The palace maid who had wrapped her cloak around Ju Noble Consort was gone.
As the person who had managed the harem for twenty years, Ju Noble Consort lived up to her reputation. Upon realizing the entire Qianqing Palace was on high alert, she turned back and knelt before the imperial bed, saying, "Your Majesty, it was the palace maid, she was trying to harm your concubine.
"If your concubine had truly wanted to harm you, how could I have knocked over the bowl and utensils? I was framed!" She broke down in tears once more.
Just like last time it was for love, this time it was to prove her innocence.
The Imperial Court quirked up the corners of his mouth, not quite a smile or a smirk. After a long moment, he said, "Steward Wu, take some people to find the Chengqian Palace palace maid."
"But Your Majesty here..." Steward Wu was still rather nervous.
He had been so at ease before, now he was worried.
For the Noble Consort to try and poison the Emperor! Just thinking about it made him break out in cold sweat countless nights!
"It's fine." The Imperial Court waved his hand and threw back the bedding to stand up. "She can't harm Zhen."
Only then did Steward Wu feel reassured enough to leave with the others.
The great hall fell silent once more. Ju Noble Consort sat paralyzed on the ground, wishing she could immediately find the palace maid and clear her own name.
"Your Majesty..." She wanted to say something more but quieted seeing the man's expression.
Time passed slowly, each breath sheer torment.
Just when Ju Noble Consort could bear it no more, Steward Wu returned with the guards. "Reporting to Your Majesty, the palace maid has committed suicide..."
It was a conspiracy.
The world spun around Ju Noble Consort when she realized someone had framed her.
She crawled over to the Imperial Court almost immediately, hoping he would save her, hoping he wouldn't misunderstand.
From the poisoning to the cat to the palace maid's suicide, there were far too many coincidences. This must have been a deliberate scheme by someone.
"Your Majesty, you have to believe your concubine, I absolutely never wanted to harm you, never!"
In the past, this man would have already squatted down to wipe her tears and taken her into his embrace.
But now he just looked at her coldly, completely indifferent.
"Your Majesty..." Ju Noble Consort's heart grew heavier and heavier. "You don't believe your concubine?"
The Imperial Court quirked up the corners of his mouth. "Zhen believes you, but Zhen cannot believe the Ju family."
All of Chengqian Palace’s palace maids were rigorously selected, with only the head maid from the Ju family. She also had a son-in-law working under the Ju family.
While Ju Noble Consort may not have wanted to poison her dear husband, what about the Ju family?
Did the Ju family want to help enthrone a new emperor? To become an influential in-law clan again? To return to the top aristocratic houses?
"No, it couldn't be the Ju family. Absolutely not." Ju Noble Consort denied vehemently and crawled closer on her knees. "Your Majesty, it really isn't the Ju family, it's impossible."
This time, the Imperial Court chose to avoid her.
The atmosphere of abandonment spread throughout the great hall, the feeling of cold spread from his feet and legs.
The head maid's suicide proved there was a meticulous conspiracy. And Ju Noble Consort really couldn't judge whether the Ju family actually harbored such ambitions or not.
Or perhaps whether they did or didn't no longer mattered.
Once the Imperial Court punished them for a crime, it would spell doom and disaster for the Ju clan.
That was her maternal clan – her parents, brothers, nephews and nieces, countless relatives and servants.
Ju Noble Consort felt pierced through the heart, knowing it was too late to change anything.
She struggled to stand up, tears flowing as she said, “It was me.”
The Imperial Court whipped around violently.
“I was the one who tried to poison you, to kill you. It was all me.” Ju Noble Consort choked back sobs, "We loved each other so much. I met you first, but just because of status and family background, just because I was a daughter of the Ju house, I could only be reduced to a lowly concubine."
"The Ju family has been prestigious for generations. I'm the first concubine they've had in all these years...I'm an unfilial daughter!"
"Father reprimanded me, mother persuaded me, everyone hoped I would find another husband. But I insisted on being with you, even if just as a concubine."
"Twenty years... I've been your concubine for twenty years. Now I wanted to be an empress not for myself, but for my child." Tears drenched Ju Noble Consort's lapels. "You wronged us mother and child, yet my child has to bear a baseborn status! Why? Why?"
She had once had the chance to be legal wife to another man, to give birth to rightfully born children of her own.
But for that young romance, she sacrificed and endured, only to lose that all important legitimate status in the end.
"I know you love and spoil me. You let me give birth to the eldest first, but wasn't he still baseborn?" Ju Noble Consort gave a bitter, despairing laugh. "He should have been the legitimate Crown Prince by rights. He should have inherited everything!"
The Imperial Court was silent.
He had once thought love and favor would be enough to withstand anything, but this proved lacking in the face of practical interest.
But he had no right to call Ju Noble Consort wrong. As a mother, fighting for one's children was pure maternal instinct.
"Ara." His voice was hoarse as he tried to give his lover one final chance. "This matter involves the Ju family, but will never bring harm upon you and Hong."
"No. It was me. It has nothing to do with the Ju family." Ju Noble Consort wept hysterically, "If Your Majesty still remembers our love, then don't harm the innocent. Just punish your concubine's crime! It's my crime, I plotted with treasonous intent."
Don't harm...her maternal family.
The Imperial Court swayed upon shaky legs, his emaciated frame breaking into coughs that vibrated into his chest with pain.
He waved his hand weakly, collapsing back onto the imperial bed. "Guards, escort Ju Noble Consort back to Chengqian Palace and revoke her Noble Consort status. She is forbidden to leave Qianqing Palace grounds without permission."
He said nothing of reducing her status to that of a commoner, nor imprisonment for life.
But by not speaking of it, Ju Noble Consort would only be able to die in Chengqian Palace now that she had no title or power.
Was it worth it for the sake of family? He allowed such a favored lover to sacrifice herself like so?
The man could no longer withstand it as another bout of violent coughs tore through him, as though he would hack up his lungs.
"Was it worth it for the sake of family?" Steward Wu couldn't help asking as he escorted the former Noble Consort Ju back to her palace. "Your clan has always been in high favor. Any misfortune to the Ju would be a pity. And don't you also have the Crown Prince?"
One hair can move the whole body .
Rather than implicate the entire Ju clan over Ju Noble Consort's crimes, it would be better for her to sever ties with them to protect herself and her son.
This was common self-preserving strategy for harem women.
"Don't worry, I have a way to ensure the Imperial Court does not punish the Ju family." Ju's tone was calm. "I will never sacrifice my maternal clan. Far more than me fighting for their glory and favor, it's my maternal clan supporting me from behind."
"The Yan Empress had no powerful maternal clan backing her, that's why she and her son ended up in that state. But as long as the Ju family stands, Hong will never suffer bullying."
She walked steadily, step by step.
In the palace harem, she had seen every kind of slander and frame-up tactic, had persecuted countless people herself whether she wanted to or not, just to survive.
Now finally it was her turn.
Upon returning to cold Chengqian Palace, the head palace maid and personal servants had all disappeared without a trace. Inside and out, there wasn't even a single servant left to attend her.
So this was the difference between an Imperial Consort and convicted criminal?
Steward Wu sighed heavily; before he even turned around, Ju had gathered all her strength to fling herself against the wooden pillar.
At the same time in Qianqing Palace, the Imperial Court had finally stopped his harsh bout of coughing. Opening up his palm revealed a patch of red on his handkerchief.
Note: Harem women committing suicide was only in accordance with the laws of the Qing Dynasty, and is unrelated to other dynasties.
