Chapter 79 "Yuan Chaolu, you've treated me like this..."

As dusk fell, the warm sunlight streamed through the window frames, quietly illuminating everything inside the hall.

It was only after Empress Dowager Lu spoke that the tranquil atmosphere of the entire hall was broken.

Several gazes fell upon the Empress, who had just finished her medicine and was wiping her lips with a handkerchief. After doing so, she gracefully put down the handkerchief and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Empress Dowager Lu said, "Changli caused me to lose my imperial grandson. According to the law, he should be punished. I will not say much, but I cannot tolerate it. All of this was framed by the Empress."

"Does the Emperor know of the Empress beside him, who disregards imperial favor, deceives the Emperor, and has done such despicable things?"

Then, a middle-aged female official stepped out from behind Empress Dowager Lu. She placed her hands on her abdomen, bowed to Yuan Chaolu, raised her head and smiled, "Does Your Majesty still remember me?"

Zhong Changjun recognized the person at a glance and said, "This is Aunt Ning, the Empress Dowager's personal maid, right? I remember she brought the Empress osmanthus soup the other day?"

Aunt Ning nodded and said, "Yes, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager learned by chance from the imperial physician Zhang Su that the Empress was pregnant. Knowing that I am skilled in medicine, she specially sent me to inquire after the Empress's health and, incidentally, to take her pulse. And the result was—"

Her eyes showed a look of bewilderment. "I am very puzzled. Your Majesty the Empress clearly does not show any signs of pregnancy."

"How could I not know about this?" Yuan Chaolu raised a hand to cover her chest. "The day I lost my child, my bloody discharge was taken out, and all the palace servants in Changqiu Palace saw it. I haven't been able to sleep well every night since, and I can dream about the child in my womb even when I close my eyes. But just a few days later, the Empress Dowager said that I was not pregnant?"

She stood up, gritting her teeth: "I also want to ask the Empress Dowager, is it possible to disregard your own children and grandchildren, turn black into white, and disregard His Majesty, all for the sake of Lu Changli? How can you distort the truth like this?"

Yuan Chaolu turned around and glanced at the person beside her: "Your Majesty."

Song Gugu’s voice sounded from behind: “What the Empress said, the Empress Dowager naturally took into account. When she learned that the Empress was not pregnant, she immediately reprimanded me for talking nonsense. But soon after, the Empress Dowager summoned Physician Dou.”

"Physician Dou, please come in—"

Yuan Chaolu turned around and saw that Physician Dou was old and slightly hunched over, walking slowly from the outer hall. However, he had difficulty walking and walked very slowly.

That night, Physician Dou appeared in Changqiu Palace for no apparent reason. Yuan Chaolu suddenly woke up from her sleep and saw the old physician standing beside her, his hand on her wrist as if taking her pulse.

She quickly pulled her hand away, and then heard the emperor say that he had asked Physician Dou to examine her because he saw that she was having persistent nightmares.

A chill ran up Yuan Chaolu’s stiff legs, starting from the soles of his feet and gradually moving upwards.

She turned around abruptly and looked at the emperor. He was tall and imposing in his deep robes, sitting behind a long table. His face still had a smile on it, but the smile gradually faded. His face was completely different from when he had gently fed her the medicine.

Empress Dowager Lu said, "The Empress has only entered Luoyang this year and there are many things she does not know. Physician Dou was promoted by me in his early years. He first served the late Emperor, then me, and now Your Majesty."

"I was concerned about my grandson, so I summoned Physician Dou to my side to ask him about it. But to my surprise, Physician Dou said that he had examined the Empress's pulse and it was clear that she was not pregnant."

"First, there was Imperial Physician Zhang Su, who signed and sealed the pulse record without even taking the Empress's pulse. Then, my lady-in-waiting and Imperial Physician Dou both came forward to testify. How long does the Empress intend to keep up this act?"

Empress Dowager Lu's voice was hoarse, yet incredibly clear, each word piercing Yuan Chaolu's ears.

Yuan Chaolu's eyes flickered as he watched the emperor slowly rise from behind the desk. Suddenly, he spoke, "When Physician Dou took my pulse, the pulse readings from that night were already presented to Your Majesty, weren't they?"

She heard her own voice trembling, "If something were amiss, how could His Majesty not know?"

Xiao Zhuo remained calm and composed, showing unusual composure in the face of the news, his gaze slowly shifting to her face.

The Empress Dowager said, "I am also puzzled. Does the Emperor know about this matter, or is he being kept in the dark?"

Is it a deliberate cover-up, or is it genuine ignorance?

However, another answer was about to emerge in Yuan Chaolu's heart. The calmer he appeared as he walked, the more uneasy Yuan Chaolu became.

"How could that be?" Xiao Zhuo stopped beside her, his voice carrying a faint smile. "Imperial Physician Dou told me personally that night that the Empress was pregnant. How come you've changed your mind today?"

The hall fell silent.

Yuan Chaolu turned his back to the crowd, his shoulders relaxed.

Empress Dowager Lu paled: "The Emperor?"

Imperial Physician Dou looked puzzled: "Your Majesty?"

Xiao Zhuo stretched out his arm and put his arm around Yuan Chaolu beside him. "The Empress is in charge of all matters in the inner palace, but Lu Changli disrespects the Empress's dignity and shows no remorse. I have reminded him repeatedly. Now, putting him in prison is perfectly justifiable in terms of both justice and reason. Does Mother really intend to defend him to this extent?"

Empress Dowager Lu looked up, a cold glint in her eyes: "I'm here to speak of the Empress's grave crime of faking her pregnancy to deceive the Emperor! I've come today to remind His Majesty that if His Majesty thinks I've come for Chang Li, then he has truly misjudged his mother!"

"It is an indisputable fact that the Empress is pregnant, Mother."

The sunlight made Xiao Zhuo's face appear even more gentle.

Though his voice was soft, each word carried immense weight.

With witnesses present and everything seemingly in order, the Emperor made the final decision, favoring the Empress. He was determined to do so, so what could Empress Dowager Lu do?

The palace servants inside the hall had all knelt down when Empress Dowager Lu uttered her first challenging statement, but they were not ordered to leave. Now, everyone witnessed how Empress Dowager Lu was publicly refuted by the emperor.

Empress Dowager Lu had not expected the emperor to be so incompetent in this matter. She swayed and leaned on the table, raising her thin hand to point at Xiao Zhuo, then looked at Yuan Chaolu.

Xiao Zhuo stepped forward to help her up: "Mother, I will see you out."

The arm gripped her body, leaving no room for refusal. Empress Dowager Lu met the Emperor's smiling face, her expression darkening, and she could only turn and walk away.

With the departure of Empress Dowager Lu and the Emperor, the remaining palace servants were also dismissed by the Empress.

After the people filed out, Yuan Chaolu seemed to have used up all her strength, her knees buckled and she fell forward.

When Xiao Zhuo returned to Yuan Chaolu, she was still lying face down with her hands supporting her on the ground. She noticed a figure beside her and raised her face, which was already as pale as paper.

"Your Majesty..." Tears welled in her eyes as she gripped his sleeve and pressed her cheek against his. "Why did Physician Dou give conflicting accounts, saying I wasn't pregnant? What did Your Majesty say to the Empress Dowager? I was truly terrified..."

"You still aren't going to tell the truth?"

The sobbing stopped.

Her eyes widened, she raised her sleeve and pressed it against her cheek, feigning ignorance, then burst into even more heart-wrenching sobs, "Your Majesty..."

"Don't pretend in front of me, it's useless." His voice was icy cold as it came down from above.

Yuan Chaolu shook her head, the pearl hairpins in her hair swaying wildly, patting her cheeks, and tear tracks winding down her porcelain-white face, like a begonia wet with rain.

A tear lingered on her delicate chin, about to fall, before finally sliding into Xiao Zhuo's palm.

Even when a beautiful woman sheds tears, she is breathtakingly beautiful, yet this scene clearly failed to move the emperor.

Xiao Zhuo grasped her chin and said, "I knew about your fake pregnancy a long time ago. How long do you intend to keep making excuses?"

Yuan Chaolu hugged his waist, sobbing uncontrollably, "Lu Changli, relying on the Empress Dowager, treats me with disrespect and tramples on my dignity. I am the Empress, His Majesty's wife, how can he do this to me, Your Majesty..."

Xiao Zhuo said in a deep voice, "Stop crying!"

Upon hearing this, she straightened up and immediately tilted her head back to stop the tears from falling. She hurriedly raised her hand to wipe them away, but the tears only fell more and more, and her eyes were filled with utter grievance.

Xiao Zhuo turned his gaze away.

The Empress's tearful appearance touched Zhong Changjun's heart, who hesitated to speak, but upon meeting the Emperor's disapproving gaze, he immediately swallowed his words.

Xiao Zhuo said, "You said Lu Changli disrespected you, and I already warned Lu Changli and have now imprisoned and dismissed him. But is that your reason for deceiving me?"

His words were spoken with anger, each syllable carrying its own.

“That’s not a reason.” Yuan Chao lowered his face, his attitude of admitting his mistake was extremely good.

"But Your Majesty doesn't know that later, Your Majesty appointed Brother Lu to handle Lu Runlan's case. The Lu family pressured the Lu family, framed my second brother, and even bribed the Lu family to spread rumors, attempting to alienate me from Your Majesty. I was truly afraid of a falling out with Your Majesty and your wife, so I went to see Your Majesty anxiously. At that time, I had a poor appetite and my period was late, so I really thought I was pregnant. But after Qi Yu examined my pulse, he said I wasn't pregnant. I saw how much Your Majesty liked this child, and I wanted to say something but didn't dare. It was too late..."

"Is it too late? How many chances have I given you, hinting that you should tell me the truth? Did you speak it, Yuan Chaolu!"

Yuan Chaolu had never seen him so furious before, and was stunned for a moment when he questioned her with such words for the first time.

Xiao Zhuo pulled her restless hands away, but she climbed on top of him again. Unable to break free several times, he simply pulled her up from the ground. The force was too great, and Yuan Chaolu lost her balance and was about to stagger to the ground when he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Yuan Chaolu clutched his clothes with both hands, crying and looking up at him in his arms.

He held her restless arms, which were trying to wrap around him again. "Does the Empress really think I can tolerate this much?"

He rolled his eyes and said, “I tried to convince myself to let this matter go, and even asked about the Empress’s childhood, trying to find reasons for her based on her past. But I found that I couldn’t convince myself.”

Yuan Chaolu met his gaze. He looked at her intently, his eyes dark and unyielding to the light of the setting sun.

"So the Empress doesn't need to cry like this for me. The Empress is acting very well; the pain of miscarriage and loss of her child almost fooled me. How much of her crying now is genuine remorse?"

Yuan Chaolu bit her lip, trying to suppress a sob. Tears wet her eyelashes, and a few glistening tears lingered at the corners of her eyes.

He was right. She was indeed unrepentant. Her situation was precarious, like walking on thin ice. One wrong step and she would be doomed. But her husband was the most noble man in the world. Right under his nose, she was stirring up trouble in the court and ruining his plans. How could he tolerate that?

Even if it weren't for the fake pregnancy, with his keen senses, he would have discovered her tampering with other things sooner or later. Now that the fake pregnancy issue has come to light, perhaps the punishment he faces will be much lighter than those other things.

She stopped sobbing and just looked at the man in front of her. "You knew all along that it was a false pregnancy, but when I miscarried, you said you were heartbroken to lose your child as a first-time father and you shed tears in front of me..."

Her voice trembled at the end, "I actually believed it back then."

“The Empress has no reason to question me on this matter,” he said in a low voice, his gaze as cold as ice. “I told myself that as long as your false pregnancy is not discovered and no one breaks the current situation, I can wait for the day when you take the initiative to admit your mistake. But you remain stubborn and unrepentant. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager has investigated and found out the whole story.”

"There were better solutions, but you chose to deceive me instead, without thinking of how to properly handle the aftermath. Now that the matter has been brought before me, how can I pretend it never happened?"

The surroundings became quiet.

Yuan Chaolu lowered her eyes, trying to suppress her sobs, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

"It's my fault." Yuan Chaolu wiped away her tears with her fingertips, a surge of bitterness rising in her chest. Looking at the man in front of her, she said, "But I've never had parents, never had anyone to teach me what to do..."

She admitted that her almost heartfelt confession also stirred his pity.

Xiao Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly, "I—"

I don't want to see you.

He uttered this sentence after a long silence, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief.

Yuan Chaolu trembled slightly.

The warm light of the setting sun streamed in through the window, carrying a sense of comfort, but the emperor's voice was utterly cold—

"From now on, you shall go to the temple to reflect on your mistakes."

Without turning his head, he strode out.

-----------------------

The author's note: Xiao Zhuo better not regret it.