After killing four concubines, the queen was sentenced to death and reborn

"Unfair? It was you, Consort Yi, who slept beside the dragon bed. Today, the emperor is in poor health and sleeping like a stone. How dare you say it is unfair?" The empress dowager's eyes were majestic and her voice was filled with an unquestionable chill. The candlelight in the hall flickered and seemed to tremble.

Zheng Xiyan walked lightly but eagerly into the solemn atmosphere. "Mother, I pay my respects to you. May you be blessed with good health." Her words were gentle and respectful, and her eyes revealed her deep concern for the Queen Mother.

"The Queen is here, please get up." The Queen Mother's tone softened a little, but she still couldn't hide her anger.

"Thank you for your grace, mother." Zheng Xiyan stood up, slowly walked to the side of the queen mother, gently stroked her back, and said softly: "Mother, anger is harmful to your health, please do not hurt your body."

The Queen Mother stared at Zheng Xiyan, a complex expression flashing in her eyes, and finally asked, "Since the Queen is here, why not tell me what should be done about this matter?"

Zheng Xiyan's face was solemn, and she spoke softly, weighing each word carefully: "Mother, I dare to think that this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family and even the reputation of Your Majesty. If we rashly investigate, it may cause trouble. I beg you to put this matter aside for the time being and put the overall situation first. This is the best policy."

The Queen Mother's furrowed brows slightly relaxed when she heard this, and she was obviously touched by Zheng Xiyan's words. She pondered for a moment, thinking to herself: What the Queen said is true. If this matter is made public, the Emperor's reputation as a wise man may be tarnished, which is not a blessing for the country.

"The Queen's words make sense. I almost lost my temper." The Queen Mother's tone was a little more approving, "But how can I easily forgive Concubine Yi's mistakes?"

Zheng Xiyan smiled slightly, and there was some wisdom and gentleness in that smile: "Mother, although Concubine Yi made mistakes, what happened last night was not her sole responsibility. Your Majesty has been diligent in state affairs recently, and it is normal for him to act recklessly occasionally. If this matter gets out and damages your Majesty's reputation, I'm afraid it is not what you want. Concubine Yi has been favored since she entered the palace, and her name is known to the former and harem. If Concubine Yi is suddenly punished, it may cause suspicion in the court and the public. Why don't you take this opportunity to remind your Majesty to take care of your health? At the same time, I will use this matter to warn the concubines to set an example, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"

The Queen Mother's anger gradually faded after hearing this, and was replaced by deep praise for Zheng Xiyan. She sighed softly and said, "The Queen is thoughtful and considerate. I will do as you say, but since it is Zhaoyi's fault, I will find an opportunity to punish her to warn the harem."

"Mother, you are wise." Zheng Xiyan bowed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and her sharp gaze swept over Concubine Yi like ice. She slowly spoke, "I am old and weak, so I will leave all the affairs here to the Queen. The Emperor is in poor health and has not woken up yet. The Queen must wait here in person and must not slack off. When the Emperor wakes up, send someone to Shoukang Palace to inform me, and I will come over later."

"Your son obeys your order and respectfully escorts my mother to her palace." Zheng Xiyan stood up and saluted respectfully, watching the empress dowager walk out of the Purple Palace step by step with the support of Nanny Yu. Her back revealed a sense of heaviness and loneliness.

Inside the palace, with the Queen Mother's departure, the air seemed to relax a little. Concubine Yi's tense nerves finally relaxed. She knelt in front of Zheng Xiyan, her eyes tearful, and her voice trembling: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, thank you very much."

Zheng Xiyan raised her eyelids slightly, her eyes were deep and complicated, and she waved her hand gently: "Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Yi choked up and stood up tremblingly, her eyes full of uncertainty and fear about the future.

Zheng Xiyan walked slowly to the couch and sat down gracefully. Her tone was calm but contained a force that could not be ignored: "All of you leave. I have something to say to Consort Yi alone."

"Yes." The eunuch and Biluo led a group of palace servants and quietly left the hall.

Zheng Xiyan stared at Concubine Yi, with a sharp look in her eyes: "Tell me, what did you do?"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yi turned pale as paper and knelt on the ground again, her voice filled with despair: "Your Highness... Your Highness was bewitched by Concubine Yi and was confused for a moment..."

"Empress Yi? Tell me in detail how she bewitched you." Zheng Xiyan frowned, her tone becoming more stern.

Concubine Yi burst into tears and told the whole story in a halting manner: "Concubine Yi...she gave me something, saying that it could help me gain the favor of Your Majesty...I was bewitched for a moment and believed her words..."

"How ridiculous!" Zheng Xiyan angrily slapped the armrest, her voice filled with unquestionable anger, "How can you be so credulous? Even if Concubine Yi is favored, how dare she be so bold?"

Concubine Yi trembled, tears falling like pearls from a broken string: "I know I was wrong, but I was blinded by jealousy. I thought that if Concubine Yi could gain favor by this means, I could also... Now that I think about it, I really regret it."

Zheng Xiyan smiled coldly, her eyes were like torches: "You are indeed stupid. Concubine Yi is from a famous family, how could she act so recklessly? And you are alone, even if something happens, it will not implicate the Fifth Prince, after all, he is the biological son of His Majesty. Concubine Yi has a family behind her, with hundreds of people in the family, how dare she do such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yi burst into tears: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty really doesn't know what to do...But didn't Your Majesty miss the morning court session because of Concubine Yi?"

"Then have you ever seen His Majesty sleeping soundly like today?"

"No." Concubine Yi shook her head slightly.

"You are so stupid." Zheng Xiyan scolded.

"Empress, it's all her fault. Please help me." Concubine Yi cried.

Zheng Xiyan said coldly: "How can I make the decision for you?"

"I want to report her. She gave me this thing and asked me to do this. Please understand, Queen."

"Declare Concubine Yi? What evidence do you have? Based on your one-sided statement alone, if you go to Yuhua Palace and confront her face to face, will she admit it?" Zheng Xiyan's words were like ice, piercing into Concubine Yi's heart.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty really doesn't know what to do..." Concubine Yi completely collapsed and fell to the ground crying.

Zheng Xiyan looked at her and said, "Well, considering that this is your first offense and you still feel remorse, I will give you a chance. But you must remember that in the harem, every step is dangerous. If you want to protect yourself, you have to act cautiously and never let others take advantage of you again."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Yi was very grateful.

Zheng Xiyan waved her hand, signaling the palace servant to come in and take Concubine Yi away.

"Chen and concubine retire."

When Consort Yi slowly left the bedroom, the carved wooden door quietly closed behind her. Zheng Xiyan's skirt swayed gently with her steady steps as she walked deeper into the bedroom.

Xiao Xuanchen lay quietly on the dragon couch, his face calm and his breathing even, as if he was immersed in a carefree dream.

Zheng Xiyan stood still, staring at him with complicated eyes, very cold. She opened her red lips slightly and said in a low voice: "It would be great if you could not wake up?"

After the Queen Mother left the Purple Palace, she always felt that something was not right. Although the Queen's words were appropriate and thoughtful, the Queen Mother felt an inexplicable uneasiness in her heart. She murmured to herself: "I am really old." She sighed softly, full of the vicissitudes of life and helplessness.

"Why does the Queen Mother say that?" The palace maid standing beside her asked softly, with a hint of concern in her voice.

The Queen Mother turned around and looked at the blue sky in the distance, with a hint of worry in her eyes: "As we get older, our memory gets worse, and we become more easily confused. If it weren't for the Queen's alertness and careful consideration of today's matter, this matter would have really spread out."

Seeing this, Nanny Yu hurried forward a few steps and said gently, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. With the Queen here, the harem will not be in chaos."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly upon hearing this, but then sighed softly: "This child is still too soft-hearted and always follows the Emperor's temper."

Upon hearing this, Nanny Yu smiled gently and said, "The Queen Mother is right, but there is no perfect person in this world. The Queen is not perfect either. She must have shortcomings."

The Queen Mother smiled slightly when she heard this, as if she was touched by Yu Mama's words, and the uneasiness in her heart was slightly relieved. She gently patted Yu Mama's hand and whispered, "Yes, no one is perfect, and I am no exception."

"The Queen Mother is absolutely right."