Serves her right!
That ungrateful creature, thinking she could soar high by clinging to the Empress's leg.
No!
To be precise, Consort Liang thought Yang'er was her person, assuming Yang'er wanted to curry favor with the Empress, but she didn't know that Yang'er's true master was actually someone else.
It was the real mastermind behind placing the voodoo doll in Hexi Palace.
She only wanted Yang'er to report it to use Consort Liang and the Empress's hands to eliminate Jiang Xinyue.
Killing three birds with one stone, indeed a good strategy.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xinyue was prepared for it.
Nanny Li's face was stern, very displeased that Consort Liang had pushed over the magpie in front of her earlier, and then took advantage of the chaos to push down Concubine Zhen.
She picked up the voodoo doll and placed it near the Xuanwu Emperor's hand, invisibly causing the Emperor's anger to skyrocket when he saw it.
After seemingly inadvertently doing all this, Nanny Li stood beside Jiang Xinyue to support her: "Your Majesty the Empress, if this old servant guesses correctly, this box was found in the dressing table in the side hall, right?"
Empress Zhu was so focused on finding fault with Jiang Xinyue at that time, how could she know where the "evidence" was found?
A guard "thudded" to his knees: "It... it was found in the dressing table in the side hall."
Nanny Li faced the Xuanwu Emperor: "Your Majesty, this box was found by this old servant and Nanny Xiang under Concubine Zhen's bed this morning. Due to the previous snake incident, we have been extremely strict with the security of the sleeping quarters. Last time, the guards only searched under the bed, but this time, we took advantage of the good weather to air out the bedding and bed boards. We discovered this tied to the back of the nanmu bed board of Concubine Zhen."
She glanced at the Empress and continued: "This old servant showed it to Concubine Zhen, and she was terribly frightened, not knowing what to do. I originally intended to send it to Chengqian Palace, but Concubine Zhen said Your Majesty has been working hard lately and didn't want to trouble you with such matters. So she ordered me to deliver it to the Empress. Before I could do so, the Empress led Consort Liang to her doorstep."
That's why Jiang Xinyue was laughing.
She watched Consort Liang and Empress Zhu jumping up and down, probably treating them like monkeys for her amusement!
She did it on purpose, didn't she?
"Did you hear that?" The Xuanwu Emperor's chest heaved violently up and down. "Concubine Zhen respects you as the Empress in everything. She even gave you the clothes I sent her for the New Year's banquet. What more are you unsatisfied with? I see you're just looking for trouble. Now... you, Empress, thoroughly investigate how this voodoo doll came to be. If you can't find out, you don't need to be Empress anymore."
Aren't you the mistress of the harem?
Didn't you say that the Emperor shouldn't interfere in harem matters? Didn't Empress Zhu herself say she was the mistress of the harem and had the right to manage it?
Then let her investigate.
If she can't find out, it shows her incompetence. How can an incompetent person be fit to be the mistress of the harem?
Empress Zhu felt dizzy and her head throbbed. The slap from the Emperor earlier hurt even more from his words.
After slapping Empress Zhu, the Xuanwu Emperor didn't forget about Consort Liang. His icy eyes grew even colder: "Consort Liang, you have repeatedly instigated others to cause trouble for Concubine Zhen, which is extremely despicable. Guards, Consort Liang has violated palace rules. Take her away and slap her mouth thirty times, deduct her salary for a year, and send a matron from Chuxiu Palace to Shunan Palace to re-educate Consort Liang on the rules."
This was a terrible humiliation, even worse than demoting Consort Liang's position.
To make her relearn the rules!
She had been in the palace for over a decade, considered a veteran, and had become one of the four consorts.
She had always been the one teaching others the rules, and now the Emperor wanted a matron who taught etiquette to palace maids in Chuxiu Palace to teach her the palace rules!
Thirty slaps on the mouth...
With thirty slaps, her face would likely be disfigured.
For a consort, beauty is of utmost importance. Without beauty, she would be like a bird with broken wings, unable to fly again.
"Your Majesty!" Consort Liang cried out loudly. "Your Majesty, this concubine knows her mistake. It was all Yang'er... that despicable Yang'er who told this concubine that Concubine Zhen was practicing witchcraft. This concubine was only concerned for Your Majesty and was used by someone with ulterior motives. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of this concubine's deep love for you, please spare me!"
The Xuanwu Emperor simply waved his hand, ordering people to drag Consort Liang out for punishment.
The sound of slaps and Consort Liang's screams filled the entire Hexi Palace.
Those with weak nerves began to tremble.
What did the Empress summon them for?
To watch Concubine Zhen be rebuked by the Emperor and see her miserable fate?
It couldn't be to watch the Empress and Consort Liang be beaten by the Emperor, to see how the Emperor protects Concubine Zhen, making them realize once again that Concubine Zhen is untouchable, could it?
Yang'er, the palace maid from Hexi Palace, didn't escape either. She was directly taken away by the Investigative Bureau to be severely interrogated about who her true master really was.
That person had intended to use the Empress and Consort Liang to bring down Jiang Xinyue, while also making the Emperor dislike these two. Who would have thought that Jiang Xinyue would turn the tables, seizing the opportunity to make them lose the Emperor's favor in one fell swoop? As long as the mastermind is caught, Concubine Zhen will have achieved her goal of killing three birds with one stone.
After the Emperor chased everyone out of the room, he comforted the "frightened" Jiang Xinyue: "If such things happen again in the future, you don't need to worry. I only trust you. You need to take care of yourself and not get emotionally agitated. Didn't Imperial Physician Yan say that emotional instability risks premature birth? I just ordered the Empress to investigate to vent your anger. Privately, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and definitely root out the mastermind behind it. I won't let such things happen again."
Jiang Xinyue nodded: "Your Majesty trusts this concubine, and this concubine will certainly not forget her original intention and not do anything to trouble Your Majesty."
The Xuanwu Emperor smiled, feeling that his Concubine Zhen was truly sensible and obedient when being reasonable.
Even when she's unreasonable, she's adorable.
Even when she's angry, he has no choice but to coax her.
He simply couldn't get angry with her.
Rubbing Jiang Xinyue's head, the Emperor planted a kiss on her forehead: "Be good and listen to Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang. I'll go handle state affairs first and come back to dine with you in the evening."
Jiang Xinyue obediently nodded: "This concubine respectfully sees Your Majesty off."
It was still early, and the Empress had come and gone in a hurry.
Although it seemed like many things had happened, in reality, it didn't waste much of Jiang Xinyue's time to resolve them.
This was mainly because under her constant brainwashing and manipulation, the Xuanwu Emperor had developed a love-struck brain. He couldn't accept anyone speaking ill of her.
"Let's go!"
"Where are we going, Your Highness?"
"Of course, to see our Empress! After all, she took a beating for me. I'm kind-hearted and feel uneasy about it. At the very least, I should let her know why she was beaten today and who really caused her to be beaten!"
The Emperor had ordered her to investigate the true culprit behind the voodoo doll, or he would depose her as Empress.
Jiang Xinyue was now going to offer her timely assistance.
