Phoenix Palace.

Empress Song sat on the phoenix throne. Although she was certain that Physician Jiang would not dare to expose her, she could not help but feel uneasy.

Before she could overthink it, Empress Song was about to take a sip of tea when a young eunuch ran in and said, "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Jiang deceived Princess Ling about her pregnancy, angering the Emperor. He has been dismissed from his post as Imperial Physician and handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for trial."

Upon hearing this, Empress Song's hand trembled, and the teacup fell onto the tea table, startling the young eunuch.

Empress Song's face was very pale.

Physician Jiang's explanation for concealing Princess Ling's pregnancy was completely plausible. Even if the Emperor were to punish him, at most he would only give him a few dozen strokes of the cane and deduct a year or two's salary. I never expected the punishment to be so severe.

Could it be that the Emperor suspects her...?

A murderous glint flashed in Empress Song's eyes.

...

After taking the medicine, Shen Wan fell asleep quickly.

Xie Jingyan sat by the bed for a while, then got up and went to the study.

However, even though he was sitting at his desk with a book in his hand, he couldn't calm down and read, and didn't even notice that he was holding the book upside down.

After his mother's accident, he was demoted to guard the imperial tombs, and then fell from his horse and broke his leg. After his leg was finally healed, he inexplicably started vomiting frequently. He thought he was about to die, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better and he was able to enjoy the good life after suffering.

There probably aren't many people whose lives have been as dramatic as his.

The thought of Shen Wan carrying his child caused a smile to creep onto the lips of the man that he couldn't suppress for a long time.

Chen Feng couldn't stand it anymore and reminded him, "Sir, you're holding the book upside down..."

Normally, Xie Jingyan would have given Chen Feng a sidelong glance, but now he simply changed the direction of the book and was happily reading it.

However, after scanning only two lines, the window was knocked on, and a guard slipped in, saying, "Sir, Physician Jiang is dead."

Xie Jingyan's smile vanished, and his eyes turned cold.

Chen Feng then asked, "Why was it delivered? Was it silenced?"

The guard replied, "It's still unclear."

"After the Emperor learned that the Princess was pregnant, he summoned Physician Jiang to the Imperial Study to question him about taking the Princess's pulse that day. This angered the Emperor, and Physician Jiang was dismissed from his post and sent to the Dali Temple for punishment. Physician Jiang died of poisoning at the palace gate as soon as he was sent out of the palace. It is unknown whether he was killed or committed suicide by poisoning."

Whether he was murdered or committed suicide by poison, it is enough to prove that his guess was correct.

The abortion tea and the two assassination attempts were both orchestrated by Empress Song and Prince Jin.

The guard said, "It was Eunuch Yuan who reminded the Emperor to interrogate Physician Jiang..."

The guard told Xie Jingyan about this so that Eunuch Yuan would side with him and the princess, and that Xie Jingyan would treat Eunuch Yuan better in the future.

But these words reminded Xie Jingyan of the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, when the Emperor summoned him and Shen Wan to the Imperial Study to inquire about the earthquake in Meizhou. Before they left, Eunuch Yuan chased after them and said that Physician Jiang was the Empress's man and that they should invite another doctor to take their pulse.

At the time, neither he nor Shen Wan thought much of it, nor did they take Eunuch Yuan's instructions to heart. Now that they think about it, Eunuch Yuan must have known something to remind them in such a tactful way.

Xie Jingyan thought of the tea laced with abortifacient. Logically speaking, Empress Song's people shouldn't have made such a big mistake. Could it be that Eunuch Yuan secretly helped him?

Xie Jingyan disliked speculation, and he would find out the truth by asking Eunuch Yuan when he had the chance. Right now, he had more important things to do.

Xie Jingyan gestured for Chen Feng to come closer and whispered a few instructions.

Chen Feng straightened up and said, "The Princess will surely like the surprise Your Highness has prepared."

"Go and do it. There must be no mistakes in this matter."

Chen Feng accepted the order and left.

As Chen Feng left the study, the Eighth Prince Xie Jingxuan jogged over and asked, "Chen Feng, where is my sixth brother?"

Chen Feng replied, "Master is in the study."

The Eighth Prince started walking towards the study, but after a few steps, he remembered something and asked, "Is the Sixth Princess not in the study?"

He had twice barged into Sixth Brother's study, leaving him with considerable psychological trauma. He had repeatedly ruined Sixth Brother's plans, and Sixth Brother would really beat him to death.

Chen Feng said, "The princess is not here."

He's relieved that she's not around.

The Eighth Prince scurried off to the study.

Xie Jingyan was reading a book when the Eighth Prince had already stepped into the study, but then remembered and pulled his foot back, knocking on the door.

"Come in."

The Eighth Prince then stepped forward and called out, "Sixth Brother."

Xie Jingyan casually flipped through a book, glanced at him, and asked, "Did you need something?"

The Eighth Prince coughed lightly, "Nothing much, just came to broaden my horizons..."

The Eighth Prince's voice rang out as he spoke the last four words.

The world has such an absurd and outrageous thing as a substitute wife getting pregnant, and it actually happened to his sixth brother. As the eighth brother, how could he not come and see?

Xie Jingyan's face darkened instantly. He looked at the Eighth Prince and asked, "Are you going to leave on your own, or should I have someone throw you out?"

The Eighth Prince quickly replied, "I'll walk myself..."

"I'll have a cup of tea to soothe my throat, and I'll be leaving in a bit."

The Eighth Prince was about to sit down when he noticed a stick in the study covered with candied hawthorns. The tempting color made him walk over and casually pick up a skewer.

Take a bite.

boom.

The Eighth Prince was almost overwhelmed by the acid.

The Eighth Prince was about to spit out the candied hawthorn, but Xie Jingyan gave him a glare, and the poor Eighth Prince swallowed the candied hawthorn, seeds and all, whole.

His poor sixth brother...

I had to eat such sour candied hawthorns to suppress my nausea.

Why does he feel an overwhelming urge to laugh when he thinks about it?

Fearing that Xie Jingyan would actually order him to be thrown out, the Eighth Prince endured it with immense difficulty.

Seeing the Eighth Prince's shoulders trembling, Xie Jingyan gave him the order to leave, saying, "You can go if there's nothing else."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!