20demayo Chapter 73
Chapter 73
"oh?"
the xuanwu emperor stopped writing and looked up at consort zhang. "wronged? you don't know? do you think i'm blind?"
wang dequan lowered his head, not daring to look at the emperor's enraged face. he wanted to remind consort zhang that it would be better to confess quickly.
in this palace, there were no secrets the emperor couldn't uncover if he wanted to know.
these past two days, the emperor had turned the entire palace upside down investigating concubine zhen's fall into the water.
to find the guard with the chest injury, he had organized a grand martial arts competition, even using the position of imperial guard as bait. so what was strange about discovering that consort zhang had passed by the lake at that time?
consort zhang made a desperate attempt: "your servant did pass by the lake that day, but i didn't hear any commotion, nor did i hear concubine zhen calling for help! perhaps... perhaps someone dragged her underwater, and i walked by too quickly, so i missed it. your majesty, i really didn't..."
"enough!"
the xuanwu emperor didn't want to hear any more of her excuses. he directly ordered wang dequan: "consort zhang is willful, jealous, and vicious. from this day forward, demote her to consort zhang and confine her to the side hall of zhong cui palace."
he wasn't even going to give her the main quarters of zhong cui palace, instead making her move to the side hall.
the emperor knew how to kill with kindness.
for the women of the palace, rank and face were more important than life itself. he had instantly grasped consort zhang's lifeline, gripping her by the throat, causing her face to turn ashen in an instant.
wang dequan gave a signal, and immediately eunuchs came to support the limp consort zhang... no... consort zhang as they took her away.
in a daze, consort zhang was thrown onto the cold floor of the side hall. she suddenly grabbed wang dequan's robe like a madwoman: "why? why is the emperor being so cruel to me? concubine zhen also caused noble consort li to fall into the water before, but not only did nothing happen to her, she even got promoted. i just passed by without saving concubine zhen, why is the emperor treating me like this?"
wang dequan mercilessly pulled back his robe, his face a mask of pleasantness, his smile unwavering: "my lady is confused. concubine zhen is now the emperor's most beloved. if you cause trouble for concubine zhen, the emperor will only make you more miserable. don't blame the emperor for being heartless, blame only the mastermind who made you go against concubine zhen."
consort zhang was slightly shocked, her pupils contracting for a moment in surprise.
she took a few steps back, appearing extremely afraid of the "mastermind" wang dequan had mentioned.
yan the imperial physician felt that he was about to lose his little life now.
who could have imagined that concubine zhen, the emperor's beloved favorite, would be such a good actress?
what falling into the water unconscious, life hanging by a thread?
it was all an act put on by concubine zhen, and she had forced him to play along.
"is physician yan very hot?"
jiang xinyue smiled at the old man, a smile that yan the imperial physician found creepy no matter how he looked at it. "no, no... this humble servant is not hot... not hot at all..."
"xique, bring a chair for physician yan. please don't stand on ceremony, physician yan."
how could yan the imperial physician dare to sit? he thought concubine zhen was just trying to intimidate him. his knees went weak and he fell to the ground, crying and pleading: "concubine zhen, please spare my life! this humble servant... this humble servant knows nothing and will say nothing. this humble servant has elderly parents and young children at home, i beg concubine zhen to spare me!"
what's going on?
jiang xinyue felt that her attitude had been very kind already. she quickly had xiaoxuan pull the man up: "physician yan, when i was previously poisoned in the cold palace, it was thanks to your miraculous skills that saved my life. i have always remembered this with gratitude. how could i possibly want your life?"
she just wanted to win him over and bind him to her cause, that's all.
yan the imperial physician cautiously raised his head, examining the face of concubine zhen that looked like a beautiful but venomous snake no matter how he looked at it. trembling, he asked: "you... you really won't kill this humble servant?"
jiang xinyue nodded, her expression particularly sincere.
yan the imperial physician finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his face with his sleeve: "this humble servant thanks concubine zhen. your highness has spared my life, and i swear to keep your secret to the grave, not revealing even a fraction of it."
"it's not that important," jiang xinyue said with a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "even if you were to tell anyone, no one would believe you. who would risk their own life to gain the emperor's pity without implicating anyone else?"
she had been pushed into the water, but she hadn't told the emperor who had done it, nor had she even hinted at who she suspected.
not only that, but she had also staunchly defended consort shu's innocence in front of the emperor.