0p0 Chapter 165 The truth is revealed and Concubine Ping is demoted (revised)
Chapter 165 The truth is revealed and Concubine Ping is demoted (revised)
Soon Liang Jiugong came back in a hurry, holding the Buddhist dust, and reported with an expression that could not hide his shock:
"Your Majesty, there is not a single stick of sandalwood burning in the Changchun Palace's Buddhist temple, and the gold powder on the Buddha statues has indeed been scraped off. It looks... horrifying."
Upon hearing this, the others immediately took a step back and stayed away from Concubine Ping, so as to avoid being angered by the Buddha and suffering retribution.
"Oh my god, isn't it said that Concubine Ping picks up Buddha beans in the temple every day to pray for the little prince? But the temple is like this, how can the Buddha bless the little prince?"
"Yes, this is the first time I've heard of such a thing in my life. According to what the wandering old Taoist priest that Concubine Xian met said, the little prince was not killed by Concubine Xian, but because Concubine Ping disrespected and blasphemed the Buddha, so the Buddha took the little prince back, right?"
"What you said is really possible. The little prince is so pitiful to have met such a mother... otherwise, the little prince might still be alive."
Whispers were heard in the room. Kangxi looked at Concubine Ping with cold eyes and laughed in anger.
"What a Concubine Ping, you spent all day and night praying for the little prince and picking Buddha beans. It turns out that you were disrespectful and blasphemed the Buddha and suffered retribution for harming the little prince, but you turned around and framed Concubine Xian. You are really stupid and vicious."
When Concubine Ping, who was standing beside the bed, met the emperor's gaze, she felt a chill down her spine, as if the chill had penetrated deep into her bones. She stammered and wanted to say something, but then she suddenly remembered that she was still holding the little prince's hand. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt a chill coming towards her from the point of contact.
Without even bothering to reply, she abruptly let go of the little prince's hand and kept backing away until she was at a distance that she thought was safe. Then she looked at the emperor in panic, shaking her head in explanation.
“Your Majesty, it’s all a misunderstanding. I, I just saw that the little prince was still not well and I felt that the Buddha would not bless him, so I got angry and…”
Then he knelt down before Kangxi and begged:
"Your Majesty, it's true. What I said is true. I am the young prince's mother. I was just too worried about him, so I was confused for a moment. In fact, it doesn't affect anything. The imperial physician is here..."
"idiot!"
When all the concubines present, including Concubine Niuhulu, heard this, this thought flashed through their minds at the same time:
Kangxi looked down at Concubine Ping, his voice cold and emotionless:
"Didn't you just say that Concubine Xian killed the young prince? Now you are blaspheming and disrespecting Buddha, which is taboo. How come the presence of the imperial physician doesn't affect anything? Huh?"
Concubine Ping was speechless for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, as if grasping a life-saving straw, and said hurriedly:
"Your Majesty, that's different. I didn't mean it. Concubine Xian's fate is against Changchun Palace. Little prince..."
"Shut up!"
Kangxi no longer wanted to listen to Concubine Ping's words. His eyes were as dark as ink, and a hint of disgust flashed in the depths of his pupils.
Anyone who truly loves their own child will not blaspheme or disrespect the Buddha when they know that the child is in poor health. Even if they know that praying to the Buddha is only for spiritual comfort, they still hold on to a glimmer of hope that their wish will come true.
It is obvious that Concubine Ping had given up the little prince long ago. She pretended to be a loving mother and used the little prince to plot against Concubine Xian. She was stupid and vicious.
Thinking of Concubine Xian, he looked at Shi Nanxi who was leaning on Hongying's arms. He saw that she did not avoid Concubine Ping like the others did after learning about the Buddhist temple. Instead, she seemed to be trapped in some bad memories. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, which made people feel infinitely sad.
Kangxi's heart tightened, and he suddenly remembered that at the prince's birthday banquet during the selection period, the girl's mother had scolded her for being an evil spirit. Was she bringing something from the little prince into herself?
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated and walked quickly towards Concubine Xian under the shocked gazes of everyone.
In order to achieve realism, Shi Nanxi brought the scene from her childhood when neither her parents wanted her. Her eyes turned red without the need for a ginger handkerchief.
Just as she was falling into a long-lost mood of sadness and despair, her waist suddenly tightened, and the next moment she was transferred from Hongying's arms to Kangxi's arms.
"Your Majesty!" She finally came back to her senses and looked at Kangxi in panic with watery eyes.
Facing Shi Nanxi's red eyes, Kangxi tightened his grip and became more disgusted with the biased Madam Shi and Concubine Ping. The occasion was not right, so he didn't say much, but only restrainedly asked:
"Is Concubine Xian feeling unwell? Should I ask the imperial physician to check you out?"
No one expected that the Emperor would care about Concubine Xian at this time. Watching the Emperor hugging Concubine Xian in public to comfort her was like spilling old vinegar, feeling sour and jealous. Concubine Nianhulu even had her palms pinched to bleed.
Shi Nanxi, who was hugged by Kangxi, shrank back subconsciously when everyone saw her. She bit her lower lip out of habit and said timidly:
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm fine. There's no need to trouble the imperial physician. You..." She looked around and raised her hand to take Kangxi's hand away.
Kangxi was very good at riding, archery and infantry, and the little girl's strength was not enough to defend him, so his big hands still held her waist firmly.
"I'm glad you're alright. I'll take you back to the palace later."
After saying this, she glanced around at the concubines present with a pair of phoenix eyes that could not tell whether she was happy or angry, and her gaze paused on Noble Concubine Niuhulu and Noble Lady Tong.
Concubine Nianhulu and the other concubine were startled, but they quickly calmed down. Today's events had nothing to do with them. They were just making "reasonable" reactions based on their respective identities.
Finally, Kangxi's gaze stopped on Concubine Ping.
After questioning, crying, and begging for mercy, Concubine Ping's clothes were already wrinkled, her hair was disheveled, and she looked like a madman.
But she didn't care about all this at the moment, her eyes were fixed on Concubine Xian who was held in the emperor's arms.
Although he had known for a long time that Concubine Xian had become the emperor's concubine and was greatly favored, he was still greatly stimulated by seeing her close contact with the emperor with his own eyes.
As a result, she was unable to hide the jealousy and hatred in her eyes when the emperor suddenly looked at her. When Kangxi saw this, he immediately stood in front of the little girl, looked at Concubine Ping coldly, and announced directly:
"Ping Fei, you have no motherly heart, you blasphemed the Buddha, and you spoke nonsense about Concubine Xian. Considering your status as the young prince's biological mother, you will be demoted to a concubine from today."
After saying that, he looked at the little prince lying silently on the bed. He closed his eyes, tears appeared in the corners of his eyes, but when he opened them again, his expression was calm and composed.
"Tell the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to come and handle the funeral of the young prince. All irrelevant people should leave the side hall."
After giving the order, Kangxi was about to take Shi Nanxi away, but Shi Nanxi struggled slightly. Kangxi wanted to say something, but Shi Nanxi turned around to look at the bed.
"Your Majesty, I am fine."
Kangxi followed Shi Nanxi's gaze, paused, put down his hands, put them behind his back, and walked out.
Shi Nanxi straightened her clothes slightly and looked back at Concubine Ping who was still there. Oh, now she is Concubine Ping.
After hearing the emperor's order to punish her, Pingpin collapsed to the ground in a daze without any reaction. At this time, she noticed Shi Nanxi's gaze and subconsciously raised her head.
When their eyes met, Shi Nanxi seemed frightened. The next moment, her face turned pale and she staggered after Kangxi.
Kangxi realized something was wrong, turned around and supported the little girl, and followed her line of sight to look at Pingpin. He thought that Pingpin was demoted and was still quiet, and did something to Shi Nanxi with her back to him, and his face turned cold again.
"If a concubine of Ping is below the rank of a concubine, she shall be confined to her room for two months, fined for half a year, and required to copy the palace rules and female precepts thirty times."
Pingpin was stunned at first, but when she understood, her eyes immediately turned red.
Empress Xian, this little bitch!
Others were stunned. What did they miss?