The lights were shining brightly, and the night wind blew the snow gauze curtains, making them quiver like trapped butterfly wings with palpitations.
Cui Ruifei and Han Zhaoyi were kneeling on the ground, one with a blank look on his face, the other with his head down and crying.
Not even a cough could be heard in the entire palace.
The matter at Haide Hall has been proven, and Hou Zhun was bribed by Cui Ruifei to let him do something on the day Cen Yunchu presided over the sacrifice.
In order to confirm Cen Yunchu's ominous reputation, Cui Ruifei asked Han Zhaoyi to pretend to be ill and not go to Haide Hall, so that Cen Yunchu would naturally take the lead in offering sacrifices.
At first she denied it in every possible way, but she couldn't lie if it was true, or true if it was false.
Everyone else has been recruited, so what's the use of her refusing to admit it?
Besides, she has completely lost the emperor's favor. If she makes the emperor angry again, her death will only be worse.
"I should have known that there are people who can't tolerate Cen Zhaoyi," the emperor said solemnly, "I don't think it is a big deal for women to be jealous.
Who would have thought that you would target the Queen Mother? This is intolerable!
The Cui family criticized the Cen family in every possible way in the court, but they didn't expect their daughter to be so rebellious!"
The emperor has been enduring the quarrels of the ministers of the previous dynasty these days, and he is very angry.
At this time, I finally had an outlet to vent my thoughts, and my murderous intention had already arisen.
Cui Ruifei knew that she was finished, so she did not plead for mercy.
Originally, the emperor had little love for her, now only hatred and disgust were left.
The fight with Cen Yunchu was like a gamble. She was unlucky and lost.
Then I have to admit defeat and have nothing to say.
Of course she also knew that what she did had affected the whole family, so what?
If you don't resist at all, are you waiting to be dealt with by the Cen family? Isn't it a matter of time?
We are destined not to live in peace and harmony, but we are destined to live and die.
It’s better to live by shouting than to die without silence. It’s not considered cowardly!
Compared with Cui Ruifei, Han Zhaoyi's intestines are almost green.
But she didn't dare to plead for mercy. The emperor was furious and the more he spoke, the more mistakes he made.
Now she just hopes that the emperor can have some mercy on her. After all, she is not the mastermind, nor does she really want to harm Cen Yunchu.
"Queen, what do you think should be done?" the emperor asked the queen.
"They were really stupid to do such a thing, and it's no wonder that the Holy One was angry." The queen said, "The law is clear, and I have nothing to say."
The emperor nodded and said, "Did you hear clearly what the queen said? What the queen means is what I mean."
Cui Ruifei collapsed completely. Although she knew it would be such a result, she was still a body of flesh and blood and could not bear it.
Han Zhaoyi cried uncontrollably. She wanted to accept her fate, but she was unwilling to do so.
The third princess and the fourth princess knelt outside the palace gate to plead for their biological mother, Han Zhaoyi.
But the emperor refused to let them in.
"Put them all under custody, keep an eye on them, and then judge after listening to them!" the emperor said.
What to do with them cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences, and besides, it must be made known to the world.
The emperor went to Cen Yunchu's palace. It was already late at night, but Cen Yunchu was not asleep yet.
"Why are you still up so late?" The emperor's worries disappeared after seeing her.
"I knew the emperor would come," Cen Yunchu said, offering ginseng tea to the emperor. "The emperor has worked too hard."
"How do you want to deal with the matter at Haide Palace?" the emperor asked her.
"What does the emperor want?" Cen Yunchu asked.
"I asked the Queen, and she said that it should be dealt with according to the law. Both Cui Ruifei and Han Zhaoyi will be executed. The men from Cui and Han will be executed, and the women will be sold." The emperor said.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you for a favor." Cen Yunchu said.
"Why are you so polite to me? Just say it." The emperor stretched out his hand to take her into his arms. "Besides, you are the one who has been wronged this time."
"I have no objection to the emperor's handling of the Cui family, but Han Zhaoyi should still be lenient." Cen Yunchu said, "First of all, she was half-coerced. When Cui Ruifei found her, she didn't dare not agree.
Secondly, there are the third princess and the fourth princess. They are the emperor's daughters. Although they are noble daughters of the heavenly family, they will be too pitiful if they become motherless children."
"Be kind to her, just in case she attacks you again in the future..."
"If that's the case, I will never show mercy." Cen Yunchu said, "I don't mean to be a good person, but I just think she has extenuating circumstances.
She has a low position and has been clinging to Concubine Cui Ruifei and the Queen for a long time. This is something she cannot help but do.
Your Majesty, please give her a chance. If she understands the situation, she will know who to listen to in the future.
Besides, the emperor has always known that the art of governing his subordinates is to combine kindness and power, and I am following you to learn and sell them now!"
"What a person who is learning now and selling it now!" The emperor smiled, holding Cen Yunchu's face and said, "My dear concubine, you are now willing to act coquettishly with me. This is a good thing. Since you have spoken, I will buy it for you.
Take care of people’s hearts!”
Two days later, the imperial edict was issued.
Cui Ruifei desecrated the Queen Mother's spiritual position and framed others. Her behavior was shameful and she should be punished.
He was deprived of his title, demoted to a palace servant, and sentenced to death.
The Cui family formed a clique for personal gain, falsely accused loyal ministers, reduced their positions and seized titles, executed men and sold women.
Han Zhaoyi was originally an accomplice, but because he did not know the details and was coerced by him, his situation was excusable. He was demoted to a talented person, fined one year's salary, and banned for a hundred days to reflect on his mistakes.
Some people say that the Cui family fell too quickly. Yesterday they looked so prosperous, but in the blink of an eye their house was ransacked.
However, the Cui family has indeed done too many shameful things, preying on the common people. As a blessing, if something happened to their family, many people would applaud.
As a minister, you should be cautious and self-restrained, but their family is indeed too arrogant.
It's July in the blink of an eye, and the weather starts to get cooler.
Jiang Nuan also returned to the city from Zhuangzi outside the city, and made an appointment with Xu Chunjun to go shopping on the street that day.
Halfway through the car, I heard someone crying and shouting outside.
When I opened the car curtain, I saw several people dragging a young woman into the Goulan courtyard.
Seeing the woman's dress, she must be an official prostitute here, and she ran out somehow.
"You still think you are a wealthy lady?!" The madam of the brothel held a Xiangzhu bone fan in her hand, and while beating the woman, she scolded, "With your beauty, how can you still pick your customers?!"
Tell you, if you accept my guests honestly and make them happy, I won’t beat you! Otherwise, I’ll peel off your skin and cover it up again! See if I have such means?!”
"Mom! Mom! I beg you, don't let me receive him again! He brings people to death!" the woman cried and begged, as if she was extremely afraid of the guest.
"Sister Xu! Isn't this voice... Cui Mingzhu?!" Jiang Nuan said and looked carefully again, it was indeed her.
Cui Mingzhu has now become a government prostitute and is no longer the high-ranking fourth lady of the Xinyong Palace.
Cui Mingzhu was finally dragged in, and Jiang Nuan and their carriage continued to move forward.
"Sister Xu, do you still remember when we first came to the capital? Cui Mingzhu bullied us everywhere at that time." After a long silence, Jiang Nuan spoke.
"Yes, times have changed, things have changed and people have changed." Why didn't Xu Chunjun sigh in his heart?
In just a few years, the relationship between them has become like a cloud.
