Chongfei Manual

Chapter 149

Noble Consort Ning's face paled. Her knees felt weak and there was a buzzing sound in her mind. Panic-stricken, she only continued to look at Emperor Chong Zhen.

The emperor walked into the hall. Two red-robed palace servants were following him.

Noble Consort Ning just remembered that the emperor had said he would be coming here today. But, why was it so early? It was an hour earlier than the usual time. She opened and closed her mouth and finally stammered, "Your Majesty..."

However, Emperor Chong Zhen didn't look at her. He lowered his gaze to looked at Qing Fei, who was kneeling on the ground. He icily asked, "Were you speaking the truth?"

Qing Fei's head was lowered. In reverence before the emperor, she kowtowed once before she said, "To respond to Your Majesty, this servant spoke truthfully. If there's even a single false word, may this servant die a horrible death..."

Flustered and exasperated, Noble Consort Ning reprimanded, "Quiet!"

Then, she turned her head toward the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, don't listen to these crazy words. This woman is a total stranger. I don't know why she appeared here today. Someone must be trying to frame me..."

Emperor Chong Zhen indifferently looked at her. Not allowing her to have a say in the matter, he said, "This emperor didn't ask you."

Noble Consort Ning felt pained from the way he was looking at her. Her eyes immediately became red.

Emperor Chong Zhen put his arms behind his back and closed his eyes. "Tell this emperor what happened back then." His voice seemed slightly stifled as he said, "How did Liuli get poisoned?"

Qing Fei complied with recounting what had happened back then, "It happened on Princess Tianji's birthday banquet. Under Her Highness's orders, this servant..."

On Zhao Liuli's first birthday, after she had been brought to a heated room by a wet nurse to drink milk, she slowly fell asleep. Consort Shu was very curious and wanted to go see the young princess in the heated room. So, Empress Chen allowed her to go inside to look while accompany by a mama. After Consort Shu left the room, two servant girls distracted the servants in the heated room and Qing Fei entered the heated room. Qing Fei poured the poison onto Zhao Liuli's mouth. Zhao Liuli was only a child that had just turned one year old. Her pitiful cries were quiet and soft. Qing Fei hardened her heart. After accomplishing her task, she sneakily left the heated room.

Afterwards, when they discovered that Zhao Liuli have been poisoned, the crime naturally landed on Consort Shu's head. After all, she had been the only person that entered the heated room. Consort Shu pleaded that she was innocent and that she was wrongly accused, but no one believed her. They thought she was lying. Emperor Chong Zhen bestowed a cup of poisoned wine to her and she died in the palace.

Qing Fei's voice became quieter and quieter, "... This servant has been living in remorse during the past years. This servant feels so guilty towards sixth princess."

The hands that Emperor Chong Zhen had put behind his back clenched tighter and tighter. The vertical and horizontal blue veins on the back of his hands looked quite terrible. He closed his eyes and his face seemed like it was covered in a layer of frost. Word by word, he asked, "Consort Ning, is there anything else that you want to say?"

Noble Consort Ning kneeled down in front of the emperor. With a face full of tears, she said, "Your Majesty, you can't listen to this woman's lies. This consort really doesn't recognize her or know why she's repeatedly slandering me..."

Emperor Chong Zhen opened his eyes and looked at her as he asked, "You don't recognize her?"

Noble Consort Ning shook her head, "This consort doesn't recognize her."