"You are too confident. Do you think that if you say I am a demon concubine, then I am a demon concubine? I have been obedient in the harem for so many years. I have not been able to help with the Empress's affairs. Who can change the Emperor's decision? If the princess takes her anger out on me because of this matter, there is nothing I can do." Seeing that she could not escape this time, Concubine Zhu could not help but defend herself. She didn't know whether these words would stop Ah Man's behavior, but she was determined that as long as she shouted it out, it would be Ah Man who beat her with the whip left by the ancestors, and it would not be her fault.
She just wanted to throw all the dirty water on Ah Man. Anyway, over the years, she and Jinxiu had made it a habit to throw dirty water on Ah Man. Even Princess Jiaoyang's reputation for being willful was spread by them.
"My Lady Imperial Concubine, you seem to have made a mistake. I am using the whip of our ancestors to teach you a lesson, not because of any relationship between you and my mother, nor because of any grudges between us. You are being beaten this time purely because you abused private punishment on a palace maid. This is the palace rule."
Ah Man spoke slowly and her meaning was very clear. She wanted to use her ancestors' whip to punish Concubine Zhu for a simple reason: she had violated palace rules.
"I didn't, I didn't lynch anyone. Which eye of yours saw me lynch someone? You are slandering me."
"Don't worry, since I dare to say it, there must be evidence."
"It's impossible. There can't be any witnesses." Concubine Zhu was already panicking. She and A'man had been living in peace all these years. She had never targeted her like this. Now they had only fought two rounds and she didn't even have the strength to fight back.
She now just believed that no one knew that she had detained Lian Huan, but after she said it, she felt guilty.
The Queen is kind and benevolent, and is a role model for the harem. There are countless people in the palace who have received her favor. She is not sure whether those who work for her are truly reliable.
Although those people were his confidants, he had deliberately made friends with the Queen over the years, and the Queen had taken good care of them.
The uncertainty in my heart was infinitely magnified, and my heart became even more panicked.
She didn't even dare to say a word of rebuttal, but just looked up and observed Ah Man inadvertently. She wanted to see the answer she wanted on Ah Man's face, but the smiling face that was always bright was now as cold as ice, and the eyes looking at her were more like sharp blades, as if they could cut her at any time.
"A'man, you are going too far." Concubine Zhu whispered. Her wish to overwhelm A'man with her momentum turned into complete disappointment, because she had a guilty conscience and she couldn't even speak with confidence.
"Empress Zhu, you'd better find out who is going too far. Take people to Princess Jinxiu's palace and see if Lian Huan has been sent there." Ah Man ordered the palace maid beside her. In fact, when she was questioning Concubine Zhu just now, Ah Man had already had such a guess. Now seeing Concubine Zhu's appearance, she was even more certain in her heart.
Concubine Zhu and Su Jinxiu, mother and daughter, were not popular in the palace. The reason why they could become concubines and enjoy the emperor's favor was only because A'man promoted them. However, although they were ambitious, they did not have a long-term vision. Therefore, when they did things, they always guarded their own little piece of land.
Since Concubine Zhu said firmly that Lian Huan was not in her Qingque Palace, she must be in Su Jinxiu's Jinxiu Palace.
Only your own territory can be assured.
After hearing Ah Man's instructions, the palace maid hurried away to look for her. Seeing Concubine Zhu's crazy look, she really didn't know how she would treat Lian Huan, even though they had never had any grudges against each other.
Concubine Zhu never expected that the plan she had carefully planned out would be easily guessed by A'man. Her face showed unprecedented panic, and she didn't even dare to look up at A'man.
"Empress Zhu, do you still think that I have wronged you and wronged you by punishing you?" Ah Man's words were spoken with a smile, but they were like a bone-chilling cold wind that penetrated into Concubine Zhu's heart, leaving her whole body trembling.
(End of this chapter)