klisemfg Chapter 170 Grudges
Chapter 170 Grudges
"Hmph, what does this have to do with Empress Ling? I spread rumors in the palace simply because I disliked the Empress. Empress Ling was kind and saw that I had a sick daughter, so she rewarded me with silver. The rumors in the palace were spread by me. Your Majesty has the final say on whether to kill me or chop me up."
Grandma Tian looked at Ruyi with resentment. The person who was lingering on had regained some spirit at this time, and spoke excitedly, and her hatred for her surged like a tide.
When these words were spoken, everyone present was confused except Yan Wan.
Especially Ruyi, she thought about it over and over again and couldn't think of anything that she had offended Grandma Tian.
Ruyi glanced at the frowning emperor beside her and asked, "Grandma Tian, I have no grudge against you. Why are you making up stories about me behind my back?"
Hearing her say this, Grandma Tian looked as if it was true.
She knelt straight and spoke in a strong voice.
"Your Majesty is a noble woman, so naturally she doesn't remember these trivial matters. Your Majesty, do you still remember when I delivered the Fifth Princess? You said that because of the floods in the south, you had to pray for the Fifth Princess, so the rewards for delivery were reduced by half. I have a daughter at home who was born weak and needed to spend a lot of money to buy medicine to prolong her life..."
The emperor took over her words and said, "So you hold a grudge against the Empress and want to take revenge in private?"
"Yes, this is my motive. A few dozen taels of silver may not mean much to the Emperor and the Empress, but that is my daughter's life. As a mother, what's wrong with me wanting to retaliate?"
"I still ask Your Majesty to punish me. I have done something wrong, and I will take full responsibility for it. But please be clear, Your Majesty, Your Majesty treats me very well. I really don't want to implicate Your Majesty because of my own selfishness..."
After listening to what Grandma Tian said, the emperor glanced at Ruyi beside him.
She was dressed in luxurious materials, with her hair covered in pearls and jade, and even her fingers were carefully cared for, wearing luxurious armor and many jewel rings.
The furnishings in the Yiku Palace were even more magnificent, and her food, clothing, and other necessities were all the best.
The emperor really couldn't understand why she would withhold the reward money for a midwife.
Praying for children has always been done by giving out porridge and giving out money. The emperor has never heard of anyone withholding the reward money from servants to pray for children. Not to mention praying for children, it is good enough not to damage the children's blessings.
Seeing that she looked ignorant of the sufferings of the world, the emperor felt a headache.
When Empress Fucha was alive, even though she advocated frugality, she only used herself as an example to reduce expenses and avoid unnecessary extravagance and waste. She would also specially reward her servants during festivals.
Ruyi is really petty-minded and doesn't behave like a queen at all.
"If I hadn't run into Concubine Mei and the others in the gardens of the Old Summer Palace, my daughter would have died long ago. I was confused for a moment, so I spoke ill of the Empress in private. This matter has nothing to do with Concubine Ling. Please understand, Your Majesty."
With tears in her eyes, Grandma Tian said these words with a fearless attitude and then kowtowed to the emperor.
Shu Fei nodded when she heard this. She glanced at Ruyi with some disgust and said in a cold voice.
"Your Majesty, I have also heard what Grandma Tian said. On that day, it was my sister Mei Fei and my sister Ling Fei who saw Grandma Tian crying. We felt sorry for her, so we gave her something and asked her to take it back to save her daughter..."
Seeing Ruyi's face gradually turn pale, Concubine Mei said with a gloating look, "Empress, after all, this matter is caused by you. If you had been more considerate of the servants back then, how could such a thing happen today?"
It's because you almost harmed someone else's daughter back then, so the retribution fell on your daughter.
Concubine Mei did not say the second half of the sentence. After all, the Fifth Princess was not only Ruyi's child, but also the emperor's child. She still had some sense of propriety.
"Although I was born in Mongolia, I have never heard of deducting the reward money from servants for praying for children. When I was born, my father was very happy because he had many sons but only had me as a daughter. My father was so happy that not only the servants but also ordinary members of the clan received wedding money. I have never heard of such a custom among the Manchus. If this matter were to spread, it would damage the reputation of the royal family..."
Seeing this, Yingpin also echoed.
I used to think the queen was easy to get along with, but now it seems she is just so-so.
Which aristocratic family would commit such a shameful act of treating their servants so harshly? Not only would they lower their status, but they would also lose their prestige. How could they ever convince their servants to do their work well in the future?
Who enters the palace but relies on these rewards to make a living?
Seeing that Ruyi was becoming the target of public criticism, Hai Lan immediately retorted, "This matter has been going on for several years. Why didn't Grandma Tian speak up then? Instead, why did you slander the Empress behind her back so long after it happened? And you found the banknotes given to you by Concubine Ling at this very moment. Without Concubine Ling's instructions, how dare you commit such a treasonous act and throw dirty water on the Empress?"
Hai Lan said this without caring about anything else and knelt down before the emperor to beg.
"Your Majesty, Grandma Tian's words are full of loopholes and are simply unbelievable. The Empress has done everything for the sake of the heir. Even if there were some shortcomings, that doesn't give Grandma Tian a reason to slander the Empress and damage her reputation. Your Majesty, please interrogate Grandma Tian strictly and make sure she reveals the mastermind behind this and clear the Empress' name!"
"Torture her severely? Concubine Yu, look at Grandma Tian in front of you. If you torture her any further, she will probably confess under torture." The emperor looked at Hai Lan with a cold gaze.
He didn't like Hai Lan in the first place. If it weren't for the fact that she gave birth to the fifth prince Yongqi, it wouldn't be her turn to be so presumptuous in front of him.
This matter was caused by the Queen's harsh treatment of her servants. Regardless of the fact that Grandma Tian insisted on having a personal grudge against the Queen even after being beaten like this, if she was accidentally beaten to death, where would he put his face as the emperor?
The emperor became angrier and angrier the more he thought about it, and he turned his head to look at Ruyi with reproach.
Ruyi was a little at a loss, but when she saw the emperor's eyes, she felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave.
She couldn't believe that this was the look in the eyes of the person next to her. She was full of resentment and had no place to vent.
"Your Majesty, what Concubine Yu said is not without reason. Even if I withheld dozens of taels of silver from her, that cannot be used as an excuse for her violating palace rules. Besides, how did we just happen to find the banknotes that Concubine Ling gave her? Concubine Ling, how do you explain this?"
She had never thought that after so many years of marriage, the emperor would actually distrust her so much. However, Ruyi could not vent her anger on the emperor, so she could only target Concubine Ling.