Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 211

"Qingfang!"

Xie Jiu spotted the figure kneeling in the courtyard of the needlework bureau from afar, then lifted her skirt and ran over quickly.

"Let me see your face!"

"Miss."

Qingfang was both angry and aggrieved. When she saw Xie Jiu arrive, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The blood at the corner of her mouth made the swelling on her face look even more terrifying.

Xie Jiu held the handkerchief, her eyes full of tenderness as she gently wiped her face, while her anger burned even more intensely within her.

Qingfang and Xiejiu grew up with her, accompanied her to her wedding and stayed by her side like sisters. She had never laid a finger on them and would never scold them harshly. But now they had been beaten like this by others. How could she tolerate it?

"Get up quickly, it's still quite cold in February, kneeling for too long will make your knees hurt." Chunrong, her eyes red, hurriedly helped Qingfang up.

A young eunuch nearby saw this, pursed his lips, lowered his head, and whispered.

"Your Highness Consort Jin, our beauty said that she disrespected the Empress Dowager and must kneel for two hours."

Upon hearing this, Chunrong immediately shot her a dagger. "What a fine excuse for disrespecting the Empress Dowager! You really know how to pin accusations on people. We people from Jingming Palace never cause trouble outside and always follow the rules. I'd like to hear how Qingfang has disrespected the Empress Dowager!"

"I... Sister, please don't be angry. I was just following orders." The little eunuch sensed Chunrong's anger and shrank back in fear.

Xie Jiu glanced at him, noticing that he was only twelve or thirteen years old, frowned, and then said.

"Alright, what's the use of making things difficult for him? Take Qingfang back first and invite the imperial physician to examine her injuries."

After speaking, he turned to the young eunuch and said...

"Tell your Lady Chen that I have taken her away. If she has any objections, she should come to Jingming Palace to find me, and I will give her an explanation. If that is not enough, I will go to Fukang Palace in person to ask the Empress Dowager for her opinion."

"Yes, this servant understands!"

The young eunuch was so frightened that he dared not look up. Only after Xie Jiu and his entourage left did he hurriedly leave the needlework bureau as well.

Fukang Palace.

At Consort Chen's residence, after the young eunuch relayed the story of the needlework bureau, he was slapped hard across the face.

"Useless fool! She said she was going to take her away, and you just stood by and watched her take her away?" the head palace maid, Coral, cursed. "The maidservant beside Consort Jin offended the Empress Dowager. Your Highness punished that lowly servant for the Empress Dowager's sake!"

The little eunuch covered his face, not daring to reply, and held back his tears.

Chen Meiren glanced at him lazily, "Alright, you're useless, step down."

"Yes," the little eunuch replied hastily.

Coral turned back to Consort Chen's side. "Consort Jin clearly knows that you are pregnant, yet she still dares to oppose you like this. She really doesn't respect you at all. Are you going to tell the Empress Dowager about what happened today?"

“No.” Consort Chen lowered her eyes. “The Empress Dowager dislikes people who deliberately cause trouble. I punished Qingfang today in the name of the Empress Dowager. She may not be happy. She is not easily fooled.”

"So, is this matter just left like this?" Coral asked, then thought for a moment, "But it's a lesson for Consort Jin's people. I doubt she'll dare to cause trouble for you over a mere servant."

To everyone's surprise, Consort Chen curled her lips into a smile, a cold glint in her eyes, and said softly, "How can we just let it go like this? Go tell the Empress Dowager that I am feeling unwell and would like to request the imperial physician to come and examine me." Upon hearing this, Coral immediately understood her meaning and took immediate action.

Before long, the Empress Dowager arrived with her entourage.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly feeling unwell? Didn't the imperial physician say your pregnancy was stable?"

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. I am only slightly unwell. It is these servants who are too nervous and insisted on calling the imperial physician, which alarmed Your Majesty." Consort Chen said with a guilty expression.

At that moment, Coral knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty, the Lady thought that the spring winds were strong, so she made a cloak for Your Majesty. Today she went to the needlework bureau to pick it up herself, but she did not expect to run into a maidservant from Consort Jin's side. That maidservant, relying on Consort Jin's favor, spoke very rudely. Not only did she talk back to the Lady, but she also spoke disrespectfully to Your Majesty. The Lady was so angry that she felt unwell after returning home!"

"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak here!"

Chen Meiren immediately retorted angrily.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, then said to Coral, "It's alright, you can continue."

"Yes." Coral nodded with a face full of grievance and indignation. "In order to uphold the palace rules, the beauty punished the people around Consort Jin. Consort Jin was very displeased with this. Not only did she forcibly take the people away, but she also sent someone here to deliver a message. Her words were full of threats and warnings to the beauty. The beauty was already upset, so this made her even more upset."

Upon hearing these words, the Empress Dowager's face darkened.

"This Consort Jin is indeed so domineering."

Consort Chen lowered her eyes. "The Emperor favors Consort Jin, and Consort Jin comes from a good family, so it's inevitable that she has a strong temper. Today, I have already punished that disrespectful servant. I hope that Your Majesty will not get angry and harm your health over this, and will not reprimand Consort Jin again. Otherwise, if the Emperor finds out and becomes displeased, wouldn't that damage the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?"

"The Emperor is my own son. How could he become estranged from me for the sake of a woman?!" the Empress Dowager said angrily.

She then frowned and glanced at Consort Chen. "Alright, I will find out the truth about this matter myself. You are currently pregnant and resting in Fukang Palace, so you should go out less. I know you are filial, but the imperial fetus is more important."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Consort Chen nodded.

Meeting the Empress Dowager's gaze, he inexplicably felt a little uneasy.

But thinking about the Empress Dowager's reaction just now, she felt that the Empress Dowager must be angry with Xie Jiu at the moment, and it had nothing to do with her, so she didn't think too much about it and watched the Empress Dowager leave.

Little did they know that once the Empress Dowager returned to the main hall, she let out a long sigh, her brows furrowed with a hint of irritation.

"This Lady Chen is not one to be trifled with either."

Tan Hui helped the Empress Dowager sit down. "Indeed, her words today were all meant to provoke the Empress Dowager into dealing with Consort Jin. She even said that she knew the Emperor favored Consort Jin, and that if you opposed Consort Jin, the Emperor would be caught in the middle, but she still did it."

Yes, how could the Empress Dowager not see through Consort Chen's little scheme? It was just that Consort Chen was pregnant, so she indulged her a bit to make her feel more comfortable and not affect the imperial fetus.

"Alright, it's been a long time since I've visited the Emperor. Have someone prepare some soup and water. I'll go to Chengming Hall. He Yi's marriage is imminent, and I also have something to say to the Emperor," the Empress Dowager instructed in a deep voice.

Jingming Palace.

Xie Jiu had just finished watching Chunrong apply the medicine and returned to the main hall when he heard that the Empress Dowager had gone to Chengming Hall.

Chunrong said indignantly, "It must be that Consort Chen twisted the truth in front of the Empress Dowager and said something that the Empress Dowager is going to complain about!"

"She has a complaint to file, and I also have something to inform the Emperor." Xie Jiu's eyes were cold. "That Lü Weixing is currently a hot topic in the capital. I imagine that Minister Chen must be quite uneasy. Fifty thousand taels of silver—once he's swallowed it, he'll be implicated."