Chapter 0083: Mysterious Circumstances

Chapter 0083: Mysterious Circumstances

Xiangli, the maid standing behind Meng Baolin.

She said in a panic, "I couldn't hold onto Baolin, she... she indeed slipped, but... but also..."

She broke down crying, "I don’t know if Baolin did it on purpose or not."

"Speak clearly, what do you mean by 'but also'? If you don't clarify, I will send you to the Judicial Bureau," the Empress said angrily.

Terrified, Xiangli kowtowed, "Empress, please spare me, spare me, I'll tell everything. Meng Baolin suddenly stepped forward, she did it on purpose. She must have. Ever since she saw Lady Jing pregnant, she's been resentful. She always complained about why His Majesty doesn't visit her room, saying we are all the same, yet only favors Lady Jing..."

"So many times, she said disrespectful things. We maids didn't dare to talk back. If we disobeyed, she would beat us. I've been beaten by her several times. Putao has been beaten several times too."

Putao quickly added, "Empress, what Xiangli said is true. We maids... we often get beaten. Baolin is at odds with Lady Jing, and since she dares not do anything to Lady Jing, she always vents her anger on us. She... has said many times that she wants Lady Jing to suffer. Regarding... Lady Jing’s pregnancy, she has cursed it many times."

"You! You all! You are talking nonsense! I did hit you, but I... I..." Meng Baolin was at a loss for words to refute.

"Meng Baolin, are you saying you never uttered such words? Could it be that your maid is falsely accusing you?" the Empress glared.

Meng Baolin was speechless; she had said those words, but she hadn't intentionally pushed Concubine Jing.

Unable to respond, the Empress said with disgust, "I never imagined you could harbor such malice."

As Meng Baolin scrambled to explain, the Emperor arrived.

"Such a wicked woman does not deserve to be my consort," Emperor He Jingli angrily declared.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Meng lacks both talent and virtue; demote her and send her to live in the back palace. But as for Concubine Jing..." the Empress shook her head.

Shortly after, the old maids from inside the room came out, announcing that the abortion had been completed.

At this point, Meng Baolin herself began to doubt: had she just stumbled earlier, or had she actually acted deliberately?

In truth, at the moment of the incident, she had indeed thought...

"If only this collision could cause Concubine Jing to lose her child."

She thought, after all, it wasn't intentional.

It would just be a punishment, nothing too serious.

But now, as she pleaded frantically, no one paid her any heed.

"Take her away. Send her to Anyi Hall. If she behaves, I will spare her life; if not, I shall order her execution right now," Emperor He Jingli declared in anger.

At these words, Meng Baolin trembled in fear, no longer attempting to defend her innocence, but repeatedly kowtowed, "Your Majesty, spare me, spare me. I dare not, I dare not anymore."

With this, she essentially confessed, and she was quickly taken away.

All of her maids were punished with flogging and reassigned elsewhere.

Meng Baolin had previously displayed jealousy and senseless hostility towards Concubine Jing, Yun Li, and many others.

She couldn't refute what her maids had said.

Thus, the outcome of this matter was inevitable.

It was essentially a death sentence.

Concubine Jing had miscarried and now needed to recuperate.

For the Hua family's sake, the Emperor had no choice but to deal with the Meng family.

At least her life was spared.

Even if Meng Baolin was wronged, she dared not protest her innocence.

Emperor He Jingli resolved the matter swiftly, whether he knew of Meng Baolin's innocence or not. Perhaps he didn't know.

Many things the Emperor does not need to know the truth about.

"He was indifferent to anyone's innocence."

"As for Meng Baolin, with no moral ground or support, her loss was not unjust."

"The crowd witnessed a drama, merely losing a dispensable Meng family member."

"Yet many rejoiced over Concubine Jing's miscarriage."

"With this child gone, who knows when the next opportunity will come."

"Moreover, with Concubine Jing's face damaged, whether it will heal is uncertain. If she ends up childless and disfigured..."

"Then her future is bleak."

"The Emperor, clearly annoyed, came to deliver punishment and offered no consolation to Concubine Jing."

"He left promptly."

"The Empress also dispersed the crowd, leaving orders for someone to take care of the situation."

"As for the miscarried fetus, barely formed and female, it was only left to be buried."

"Back in Fengyi Palace, the Empress sneered, 'Look at this palace, no one is content.'"

"'Indeed, Concubine Jing was formidable, yet she ended up miscarrying,' Songlu also shook her head."

"'Keep an eye on things. Meng, having committed a crime, doesn't deserve to live. But don't rush it,' the Empress instructed."

"'Yes, we will keep watch,' they replied."

"No one pitied the Meng family."

"In the harem, if you dare to speak out of turn, you must have the matching ability to back it up."

"If not, at least be lucky enough to stay in a safe position."

"Otherwise, death is really not a rare occurrence."

"However, the first to die was not from the Meng family."

"It was Meng Baolin's maid, Xiang Li."

"She was flogged with fifty lashes, originally destined to serve the imperial consorts."

"But the beating was so severe, she couldn't survive it."

"She was supposed to recuperate in Cuiwei Palace, given only seven days to heal."

"She passed away that night."

"There have been others who couldn't survive fifty lashes, so her death went unquestioned."

"As for Emperor He Jingli, he really doesn't need to concern himself with the innocence of the women in the harem."

"So, to all in the harem, it's all the same, no one cares about innocence."

"In the end, it boils down to four words: seek benefits, avoid harm, just like playing a political game."

"When Yun Li heard of Xiang Li's death in the morning, she just shook her head: 'It's what I expected.'"

"'Yes, now that she's dead, I'm afraid no one can clearly speak of what happened anymore,' Zhi Fu commented."

"Zhuyu scoffed, 'I'm afraid that even if she had survived, her fate was sealed.'"

"Yun Li sighed, 'Enough, help me get dressed. I'll pay my respects and stay out of this.'"

"'Yes, but as you said before, keep your distance from them. Now I think, even though she had a miscarriage, it's better for you to stay away,' Zhuyu advised."

"Yun Li nodded, 'She's already in such a predicament, she certainly doesn't need me. I'll just avoid opposing her.'"

"In fact, Yun Li felt some responsibility for what happened to Meng Baolin and Xiang Li."

"But with things as they were, Yun Li didn't want to dwell on it."

"Concubine Jing was so decisive, even without this incident, how long could Meng and her maid have lasted?"

"Yun Li might have inadvertently contributed to this event, but her only intention was to warn Concubine Jing."

"She couldn't have predicted what would happen next."

"So, even if she felt guilty, it wouldn't trouble her too much. Perhaps... she was just a cold-hearted person."

"Early for the morning greetings, two were now missing."

"As everyone settled down to talk, it didn't take long for the conversation to turn to this matter."

"Before anyone else could speak, Beauty Jia said, 'The other day, Concubine Qiong also visited Concubine Jing, but suddenly this happened. Speaking of which, Concubine Jing’s face... this matter is really strange.'"