Seeing Yue Mingxuan’s persistence, the Emperor sighed and was about to speak when he noticed the palace attendant who had spoken first collapse to the ground and trembling like a sieve.
The Emperor then said, "The torture chamber cannot handle everyone at once, so we’ll proceed one by one..." He pointed to the collapsed palace attendant and continued, "Since she spoke first earlier, let’s begin with her."
When that palace attendant saw the Emperor’s finger point at her, she was so terrified she couldn’t even form a complete sentence, stamring, "Your Your Your..."
Yue Mingxuan let out a soft laugh beside her and said, "Are you calling for Imperial Consort Zhou to save you? That’s right, at a ti like this, no one but her can save you."
His voice was very low and audible only to the three kneeling figures.
The shorter palace attendant glared at him angrily upon hearing this, while the other attendant, as if grasping at a lifeline, cried out, "Your Majesty, spare ! Imperial Consort Zhou, save !"
By now, everyone present understood the situation clearly.
Nanxie envoy, in particular, recalling the ssage Imperial Consort Zhou had sent him earlier, felt a surge of indignation.
Seeing this, Gongsun Xing added fuel to the fire: "With so many nobles present, this palace attendant must find Imperial Consort Zhou’s appearance particularly kind and nurturing. Why else wouldn’t she call out to the Emperor, or Imperial Consort Hua, but specifically to Imperial Consort Zhou?"
His words were extrely biting, as phrases like "kind and nurturing" were typically used to describe older people.
Imperial Consort Zhou smiled bitterly but couldn’t refute it, because if she did, the only alternative would be admitting she had instructed them to fra Yue Mingxuan.
For soone as obsessed with age and appearance as she was, having to accept being described as "kind and nurturing" was as nauseating as swallowing a fly.
Seeing this, the Emperor also understood the situation clearly.
A surge of anger rose within him.
What a wicked woman, relying on her years of managing the harem, she had even dared to concoct and use forbidden dicines to harm others.
It’s from the sa family, how could she be so vastly different from the late Empress?
Thinking of his deceased first wife, his originally raging heart found a strange calm.
Recalling her recent behavior, he let out a long sigh and said, "Imperial Consort Zhou, for privately making forbidden dicine, her royal title is stripped, her rank is reduced, and she is confined to her quarters for three months."
At this point, he closed his eyes and continued, "Princess Xie t her tragic end in Beirong. Her funeral shall be conducted with the highest ceremonial honors... These two palace attendants shall be beaten to death outside the hall as a warning to others."
By punishing Imperial Consort Zhou under the charge of privately making forbidden dicine, the emperor had, out of consideration for his deceased late empress, spared her so dignity.
Otherwise, according to the principle that nobles who break the law are subject to the sa punishnt as commoners, even a noble consort would have to pay with her life for murder.
Such an outco was sothing Imperial Consort Zhou, no, she should now be called Concubine Keshun now had never expected.
The Emperor had not even questioned her; rely on the basis of a palace servant’s plea for rcy, he had determined her guilt.
Although, for the sake of her deceased elder sister, he had not directly convicted her of murder, being stripped of her imperial title was humiliation enough to leave her utterly disgraced.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing, yet no words ca out.
In the end, she could only remove the phoenix crown she had always taken pride in and take off the bright pearls that hung beside her ears.
Her face pale as paper as she knelt down.
By protocol, she should have said, "This concubine acknowledges her guilt," but she remained silent, not uttering a single word.
Seeing Concubine Keshun like this, Yue Mingxuan could not help but feel a trace of pity.
If she had not harbored intentions to harm him from the very beginning, he would not have been forced to fight back.
Now that things had reached this point, although it could be said she had brought it upon herself, she was still sowhat pitiful.
Especially in the imperial palace, where people always fawned over those in favor and trampled those who had fallen from grace, one could imagine that Concubine Keshun’s days ahead would not be easy.
After Concubine Keshun removed her hairpin and knelt down to admit the fault, the mbers of the Imperial Guards stepped forward to drag away the two palace attendants.
With matters having co to this, the two attendants had gone limp like heaps of mud as they were dragged off.
One of them was so terrified that she wet herself, leaving a trail of dampness behind.
Several low ranking concubines who saw this scene covered their noses in disgust.
Before long, the sounds of punishnt and the attendants’ agonized screams echoed from outside the hall.
Not long after, the cries gradually weakened and the two palace attendants had clearly been beaten to death just outside.
Yue Mingxuan gently closed his eyes.
There was still a asure of reluctance in his heart, but if he had not defended himself, then under Concubine Keshun’s instigation, the one who is beaten to death outside would have been him.
The Emperor also noticed the trace of compassion on Yue Mingxuan’s face and sighed inwardly.
This person still lacked the decisiveness and ruthlessness required; it would be difficult for him to command the world with authority.
"Mingxuan, you have suffered a lot recently. Bestow one hundred taels of gold as consolation."
Upon hearing the Emperor say this, Yue Mingxuan’s eyes imdiately lit up.
After such a long public trial, this was the most pleasant sentence he had heard.
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