou Lingge, his eyes suddenly lit up and he quickly knelt down to greet her.
"Your servant pays respects to the Imperial Concubine."
Zhou Lingge smiled and told him not to be polite.
"Eunuch Liu, what is this..."
Eunuch Liu immediately beamed and said, "Your Majesty heard that the steward of the Imperial Kitchen had the audacity to cut the Empress's blood swallows without permission. Your Majesty was furious and was about to order the execution of that dog servant, but Nanny Zhou had already beaten him to death."
"Your Majesty thought... because the Imperial Concubine was pregnant, there were many inconveniences with her meals. To prevent anyone from tampering with this and causing her trouble, Your Majesty issued an oral order and sent two chefs from the Imperial Kitchen to open a small kitchen in Yuanchen Palace."
"From now on, we will send blood swallows directly to Yuanchen Palace for cooking... You don't have to go to the Imperial Kitchen to ask for the meals that the Imperial Concubine wants. We will have these two chefs prepare different dishes for the Imperial Concubine every day. We must take good care of the Imperial Concubine and the heir..."
Zhou Lingge pretended to be flattered, her eyes welling up. "I never thought Your Majesty would still care about me. I thought... Your Majesty had already given up on me and refused to pay any attention to me."
Eunuch Liu quickly spoke up for Qin Feiling: "How could that be? His Majesty has always had the Empress in his heart... It's just that he's been busy with government affairs recently, and he didn't want to disturb the Empress's pregnancy, so he didn't come to Yuanchen Palace."
"Looking at the entire harem, His Majesty cares most about the Empress. If the Empress truly wishes to express her gratitude, why not take some time tomorrow to visit the Imperial Study?"
These days, His Majesty has been eagerly hoping that the imperial concubine would take the initiative to give him a way out.
But the imperial concubine is also strong-willed and able to keep her composure. She should not say a word, nor send anyone to deliver any soup, but just briefly greet His Majesty.
These days, all the palace maids serving in the imperial court have been complaining bitterly. His Majesty has a bad temper and is easily angered. He loses his temper and curses at people if he disagrees with something.
Others may not know what is going on with His Majesty, but he has been with His Majesty for many years, so how could he not know?
Your Majesty wants to reconcile with the Imperial Concubine, but has no chance.
He could not abandon his imperial dignity, lower his posture and actively seek peace.
So the relationship between His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine is stuck here.
What happened in the imperial kitchen today gave His Majesty an opportunity.
Your Majesty couldn't help but eat half a bowl of rice in the evening.
As long as the imperial concubine goes to the imperial study tomorrow, the relationship between the two of them will be successfully broken.
Eunuch Liu thought his reminder was very clear.
We are all smart people, and I believe that the imperial concubine can understand it.
Zhou Lingge just smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
She definitely can't go tomorrow.
Why should she lower her posture and take the initiative to cater to Qin Feiling?
Just because he is the emperor?
She might have been a little afraid of him before, but after spending more than a month together, she was sure that Qin Feiling's feelings for her were more than just superficial.
In fact, he was very indulgent and tolerant of her in many things.
But she felt that this was far from enough.
She wanted him to obey her unconditionally, and she would never lower herself to please him again!
Eunuch Liu nodded and smiled with satisfaction. He supervised the palace servants to clean up the small kitchen in Yuanchen Palace... After everything was cleaned up, he left Yuanchen Palace with a sense of accomplishment.