HLnovel Chapter 1040 Things Get Out of Hand
Chapter 1040 Things Get Out of Hand
“Consort Cui, if you think you can slander me and the Qian family with just a wooden doll bearing your birth date and time, I’m afraid you won’t succeed!” Consort Qian retorted without backing down, her voice firm and powerful.
She understood that she absolutely could not be accused of treason!
After saying this, she looked up at Zhou Pu, knelt down with both hands, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I beg you to see the truth and clear my name, as well as that of the Qian family!"
This is the person who truly has the authority on the scene.
Zhou Pu was well aware that judging a case based solely on a wooden figure would be insufficient evidence and somewhat hasty, and that the matter might have been framed by someone else.
This matter did indeed make him very wary. After some consideration, he decided to compromise and have Consort Qian placed under house arrest first, and then deal with the matter after a detailed interrogation.
After all, behind Consort Qian was the Qian family of Lin'an, a powerful and deeply rooted clan that could not be easily touched.
Cui Rong sat at the lower end, seemingly relaxed and detached, but in reality, she was constantly observing the situation. At this moment, she also realized His Majesty's intention and couldn't help but curse Zhou Pu for not being decisive enough.
However, since she had already sent someone to do this, she wasn't prepared to let it all go to waste and easily let it go. So, before Zhou Pu made his decision, she stood up and requested:
“Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is always benevolent and unwilling to easily wrong Consort Qian. However, this matter concerns Your Majesty’s birth chart and must be thoroughly investigated! Your Majesty is the ruler of the country. If Your Majesty is harmed, the country will be harmed. Whoever instigated this act behind the scenes is despicable. Although I am only a Noble Consort now and the formal ceremony for establishing an Empress has not yet been held, I am willing to share Your Majesty’s burden and take over the interrogation of Consort Qian. I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!”
Zhou Pu seemed to be thinking about this. He could see through Cui Rong's little scheme, but if he could get the matter investigated by Cui Rong instead of having to play the villain himself, he would be happy to see it happen. It was a good idea.
After feigning a moment of hesitation, he nodded and said, "Consort Cui, although you have not yet been formally conferred the title of Empress, you are currently in charge of all matters in the harem. Since the matter originated in the harem, it is only right and proper for you to take over and investigate it thoroughly. I grant your permission and give me a result within three days!"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your trust," Cui Rong said with a smile, bowing respectfully.
"Well, with such a thing happening today, there are already rumors circulating in the harem. I'm tired now, so I'll go and rest. Eunuch Fu, remember to handle things properly. I don't want to hear any more gossip about the harem in court before the results are in," Zhou Pu instructed before hurriedly leaving with his men, heading towards the alchemy room.
Everyone in the hall bowed respectfully to see him off. After Zhou Pu had gone far away, Cui Rong straightened up, sat down gracefully, and instructed, "Everyone, please step back. I want to have a private talk with Consort Qian."
"Yes!" the palace servants replied in unison, bowed, and quietly withdrew.
A moment later, only Cui and Qian remained in the hall.
"What do you want?" Qian Fei knelt on the ground, but her back was straight, and she asked in a cold voice with a wary look in her eyes.
"Hahaha, don't you think your question is ridiculous? What do I want? Of course I want to hurt you!" Cui Rong covered her mouth and laughed uncontrollably.
"You!" Qian Fei didn't expect Cui Rong to be so direct. She had seen people play tricks before, but she had never seen anyone play such an open and honest scheme. She was speechless for a moment.
As expected, shamelessness knows no bounds!
"How could His Majesty appoint someone like you as Empress? You are utterly unfit to be the mother of the nation!" Consort Qian sneered.
Cui Rong still smiled brightly, and began to play with her long fingernails again, saying lightly:
"How dare you question His Majesty's judgment? If you, Consort Qian, were dissatisfied, you should have questioned His Majesty directly just now. I'm afraid you didn't dare! To put it bluntly, you're just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong! Tsk tsk tsk, so what if you're a noble lady from the Qian family? Once you fall into the deep palace, you have to rely on your own abilities. Now you're nothing but a criminal!"
These words touched a nerve with Consort Qian. Born into the Qian family of Lin'an, she considered herself noble, possessing both beauty and talent. From a young age, she was superior to her peers in every aspect. However, after entering the palace, she was completely out of favor and had no children to rely on. Only she knew how she was living. Although she appeared glamorous, she was probably not even as good as the concubine's daughters in her family.
Not to mention now, Cui Rong is sitting while she is kneeling, their positions are completely reversed.
It could even implicate the whole family.
After a long while, Consort Qian finally calmed herself down. "You dare! Even His Majesty doesn't dare to touch me easily and has given me some face. You are not the Empress yet, how dare you be so blatant? You don't need to use such psychological tactics on me to disturb my mind. I believe that the truth of this matter will eventually come to light."
“You’re so naive, and you still won’t believe me,” Cui Rong raised an eyebrow. “The truth of the matter never lies in the truth itself, but in what kind of outcome I want.”
"I used to think highly of you, but after dealing with you for so many years, I now realize that you and Consort Yang are both just fools. You look shrewd, but you're actually a complete incompetent. Tell me, why did you use iron nails to pierce the wooden figure with His Majesty's birth date and time? Were you trying to harm His Majesty?"
Consort Qian pursed her lips and remained silent, knowing full well it was a trap, but there was no reason for her to jump in.
"Heh, you think you can get away with pretending to be mute? I have plenty of methods at my disposal, and when necessary, I'll resort to extreme measures. You've probably heard of the Ten Great Tortures of the previous dynasty, right? Why don't you experience them for yourself?"
When the Ten Great Tortures were mentioned, Qian Fei's expression changed. She had naturally heard of them. From birth to the present, no one had ever dared to harm a hair on her head. Let alone the Ten Great Tortures, she couldn't even endure one of them.
"You dare to use torture without authorization?"
"Why wouldn't I dare? As the mistress of the harem, it is my duty to punish a concubine who harbors treacherous intentions. I don't care what family you come from, like the Qian or Yang families. Do you think you are superior to the imperial family?!" Cui Rong slammed her hand on the table and questioned him angrily as she finished speaking.
After saying that, without paying attention to the changes in Consort Qian's expression, he called out loudly, "Someone come here!"
"Take Consort Qian away and begin the punishment of being held in a chair!"
The punishment of being forced to bend over and hold one's feet with one's hands, preventing the body from bending, can cause blood to flow backward and the brain to become congested, leading to dizziness, numbness in the hands and feet, vomiting, or even fainting. However, no visible injuries are visible on the body's surface. This was one of the commonly used punishments in the imperial harem.
Upon hearing this, Consort Qian felt a slight sense of relief. Although the torture of being held in a strait was painful, it was still within the range of tolerable tortures compared to the Ten Great Tortures.
Cui Rong noticed this, smiled gently, and said in a soft tone, "Don't rush, this is just an appetizer. I'm being polite first, then I'll use force!"
After hearing this, Consort Qian pursed her lips, said nothing, and was taken away by the palace servants.
After everyone left, Peony was a little uneasy. "Your Highness, Consort Qian is, after all, the eldest daughter of the Qian family. Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Won't things get out of hand? What if His Majesty blames us?"
"The bold get rich, the timid starve. How can you achieve great things if you're always hesitant and timid?" Cui Rong scolded lightly.
His eyes held a barely perceptible excitement; he was determined to make a big scene!