nashuaworldcup Chapter 234 Untitled (to be revised 2)
Chapter 234 Untitled (to be revised 2)
"Your Majesty, Consort Mei is pregnant. What should we do?"
The one asking the question was Zhenshu, the original owner's capable head maid. She and Lixin were both the original owner's confidantes and were extremely loyal to her. In their previous lives, they also met tragic ends.
"Heh, what's the rush? She's just newly pregnant. In this deep palace, whether the child can be born safely is still uncertain." Qingmo leaned lazily against the couch, but her eyes revealed a hint of ruthlessness.
Zhenshu understood what was going on and whispered, "Your Majesty is right, but Consort Mei is probably going to become arrogant now that she's pregnant."
"Then let her be arrogant for a few days. To destroy someone, you must first make them arrogant." Qingmo gently stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
A few days later, Consort Mei indeed became arrogant, deliberately bumping into Qingmo in the Imperial Garden. Qingmo was not annoyed, but instead smiled and said, "Now that you have the Emperor's child, you are naturally different from before. I will not hold it against you." This magnanimous behavior made the Emperor favor Qingmo even more after hearing it.
Qingmo secretly instructed Zhenshu to find a sorceress to pose as Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, and have her loiter in front of Mei Chang's palace gates. Mei Chang, who was already superstitious, hurriedly invited her into the palace to pray for blessings. The sorceress took the opportunity to tamper with things in the palace, placing some inauspicious objects in some hidden corners.
Soon after, Consort Mei began to feel unwell. She summoned the imperial physician, but he could not find the cause of her illness. Meanwhile, Qingmo pretended to care about Consort Mei while secretly giving the imperial physician a meaningful look, implying that he should not investigate the cause of her illness too deeply.
As time went on, Consort Mei's fetus grew weaker and weaker. Finally, after an accidental slip and fall, Consort Mei miscarried. She was devastated, unaware that it was all Qingmo's doing. Qingmo stood at a distance, watching the distraught Consort Mei, and said softly, "How can such an arrogant person as you be tolerated in this harem?"
A few days later, a commotion erupted in Consort Mei's palace. A valuable piece of jewelry had gone missing, and she suspected a maid of stealing it. The maid cried out her innocence and was beaten until her skin was bruised and bleeding. The matter escalated, eventually reaching the Emperor's attention. Already troubled by the trivialities of the harem, the Emperor, seeing Consort Mei's incompetence in managing the inner palace, flew into a rage and punished her by confining her to her quarters for a month. Upon hearing the news, the female lead subtly smiled. This was only the beginning. She would slowly remove all of Consort Mei's henchmen, letting her know who truly held sway in the harem.
Qingmo didn't stop there; she knew that to nip the problem in the bud, one must eliminate the root of the problem. So she arranged for Zhenshu to spread rumors that Consort Mei's recent fall from favor was divine punishment for her moral failings. These rumors quickly spread throughout the palace, and everyone looked at Consort Mei with even more contempt.
After her confinement was lifted, Consort Mei tried to win back the Emperor's favor, only to find that he had grown utterly disgusted with her. Meanwhile, Qingmo became increasingly gentle and virtuous before the Emperor, often weeping as she spoke of the hardships faced by her sisters in the harem and how they should be more tolerant. The Emperor's affection for her only increased.
Taking advantage of Consort Mei's isolation and helplessness, Qingmo bribed a eunuch to secretly place a jade pendant with cursed runes under Consort Mei's pillow. She then orchestrated for the Empress to discover the pendant. The Empress, who abhorred such evil arts, immediately ordered Consort Mei to be severely punished.
Ultimately, Consort Mei was demoted to commoner status and banished from the palace. Qingmo stood atop the palace wall, watching Consort Mei's disheveled departure, her heart unmoved. Within the harem, she had become one of the most powerful women. But she knew she still needed to proceed with caution, for other rivals lurked in the shadows, coveting her position.