Her pool of tears started overflowing and slowly spilling down her cheeks with every word she uttered; it resembled a river whose mouth opened suddenly.
Her trust and heart had been shattered into a million pieces. There was no one she could turn to anymore. She was all alone.
"Was this all your revenge, Empress?!" Emperor Jingli questioned, throwing her a cold and sharp stare as he clenched his fist in anger. But he only received silence to his question.
Empress Yunqing just remained silently on her knees as her tears continued to flow endlessly.
'Revenge? So that's what he thinks of me' she cringed, a strong wave of disappointment and regret washed over her.
She felt disgusted that the same people she trusted wholeheartedly were the ones who stabbed her in the back. For some reason, an overwhelming, nauseating feeling built up in her as her stomach churned with irregular rhythms. She felt like retching up her guts.
She further slumped ungracefully to the floor. She felt severe aches all over her body; her heart, her stomach, her head…
She was tired of everything, no matter what, he would never believe her words.
If that was what he really thought of her after all these times, 'a vengeful woman?' Then, there was no need to clear his misunderstanding.
"Then, as the empress, you should have known the consequences of your dealings. Your excuses are sheer nonsense. We cannot condone your actions," Emperor Jingli said with an unfazed facade even though he was a bit fazed by the memories he had shared with her.
"From now on, you are not the empress any more. You have been demoted and is no more than just a lowly abandoned concubine," Emperor Jingli gave his decree while facing Yunqing.
"The Cold Palace is going to be your new home from now onwards. You will spend the rest of your life in the Cold Palace without any special treatment. No palace maid shall accompany her. You shall live like a commoner in the Cold Palace for the rest of her life," the emperor ordained coldly.
'Empress! It was just a position anyway,' Yunqing huffed in her mind. It never did her any good. It didn't help her one bit. She wasn't even able to keep her family alive with such a position.
Not to mention the toxic fights in the emperor's harem.
Noble Consort Jinghua immediately kowtowed before the emperor in a pretence to assuage his anger, "Please calm your anger, your majesty, t-the empress... The empress... Sister Yunqing has always had a frail body. She can't possibly survive in the Cold Palace all alone."
Hmph! She would have preferred if the emperor had immediately ordered the execution of Empress Yunqing.
That way, she can get the empress's position forthwith.
With her father's help, she could pressure the emperor to get a new empress with the excuse of warding off the previous empress's (Yunqing's) evil spirit.
'Why would his majesty still keep this woman around,' she thought, having a dark look that was only concealed because she was faced down while kowtowing.
'No matter what, her remaining alive would be a stain on the seat of the empress. Though she has lost her position, I still have to think of another way to permanently get rid of her.'
Not even leaving the empress alone after she had already received such harsh punishment, how wicked could the Noble Consort Jinghua be?
The emperor hollered, "Enough! Such a cruel person does not need your pity." Emperor Jingli didn't even spare Yunqing a glance before walking out of her chambers.
'Pity... Pity... Pity' was the only thing going through Empress Yunqing's head. Her tears continued flowing without end.
She broke out into a muckle of gagging while the unceasing aches in her head continued on like drums being played forcefully in an un-rhythmic manner.
She felt dizzy with the waves of the word 'Pity' twirling in her head. When everything she was going through became too much for her to bear, only then did she finally lose her consciousness.
"Your majesty!!!"
"Empress!!!"
"Sister Yunqing!!"
The emperor had barely left Yunqing's chambers when the commotion behind him broke out and reached his ears. He became alerted that she had fainted and sent for the Imperial Physician Wang to find out what was wrong with her.
Yunqing was promptly moved to her bed in her chamber. The Imperial Physician Wang arrived shortly after.
When he was told to check on the Yunqing's health, Nui, the head palace maid of empress, led him into Yunqing's bed chambers.
In there, he placed Yunqing's wrist on a small and soft oblong red cushion by the bed to check her pulse and her entire Ti-Zhi* (ti means body, Zhi means quality or substance).
Though he found her pulse weird, he wasn't quite sure if that was why she had fainted. So, he asked Nui, "When last did her majesty see her monthly visit, and has she been suffering from any other thing recently."
Nui thought for a few seconds before answering back, unsurely, "Her highness has not seen it for some time now. But… her highness has been having a poor thirst for food, and she's been dispirited often."
Getting a confirmatory response to his line of thoughts, Imperial Physician Wang immediately went further to check Yunqing's entire constitution.
After a little while, the Imperial Physician Wang was done with diagnosing what was wrong with her, so he stood and came out to meet Emperor Jingli. He kowtowed to the emperor congratulating him on the good news, "Congratulations to your majesty, the Empress has been blessed with a child."
'What? Pregnant?!!' the emperor could not believe it, so he asked for reconfirmation from the Imperial Physician, "Are you sure about this?"
"I can bet my life on it, your majesty. The empress is definitely with child," Imperial Physician Wang reaffirmed as he kowtowed to the Emperor Jingli.
"But…," the Imperial Physician Wang dawdled.
"BUT WHAT?!" the emperor spat out furiously as he became too impatient, waiting for the response the Imperial Physician Wang was to say.