maidservant

Chapter 59: The Li people are arrogant and touch the dragon scales. Yangpin falls into the well and is thrown into the stone.

The Li family has become quite powerful in the past two years, and has complex connections with local officials and merchants. Many of their children serve as officials in the court and are favored by the emperor.

However, there are some unscrupulous and scoundrels who rely on their family power, are arrogant and domineering, and act in a domineering manner.

On weekdays, these evil Li family members bully the people and treat ordinary people like grass.

They ran rampant in the countryside, seized people's land, and drove farmers who had been cultivating the land for generations from their homes, leaving countless families displaced and starving everywhere.

In the market, they wantonly robbed small vendors of their goods and beat up people who resisted. The whole town was in chaos because of them. The people dared not speak out and could only curse these bullies silently in their hearts.

As these evil deeds continued to accumulate, they finally attracted the attention of the censors in the court.

At a court meeting, a censor, filled with righteous indignation, stood up and harshly accused the Li family of taking advantage of their favor and oppressing the people, saying that their actions were outrageous.

His words were powerful, like a sharp blade, pointing directly at the vital points of the Li family.

However, perhaps the emperor was mindful of the Li family's influence in the court, or perhaps he did not want to easily offend this huge family. In response to the censor's accusations, he simply responded lightly with a few words and suppressed the matter.

After much discussion, the censors had no choice but to secretly collect evidence, conduct in-depth investigations among the people, and list the more serious crimes of the Li family - they actually got involved in the merchant written examination that Li Mao had fought so hard to win!

Li Mao donated eight million taels and begged for the emperor's grace in order to give merchants a fair chance to compete. Local officials also went through untold hardships and made many efforts to ensure the smooth implementation of the merchants' written examination.

However, the Li family openly undermined fairness for their own selfish interests. They bribed the examiners and allowed their family members and confidants to cheat in the exam, seriously trampling on the new policies implemented by the emperor.

Once this matter was disclosed in the court, it immediately caused an uproar.

"This is blatant defiance!"

"They are all parasites of the Dali Dynasty!"

"The crime is unforgivable and must be severely punished."

Some court officials even said fiercely: "The Li family is so audacious and presumptuous that they are trampling on the majesty of Your Majesty!"

The emperor listened to the courtiers' discussions and was filled with rage. He immediately ordered that the several Li family sons who had participated in the cheating be exiled to the frontier, where they would reflect on their crimes in the bitter cold.

At the same time, he also wanted to dismiss several court officials who colluded with the Li family and accepted bribes to serve as a warning to others.

However, just as the emperor was about to implement these punishment measures, the empress dowager found out about it.

The Queen Mother summoned the Emperor, and lying on the bed, she said weakly:
"My son, I know the Li family has gone too far and deserves to be punished, but my time is almost up. I really don't want to be blamed by the Li family's ancestors after I go to the underworld. Please, for my sake, let them go."

The emperor looked at the empress dowager's eyes full of worry and pleading, and smelled the strong smell of medicine filling the room. He had no choice but to listen to the empress dowager's advice.

In the end, only a few officials involved in the case were demoted, while the young masters of the Li family were given lenient sentences and only some minor warnings and punishments.

After this incident, the court returned to a state of serenity, but the Li family's evil deeds left a deep impression on the people, and their dissatisfaction and resentment towards the Li family grew day by day.

A month later, the dull and long funeral knell, like a heavy hammer, struck the heaven and earth.

The sound was powerful and sorrowful, instantly shaking every inch of the imperial palace. From the majestic throne room to the quiet and secluded harem courtyard, and then to the bustling streets outside the palace, all were enveloped by the sad bell sound.

The Queen Mother passed away.

Inside the palace, pure white curtains quickly hung all over the palaces and pavilions like snowflakes. The palace maids hurriedly shuttled between the palaces, holding plain mourning clothes in their hands; the eunuchs lowered their heads, carefully obeying orders, not daring to make any unnecessary noise.

The concubines were all without makeup, with tears streaming down their cheeks, looking extremely miserable.

They brought the prince and princess, dressed in heavy mourning clothes, supported each other, and slowly walked towards the mourning hall. From time to time, suppressed sobs could be heard.

The empress dowager's departure was like a sharp knife, piercing the emperor's heart.

His face was pale, his eyes were empty, and he stared blankly at the empress dowager's coffin. He stopped attending court for three days and stayed in the mourning hall, not eating or drinking a single grain of rice. He was immersed in endless pain and memories.

However, due to the death of the Queen Mother, Li was temporarily released from her confinement. She wore mourning clothes that suited her position, knelt in the mourning hall with her head lowered, and followed the Queen in a proper manner.

But she is so stupid!

When Li learned the news that her father and brother had been demoted, she was immediately panicked and her reason was instantly swallowed up by anxiety and worry.

At the moment when the emperor was leaving the mourning hall with a tired look, Li was possessed by a ghost. She suddenly stood up and, ignoring the astonished looks of the people around her, stumbled after him.

As she ran, she cried out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please have mercy and spare the Li family!"

The emperor paused at this untimely outcry and slowly turned around. His eyes were as cold as ice, filled with anger and disgust, and his tightly pursed lips trembled slightly, as if he was trying hard to suppress his inner rage.

"Bold Li!" the emperor roared, his voice echoing in the empty corridor.

"The Queen Mother has just passed away, and the whole nation is mourning. Yet, you are begging for mercy for a guilty minister at this very moment. This act of unfilial piety, selfishness, and stupidity is simply unforgivable!"

Li was so frightened by the emperor's roar that she collapsed to the ground, her face as pale as death and her body shaking constantly.

The emperor shouted mercilessly, "From this day forward, I strip him of his title and demote him two ranks to the rank of Talented Person! He is not allowed to leave his residence unless summoned!"

After saying this, the emperor flicked his sleeves and left without looking back, leaving Li collapsed on the cold ground.

This farce added a heavy touch to the already sad and solemn atmosphere of the imperial palace, and the fate of the Li family began to change at this moment.

She was arrogant and domineering in the harem on a daily basis. Relying on her position and family power, she offended many people. She also treated the eunuchs and palace maids wantonly, beating and scolding them at will, and her methods were cruel. Everyone was angry but dared not speak out.

Since she was demoted to a talented woman, her situation has plummeted.

The luxurious life we ​​once had is gone, and the food we eat nowadays is very rough.

However, instead of reflecting on her own mistakes, she took out her anger on the servants around her, beating them up and verbally abusing them whenever she was not satisfied. Her cruelty became increasingly severe, even frightening the young princess to tears on several occasions.

One day, the emperor was having lunch in Yangpin's palace. While he was eating quietly, he suddenly heard a shrill cry coming from the palace next door.

The emperor frowned slightly, put down his chopsticks, and asked Concubine Yang the reason. Concubine Yang looked embarrassed and awkward, as if she had many concerns and was unwilling to speak easily.

The emperor was displeased to see her like this, and slammed his chopsticks heavily on the table, making a crisp "pa" sound.

The sudden noise frightened Concubine Yang so much that her face turned pale instantly. She fell to her knees with a plop, her body shaking uncontrollably.

She said tremblingly:

"Your Majesty, since Sister Li was demoted, she has been in a bad mood and often scolds the eldest princess for not living up to her expectations. Seeing the eldest princess so depressed all day long, I couldn't bear it, so I asked her to come to my palace more often to play, hoping to cheer her up."

She paused slightly, lowered her head, and continued in a soft voice with a hint of caution:

"But Sister Li has never liked me and has always been dissatisfied with me. She scolded the eldest princess harshly and forbade her to come to my courtyard again."

"But the princess is still a little child after all, and she always pesters the wet nurse to bring her here. I, your concubine, see that the princess is so innocent and lovely, and I really can't bear to turn her away."

"I think today, the princess must have upset Sister Li because of this matter again, so this noise spread in the palace."

After saying this, Concubine Yang knelt quietly on the ground, not daring to look up at the emperor's expression.

When the emperor heard what Concubine Yang said, he became furious, and the anger on his face was as thick as the haze before a storm.

He stood up suddenly and strode towards Xianyi Palace. Seeing the eldest princess with tears on her face and trembling, his heart ached.

He gently squatted down and picked up the princess tenderly, his eyes full of heartache and pity. Then, the emperor held the princess in his arms and left Yangpin's palace without looking back, walking straight towards the queen's palace.

The queen was half leaning on the couch, her face as pale as paper, her eyes revealing fatigue and haggardness.

The emperor sighed slightly, gently placed the princess on a chair beside him, then walked to the queen and sat down slowly.

The Queen was about to stand up when the Emperor signaled her not to bow. He held the Queen's hand and said softly:
"Empress, I see you're so exhausted. If the eldest princess stays with you, I'm afraid you won't be able to take good care of her. I'm thinking of having one of the concubines in the palace take care of the eldest princess. What do you think?"

The Queen pondered for a moment, her gaze lingering on the Emperor's face for a moment before she slowly spoke:

"Your Majesty, I believe Concubine Cui is a suitable candidate. Concubine Cui has always been a noble character, kind-hearted, broad-minded, and deeply understanding of justice. If she were to take the princess with her, she would surely teach her with care and raise her to be well-educated, intelligent, and worthy of Your Majesty's trust."

　The Tragedy of the Li Family

　　The beautiful girl from a humble family entered the imperial palace and was fortunately favored by the emperor, where her position gradually rose.

　　The clan relied on their power to do evil things, and the concubine relied on her favor to be arrogant and domineering.

　　Enclosing land and selling titles angered the dragon, raising a daughter was accompanied by sorrow and lamentation due to poor luck.

　　Degraded to a talented man and losing his beloved daughter, he spends the remaining winter in regret.

　　(End of this chapter)