Seizing the throne, abolishing the adopted son, the imperial concubine rose to prominence

"How dare you slander me in front of the emperor?"

Chen Yufei glared at Cao Yunv.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am not speaking idly. Concubine Chen has always had some reservations about Concubine Gu's favor, and she doesn't usually have much respect for her."

"This matter is not only known to me, but also to many sisters in the palace. When the Empress paid her respects at Fengyi Palace, she must have heard a few complaints from Concubine Chen."

Cao Yu Nu not only dragged the Queen to testify for her, but also looked at Gu You Ning with an anxious look on her face: "When Concubine Gu first came to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects, the sisters in the palace were very polite. Only Concubine Chen's expression and words were extremely indignant, and she even ridiculed her harshly."

Cao Yunv has always bullied the weak and feared the strong. She dared to abuse Lin Yunv at will, but she would not dare to do so to someone as favored as Gu Youning.

Moreover, she is smarter than Chen Yufei. The emperor obviously wants to vent his anger on Concubine Gu today, and she doesn't want to be the punching bag for nothing.

"Ms. Chen is indeed impatient, but she only says so..."

"Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking so much. Concubine Chen is not just talking nonsense. She often bullies me in Gyeongbokgung Palace by relying on her high position. Whenever the Emperor visits me, I have to endure her ridicule in secret."

"A few days ago, Concubine Chen punished me by making me kneel for over an hour."

Before the Queen finished her words, Cao Yunv had already started wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Chen Yufei was so angry at the performance of singing and reciting that she slapped him in the face a few times.

"I punished you because you knocked over the jade hairpin the emperor gave me. Don't be the first to complain."

"I didn't do it on purpose. I was just walking in a hurry. Who knew you would suddenly come up from the side?"

Cao Yunu wiped her eyes and complained bitterly.

"It's obviously you..."

"enough!"

The two of them became more and more excited as they argued, and the emperor's face became as cold as ink.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged..."

The two of them spoke almost in unison, as if they were singing the same tune.

Seeing that the emperor's face was terribly dark, Cao Yunu, who had some understanding, stopped talking first.

Seeing Cao Yunv remained silent, Chen Cairen assumed she was guilty and dared not speak, and her face became even more smug: "Your Majesty, Cao Yunv has committed an insubordination. You must severely punish her."

"She is committing a crime against her superiors. I think you are the one who is arrogant and domineering. You rely on your family background to stir up trouble in the palace and refuse to keep your place."

The emperor scolded.

"Your Majesty, rest your anger."

Seeing that the emperor was angry, the queen was about to persuade him gently as usual.

"The Queen knew that Concubine Chen had a perverse temper, so why didn't she discipline her? She allowed her to run wild in the palace and stir up trouble everywhere."

But this time he brought the emperor's wrath upon himself.

The first part was still acceptable, but this inflammatory sentence made the queen stunned.

Of course she knew what Chen Cairen had been fanning and stirring up trouble recently, but how could the emperor know?

The Queen instinctively felt uneasy when she thought of the rumors about Gu Youning and her son that had been circulating in the palace for the past two days.

"It was my oversight."

The queen blurted out these words, and only after she had said them did she react, and cold sweat began to seep out of her palms.

This was the first time she felt nervous and flustered since she planned to marry into the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Princess.

"Empress, I remember reminding you last time that gossip in the harem must be suppressed. Why is it that even today, there are still people who dare to act like gossips in the palace?"

This was the first time that the emperor did not save face for the queen in front of others.

The gentle smile on the queen's face was like a mask that was about to fall off and crumble.

"Concubine Chen has disregarded palace rules and stirred up trouble in the harem, slandering Concubine Gu and the First Prince. She has been demoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine and confined to reflect on her mistakes for a month."

"Cao Yunu was fined three months' salary."

The emperor directly issued an order of punishment.

Gu Youning was also slightly shocked. She thought that the emperor called Chen Cairen and Cao Yunv over because he believed the words of the two palace maids and wanted to investigate thoroughly. She didn't expect that the emperor would deal with the two of them without asking a few questions.

She had even thought that the emperor would downplay the matter because of the confessions of the two palace maids. After all, compared to the ambitious Zheng family who held military power, the emperor would rather have someone from the Cui family sit on the throne.

Her plan today was just to tear off the queen's virtuous face in front of the emperor, and she never thought that it would shake the queen's position.

Gu Youning looked at the cold and majestic emperor, feeling something strange in his heart.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent. I really did not order anyone to do anything..."

Below, Chen Cairen heard that he had been demoted and started shouting in dissatisfaction.

How could she, a daughter of a noble family, have the same status as those concubines from humble backgrounds?

"Cao Zhong!"

The emperor's cold and disgusted eyes fell on Chen Cairen, leaving her speechless.

By the time he reacted, he had already been dragged away by the eunuch.

When the two palace maids saw that Chen Cairen was demoted and punished, they trembled with fear, but the emperor was not thinking about them at the moment.

"Your Majesty, the Chen family was very powerful during the previous dynasty. Concubine Chen is young after all, so it's inevitable that she might act a little arrogantly. If Your Majesty wants to teach her a lesson, just demote her to Baolin."

"What does Concubine Gu think?"

The Queen knew very well the Emperor's attitude towards the aristocratic families. Among the four great families, the Wen family was the only one that leaned towards the Emperor. The Lu family was a fence-sitter, and the Cui and Zheng families each had their own thoughts. The only families the Emperor could win over were the smaller aristocratic families. The Chen family was relatively loyal to the Emperor.

She knew all this in her heart, but a woman like Gu Youning, who could only rely on the emperor like a dodder, certainly didn't know it.

If Gu Youning pleaded for Chen Cairen, she would be betraying the emperor's kindness in making the decision for her. If she insisted on severely punishing Chen Cairen, she would be ignorant of the situation.