During the occasion of Noble Consort Chen's admonishment of the concubines, Concubine Ru had already lost count of how many slaps she had endured.
Unable to bear the beating any longer, she struggled to push away Kang Yubin and ran to kneel in front of Noble Consort Chen, begging with slurred words, "Your Highness, please spare me! I don't know how I have offended Your Highness... I..."
"Spare you?" Noble Consort Chen's eyes turned fierce, and she glared at Concubine Ru with malevolence. "If I spare you, who will spare the life of my son!?"
As she spoke, her voice trembled uncontrollably, and tears glistened in her eyes. However, Ning Wanshuang never shed tears in front of others, so she quickly suppressed the momentary grief.
Leaning forward slightly, she lifted her thick-soled embroidered shoes and firmly stepped on Concubine Ru's hand, which was supporting herself on the floor. Concubine Ru cried out in pain.
Noble Consort Chen sneered, "Do you think I don't know that it was you who spread the news of my deceased son to Yonghe Palace? I was still in confinement, and I know what was on your mind at that time. You know it too!"
With that, she kicked Concubine Ru away and sternly ordered, "Kang Yubin, continue beating her!"
Following her command, several palace guards quickly surrounded Concubine Ru, and Kang Yubin rolled up his sleeves, preparing to teach her a lesson.
To say that Concubine Ru had a miserable time would be an understatement. It had only been a few months since she entered the palace, and she was either slapped or confined. She had to face all the misfortunes alone.
Perhaps she had nothing to lose at this point, so she mustered the courage to retort against Noble Consort Chen, "Regardless of whether Your Highness believes it or not, the death of the young prince has nothing to do with me! The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have already stopped investigating me. Moreover, I am an officially recognized concubine appointed by the Emperor. If Your Highness dares to cause me harm today, I'm afraid it won't go unnoticed by the Mongolian tribe!"
She mentioned her maternal family, and Noble Consort Chen seemed genuinely cautious. She fell silent for a moment, then raised her hand to stop Kang Yubin's slapping. Suddenly, she smiled warmly and said, "I won't kill you. You can stay under my control and suffer slowly."
As her words fell, Liu Yue entered, carrying a food box in her hands.
She stood calmly in front of Concubine Ru and opened the drawer of the food box. Everyone then saw a cup of dark brown medicinal soup with a strong and pungent aroma.
Concubine Ru anxiously asked, "What... what is this?"
Liu Yue replied indifferently, "In response to the young lady, this is the Ten Cold Soup. Once you drink it, you will completely sever your descendants' blessings."
As she spoke, she lifted the medicinal cup, stirring its contents with a spoon, and brought it to Concubine Ru's lips.
Concubine Ru's face turned pale. Although she was restrained by the palace guards, her body still trembled, and she tightly clenched her teeth, shaking her head and shedding tears.
Seeing that she refused to drink, Liu Yue added,
"You often express admiration for Noble Consort Chen, who has no children and sits alone like a lotus flower. Noble Consort Chen knows of your admiration and specially bestowed this great fortune upon you. Why don't you express your gratitude?"
After speaking, Liu Yue suddenly turned fierce and firmly held Concubine Ru's cheek with her left hand.
Forcing her to open her mouth, she then lifted a cup of Ten Cold Soup and poured it into her mouth.
All the other consorts knew how powerful Ten Cold Soup was.
Once consumed, it immediately damaged the palace's reproductive system, making it impossible for her to conceive for the rest of her life.
Witnessing Concubine Ru being forced to consume this substance, everyone in the room trembled in fear and felt a chill down their spines.
Concubine Ru was, after all, a member of Consort Yin's palace. Although Consort Yin didn't like her, at this moment, she couldn't help but speak up for Concubine Ru.
"Noble Consort! Concubine Ru is still one of the Emperor's concubines. How dare you openly harm her? Aren't you afraid..."
"When has this palace ever been afraid?" Noble Consort Chen glanced at Consort Yin provocatively and taunted, "If you don't agree, you can report this matter to the Emperor. The Emperor can decide how to punish this palace. But if you don't go, don't make noise in front of this palace!"
As she spoke, the full cup of Ten Cold Soup had already been poured into Concubine Ru's stomach.
She immediately reacted, clutching her belly and rolling on the ground, screaming in agony.
Just as the consorts were anxiously unsettled, a eunuch hurriedly arrived in the court.
He entered and saw Concubine Ru rolling at the entrance, but he didn't spare her a second glance. Instead, he walked straight to the hall, smiled at Noble Consort Chen, and said,
"Noble Consort, the several Osmanthus trees that the Emperor ordered have been moved to your palace. If you have time, please go and have a look to see if there's anything unsatisfactory."
Noble Consort Chen replied, "I understand. You can go back and report first."
Hearing his words, everyone finally realized.
The Osmanthus tree was uprooted, not because Xiao Jingheng was annoyed with Noble Consort Chen.
Instead, it was moved to Noble Consort Chen's palace so that she could see it every day, showcasing their affection for each other.
Now let's see how Song Zhao, after entering the court and witnessing Concubine Ru being tormented like this, still had a calm expression on her face.
From this, it was clear that Noble Consort Chen's actions had undoubtedly received Xiao Jingheng's tacit approval.
In this way, no one could say anything further.
Noble Consort Chen hurriedly returned to the palace to check the transplant situation of the Osmanthus trees, dismissing everyone else.
However, she herself didn't rush to leave.
After everyone else had left, she remained alone with Song Zhao in the hall and suddenly asked her,
"Why?"
Song Zhao pretended not to understand and asked in return, "What?"
Noble Consort Chen said, "This palace asks why you helped the Emperor come up with ideas and made this palace happy? This palace knows that the Emperor has only seen you recently, and the Emperor is usually clueless about such matters. If it weren't for your suggestion, the Emperor would never have thought of moving the Osmanthus trees to this palace and using this method to please this palace."
She stood up and walked slowly in front of Song Zhao, staring at her intently, as if trying to see through her.
"Noble Consort Chen, what exactly are you thinking? Your son is a precious child. If I, the Imperial Noble Concubine, were to falter due to the loss of a child, then the position of Noble Consort would eventually be yours. There are so many women in the harem who wish for my demise, yet you advise the Emperor to reconcile with me. Are you trying to sell me a favor?"
Faced with the scrutiny and questioning of Noble Consort Chen, Song Zhao remained calm and composed.
She rose and respectfully bowed to Noble Consort Chen, speaking in a gentle tone, "Noble Consort, you worry too much. I have never advised the Emperor on anything. Whatever the Emperor wants to do and how he wants to do it, it is all for the sake of making you, Noble Consort, happy. It comes entirely from the Emperor's heart, not from any scheming on my part."
Noble Consort Chen's intense gaze fell upon Song Zhao's beautiful face. "In this palace, I know who is human and who is ghost. I can distinguish it clearly. Those who treat me well are the ones who secretly wish for my death. My eyes can see that clearly."
Song Zhao did not respond to her words. Instead, she said, "It's a good thing that Noble Consort can come out. As a mother myself, I understand that you would naturally feel sad and upset about such an incident, but..."
"What is there for me to feel sad about?" Noble Consort Chen, as if triggered, hurriedly interrupted Song Zhao's words.
She wore a light and carefree expression on her face, showing no signs of grief. She even managed to lift a bright smile and lightly said, "I am still young and will have children with the Emperor. What is there for me to feel sad about? I'm not sad at all."
With that, she decisively turned and left without looking back.
*
At the same time, in the Chaoyang Palace,
After the morning court session today, Xiao Jingheng secretly summoned Prince Rui.
At this moment, Xiao Jingheng was sitting on the dragon seat, with several bloody confessions presented by Prince Rui by his side.
These confessions were written by several former border generals under Ning Bochuan's command, detailing how Ning Bochuan contacted his trusted soldiers and privately conspired with them.
Among these pieces of evidence, there was also a letter,
Prince Rui claimed that it was a handwritten letter from Ning Bochuan to his soldiers,
Xiao Jingheng looked at the crooked and twisted words on it, which bore some resemblance to the handwriting of a military general like himself.
After reading these confessions and letters, Xiao Jingheng fell into silence for a long time.
Prince Rui respectfully bowed and solemnly said, "Imperial Brother, the Ning clan has turned against us. They recently returned their military authority, but it is only to trick you into letting down your guard, giving them a chance to catch us off guard and strike back!
These treacherous traitors must all be eliminated! I implore Imperial Brother to prioritize the overall situation, not to tolerate and cultivate traitors, and prevent a great disaster from occurring!"
