allonlinenovel Chapter 858 [Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 48]
Chapter 858 [Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 48]
Lianxin walked towards Hongli with a solemn expression and said softly, "Your Majesty, some things may not be as simple as they seem. In my opinion, those incidents might have been done by Su Lian, but the Empress is completely unaware of it! And there may be someone else secretly guiding her." As she spoke, Lianxin frowned slightly, as if she was thinking about something.
After hearing this, Hongli frowned slightly and asked, "Then who do you think is behind this?"
Lian Xin hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Your Majesty, the only two people who have close contacts with the Empress are Consort Chun and Consort Jia. But I dare not make a conclusion as to which one it is."
Hearing this, Hongli's eyes became deep and sharp. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "I understand what you mean. I will investigate this matter in detail. However, I am very pleased that you can say this to me. I can give you a favor and allow you to leave the palace." After that, Hongli looked at Lianxin with a smile.
Lian Xin knelt down to thank him, but when she stood up, her eyes suddenly became dim. It turned out that Lian Xin remembered that the queen had forced her to marry Wang Qin, the devil eunuch, regardless of her will; what made her feel even more guilty was that when the queen accidentally fell into the water, she was too scared to call for help in time... All kinds of past events came to her mind, making Lian Xin feel heartbroken.
Finally, Lian Xin made a surprising decision - she wanted to die to pay her sins, and then go to the underworld to apologize to the queen. She turned around and ran to the lake without hesitation, and jumped into the freezing cold water.
At the same time, Yu Hu hurried over and presented the pearl flower that Su Lian had held tightly before her death to Hongli. Hongli took the pearl flower and examined it carefully, and soon recognized that it was the gift he personally gave to Concubine Chun on the Qixi Festival two years ago.
Yu Hu said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have searched the scene carefully, and apart from this pearl flower, I have not found any other strong evidence."
Hongli nodded slightly, indicating that he had understood the situation. He knew very well that relying on this pearl flower alone was far from enough to convict Concubine Chun of a crime. However, at this time, he heard that Concubine Chun was wholeheartedly busy preparing for the Queen's funeral, and Concubine Jia was also actively helping her. Thinking of this, Hongli couldn't help but increase his suspicion of Concubine Chun.
Fu Cha Lang Huan's funeral was extremely grand and solemn, and the entire palace was immersed in a solemn and sad atmosphere. With a heavy heart, Hongli decided to posthumously confer the title of Empress Xiaoxian on her to express his deep remembrance and respect for his deceased wife.
On the other hand, Concubine Chun devoted herself to managing the affairs of the palace. One day, she took the opportunity to mention to the Queen Mother that her son Yong Zhang had recently behaved very steadily and maturely. The Queen Mother was very pleased and ordered Yong Huang, Yong Zhang and Yong Xin to share some of the work in the palace, hoping that this would allow them to get more training and growth.
Concubine Jia heard that the old prince was seriously ill and dying, and was afraid that he would not survive this summer. Once the old prince passed away, the prince would naturally inherit the throne. This news made Concubine Jia secretly happy, but at the same time she couldn't help but start thinking about her own future.
At this time, the maid beside her reminded carefully: "My queen, now the queen's position is vacant, you have to plan for yourself!" Concubine Jia nodded slightly, with a trace of contemplation in her eyes. Looking back, she only wanted to become a favored concubine and bring glory to the prince. But now the situation has changed, she knows that if she wants to go further, she must take action.
At this moment, Concubine Jia carefully analyzed the situation in the palace. She had very few enemies left, only Ruyi, Concubine Chun and Concubine Zhao. In her opinion, although Ruyi was favored by the emperor, she was not to be feared because she had no children and was born in Jingren Palace; and although Concubine Zhao had a son, she was still slightly inferior in strength. Only Concubine Chun, with two sons, was undoubtedly the person who posed the greatest threat to her.
On the other hand, Ruyi accidentally saw Yihuan still taking the pregnancy medicine given by the emperor, so she kindly reminded her: "Sister, as the saying goes, 'All medicines are poisonous'. If you can avoid taking this pregnancy medicine, try not to drink it."
However, Yihuan responded firmly: "Sister, the emperor treats me so well and gave me this precious pregnancy-maintaining medicine. How can I let him down? No matter what, I will insist on drinking it." After that, Yihuan drank the medicine in her hand without hesitation.
Hongli frowned slightly, his eyes fell on Yuhu, and he asked in a steady tone: "Yuhu, I want to ask how the princes have been getting along with the ministers who came to attend the funeral these days? Is there anything unusual?"
Yu Hu bowed respectfully to Hongli, and then replied softly: "Your Majesty, after observing for some time, I found that the princes were very humble and courteous. They treated the ministers courteously and modestly, and did not show any arrogance because of their status as princes."
Hearing Yu Hu's words, Hongli's frown gradually relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his face. He nodded gently and said, "Well, that's very good. These brothers can understand things and know how to treat people with courtesy. It's worth my usual teachings to them. As long as they can maintain such a humble attitude, they will surely become the pillars of my Qing Dynasty in the future!"
After saying this, Hongli felt as if a huge stone had been lifted off his chest, and he looked much more relaxed.
On the day when Empress Xiaoxian's coffin was moved, the entire palace was immersed in a sad and solemn atmosphere. Many princes and concubines had tears in their eyes and sorrowful faces, but surprisingly, only the eldest and third princes were unusually calm, even expressionless and motionless.
This scene naturally attracted everyone's attention, especially Emperor Hongli. He walked up to the eldest prince with suspicion and asked sternly: "My beloved queen passed away, and everyone is so sad. Why didn't you shed even a tear?"
Facing his father's questioning, the eldest prince knelt down and kowtowed, answering in a trembling voice: "I see that the emperor is so heartbroken over the death of the late queen that his health is not good. I know that I need to stay calm and take care of the funeral ceremonies for the late queen for the emperor, so I dare not let myself fall into grief."
After listening to the eldest prince's explanation, Hongli frowned slightly, but his doubts were not completely resolved. He turned to look at the third prince who was also silent, and asked: "What about you? Do you have the same excuse?"
The Third Prince fell to the ground in fear and replied, "Father, I think the same as you, elder brother. Seeing how sad you are, if I continue to indulge in grief, I am afraid I will not be able to stay awake and rational, and will not be able to properly assist in handling the funeral of the late Queen. Therefore, I am holding back my tears and dare not grieve too much."
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Hongli became furious, his eyes widened, and shouted angrily: "You two rebellious sons! You are talking nonsense! As my sons, you have no filial piety in front of the spirit of the late queen. You are so disloyal and unfilial. Is it a pretense in your daily life? And you are still here with sweet words and shirking the responsibility to each other!" After that, he raised his hand and slapped the eldest prince and the third prince each in the face.
The crisp sound of slaps echoed in the silent palace, and everyone was frightened into silence, not daring to breathe. At this moment, Youyou, who had been observing silently, hurried forward, stretched out her hand to stop the furious Hongli, and signaled to the left and right to take the eldest and third princes away for the time being.
After the two left, Youyou comforted Hongli softly, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The eldest and third princes are not so heartless people on weekdays. What happened today is really strange. I boldly guess that someone may have spread rumors in front of them and said something that shouldn't have been said, which caused them to behave so abnormally. Your Majesty must not punish them so indiscriminately based on what you saw at the moment. After all, they are just children."
"Wan Yin, you can't imagine that they are so disrespectful to their own Empress Mother! This is really outrageous!" Hongli said with a frown and angrily on his face.
Youyou, who was standing by, stepped forward quickly, gently held Hongli's hand, and softly advised, "Your Majesty, calm down. Don't be anxious. I think there might be something else going on. After all, you know the personalities of Yonghuang and Yongzhang very well. I can guarantee with my life that they will never do such a disobedient and unfilial thing. Maybe someone is spreading rumors and making nonsense in front of them. In my opinion, Your Majesty might as well send someone to investigate carefully, so as to clear the two princes' name."
After hearing what Youyou said, Hongli's expression eased a little, but his eyes were still flashing with anger. After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at Yuhu beside him and ordered: "Yuhu, I order you to investigate quickly and find out who said those inappropriate words in front of the two princes! If you find out, punish them severely!"
Yu Hu hurriedly responded respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will investigate it thoroughly and will not miss any clues." After that, she hurried away and began her investigation.