HLnovel Chapter 118 Grounded
Chapter 118 Grounded
Zhou Lingge yawned lazily, "What? Ling'er died? When did it happen? How come I didn't know?"
"How did she die? Where is her body?"
With clear and innocent eyes, she looked at the Queen Mother in confusion and asked several questions in a row.
The Queen Mother was almost stunned by her questions.
Her face darkened involuntarily: "I'm asking you...how come you don't know anything?"
Zhou Lingge's expression suddenly changed. She quickly replied with a hint of panic, "I'm pregnant and very easily tired. Your Majesty sent me some good things, so I went to the Imperial Study to express my gratitude and then returned to Yuanchen Palace. I stayed in Yuanchen Palace all day to catch up on my sleep and didn't go anywhere else. Therefore, I really have no idea what happened in the harem."
"I was a little confused just now, so I didn't hear a word the palace maid said to me. So when I suddenly heard the Queen Mother's questioning, my mind was a little black..."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I didn't mean to disrespect you. It's mainly because I'm pregnant and I'm suffering from morning sickness and want to sleep..."
She found that the shield of pregnancy was quite useful.
It’s different if you have something in your belly. It can be used as a magic sword.
The Queen Mother's face turned pale.
She stared at Zhou Lingge for a long time, so angry that she couldn't say a word.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Shu quickly spoke up to explain to Zhou Lingge.
"I, Concubine Yu, let me tell you the whole story."
So she recounted in detail how Ling'er died, where she died, and what happened to her body.
Zhou Lingge's face turned pale upon hearing this, his eyes filled with fear. "Ah, this is too horrible! How could it be so cruel? He fell from Yijing Pavilion and his head exploded?"
"Wouldn't that mean she'd be completely disfigured and her body would be mutilated? Oh my god... Why would Ling'er commit suicide when she was perfectly fine? And why did she do it in such a cruel way?"
The Queen Mother gritted her teeth and said angrily, "The palace maid who was cleaning Yijing Pavilion confessed that she saw with her own eyes the palace maids from Yuanchen Palace dragging Ling'er up to Yijing Pavilion and pushing her until she fell from a height."
"Noble Concubine Yu... there are witnesses who have come forward to identify her. Stop playing dumb and putting on a show with us. Although Ling'er was a palace maid, she is still a human being. If she made a mistake, she could be handed over to the Imperial Household Department or reported to the Empress. How could you act on your own and kill her?"
Zhou Lingge looked at the Queen Mother in feigned astonishment.
"What are you talking about, Empress Dowager? I'm innocent... How could Ling'er's death be related to me? I know nothing."
The Empress Dowager immediately ordered the palace maids from Yijing Pavilion to come up and said, "The witnesses are all here. Concubine Yu, are you going to continue to quibble?"
Zhou Lingge curled her lips in grievance. She couldn't help but sob and cry: "It's not me..."
"Someone must be wrongly accusing me."
She raised her tearful eyes and looked at the young eunuch: "Which palace maid from Yuanchen Palace did you see?"
The young eunuch didn't dare to raise his head and quickly replied, "Yes...it's Miss Qiao'er."
"At the hour of Xu... I saw with my own eyes that she dragged Ling'er up to Yijing Pavilion. Not long after, Ling'er jumped down from Yijing Pavilion."
Jin Xin couldn't help but feel nervous.
As far as she knew, Ling'er was indeed dragged to Yijing Pavilion by Sister Qiao'er.
Could it be that all this was seen by this eunuch by coincidence?
Zhou Lingge was also puzzled. Didn’t Qiaoer say that all the evidence had been cleared?
But this eunuch... said that he saw Qiao'er dragging Ling'er to Yijing Pavilion with his own eyes.
Could it be that this eunuch slipped through the net and Qiao'er didn't find him?
The Queen Mother glanced at Zhou Lingge's somewhat uneasy expression and snorted coldly, "The witness is here, why are you still quibbling?"
"Even if you're a noble concubine, you can't be so vicious and treat the lives of the palace maids like ants. Besides, I'm worried about someone as cruel as you continuing to serve the emperor. Considering you're carrying the emperor's heir, I won't lower your rank... I'll punish you by confining you to your room for a year and making you copy two hundred scrolls of Buddhist scriptures to pray for that tragically deceased girl."
She was confined to her room for a year... She was pregnant and could not sleep with the emperor. After a long time, the emperor's interest in her would surely wear off.
The selection will begin immediately to fill the harem.
Many beautiful and young women appeared before the emperor.
Since ancient times, no man has been able to remain loyal, especially emperors.
The flowers in the harem are all vying for beauty, but no one can last forever.
Over the years, the empress dowager has seen too many concubines who relied on their favor to be domineering and arrogant, and finally met with the same fate.
Don't think that just because the emperor favors you a little, you can be lawless and look down on everyone.
No flower lasts forever... Zhou Lingge's blooming period has completely come to an end.
The Queen Mother waved her hand and looked at Nanny Zhao: "You personally escort Concubine Yu back to the palace... Be careful not to disturb her pregnancy..."
After all, she was pregnant with the royal heir. If Concubine Yu could behave herself from now on, she would tolerate her and let her stay in the harem as a mother with a son.
Nanny Zhao responded and respectfully walked up to Zhou Lingge. "Your Highness, please come in. The Empress Dowager has been very kind. I hope you can correct your mistakes... and stop being so reckless."
There was a glimmer of interest in Concubine Shu's eyes.
So what if she was just conferred the title of Imperial Concubine?
If I am under house arrest and cannot see His Majesty, everything will be in vain.
A year is enough time for a lot of things to happen.
Concubine Rou couldn't suppress the joy in her heart.
When she looked at Zhou Lingge, although her eyes did not show any blatant gloating, the corners of her mouth were slightly curled up.
Concubine Liu and Yu Changzai lowered their heads, but naturally they could not hide their joyful expressions.
Zhou Lingge took in the reactions of everyone in the hall.
She lowered her head with a gloomy expression, and her shoulders trembled slowly.
"Wow, I didn't ask Qiao'er to harm Ling'er. I remember that Qiao'er had been staying in Yuanchen Palace the entire time and had never left my sight... How could she have hidden it from me and disposed of Ling'er?"
Zhou Lingge looked at Jin Xin with tears in her eyes: "You lowly maid, are you deliberately hiding something from me, or are you being bribed and deliberately framing me?"
Jin Xin reacted quickly and immediately knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have not betrayed you. I am wronged."
Concubine Shu couldn't help but frown, and she looked suspiciously at Jinxin who was kneeling on the ground.
Why does this girl look so unfamiliar? She doesn’t seem to be Qiaoer.
Before she could understand what was happening, Zhou Lingge pointed at Jinxin and looked at the young eunuch: "Did you really see her clearly dragging Ling'er to Yijing Pavilion?"
The young eunuch looked up and glanced at Jin Xin.
He didn't have the chance to see Concubine Yu and the maids around her on weekdays.
However, he knew that Qiao'er was Concubine Yu's personal maid, and must have been by her side all the time. Considering the questions that Concubine Yu had just asked the maid, he dared to conclude that the maid must be Qiao'er.
The young eunuch kowtowed quickly: "Yes, this servant is absolutely certain that it was she who dragged Ling'er up to Yijing Pavilion."