Chapter 172 Fate

"Huanbi!"

When someone tries to reveal a secret, people's first reaction is to shout and intimidate them. Zhen Huan was no exception. Even though she was distraught over the Emperor's words just a moment ago, she turned around and scolded Huan Bi without hesitation when she heard that Huan Bi was going to "report" her secret, as if that would shut Huan Bi up.

Huanbi, who had been acting rashly, did indeed sober up a bit after Zhen Huan's shouts. She realized that she couldn't escape the consequences of her report, and she regretted it. But there was no turning back now. Looking at the Emperor and Empress sitting at the head of the table and the concubines all over the palace, Huanbi collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Why is Consort Wan so nervous? Could it be that she has really deceived the Emperor?"

To be honest, the atmosphere in the room had become quite tense ever since Huanbi suddenly rushed out to report them. At this critical moment, only Consort Hua dared to speak, looking at Zhen Huan with a half-smile, without any subtlety.

"I didn't. Huanbi was just scared and talking nonsense..."

"That's not necessarily true. Huanbi is your personal maid, so she naturally knows more. Now that she has offended Consort Hui, she knows she won't have a good ending, so she has to find a way to reduce her punishment..."

If Nian Shilan spoke up because she felt confident, then Rouze was simply disliking Zhen Huan and also lacked intelligence. So while Yinzhen remained silent and sullen, and others dared not speak, she spoke smugly. Her words conveyed a desire to immediately humiliate Zhen Huan, yet she thought she had concealed it well.

"Enough!" Yinzhen suddenly spoke up, ignoring Rouze's suddenly darkened face and Zhen Huan's pleading eyes, and ordered Su Peisheng beside him: "Don't disturb Consort Hui's delivery. Take Consort Wan and Huanbi away and interrogate them separately."

"Yes, sir."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Zhen Huan wanted to plead for mercy, but she and Huan Bi were still dragged away with their mouths covered by a eunuch. Seeing this, even Rou Ze was frightened and sat quietly in her seat, not daring to raise her head.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Yixiu took a cup of tea from Jianqiu and gently placed it beside Yinzhen.

“It’s alright,” Yinzhen shook his head. “Send someone to check on Consort Hui’s condition.”

After hearing Yinzhen's words, Yixiu turned to Jianqiu and said, "Jianqiu, go and tell Consort Hui that the Emperor and I are watching over her outside, and that she should give birth in peace."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

"Your Majesty has worked hard." Yinzhen patted Yixiu's hand, his tone much gentler.

Yixiu smiled gently and grasped Yinzhen's hand in return: "It is my duty to take care of the harem for Your Majesty."

The harmony between the Emperor and Empress warmed the atmosphere considerably, but not everyone who witnessed this scene felt relaxed. At least Nian Shilan rolled her eyes without any attempt to hide her jealousy, though she couldn't show it in such a setting.

As dusk fell, Shen Meizhuang was still in labor. Yinzhen had long since sent the concubines home, leaving only him and Yixiu to stay behind.

"Your Majesty, why don't you go back soon? State affairs are of utmost importance. I can stay here and keep watch."

"No need. I'll go with you. All the government affairs have been arranged beforehand. With Honghui guarding things for me, I'm at ease."

Hearing Yinzhen say this, Yixiu's smile deepened: "Honghui is still young. I'm just happy that he won't cause trouble for Your Majesty."

“Honghui is very good. You, as his mother, should not underestimate him.”

"Yes, yes, yes, Honghui is so good to the Emperor, it makes me seem like a stepmother."

Yixiu couldn't help but make a couple of teasing remarks, and Yinzhen chuckled, "You, you..."

The atmosphere between the two was just right when Su Peisheng walked in hurriedly with his head down: "Your Majesty, Huanbi has confessed."

Yinzhen's smile vanished instantly. He took the interrogation results presented by Su Peisheng, growing angrier the more he read, but he remained silent. Seeing Yixiu's curiosity, he handed her the dossier.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Yixiu hesitated for a moment, but Yinzhen did not allow her to refuse and placed it directly in her hands: "It's alright, it is the Empress's right to manage the harem."

After hearing this, Yixiu felt relieved and started reading. When she saw the sentence "Huanbi is Zhen Yuandao's illegitimate son, and his birth mother is the descendant of a disgraced official," her pupils dilated, and she looked at Yinzhen in disbelief.

"This... to use a woman as a maid... how could Zhen Yuandao do such a thing?"

Over the years, Yixiu had seen many storms and waves. But the behavior of the Zhen family still opened her eyes. Taking the daughter of a disgraced official as a concubine was already a stain on Zhen Yuandao's reputation. But to actually use a concubine's daughter as a maid for his legitimate daughter and give her such a name was truly unbelievable.

Not to mention, what were Zhen Yuandao's intentions in sending such a person with questionable identity into the palace?

Looking at the interrogation record, Huanbi said she "went to the palace to seek a future." What kind of future could a woman seek by being sent to the palace? It can only be said that Zhen Yuandao was a wolf in sheep's clothing with great ambitions.

"Is Consort Wan... truly a legitimate daughter raised with such high standards?"

Yixiu flipped through Zhen Huan's confession and, knowing that Huanbi had told her everything, Zhen Huan also explained why she had indulged Huanbi—it was simply because of Huanbi's status, out of pity for her background and for the sake of the Zhen family's future...

No matter how many explanations were offered, they all seemed ridiculous to Yixiu. Rouze had paid more attention to Zhen Huan and knew she was a woman who relied on her own learning. "You've learned so much, how could you agree to bring Huanbi into the palace in the first place? How dare you? Did all the palace rules taught by the nanny go to waste? Didn't you even consider that Huanbi would become a threat? If you're worried about the future of the Zhen family, you should nip it in the bud, at least don't bring her into the palace!"

"It's just that the daughter resembles the father."

Hearing Yinzhen's comment, Yixiu suddenly understood. "Like father, like daughter," she thought. Zhen Yuandao was a hypocrite, seeking fame and pretense of high moral character. For the sake of his own reputation, he could turn his illegitimate daughter into a maidservant for his legitimate daughter. If Huanbi truly became a maidservant, wouldn't he be innocent then? Revealing the truth before entering the palace didn't necessarily show genuine remorse towards Huanbi. It was merely a desire for more, using guilt to mask his ambition.

As for Zhen Huan, if she truly pitied Huan Bi, she wouldn't have treated her like a servant all this time. While it might seem like she was indulging her, treating her like a "second young lady," "spoiling a child is like killing a child." Similarly, if Zhen Huan genuinely cared for her, why wouldn't she teach her anything and just watch her commit such a grave mistake?

He can't be completely kind, nor can he bring himself to be ruthless; it's just...

Yixiu shook her head, unsure how to evaluate Zhen Huan.

"What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

"Zhen Yuandao deceived the emperor and committed moral transgressions, so he was demoted to a commoner and exiled to Ningguta; Zhen Huan was stripped of her title, demoted to a low-ranking concubine, and confined to Suiyu Pavilion; Huanbi offended the imperial fetus and was beaten to death!"

Just as Yinzhen decided the fate of the three, someone stumbled in to announce the good news.

"Your Majesty, Consort Hui has given birth!"