Chapter 394: The Concubine Who Was Buried with the Emperor VS The Ruthless and Romantic Emperor 42
The queen's face turned pale. She had never been scolded so mercilessly by Emperor Jingdi. For a moment, she felt a little embarrassed.

She was also worried that the emperor would really take away her power in the palace or depose her.

She had no children, her family was not very powerful, and she was not favored by the emperor. She was able to marry the emperor because the late emperor took a fancy to her and arranged her marriage to Emperor Jing, who was still the crown prince at the time.

The Queen suppressed her grievance and said nervously, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Since Shu Jieyu moved into Weiyang Palace, she has been tortured by Yu Guifei in a heinous way. There are also palace maids who testified. I have ordered Yu Guifei to copy the palace rules three hundred times and confined her to Guanju Palace as a punishment. However, the suffering Shu Jieyu has endured cannot be compensated by Yu Guifei copying the palace rules. This is why I came to report this."

After hearing what the Queen said, Emperor Jing's face became even gloomier. He snorted coldly and said, "Oh? The means are outrageous? Tell me about it."

He wanted to see what cruel things his cousin had done to Concubine Shu.

The Queen presented the confession that she had prepared long ago. The content of the confession was told by Xiangju, the maid of Concubine Shu. She ordered someone to record it down in detail.

The purpose, of course, is to give Concubine Yu a head-on blow.

Emperor Jing took the confession and flipped through it casually. When he saw the contents clearly, his face became even gloomier.

Then he slammed the confession in his hand on the table and shouted angrily: "What a shameless Concubine Yu, how dare you bully the concubines in the palace like this? You are really lawless. Pass on my decree, immediately strip Concubine Yu of her title, demote her to the position of concubine, confine her to Guanju Palace for half a year, and punish her by copying the palace rules 500 times. If you do it again, you will be severely punished."

The queen was so happy that she wanted to clap her hands and laugh, but she tried her best to hold it back.

She stepped forward, worry on her face, and said in a fake tone: "Your Majesty, Concubine Yu is the niece of the Empress Dowager, and they are very close. Will the Empress Dowager have any objection to such a punishment?"

Emperor Jing snorted coldly, with a mocking expression on his lips, "I have my own ideas, and you don't have to worry about this matter."

Then, he thought of Shu Jieyu, and realized that he had deliberately favored her in order to cover up Yao'er's favor and set up a target.

After all, it was also his fault that Concubine Shu suffered this ordeal.

Although he didn't like Shu Jieyu, he was somewhat satisfied with her. After all, she was his woman.

Emperor Jing pondered for a moment, then said, "It is my negligence that Shu Jieyu has suffered this hardship. Pass on my decree that Shu Jieyu be promoted to noble concubine, retain her title, and move to Yong'an Palace immediately as a sign of appeasement."

But in his heart he was wondering whether he should seek favor from someone else. Concubine Shu was so useless that all his efforts were in vain.

Although the Queen knew that the Emperor was trying to appease Concubine Shu, she couldn't help feeling jealous.

He didn't know whether what he did was right or wrong, but thinking that Concubine Shu was easier to deal with than Concubine Yu, he didn't have any regrets.

The queen suppressed her inner thoughts and smiled slightly, "Congratulations to Concubine Shu for receiving this favor. I will definitely order people to prepare Yong'an Palace well so that Concubine Shu can live comfortably."

Emperor Jing nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He knew clearly what the queen was thinking, but he had no time to care at the moment.

His eyes fell on the confession, and he became more and more angry at Concubine Zhang's behavior.

Concubine Zhang was Concubine Yu. The word "Yu" was a title. After she was stripped of her title and demoted to a concubine, she was called Concubine Zhang according to her surname.

In the harem, when everyone learned that Emperor Jing first banished Concubine Lu, who plotted to murder the royal heir, to the cold palace and beat her to death with sticks, and then demoted Concubine Yu to the position of a concubine and stripped her of her title, there was an uproar.

The news spread quickly to every corner of the harem like catkins in the spring breeze.

The tragic end of Concubine Lu was like a heavy hammer, sounding the alarm in the hearts of all the concubines in the harem, and forcing those who had hidden their edge and had ill intentions to restrain themselves.

Yingyue Palace no longer has the prosperity of the past, and only a dead silence remains. There are few visitors and even the wind seems to whimper when it blows through.

Several palace maids exchanged horrified glances in private and discussed Concubine Lu's tragic end.

"Have you heard? Concubine Lu was dragged out last night. Her screams still terrify me."

"Yes, it was a sin. Who told her to attack the dragon seed in Qin Zhaorong's belly? She deserved this fate."

"I heard that Sister Cuiwei was also implicated. She seemed kind on weekdays, but I didn't expect her to be so cruel and ruthless."

An elderly maid shook her head and sighed, "In the harem, where is there any real kindness? They all serve their respective masters and accept their fate."

These people were all thankful that they had not been involved in this storm.

Those concubines who had been on good terms with Concubine Lu stayed indoors for fear that they would be implicated and become the next victim.

In the Xinghua Palace, the light gauze dances gracefully and the fragrance of flowers infuses the air.

Yu Yao leaned on the embroidered couch, gently stroking her bulging belly with her hand. Her eyes showed both maternal tenderness and a bit of sharpness.

Occasionally, the sound of birds chirping outside the window formed a sharp contrast with the turmoil in her heart.

"Liuli, have you heard about Concubine Lu's fate?"

She opened her red lips slightly, breaking the silence in the room.

"My lady, I have already found out that Concubine Lu was demoted to a commoner by the Emperor for plotting to murder the heir to the throne. She was banished to the cold palace and was beaten to death. The maid Cuiwei was not spared either."

Liuli answered respectfully, with a hint of pleasure in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yao's smile deepened.

She sighed softly, as if she was sighing and warning herself: "In this harem, every step must be taken carefully. Any act of disregarding life will eventually lead to bad consequences."

As they were talking, Xiao Qingzi hurried into the hall, knelt on the ground, and panted, "Your Majesty, there is new news from the palace. Because of the murder of Concubine Shu, the Emperor has stripped Concubine Yu of her title, demoted her to the rank of concubine, and confined her to Guanju Palace for half a year, and punished her to copy the palace rules five hundred times."

Yu Yao's eyes flashed, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Yu Guifei? Now you should call her Zhang Fei, right? What about Shu Jieyu? Do you have any other wishes? Or will you still live in Guanju Palace?"

After what happened, there was no reason for the dog emperor to let people continue to live there.

Xiao Qingzi bowed slightly and said hurriedly, "In order to compensate Shu Jieyu, the emperor promoted Shu Jieyu to noble concubine, retained her title, and moved her to Yong'an Palace."

He spoke very carefully, fearing that the Empress would be unhappy.

"This Concubine Shu has indeed turned a disaster into a blessing, but it also cost her her life."

Yu Yao's tone was calm, and it was hard to tell whether she was happy or angry. Liuli said softly, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that Shu Guipin's promotion this time will arouse the jealousy of everyone in the harem."

Yu Yao smiled gently and said, "In this harem, favors are always like floating clouds. If you are favored today, you may lose your favor tomorrow. Just wait and see. The struggle in the harem is far from over."

In other palaces of the harem, the concubines were also discussing the tragic end of Concubine Lu, the demotion of Concubine Yu, and the sudden promotion of Concubine Shu.

Some people envied Concubine Shu's good luck, while others were thinking about how to gain benefits for themselves in this turbulent situation.

Although Yong'an Palace is located to the south of the six eastern palaces, it has an excellent geographical location and is adjacent to the Imperial Garden. It is magnificent and spacious, and is many times better than the extremely remote Xinghua Palace.

The concubines in the harem became increasingly jealous of Concubine Shu. She had only been in the palace for two months and already she had become the mistress of a palace. Only Qin Zhaorong could be compared to this speed of promotion.

After all, Qin Zhaorong was pregnant with the emperor's heir. Although everyone was jealous, they could accept it.

But this Concubine Shu was promoted entirely by virtue of favor, which of course has a different meaning.

Regardless of everyone's jealousy, Concubine Shu happily moved to Yong'an Palace as soon as she received the imperial edict, almost as quickly as possible.

Yong'an Palace.

Concubine Shu was surrounded by maids, who took good care of her new home.

She had a relieved smile on her face. She was very satisfied with the emperor's promotion and appeasement, as well as the punishment of Concubine Yu.

"This is just the beginning, Concubine Yu, no, Concubine Zhang, I will pay back little by little the pain that has been inflicted on me. Even double it."

There was a fierce look in Shu Guipin's eyes, and she said in her heart.

"Your Highness, your promotion and relocation to the palace, as well as the Emperor's punishment of Concubine Yu, are truly a great relief to everyone!"

The palace maid Xiangju had been released by the Queen. She spoke softly with joy in her eyes.

Concubine Shu shook her head slightly, "It's just a demotion, and the title is stripped. I'm still a high-ranking concubine, so what am I?"

Xiangju said quickly, "Your Highness, don't underestimate yourself. You are now a noble concubine, and the emperor is very kind to you. You will definitely be able to make further progress in the future. As for Concubine Yu... Concubine Zhang, she is now under house arrest and has lost her title. She is a person who has lost her power. Your Highness, you don't need to be afraid of her."

Concubine Shu sighed slightly, with worry flashing in her eyes: "It's only temporary. She is protected by the Empress Dowager. She will be out soon. If she does, I will definitely be in trouble."

She must firmly grasp the emperor's favor. Only by keeping the favor can she protect herself.

Xiangju stopped talking when she thought that Concubine Zhang was the Empress Dowager's niece, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

On the other side, inside Guanju Palace.

"Queen, you are such a vicious woman."

Concubine Yu sat on the cold stone steps, her hair disheveled. Her former splendor was gone, replaced by desolation and reluctance.

"Do you think you can overthrow me like this? You are just wishful thinking. She is just an old woman who is not favored and she does whatever she wants by relying on her status as queen. She thinks she can sit back and relax by demoting me to a concubine? Pah!"

There was a glimmer of madness in Concubine Yu's eyes, as if she wanted to turn the anger in her heart into substance and devour everything.

"And that Shu Guipin is just a lowly whore. I'll see how long she can keep her favor. When I lift the confinement, I'll make sure they wish they were dead."

At this moment, a night wind blew, rolling up the fallen leaves on the ground, and seemed to bring some ominous omen.

Concubine Yu's personal maid Furong came in and felt sorry for her master when she saw her master in such a state.

But he did not dare to say much, and only advised softly: "My queen, it is late at night, you should rest early. The queen mother will definitely rescue you."

Imperial Concubine Yu's eyes lit up, "Yes, aunt will definitely rescue me. Let's see how long those two bitches can be so proud."

She thought for a moment.

Then he looked at Furong and said through gritted teeth, "Go, find a way to send someone to the Cining Palace to ask the Queen Mother for help. I can't just sit there and wait for death."

Furong knew the queen's situation, so she quickly agreed and turned around to make arrangements.

Cining Palace.

The palace seemed particularly solemn and peaceful under the cover of night, with towering palace walls and tightly closed vermilion gates, as if isolating it from the noise and disturbance of the outside world.

The trees surrounding the palace are lush and green, casting mottled shadows under the moonlight.

The night wind blew gently, and the leaves rustled, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

At this time, the Queen Mother was sitting in the main seat with a solemn expression.

She closed her eyes slightly, twisting a string of Buddhist beads in her hands, with a myriad of thoughts in her mind.

She had heard the news about Concubine Yu a long time ago and had a complicated expression.

This niece has been spoiled and domineering since she was a child. I didn't expect that she didn't know how to restrain herself after entering the palace, and now she has caused such a big disaster in the palace.

Just as he was thinking about it, a maid came in hurriedly and reported: "Empress Dowager, Concubine Yu sent someone to ask for help."

The Queen Mother sighed softly, opened her eyes slightly, and a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes.

Although she felt that her niece was not doing well, she was still her mother's family and she couldn't just sit back and watch.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Go, call the emperor."

In the imperial study room.

Emperor Jing was busy handling government affairs. When he heard that his mother had summoned him, he guessed in his heart that it was about Concubine Yu.

His brows were furrowed, a hint of impatience showing on his face, but he couldn't disobey his mother's orders, so he put down the memorial in his hand and got up to go to the Cining Palace.