Chapter 21: Disfigured Palace Maid vs. Cold-blooded Emperor
On this side, the Queen Mother soon learned the news brought back by Qiuyun.

Not having a grandson has always been a concern for her. When the empress dowager learned that Concubine Rou dared to curse her, she became furious.

She slammed the Buddhist beads in her hand heavily on the table with a "bang", making a loud noise in the silent room.

"What a good Concubine Rou, you are really great. I don't believe I can't cure you."

The Queen Mother stood up from the Eight Treasures Ruyi Couch and said with a cold face.

She originally wanted Concubine Rou to pick up Buddha beans in the temple to calm her mind, but now it seems that picking up Buddha beans is really a good deal for her.

"Qiuyun, drag that bitch out, throw her into the dark room, and torture her with acupuncture."

The Queen Mother's eyes flashed with sternness, "Remember, don't leave any wounds, and don't let the Emperor notice it. I want her to suffer in silence."

The late emperor had many concubines and many children, but the empress dowager rose from a little beauty to become the late emperor's empress.

She couldn't even count the blood she had experienced and the amount of blood on her hands.

In order to help her son ascend to the throne of crown prince, she killed countless rivals and their sons.

Those who remain pose no threat to Chen'er.

Maybe it was because he had committed too many sins when he was young, or maybe it was because his son had no children, so he started to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures when he got old.

When it comes to ruthlessness, I'm afraid no one can compare to the Queen Mother.

"Yes, I obey the order!"

Qiuyun quickly retreated.

She brought two skilled old maids with her and, ignoring Concubine Rou's cries, dragged her out of the Buddhist temple in such a brutal manner.

Then he was locked in the dark room again.

After Concubine Rou was locked in a dark room, she was soon tortured with acupuncture.

The so-called acupuncture is to use needles to prick the nail crevices. The pain is extremely severe and almost unbearable for ordinary people.

There was no wound yet, and even the imperial physician couldn't find anything wrong, but it was very painful.

"Wuwuwu... No, I don't want it, please let me go, Chenlang, Chenlang, where are you, come and save Rouer."

Concubine Rou's hands were fixed on a wooden frame, and she was forced to stretch her fingers.

I'm not pretending, I'm really crying because of the pain...

She looked weak and helpless. If a man saw her like this, he would definitely feel pity for her.

Unfortunately, the maids who tortured her were all old maids serving the Empress Dowager. They had all experienced the palace fighting during the previous emperor's reign and had already become hard-hearted. They would not show any sign of mercy at all.

He also knows best how to deal with women like Concubine Rou, who are like little white flowers.

"Ahhhh it really hurts. It hurts so much."

"Empress Dowager, I was wrong. I was really wrong. Please let me go."

Concubine Rou cried loudly and miserably. She was shaking with pain, and her tears and hair were stuck to her face. She looked miserable and pitiful.

There was only a door between the dark room and the outer room, so everything that happened inside could be heard clearly.

The Queen Mother sat back on the Eight Treasures Auspicious Couch, twisting a string of Buddhist beads in her hand. She looked like an old lady who ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures.

The shrill screams continued to be heard from the dark room, and all of them reached the ears of the Queen Mother.

But the Queen Mother's expression did not change at all, as if she was annoyed by what she heard. She opened her eyes and ordered coldly, "Shut up if you're making too much noise. It's giving me a headache."

After saying this, he closed his eyes again.

"Yes, Queen Mother."

An old maid quietly turned into the dark room.

Soon, no more sound came from the dark room, not even a low whimper.

At the gate of Cining Palace.

Caiyue was waiting here anxiously, but the Cining Palace was not a place that a little palace maid like her could enter.

I could only wait outside the door.

Soon, a young eunuch came back.

It was the one that Caiyue had originally sent to the Imperial Study to invite the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, where is Your Majesty?" Caiyue quickly stepped forward and asked.

As he spoke, he kept looking behind the young eunuch, but there was nothing.

The young eunuch looked at Caiyue with an embarrassed expression, "The Emperor is discussing important matters with the ministers in the Imperial Study and cannot get away for a while."

Caiyue became anxious when she heard this.

If the Emperor hadn't come, who knows how miserable the Empress would have been. The Empress is so weak, how could she have endured it?
But the emperor was discussing state affairs with his court officials, and she couldn't do anything about it.

He could only wait at the gate of the Cining Palace, looking anxious.

The imperial study was in a mess, like a battlefield, with memorials, books, calligraphy and paintings, and all other flat objects scattered on the floor.

This shows how fierce the battle was. Yu Yao was afraid that Eunuch Fu would come in to report, so she didn't dare to ask Ye Beichen to stop.

She had already inquired with the system and found out that the Queen Mother had tortured Concubine Rou with acupuncture.

Under such circumstances, it would be even more impossible for her to let Ye Beichen meet Concubine Rou.

Concubine Rou was treated so badly by the Empress Dowager. If Ye Beichen saw it, he would definitely be heartbroken and then feel pity for her.

Maybe, the favorability that was originally destroyed by Concubine Rou has been restored.

This is absolutely impossible!
Yu Yao’s idea was to delay the matter as long as possible, preferably until Concubine Rou left the Cining Palace.

Anyway, the Queen Mother used acupuncture on Concubine Rou, so the wounds could not be seen.

Even if Concubine Rou complained, Ye Beichen would not believe it.

The Queen Mother is Ye Beichen's biological mother. What son in the world would believe that his own mother is vicious?
This is also the brilliance of the Queen Mother.

Concubine Rou was tortured to death and couldn't say a word.

Tsk tsk tsk... As expected of the palace fighting champion during the previous emperor's time, she is indeed ruthless.

……

In the Cining Palace, Concubine Rou, who had been tortured, was finally released from the dark room.

The Empress Dowager was afraid that Concubine Rou would complain to the Emperor and affect the relationship between mother and son.

He specifically instructed Qiuyun to give Concubine Rou a good wash and gave her a pot of refreshing soup.

It was confirmed that Concubine Rou had a rosy complexion and there was no sign of anything unusual on the surface.

The Queen Mother then showed mercy and released her from the Cining Palace.

Concubine Rou left quickly with a numb expression.

Caiyue was relieved when she saw Concubine Rou coming out, and then quickly stepped forward.

"Mother, are you okay?"

Caiyue looked Concubine Rou up and down, and seeing that there was nothing unusual about her, she finally put her heart at ease.

Concubine Rou did not answer Caiyue. She just stood there with a dazed look on her face. However, her hands were shaking non-stop.

It was obviously very painful.

Caiyue saw it of course, but didn't think much about it. She just thought that the queen was frightened in the Cining Palace.

"Help... me go back!"

Concubine Rou said in a weak voice.

Feeling powerless!

Caiyue frowned when she saw the Queen like this. Although the Queen looked normal, she always felt something was weird and wrong.

Are you scared?

But it was not a good idea to ask too much at the gate of Cining Palace, so Caiyue carefully helped Concubine Rou onto the sedan chair, "Your Majesty, please sit down, we are going back!"

"Lift the sedan chair and return to Yongfu Palace!"

Caiyue waved to the servant beside her.

As the sedan chair gradually left the Cining Palace, Concubine Rou dared to show other emotions.

She leaned against the sedan chair, her expression extremely painful, tears streaming down her face, unable to stop.

She didn't understand why Chen Lang didn't come to save her.

Why didn't he come? Why?
Is he still angry with myself because I locked him outside Yongfu Palace?

He has forgiven himself before, why can't he do it this time?
She felt that Chen Lang no longer loved her, and if he didn't love her, he would not be tolerant or willing to pamper her.

This result was a hundred times more painful than the acupuncture she suffered in the Cining Palace.

How could he not love himself!

How could he!

Has he forgotten the oath they made?
It was just locking him outside for a while, why is it so unforgivable?
Why…

Concubine Rou cried heartbreakingly, heartbrokenly, painfully and desperately.

She just sat in the sedan chair and cried, her eyes no longer tearful, but she cried loudly without any restraint.

Chen Lang doesn't love her anymore, so why should she care so much?

Anyway, I won’t care and won’t come to see it.

Just let her cry to death.

Caiyue was also frightened when she saw Concubine Rou like this. No matter how she tried to persuade her, it was useless and she could only worry.

But in order to avoid being laughed at by the other palaces, Caiyue could only order the people in charge of carrying the sedan chair to go faster.

(End of this chapter)