freenovelworld Chapter 241 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 54
Chapter 241 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 54
The air in Jingren Palace seemed to freeze. The Emperor frowned, his face full of irritation and helplessness. He had intended to resolve this thorny matter concerning Zhen Huan privately to maintain the dignity of the royal family, but he did not expect that Consort Yue would be so bold as to say that Zhen Huan's twins were not his biological children.
This sudden turn of events instantly placed him in the eye of the storm, leaving him with no way out.
The Emperor's face was ashen, and he looked coldly at Zhen Huan. His tone carried an undeniable authority as he said, "Huan Huan, once the examination is conducted, you and the child will be cleared of all charges."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan's heart sank, and a trace of panic and sorrow flashed in her eyes. Her lips trembled slightly as she said urgently, "If Your Majesty insists on testing, it means you truly suspect me."
The Emperor ignored her pleas and instead turned his gaze to Xia Zhongyi, who was waiting for orders. His tone was full of impatience as he ordered, "Go and bring the Eighth Prince here."
Xia Zhongyi looked nervous and hurriedly replied "Yes, sir," before rushing towards Yongshou Palace. A short while later, he returned to Jingren Palace with his wet nurse and the sleeping Hongzhan.
Hongzhan is almost one year old, and his rosy little face looks especially adorable in his sleep.
Xia Zhongyi cautiously raised his eyes to look at the Emperor, and asked in a somewhat apprehensive voice, "Your Majesty, this Eighth Prince..."
The Emperor frowned and said in a cold and decisive tone, "Prick it with a drop of blood."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan knelt down with a thud, her eyes filled with worry and anxiety. She said anxiously, "Your Majesty, even if it can be proven this time that Hongzhan is your biological son, he will surely be criticized by the world in the future. How will this child, whose bloodline has been questioned, stand in this world in the future?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face grew even more gloomy. He secretly wondered to himself, "Is there some ulterior motive behind Zhen Huan's vehement obstruction? This lowly concubine dares to scheme against me!"
He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Get up first, Xia Zhongyi!"
Xia Zhongyi hurriedly replied, "Yes," and with a slight tremor in his hand, he picked up the needle and gently pricked Hongzhan's small hand.
Hongzhan was startled awake by the sudden sharp pain and immediately burst into tears. The loud cry echoed in the silent palace, sounding particularly jarring.
The Emperor slowly rose, walked heavily to the bowl, picked up the needle, glanced at Zhen Huan with a complicated look, and then, with a heavy heart, pricked his finger and dripped the blood into the bowl.
Yixiu stood to the side, her eyes fixed on the bowl, a hint of barely perceptible anticipation and smugness flickering in her gaze.
Everyone held their breath, and the entire palace fell silent. After a moment, the two drops of blood in the bowl did not mix.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor was furious and slammed the eighteen coins in his hand to the ground. With a crisp and loud cracking sound, the concubines turned pale with fright. They wondered if the Emperor would kill them to silence them after witnessing a royal scandal.
Zhen Huan turned her head to look at the blood in the bowl, and felt a sudden dizziness. Her heart was in a state of extreme panic, but she still tried to remain calm. Her eyes showed stubbornness, and she kept saying, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Yi Xiu's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes filled with mockery and smugness. She pointed a finger and shouted sharply, "How dare you, Zhen Huan! Kneel down at once!"
Zhen Huan straightened her back, looked firmly at Yi Xiu, and said in a voice tinged with anger and resentment, "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Why should I kneel?"
Yi Xiu snorted coldly and said in an icy tone, "Blood cannot mix, the evidence is irrefutable, what else do you have to say in your defense? Guards, strip her of her imperial concubine robes and throw her into the cold palace, along with that wretched child!"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan immediately shouted angrily, "Who dares!" The two of them turned their gazes to the Emperor at the same time, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the entire palace became extremely tense.
The Emperor glanced at Prince Guo, who was kneeling on the ground trembling, then walked to the bowl and examined it carefully, trying to find a flaw in it.
Then, he slowly turned around, walked heavily to Zhen Huan, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger, and questioned her word by word: "I have treated you well, why have you betrayed me like this? You have disappointed me so much, look for yourself!"
As she spoke, she forcefully pushed Zhen Huan in front of the bowl. Out of the corner of her eye, Zhen Huan caught a glimpse of Yue Chang's smug expression and her heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "There must be something wrong with this water."
However, the risk of re-testing kinship was too great, and although there was alum hidden under her fingernail, she dared not act rashly at this moment.
Zhen Huan's eyes darted around, and she suddenly shouted, "There must be something wrong with this water!"
After saying that, she gritted her teeth, quickly pricked her finger, and dripped the blood into the bowl. However, the blood still did not mix.
Zhen Huan's eyes filled with tears, and her voice became shrill with emotion as she cried, "Your Majesty, look, Hongzhan is my own son, why won't his blood mix? There must be something wrong with this water!"
The Emperor walked to the bowl again and saw that Zhen Huan's blood did not mix. His originally ashen face softened slightly.
Zhen Huan knelt down immediately, tears streaming down her face, and cried out, "Your Majesty, someone is malicious and deliberately trying to frame me!" As she spoke, her shoulders trembled slightly, and she looked extremely pitiful.
The Emperor's face was grim, and he looked at Yixiu with piercing eyes, saying coldly, "This water was prepared by the Empress."
Upon hearing this, Yixiu's face flashed with panic, but she quickly composed herself and hurriedly denied it, saying, "The water I prepared is absolutely fine!"
Consort Jing suddenly said, "An ancient book says that if you add salt to a bowl, the blood will coagulate quickly and won't even have time to mix."
Consort Jing's words eased the atmosphere in Jingren Palace somewhat.
The Emperor stared intently at Yixiu and said in an icy tone, "I remember you are quite knowledgeable in medicine."
Yixiu's heart tightened, but she remained calm and retorted, "Your Majesty, if I were to use such despicable means, wouldn't I be courting death if I were discovered? Even if I were foolish, I wouldn't stoop to that level."
Consort Duan, who had been sitting quietly to the side, said softly, "Your Majesty, nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Upon hearing this, Yixiu immediately knelt down, her eyes filled with tears, and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! As the Empress, I rule the harem, why would I resort to such a despicable tactic to frame Consort Xuan?"
Zhen Huan then chimed in, "Your Majesty, I have always respected you and treated you with utmost courtesy. I truly do not know where I have offended you and suffered this unexpected calamity."
Just then, Xia Zhongyi hurried in carrying a bowl of fresh water, his expression respectful, and reported, "Your Majesty, this servant has specially changed the water to a clean one, there is absolutely no problem."
The Emperor nodded slightly and said in a calm tone, "Test again."
Xia Zhongyi picked up the needle again, carefully pricked Hongzhan's finger, dripped the blood into the water, and then quietly waited for the emperor.
The emperor slowly rose, picked up a needle, and dripped his own blood into it. At the same time, a young eunuch, quick-witted and agile, rushed forward to treat the emperor's wound, and the concubines' attention was also drawn to this scene.
At first, the two drops of blood in the bowl did not mix. Seeing this, Zhen Huan's eyes flashed with determination. Suddenly, she rushed to the bowl and touched it.
Just as everyone was stunned and at a loss, Zhen Huan secretly put the powder hidden under her fingernail into the bowl. The fine powder dissolved instantly, and the two drops of blood spread out, appearing to blend together to the naked eye.
Zhen Huan, her face beaming with excitement, exclaimed, "Your Majesty, look! They've blended together!"
Xia Zhongyi carried the bowl to the Emperor's side. The Emperor waved his hand, and his complexion improved significantly. Yixiu, on the other hand, was struck dumb and collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with despair and resentment.
Zhen Huan knelt down once more, a hint of expectation in her eyes, and asked, "Has Your Majesty examined me? Has your suspicion been dispelled?"
The Emperor looked at Zhen Huan with a complicated expression, reached out to help her up, sighed, and said, "Alright, this farce ends here."
Then, the Emperor turned to Xia Zhongyi and said, "Take Qin'er, Lizhi, and Jingbai away."
Upon hearing this, Consort Yue's face turned deathly pale, and she trembled uncontrollably. The Emperor didn't even glance at her.
Zhen Huan's eyes darted around, and she suddenly spoke, her voice clear and firm: "Your Majesty, Consort Yue instructed Qin'er, Lizhi, and Jingbai to frame me. There must be a mastermind behind this. Otherwise, how could a mere Consort have such audacity?"
After speaking, Zhen Huan looked at Yi Xiu. Yi Xiu's expression instantly turned serious, and she secretly glanced at the Emperor, inwardly groaning.
Consort Jing also stepped forward, frowning slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Xuan is absolutely right. If we allow this person to stir up trouble in the harem, there will probably never be a peaceful day in the future."
The Emperor still harbored doubts about Zhen Huan, feeling that everything was too coincidental, but he did not want to pursue the matter publicly any further and planned to investigate it in private.
He sighed softly and said, "Alright, Consort Yue is spreading alarmist rumors, so she's banished to the Cold Palace. Consort Kang and Consort Zhen are spreading false information, so they're fined six months' salary. The rest, leave to Consort Jin."
The Emperor glanced at everyone, and when he thought of Wen Yuan, a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He still felt that she was sensible.
The moment "Consort Jin" was mentioned, the concubines immediately understood that the Emperor trusted Wen Yuan implicitly. It seemed that neither the Empress nor Zhen Huan had won this "farce," and the biggest winner was Wen Yuan.
This dramatic farce came to an abrupt end, and the Emperor turned around and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with weary steps.
Zhen Huan turned her head to look at Yi Xiu, a slight smile playing on her lips. She remained silent, then leisurely left with Fu Jia.
The concubines dispersed, and Jingren Palace gradually returned to peace.