20demayo Chapter 246 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 59
Chapter 246 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 59
Zhen Huan was led all the way to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by Xia Zhongyi, and her heart was in her throat the whole way.
Stepping into the palace, despite her flustered state, she forced herself to remain calm and respectfully bowed to the Emperor, her voice soft yet unable to conceal her nervousness: "Greetings to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"I am uneasy." The Emperor's face was gloomy as he stared intently at Zhen Huan, then glanced at Xia Zhongyi beside him.
Xia Zhongyi understood immediately and quickly went out to stand guard outside the hall. Immediately afterward, Gao Wuyong hurriedly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty, I know my crime." Zhen Huan's heart skipped a beat when she saw the Emperor's attitude, and she immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Do you know your crime?" The Emperor repeated coldly, then suddenly shouted, "You vile woman, I have treated you well, yet you betray me like this!"
Zhen Huan was startled by the sudden roar, and her body trembled involuntarily. She quickly denied it, saying, "I don't know if it was the Empress or Consort Jin who were spreading rumors in front of Your Majesty. I have never done anything to wrong Your Majesty."
"Still being stubborn!" The Emperor laughed in anger, grabbed the evidence that had been prepared on the table, and threw it forcefully in front of Zhen Huan.
With trembling hands, Zhen Huan picked up the evidence. It listed various clues related to Wen Shichu, Wei Lin, Cui Jinxi, and others. The more she looked, the paler her face became, and she could no longer hide her panic.
"Your Majesty, these are all rumors. They are framing me. Your Majesty, please don't believe these lies!" Zhen Huan raised her head and shouted hoarsely, her eyes filled with despair and pleading.
The Emperor seemed not to hear, still looking at Zhen Huan with a gloomy expression, and said coldly, "Back then, I was soft-hearted when it came to the 'blood test,' but I never expected you to disappoint me so much."
"Wen Shichu has confessed everything, including the fact that the twins' gestational age is different from the expected one, and he also confessed about the adulterer clearly. I personally interrogated Wen Shichu." The Emperor's words were like a heavy hammer, shattering Zhen Huan's last hope.
"It's over, it's all over." Zhen Huan's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, muttering to herself in a daze.
At this moment, Gao Wuyong entered the hall carrying the twins. The Emperor looked at the two children, his face growing increasingly grim, his eyes filled with disgust. That wretched child was actually Yunli's child! He never imagined Yunli would be so audacious as to commit such a treasonous act.
"Throw this wretched child out to feed the dogs. Lingxi will wait until she comes of age and then marry into the Mongol tribe," the Emperor ordered in a cold, emotionless tone.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan instantly came to her senses and frantically crawled to the Emperor, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, pleading desperately, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the children are innocent! Please spare Hongzhan and Lingxi! They are still young and know nothing."
The Emperor disgustedly ripped off her clothes, shoving Zhen Huan to the ground, and said coldly, word by word, "You should have thought of the consequences when you did these things, but you still did them."
"Your Majesty, Hongzhan has a leg disability and has suffered since childhood. Please spare Hongzhan's life." Zhen Huan was in tears, kowtowing repeatedly until her forehead was broken and blood flowed down her cheeks.
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly, then he chuckled softly, as if he had heard a huge joke: "Retribution."
The emperor glanced at Gao Wuyong, who immediately understood and stepped forward.
The Emperor said coldly and ruthlessly, "Take this vile woman away and 'take good care' of her. The entire Zhen family is to be executed. Let Yunli die of illness sooner." The hatred in his heart was like a raging fire. He could not quell his hatred without tormenting Zhen Huan like this.
Gao Wuyong quickly signaled the eunuch to step forward and drag Zhen Huan out.
Zhen Huan struggled desperately, then suddenly looked up and saw the Emperor's cold eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, you should investigate your good Empress. The Empress killed Empress Chun Yuan. Empress Chun Yuan's death is suspicious. I have found the nanny who served Empress Chun Yuan back then."
Zhen Huan revealed this story simply to seek a quick death. Since the Emperor was determined to kill her, and the Empress harbored a deep-seated hatred for her, she was determined to take revenge no matter what. Unfortunately, she ultimately fell short.
"What?" The emperor was stunned when he heard this.
"Insolence, you vile woman, utter nonsense!" The Emperor snapped out of his daze and shouted.
"Hahahaha, Your Majesty, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? I never expected that the Empress Chun Yuan's own sister would actually kill herself. I have hidden the witness. I have no other request, I only ask Your Majesty to grant me a quick death." Zhen Huan laughed wildly, looking as if she had gone mad.
The two exchanged a few more words. Since it concerned Empress Chun Yuan, the Emperor ultimately agreed to Zhen Huan's request on the surface.
The next day, the gates of Jingren Palace were slammed shut. Jianqiu, Jiang Fuhai, and others who served Yixiu were taken to the Shenxing Division.
Yixiu sat blankly at the head of the table, her eyes vacant and lifeless. She never imagined that the Emperor would suspect her.
Yesterday she heard that the Emperor had surrounded Yongshou Palace, and she was secretly delighted, thinking that Zhen Huan was going to be in trouble. But she never expected that it would be her turn today.
Wen Yuan received the news immediately and instructed Xiao Lengzi to have all his men hide in the shadows, lest they show themselves at this critical juncture.
The subsequent events in the harem were incredibly dramatic and captivating.
First, news spread that Zhen Huan had attempted to assassinate the Emperor. The Emperor then ordered that she be beaten to death with clubs, and the entire Zhen clan was beheaded.
The Eighth Prince accidentally fell into the lake and drowned. All those who cared for him were executed, while Lingxi was handed over to the Dowager Consort for care.
Immediately afterwards, Yixiu's plot to murder Empress Chun Yuan and cause a concubine to miscarry was exposed. In a fit of rage, the Emperor deposed her from her position as Empress and banished her to the Cold Palace.
After these three major events, the concubines in the harem were terrified and fell silent. All their usual scheming and back-and-forth vanished. Every day, they stayed in their own palaces in fear, lest they inadvertently anger the emperor and be implicated.
Wen Yuan still manages the affairs of the inner palace. After the Empress and Zhen Huan fell from grace, she, now the Noble Consort Jin, is the most honored person in the inner palace, and no one dares to easily oppose her anymore.
The Emperor seemed deeply affected by these events. He hadn't set foot in the inner palace for two months, and now no one dared to advise him. In the past, the Empress Dowager and the Empress could offer advice, but times had changed, and Wen Yuan naturally wouldn't want to risk offending him.
It wasn't until the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that the Emperor once again stepped into the inner palace.
However, the Emperor seemed much colder towards his concubines, and often visited the Sixth and Seventh Princes at the Chuxiu Palace when he had nothing else to do. The concubines in the harem dared not say much about this, after all, the Emperor was in a bad mood, and none of them dared to speak out easily.
The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, was constantly jumping around in the palace. He originally intended to side with Zhen Huan, but he never expected that Zhen Huan would offend her father, the Emperor, and end up in such a state.
Left with no other choice, he had to seek another patron. He searched among the concubines in the harem and found that Consort Jing had already pledged allegiance to Consort Jin. After much thought, only Consort Duan remained.
The Fourth Prince had made up his mind, and he would frequently visit Yanqing Palace to pay his respects to Consort Duan. Consort Duan wasn't stupid; she quickly saw through the Fourth Prince's intentions. Coincidentally, Consort Duan also had her own plans, and the two, without uttering a word, gradually reached a tacit understanding.
Wen Yuan noticed the Fourth Prince's actions and became secretly wary. She couldn't let the two of them join forces.
Just as he was about to intervene, the Sixth Prince Hongxi beat him to it.
Hongxi cleverly orchestrated a scene where the Emperor witnessed the Fourth Prince trying to matchmake the Third Prince with Yunsi.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor was furious and declared that he would adopt the Fourth Prince to Yinzhi, making him Yinzhi's son.
The Emperor was utterly disappointed in the Third Prince, Hongshi, who had actually shown some interest at the time—a truly foolish act. In a fit of rage, the Emperor immediately issued an edict ordering Hongshi to relinquish all his duties and confine him to the Princes' quarters.
After these events, the emperor became increasingly indifferent to matters of love and turned his attention to cultivating an heir.
The Third Prince was immediately ruled out, deemed utterly unfit for important tasks; the Fifth Prince was physically weak and unsuitable for heavy responsibilities. After much deliberation, only the Sixth and Seventh Princes remained. After careful observation, the Emperor ultimately decided to focus his efforts on cultivating the Sixth Prince.
In the eighteenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the emperor lived a few years longer than originally recorded in history.
That year, the Sixth Prince was fourteen years old, and the Emperor decreed the selection of a primary consort for him. Just as the choice was made, the Emperor suddenly passed away. Shortly afterward, the Sixth Prince ascended the throne smoothly, and Wen Yuan became Empress Dowager.
After that, Wen Yuan lived in this world until she was eighty years old before passing away peacefully.
In the end, all those familiar faces were gone. Consort Xin had passed away five years ago, and Consort Jing had died eight years ago.
Looking back on her eventful life, having experienced the bloodshed and turmoil of the imperial harem, Wen Yuan finally stood at the pinnacle of power, so she could say she had no regrets.