Though Duan Mingxi’s tone was calm and gentle, her every word was sharp as a blade.
No one present was a fool. This uproar had erupted suddenly—one was the Emperor’s favored concubne, the other the beloved wife of Duan Wang. That the two were now at odds was shocking enough.
But on further thought—was there really no connection between them?
Not necessarily.
Donggang.
Duan Pingchang had been made Zhenhai Marquis. The actions of Fengcheng Marquis in the East Sea had always relied on Zhenhai Marquis’s financial support. Tan Jieyu’s Father, as governor-general of Dongjiang, had jurisdiction adjacent to Donggang—friction over interests was inevitable.
Just recently, Tan Yingtai had submitted a memorial impeaching Fengcheng Marquis.
At this, the looks in everyone’s eyes turned more subtle. No one could tell who held the upper hand today—Tan Jieyu or the Duan Wangfei.
The Bureau Director said nothing. He would only act upon the Emperor’s command. Even though Mingxi had spoken, he could not act on his own authority.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the Emperor.
The Emperor glanced at Duan Mingxi.
She did not avoid his gaze. Her eyes were resolute, burning with the fury of someone who had been schemed against.
Tan Jieyu choked with sobs as she looked at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, my feelings for you are as pure as the sun and moon. I truly don’t know how I offended Duan Wangfei to suffer such a calamity today. I am willing to die to prove my innocence!”
“Tan Jieyu!” Mingxi sneered, “The child is in your womb. Even if you die, a person who has just died still has a pulse that can be checked.”
Tan Jieyu grew paler, cold sweat beading on her forehead. She glared at Mingxi furiously. “Duan Wangfei, you defy your betters. This cannot be tolerated.”
“No need for your concern. Once the truth is clear, I will personally ask His Majesty for punishment. Be it punishment or reprimand, I will accept it willingly.” Mingxi stepped forward slightly, then looked to the Emperor. “Royal Father, I ask that you permit the Bureau Director to take Tan Jieyu’s pulse.”
“Your Majesty…” Tan Jieyu clung tightly to the Emperor’s sleeve, tears falling—her pitiful and sorrowful expression evoking sympathy.
The Bureau Director silently cursed his fate. What a mess he’d walked into.
The Emperor looked deeply at Mingxi. “Are you sure about this?”
Mingxi clenched her teeth. She understood his meaning—if Tan Jieyu was truly hiding something, exposing it would bring great shame upon the Emperor.
If he were enraged, Mingxi would be caught in the fallout.
“I am, Your Majesty. My conscience is clear,” Mingxi said firmly.
Xiao Muchen suddenly stepped forward to stand beside her. “Royal Father, I am willing to bear responsibility with my Wangfei.”
The Emperor: …
Truly his son!
Consort Shu stood by the Emperor’s side, expressionless. Seeing her son stand to protect Mingxi, she gently said to the Emperor, “These two children are both so stubborn. Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Why not call it a day and discuss this tomorrow? Your health comes first.”
Consort Shu deliberately showed care and understanding. She knew the Emperor well—this approach would only make him less willing to drop the matter.
The Emperor gave a cold laugh. “Take Tan Jieyu’s pulse.”
The Bureau Director took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Your servant obeys.”
Tan Jieyu looked at the approaching Director, then glanced at the previous physician. Under the Emperor’s dark, unreadable gaze, she had no choice but to extend her wrist.
The Director placed a cloth over her wrist and laid his fingers on it.
The scene was silent, broken only by the soft sound of lake water in the distance.
Jin Wang looked at Duan Mingxi, then at Tan Jieyu, and finally at his own Wangei. Lowering his head beside her, he whispered, “Why did you stop me?”
Duan Huirou’s face went pale. She leaned slightly toward him, her cold hand clutching his large one. “My lord, trust me. I’ve suffered at her hands before. Whenever my sister remains that calm and unrelenting, someone’s bound to go down. I’m thinking of you—don’t get dragged into this.”
Jin Wang listened to his consort’s strange tone. He knew the sisters had been estranged in the past, but hadn’t things improved since he married her?
Why did it now feel otherwise?
Still, the fact that Duan Huirou warned him and stood by his side left Jin Wang very satisfied.
A married woman follows her husband—that is the proper duty of a wife.
If Duan Huirou knew Jin Wang thought this way, she would’ve rolled her eyes at him.
If it weren’t for her fear that he might recklessly step forward and cause trouble that would make her life difficult, she wouldn’t even bother paying attention to him.
Now that she was pregnant, it was easy to grow softhearted. Duan Huirou pursed her lips—if she weren’t with child, she might not have stopped him.
Just then, the Head Imperial Physician’s face turned from green to pale, his expression shifting unpredictably. After quite a while, he finally withdrew his hand and looked up at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, this humble official’s skills are limited. Tan Jieyu’s pulse is quite strange. May I request the Left and Right Deputy Physicians to examine her as well?”
The Emperor’s face darkened at these words, and he looked toward the two deputy physicians.
The two of them quickly stepped forward and moved to the Head Physician’s side. Their eyes briefly met, and then they swiftly looked away.
Mingxi withdrew the finger she had been using to write something in Xiao Muchen’s palm. At this moment, his face was also quite a sight.
After the shock, he wasn’t sure what expression he should be wearing.
With so many eyes on her, Mingxi couldn’t meet Xiao Muchen’s gaze, but judging by his momentarily stiffened posture, he must have been startled too.
And understandably so—who would’ve thought that Tan Jieyu’s pregnancy was fake? That was a level of audacity beyond comprehension.
At that moment, the two deputy physicians had finished checking the pulse. The Head Physician gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said, “Your Majesty, Tan Jieyu is not pregnant.”
A thunderclap of a revelation left everyone utterly stunned!
Tan Jieyu’s pregnancy was fake?
The last bit of strength Tan Jieyu had been holding onto suddenly gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. Victory or defeat—she knew that now, even begging the Emperor for mercy would be useless.
Though the Emperor had mentally prepared himself, he never imagined Tan Jieyu’s pregnancy was fake. His vision darkened from rage, and then he flew into a fury, glaring at the physician who had been taking her pulse. “You—speak! What’s going on here?”
The imperial doctor, trembling from head to toe, knew that now the truth was exposed, there was no way out. His life no longer mattered, but he still hoped the Emperor would spare his family.
As soon as the Emperor questioned him, the physician fell to his knees with a loud “thud” and said, “Your Majesty, my unworthy son was searching for medicinal herbs in Dongjiang when he fell from a mountain and was critically injured. It was Governor-general Tan who saved his life. I owed him a great favor. So when Governor-general Tan asked me to assist Tan Jieyu in deceiving Your Majesty by pretending she was pregnant, I could not refuse.”
“Good, good, very good!” The Emperor was enraged. He kicked the physician to the ground.
He then turned to Tan Jieyu. “Wretch! I have shown you nothing but favor and have been lenient with your Father, and this is how you repay me?”
Tan Jieyu said nothing. The matter had already been exposed—there was no use in saying more.
Seeing her remain silent, the Emperor gave a cold laugh. “Fine! Keep your mouth shut!” He then turned and ordered, “Guards!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Arrest the entire Tan family and bring them to the capital. Strip Tan Yingtai of his official title, throw him into the Imperial Prison, and interrogate them one by one!” The Emperor’s eyes were dark and calm, which only made his words more terrifying.
