The Biography of Concubine Wen Xi in Qing Palace

Chapter 42 Extorting a Confession ([-])

The atmosphere in the hall became more and more congealed, and the agarwood burning in the incense burner was extinguished by the wind tongue from somewhere, leaving only a wisp of gray-blue smoke hanging in the air.

"presumptuous!"

It was this loud and loud reprimand that finally dispersed the smoke.

Qingyue frowned into a rugged mountain peak and scolded Rong Yue: "The guilty concubine dare to talk to the empress like this?"

The queen was not angry either, with a trace of indifference in her eyes, she leaned forward slightly and said, "You are a concubine personally appointed by the emperor, and this palace will not punish you. But the caring people who serve you, although the emperor is kind, It fell to the Punishment Department, but I think that if you want to prove your innocence, you must have a heartfelt slave who has suffered a crime."

She raised her face at Kang Fushou, and Kang Fushou waved his whip at Lianxin, and yelled 'take it down'.

The accompanying guards immediately stepped forward, pressing Lian Xin's arms on the left and right, making her unable to move.

"Empress!" Rong Yue threw herself forward to protect Lian Xin, and shouted at the empress with a tearing voice: "You are lynching in the palace, if the emperor finds out, you will be blamed, you"

"I am thinking about your reputation. You have to do this to clear your suspicions. You must know that murdering the emperor's heir is a capital crime for punishing the nine clans. I am only thinking about the emperor. If the emperor wants to blame me for a mere court lady, I will Gong Xi just listen to the emperor's instructions." The queen sat up straight with a thin smile on her face.

Kang Fushou stepped forward and pulled Rong Yue aside, Lian Xin saw that Rong Yue was still struggling to move forward, and cried out to her eagerly in her heart: "Young master, please don't hurt your soul for this servant, the servant's willingness to suffer punishment has proved the young master's innocence!"

Sitting by the side, Qingyue sneered and mocked: "What a heartfelt slave. Come, someone, carry Lianxin to be tortured outside Chengqian Palace, and then move the warm seat outside, so that concubine Xian can watch carefully."

Last night, the rain fell and the wind was strong, most of the flowers and plants in the courtyard of Chengqian Palace were wilted and dilapidated, and there was a wave of moisture on the ground.

Today is not a sunny day either. The shimmering golden sun has been shrouded in layers of mist since it first rose. The sky is gray and oppressive.

The guards lifted a long rough wooden bench and tied Lian Xin to it, and placed a heating seat directly in front of Lian Xin, and Kang Fushou sat on it with Rong Yue tied up, looking at Lian Xin face to face.

The guards took sticks and put them on Lianxin's knuckles, and the two on the left and right each pulled a rope, followed Qingyue's calm 'hmm', and both of them exerted force at the same time, Lianxin's heart-piercing cries resounded through Chengqian Palace.

Rong Yue was disturbed by the continuous screams, but Kang Fushou held her down. She didn't even have a chance to turn her head to plead with the queen, so she sat on the warm seat and cried, "I beg you, empress!" Mercy, please let Lian Xin go, such torture will definitely kill her!"

Rong Yue's hoarse roar and Lian Xin's heart-piercing cry were sandwiched together, making it unbearable to hear.

The execution guard couldn't stand it any longer, and for a moment softened his heart and showed mercy.But Qingyue reprimanded him angrily again, and after a short pause, he had to use his strength again.

The queen's complexion was as calm as water, and she lightly pressed the powder on the tip of her nose with the juanzi, ignoring Rong Yue's pleading.

Qingyue served a cup of tea to the queen, and took another cup of tea to Rong Yue with a smile on her face, bowed her body slightly and said: "My concubine Xian needs to keep quiet, slaves and maidservants are all low bones, screaming shrilly just to please you Sympathy, don't worry, she will stop crying when she is tired."

Rong Yue's face was full of anger, and she refused to take the tea offered by Qingyue, at this moment, Lian Xin suddenly stopped crying and passed out.

Rong Yue broke free from Kang Fushou's shackles with the strength she didn't know where she came from, threw herself down in front of the guards and opened her arms to stop her, then knelt down and kowtowed to the Queen, crying: "My Lady Queen, Lian Xin can't stand the torture anymore. Faint to death, if executed again, I'm afraid people will die!"

The queen slowly blew away the hot steam from the tea in her hand, turning a deaf ear to Rong Yue's cries.

Qingyue winked at Kang Fushou, and he pulled Rongyue onto the warm seat with brute force to hold her down.

The guard took the stone ladle placed in the large bronze urn in the courtyard, poured a ladle of sewage on Lian Xin's head.

Lian Xin suddenly trembled, coughed twice and opened her eyes, her face pale and panting heavily.

Qingyue smiled, raised her hand and ordered someone to remove the stick.Rong Yue looked at Lian Xin's white, tender and slender hands, which were now bruised and swollen, shocking like a cake of soaked hair.

Black drops of blood dripped from the fingertips where the knuckles were tortured, and the clothes on Lian Xin's body were already wet with sweat.

I thought it was over, but Qingyue cleared her throat and said in a serious voice: "Lian Xin, you have been tortured with a stick, do you have something to say?"

Lian Xin struggled to shake her head, and murmured indistinctly, "Slave. Slave has nothing to say."

Qingyue raised her voice and said 'Oh', then sighed and shook her head, "Then I can only play a pipa on you again."

"Pipa?" Rong Yue looked at Qingyue with a surprised and suspicious expression. Qingyue's eyes flashed a dark color, and she said in a deep voice: "Ms. Huixian, this'playing the pipa' is a punishment left by the previous dynasty. The sinner took off his jacket to expose his ribs, and used a sharp knife to 'pluck' his ribs back and forth, very similar to the movements of a prostitute playing a pipa, hence the name."

Hearing this, Rong Yue was so frightened that she lost her soul, and she slumped on the warm seat until Qingyue clapped her hands and ordered her to take off Lianxin's coat. You, my concubine begs you to let Lianxin go."

The guard held the sharp knife against Lian Xin's snow-white skin, and moved it down gently to touch her ribs, seeing that the knife was about to go in, Rong Yue bit her lip, almost tearing her throat and shouting: "Concubine recruited! The concubine hired the empress!"

The queen was startled, and then Lu Xiao put down the teacup in her hand, and ordered the guards to stop: "Concubine Xian, that's the trick, just explain clearly, how did you plan to murder the emperor's heir?"

Kang Fushou loosened Rong Yue's hand, Rong Yue wiped away the tears on his face, stared at the queen with firm eyes, and walked slowly towards her.

Behind her, Lian Xin's weak voice continued to dissuade Rong Yue, but Zao Qingyue slapped her hard across the face to threaten her to shut up.

Rong Yue knelt in front of the empress, her face was ashen, her eyes were empty and she said indifferently: "My concubine can't get used to the arrogance and indulgence of the Ma Jia family, and insults my concubine with words, so"

As soon as she spoke, she heard movement outside the gate of Chengqian Palace.

She turned her head quickly, and saw Wannai and Huibin rushing in, pushing and shoving the guards. She looked at the two with tears in her eyes, as if she had glimpsed a light in the dark mist, and hope was ignited.

Sitting on it, the queen's expression froze, and she scolded the two of them in a solemn voice: "Concubine Hui, noble lady? The emperor ordered the concubine Xian to restrain her feet and not to visit without an order! Are you two going to disobey the imperial order to save a court lady? ?”

Wan Yu knelt down and bowed to the queen, and said unhurriedly: "The empress's words are wrong. The concubine is not trying to plead for others, but because of the empress, so she risked her life to enter the palace."

"Taking care of this palace?" The queen sneered, and raised her voice to ask with great interest: "Tell me, how can you take care of the law?"

(End of this chapter)