Chapter 233
She turned her head and slowly relayed an order to Qingyan, "Get Father Emperor to come over."
Emperor Lin did not turn over any of his concubines' signs tonight as he spent the night alone in the Yangxin Palace. He was beyond livid when he was awakened by Peng Man. However, his desire to return to dreamland dissipated when he heard Peng Man's explanation.
The palace servants quickly served him and aided him in getting dressed. Qingyan waited outside as he appeared with a servant holding onto a night lantern.
Peng Man only spoke of the situation briefly. Upon seeing Qingyan, Emperor Lin asked, "Tell me what happened just now."
Qingyan then recounted what Imperial Concubine Mei had confessed after stepping into Mingyue Palace. With Emperor Lin vigorously pursuing the clues this year, it would be impossible if he didn't put two and two together with Qingyan's explanation. By the time she finished, he was brimming with rage.
While heading over to the Mingyue Palace, he instructed Peng Man, "Go and fetch Consort Hui!" After pondering for a bit, he added, "Send someone to the Yinshuang Palace again— I want to see them, dead or alive!"
Peng Man took a group of guards with him to fulfill the order while Emperor Lin hurried to the Mingyue Palace.
When he entered, Imperial Concubine Mei had somewhat calmed down. She was wearing Xiao Lan's coat and was drinking a cup of warm water.
The scar on her face was unbelievably frightening. The night was dark yet she appeared with a dishevelled head of hair and there were tears streaming down her face. She looks even more terrifying than a female ghost. Emperor Lin only glanced at her briefly but he already felt bile rising up his throat, so he quickly moved his gaze towards the gentle and elegant Xiao Lan that sat next to her.
Now this is what I call a beloved concubine.
Her genuine gentleness and kindness was the real deal. Despite knowing that Imperial Concubine Mei was the culprit who poisoned herself back then, she ignored all that and even tactfully poured the sobbing lady a cup of warm water.
With this comparison in mind, Emperor Lin's love for Xiao Lan grew deeper.
When Imperial Concubine Mei saw him coming, she immediately got on her knees and kowtowed(2) loudly three times. Then, she remained kneeling on the ground as she cried, "Your Majesty, this Imperial Concubine knows that she is guilty and I deserve death. However, this Imperial Concubine does not want to be welcomed into death's arms through the sinister acts of someone evil. Even if I die, I plead to die by Your Majesty's hands; I plead to die coming clean of my faults!"
(T/N: The deepest act of reverence or apology in Chinese culture. It is the act of kneeling and bowing so low that your head touches the ground. In more traditional and formal terms, kowtowing consisted of banging your head on the floor 3 times to the point where it would bleed to show your sincerity)
Emperor Lin didn't say a word as he coldly glanced at the figure kneeling on the ground as he pulled Xiao Lan over to have a seat on the cushions. Lin Feilu also ran over and crawled into his arms with sleepy eyes, and asked with a low and muffled voice, "Father Emperor, Imperial Concubine Mei said that someone is going to kill her— is it true?"
Emperor Lin rubbed her little head and looked over with a calm expression, "Proceed to kneel and think about all the tiniest details of the truth back then. This matter will be discussed collectively when Consort Hui arrives."
Imperial Concubine Mei replied with a shaky 'yes' as she continued to sob.
She also knew that His Majesty didn't like the face she had now, so she kept lying on the ground without raising her head.
After a while, Consort Hui arrived.