OK I personally think that rashta should be punished for creating rumours but not by whipping, since she's pregnant and that'd surely result in a miscarriage. I mean, I dislike Rashta, but she is very naive and easily manipulated; she's definitely a spoilt brat, but she's not truly evil. The reason she's so annoying is because the emperor dotes on her to the extent of completely ignoring societal conventions and treating others unfairly. Without the emperor's favour, she wouldn't be able to do sh*t. I really hope the emperor doesn't let her crimes slide (altho he probs will), but I think what's most important is that as a result of this incident, the emperor learns not to trust Rashta or fall for her lies anymore. Again, that's not likely to happen either 😔