mynovelweb Chapter 83 The fire of jealousy burns more and more fiercely
Chapter 83 The fire of jealousy burns more and more fiercely
Amidst the palace's secluded courtyards and opulent palaces, Concubine Li's jealousy, like a poisonous creeper growing in the shadows, spread like wildfire. Ever since I gained the king's favor by exposing the queen's crimes, she has secretly colluded with the fallen queen, vowing to bring me down in revenge for the queen's confinement.
Concubine Li was born with a beautiful face, but now it was twisted with jealousy. In her palace, she spoke confidentially with a trusted maid sent by the Queen. "Sister, you must help me vent this anger. Concubine Yu is now so arrogant and domineering in the palace because of the King's favoritism. We can't just sit back and watch." Concubine Li clenched her fists, her eyes filled with resentment.
The maid gently soothed, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Empress has a plan. Act weak and innocent before the King to gain his sympathy and trust. Choose a time when the King is in a more relaxed mood, such as when he's admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden. Wear simple, elegant clothing and a light application of makeup, but avoid excessive makeup that will diminish your delicate demeanor. When the King approaches, suddenly kneel down, cover your face with your sleeves, and sob softly. Tell him how Concubine Yu mocked you during daily greetings, deliberately made things difficult when assigning palace duties, and burdened you with excessive and tedious tasks, leaving you exhausted. Emphasize your helplessness and helplessness, and avoid any aggression. Act as if you're just a weak woman being bullied in the harem, hoping the King will seek justice for you."
So, when the king visited the garden to admire the flowers, Concubine Li meticulously prepared. She rose early and had her maid select a moon-white silk gown, embroidered with strands of light blue silk at the hem, resembling a gurgling stream. Her hair, adorned with a single jade hairpin, was fresh and elegant. She glided gracefully to the king's side, and when the time was right, she plopped down on her knees, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string. "Your Majesty, I have suffered so much injustice in the palace lately, yet I dare not speak out. Concubine Yu, arrogating her favor, has treated me and others with such difficulty. I simply wish to live a peaceful life in the palace. I hope Your Majesty will help me." Her voice was delicate and melodious, as if she had truly endured the humiliation.
The king frowned slightly. "Lipin, is there any evidence for this? Concubine Yu has always been gentle and kind. How could she be like this?"
Concubine Li was panicked, but still pretended to be calm: "Your Majesty, I dare not say a word of falsehood. Everyone in the harem has seen it. She often monopolizes your company, leaving other sisters with few opportunities to pay their respects to you. Isn't this arrogance due to favor? Take the preparations for the last palace banquet, for example. I was responsible for arranging the singing and dancing, but Concubine Yu intervened and replaced the dancers I had already selected with her own people. She also said that the dancers' skills were not good, but they were all carefully selected by me and were highly praised in previous palace banquets. I argued with her, but she relied on your majesty's favor to scold me wantonly, and I could only endure it silently." This exaggerated description is intended to portray me as a domineering and jealous woman.
After hearing this, the king fell into deep thought and did not express his opinion immediately.
Within the harem, Concubine Li bribed some of the palace maids and eunuchs to spread rumors: "Do you know why Concubine Yu has suddenly become so favored? I heard she's using sorcery to bewitch the king. She's an ordinary person, how could she possess such talent and wisdom? She must have used some evil magic." To lend credibility to the rumors, she fabricated details. "Concubine Yu was once seen in the palace late at night, muttering to strange objects that glowed with eerie lights. And one of her maids once met with a mysterious Taoist priest in a secluded alley outside the palace. The Taoist priest gave the maid a sachet, and the maid hurried back to the palace to give it to Concubine Yu. This sachet must be a sorcerer's item."
This rumor spread quickly throughout the harem, like wings. The concubines were already jealous of my favor, and now they were even more gossipy.
"No wonder, I was wondering why she was so powerful, it turns out it was witchcraft." A concubine said mysteriously while chatting with others.
"If such a witch stays in the palace, she will definitely bring disaster to everyone." Another concubine also echoed.
I heard these rumors in the palace. Although I was angry, I knew not to panic. I said to Wanqing, "They are trying to suppress me through public opinion and isolate me in the palace. But rumors are just rumors, rootless duckweed, and they won't last long."
Wanqing said anxiously, "Your Majesty, this rumor is spreading more and more. If we don't stop it, what will happen if the king believes it?"
I shook my head slightly. "Your Majesty is not a foolish man. He will not be easily swayed by these rumors. What we need to do now is to find the source of the rumors and curb them."
On the one hand, I asked my trusted maid to secretly inquire in the harem who was the first to spread these rumors; on the other hand, I decided to take the initiative and show my sincerity and openness in front of the king.
During a conversation with the king, I brought up this matter: "Your Majesty, I have recently heard rumors circulating in the harem about me, saying that I used sorcery to deceive Your Majesty. I feel deeply saddened and wronged. My loyalty to Your Majesty is evident to all. Everything I have done has been based on my sincerity and knowledge, a desire to relieve Your Majesty's worries and bring glory to the court."
The king looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. "Concubine Yu, I will investigate the truth. Don't worry."
At this time, Lipin saw that the rumors had not completely defeated me, and she felt even more unwilling to give up. She came up with another plan, and after discussing it with the queen, she decided to make trouble again at a palace banquet.
At the palace banquet, there was singing and dancing. Taking advantage of the high spirits of the crowd, Concubine Li suddenly stood up and bowed to the king: "Your Majesty, I have recently learned a new dance and would like to present it to you to make you smile."
The king nodded in agreement. Concubine Li began to dance gracefully on the dance floor. She was wearing a crimson dance dress with fluttering sleeves, like a blooming red lotus. After the dance, she did not retreat, but knelt before the king: "Your Majesty, while I was dancing, a wave of sadness suddenly surged in my heart. I thought of the Queen, who is now under house arrest and is in a bad physical and mental state. The Queen has always been devoted to the harem, but now she is being treated like this, I really can't bear it. And all this is because of the denunciation of Concubine Yu. In order to win favor, Concubine Yu did everything she could to frame the Queen. The Queen is kind-hearted, how could she do such a thing of colluding with foreign ministers? It must be that Concubine Yu deliberately forged evidence to deceive Your Majesty in order to monopolize power."
Everyone watched this scene in astonishment. I knew in my heart that this was a deliberate act on her part. I stood up calmly and saluted the king: "Your Majesty, what does Sister Lipin mean by this? The Queen was confined because she colluded with foreign ministers to seek personal gain and undermine the order of the court. This is a fact, not a false accusation from me. I did it only for the fairness of the court and the stability of the country. If the Queen continues to act recklessly, this harem and even the entire court will fall into chaos. Your Majesty, do you remember how the Queen and that foreign minister raised the price of wood and passed off inferior goods for good ones when renovating the palace? How they falsely reported the cost of silk and porcelain when preparing for the palace banquet and enriched themselves? These are all verifiable and not fabricated by me."
The king's expression was solemn. He looked at Lipin and said, "Lipin, please do not blindly accuse others based on your own selfishness. I have investigated the Queen's case and she is indeed guilty. If you continue to act unreasonably like this, I will not forgive you."
Lipin had not expected the king to defend her so much, and her face turned pale. But she still did not give up, and wanted to say something else, but was scolded by the king.
While this confrontation at the palace banquet temporarily thwarted Concubine Li's plot, I knew she and the Queen wouldn't give up. I had to be even more cautious, constantly on guard against their next attack. At the same time, I had to find a way to completely resolve this crisis and further solidify my position within the palace.