After giving up being the wife of a powerful official, Ling Yunlu became a concubine

On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the imperial court began to hold court.

The Minister of Rites wrote a letter to the emperor, saying that the son of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department had raped a commoner girl, causing her to commit suicide due to the humiliation.

The Minister of Rites impeached the Minister of the Imperial Household for failing to discipline his children strictly and raising a bad boy. Many officials demanded that the emperor punish him severely.

Under pressure from public anger, the emperor ordered the son of the Minister of the Imperial Household to be beaten with fifty sticks, fined him one year's salary, and ordered him to be strictly disciplined.

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Concubine Ning behaved unruly in front of the palace, and the Empress made her kneel for an hour as punishment.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, a maidservant in Lady Ning's palace committed suicide by jumping into a well.

After investigation, the Queen found that all the evidence indicated that the little maid committed suicide by jumping into the well because Concubine Ning had punished and beaten the little maid many times.

Concubine Ning was demoted to a talented lady by imperial decree.

Ning Ruyan was punished to go to the Taimiao. At first it was okay because she was the Princess of Qi and the servants did not dare to neglect her.

Slowly, clues began to emerge.

First, the charcoal fire could not keep up, and it slowly changed from the original silver carbon to the lowest quality charcoal.

Later on, even the lowest quality charcoal was only given a basket or half a basket after the maidservant was stuffed with silver coins.

Next comes the meal.

In the first few days, there were just a few dishes and a soup, all hot.

Later it became a vegetarian dish, and later on, it became leftovers.

Sometimes it is still cold and there are ice chips when you pry it open.

Ning Ruyan grew up in a wealthy family. How could she have ever been treated like this?

She asked her maid to take the letter back to Ning Mansion, but the letter sank into the sea.

She then asked her maid to deliver the letter to her sister in the palace, but there was no response.

She looked forward to it every day, and couldn't believe that her family had abandoned her like this.

In just one month, she lost a lot of weight.

"Master, I'm back." Siqin stomped her feet and walked in from outside.

Ning Ruyan sat on the bed blankly without moving.

"Master, look who's here!" Siqin brought the person to Ning Ruyan's bed.

"Yan'er, my Yan'er, how did you become like this?"

Ning Ruyan raised her head when she heard the voice and saw her mother standing in front of the bed with tears on her face.

"Mother!" She threw herself into Madam Ning's arms and burst into tears.

After Ning Ruyan had cried enough, Mrs. Ning pulled her daughter to sit down.

"Yan'er, what exactly is going on? Your father and I heard that you were punished to copy scriptures in the Imperial Temple because you planted poisonous flowers and plotted to murder the princess?"

"Mother, I have never thought of harming the princess. I promise that I never have such intention."

"Then what happened? Tell me. If you are really wronged, I will go to the emperor to defend you even if I have to sacrifice my imperial edict."

Mrs. Ning felt distressed when she saw her daughter who had become so thin.

Under Mrs. Ning's questioning, Ning Ruyan finally told the story hesitantly.

When Ning Ruyan heard the imperial physician say that there was a problem with the fetus in her belly, she was sad and started to think.

On the Queen's birthday that day, she wanted to put the blame on Shen Yunjin and accuse her of persecuting the royal heir.

Unexpectedly, there was a mistake and Shen Yunjin handed the birthday gift to Princess Anyang.

Later, the imperial physician revealed that the fetus in Ning Ruyan's belly had been ill for a long time.

The emperor was furious. He had intended to frame someone else, but instead he was punished.

Ning Ruyan was unwilling to let Shen Yunjin go, especially after she knew that Shen Yunjin was pregnant.

When the flowers and trees in Prince Qi's palace were replaced, she asked the manager if there were any poisonous flowers.

Later, she secretly asked her maid to give a large sum of money to the manager, who bought a batch of flowers and asked the servants to plant them according to her arrangements.

In order to avoid suspicion, she planted them everywhere in the house.

In the first month of the year, the King of Qi proposed to host a banquet for the Crown Prince and others, but she was so busy enjoying herself that she didn't even think about the flower.

"Besides, how could I have guessed that Anyang would pick flowers? Not only did he pick them, but he also didn't wash them clean. Before the meal, the maids would arrange for him to wash his hands."

"It was clearly her own fault, but she caused me to be punished to come to this crappy place!"

Ning Ruyan couldn't help crying again.

She had suffered more in this month than in the past decade or so.

Madam Ning slapped Ning Ruyan in the face out of frustration.

"Why didn't you come back and ask me and your father before you did anything? There are many ways to control a concubine. Why did you choose this one?!"

At this time, she vaguely guessed that her husband and eldest daughter might have been implicated by her younger daughter.

Madam Ning began to regret not passing on the skills of the inner house to her youngest daughter, which led to her making one mistake after another.

Mrs. Ning hugged Ning Ruyan and cried for a while too.

"My poor daughter, you will get through it if you just bear with it. Now your sister has been demoted to a talent, and your brother has been beaten with dozens of boards and is lying in bed, and he hasn't gotten out of bed yet.

Your father has been reprimanded by the emperor again, and we cannot plead for you at this time."

"Today, I gave you a lot of money to let me in. From now on, you will have to rely on yourself. Outsiders are not allowed to come here."

"What? Sister was demoted to a talented lady? Why? The emperor dotes on sister so much, how could this happen?"

"Why was my brother caned? Why was my father reprimanded by the Emperor?"

Ning Ruyan couldn't believe it. In just one month, huge changes had taken place in the family.

"Your sister asked me to tell you to stay here for three months and then you can go back. Don't make any more trouble. Our Ning Mansion can't stand it any more."

Mrs. Ning left all the banknotes she brought to Ning Ruyan, and left, looking back every few steps.

When Ning Ruyan saw her mother walking out crying, her body softened and she sat down on the ground.

She has to stay in this damn place for another two months!

She'll go crazy!

The silver notes brought by Mrs. Ning worked.

Money makes the world go round, at least they can have hot meals.

Although the charcoal is still of low quality, at least it will not be short of weight.

Ning Ruyan counts the days like a walking corpse.

One day, Mo Hua hurriedly ran in carrying a basin.

Ning Ruyan was punished to copy scriptures in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and could only bring two maids with her.

She brought with her Siqin and Mohua, who grew up with her.

After arriving here, you need to do everything by yourself.

After lunch today, Siqin mended the holes in her clothes.

Mo Hua took the clothes of the master and servants and went out to wash them.

"Master, I heard that the prince will come to the Imperial Temple to offer sacrifices in two days."

Mo Hua ran out of breath.

"Really? You didn't hear it wrong?" Ning Ruyan confirmed again and again in surprise.

"Master, it's true! You have a good relationship with the prince, so when the time comes, just beg the prince, maybe we can go back!"

The two older maids had never suffered so much.

Mo Hua's hands were frozen and cracked from washing clothes in winter.

She and Siqin both had frostbite on their hands and feet.

She couldn't stay in this damn place for a day.

On the first day of February, Crown Prince Xiao Minxuan went to the Taimiao to worship his ancestors.