At this moment, Concubine Rong's face was pale, as if she was gripped by an invisible fear. Her heart was beating violently, almost jumping out of her throat, because only she knew that her child in her previous life was the Tenth Prince.

However, the other people present knew nothing about the inside story. They looked at Xie Qi blankly, completely unable to understand what he meant by what he said.

After all, the late emperor had only nine children. How could there be a tenth prince who had never been heard of?

At this moment, even Lu Feiling, who was always calm and composed, couldn't help but frown. He looked at Xie Qi with suspicion and asked, "I wonder what the deep meaning of what you said, Young Master Xie?" His voice was low and serious, with an unquestionable majesty.

Facing the emperor's questioning, Xie Qi appeared remarkably calm and composed. He raised his head slightly and explained, "Eighteen years ago today, the Ninth Prince was born. But at the same time, the Tenth Prince, born to Concubine Rong, also arrived."

Hearing Xie Qi's words, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, their minds reminiscing about the past. Some people also suddenly remembered that Concubine Rong had indeed given birth on the same day, but unfortunately, they later heard that the tenth prince had unfortunately died...

At this moment, Concubine Rong's heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and a layer of fine sweat beads appeared on the palms of her hands.

But she still feigned anger and demanded, "My child suffered a tragic fate, never to survive. I am heartbroken, and this is only natural. But what are your intentions? How dare you rashly bring up these painful past events on such a crucial occasion? Could it be that you simply dislike me and are deliberately trying to embarrass me?!"

As soon as she finished speaking, huge tears rolled down Concubine Rong's cheeks. As Concubine Rong's fierce words came out of her mouth, all the blame seemed to be instantly shifted to Xie Qi alone.

Everyone also felt that if Xie Qi really didn't want to get married, he shouldn't cruelly open the scar and evoke those painful memories in front of a mother who had experienced the pain of losing her son.

Originally, this banquet should have been a scene of joy, peace, and happiness. However, due to Xie Qi's inappropriate words, the whole scene suddenly became extremely awkward and tense.

Even the emperor, who was the supreme ruler, did not know how to properly clean up the mess faced with this sudden change.

However, surprisingly, Xie Qi did not retreat or feel intimidated by Concubine Rong's accusations.

On the contrary, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile, and he sneered sarcastically, "You're sad? Concubine Rong, you really know how to joke! Isn't your biological son Lu Yinjiu sitting next to you now, alive and well?"

After saying this, Xie Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the stunned Empress Dowager with a sharp gaze. A mocking arc appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he slowly said, "Empress Dowager, you are truly kind-hearted. You actually helped your own murderer raise the child for so many years. It is truly pitiful."

When the Empress Dowager heard this, her body trembled violently, her face instantly lost color, and her lips trembled. It was obvious that her emotions were on the verge of getting out of control.

But she had been in a high position for a long time and had experienced countless storms. After a brief loss of composure, she quickly recovered, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. She looked at Xie Qi and said sternly, "Sir, what are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean! I hope you won't speak nonsense!"

Meanwhile, Concubine Rong was already pale with fear. That incident had been buried deep in her heart for years, and it had always been her biggest secret. She had never imagined that one day it would be exposed in public.

At this moment, Concubine Rong's mind was blank, with only one thought swirling around: How is this possible? There's no way anyone could know about this! Everyone who knew about it had been killed by her. How on earth did Xie Qi know about this?

Concubine Rong frantically recited words of comfort in her mind while recalling all the people involved in the incident. Suddenly, a figure appeared before her: the midwife she had ordered to abandon the dead baby in the wilderness!

Could it be... that the midwife really leaked this? The more Concubine Rong thought about it, the more terrified she became, and cold sweat dripped down her forehead.

However, when Xie Qi heard the Empress Dowager's harsh questioning, he knew that it was useless to say more at this time. Any unnecessary nonsense and lengthy preparation would only be a waste of time and words.

Therefore, Xie Qi decided to state the facts directly and tell the truth of the matter in the most concise and clear words.

"What this means is that Lu Yinjiu is not actually your biological son, Queen Dowager. His real biological mother is Concubine Rong! Eighteen years ago, Concubine Rong was so audacious that she secretly switched the two babies. In the end, she even strangled the Ninth Prince to death with her own hands."

Xie Qi's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears. Everyone present was stunned and stood there for a moment, their eyes wide open in extreme shock.

They thought it was just a simple birthday party, but who could have expected to hear such a shocking secret here.

At this moment, the Queen Mother felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her entire body instantly freezing to the bone. Her eyes widened, a look of disbelief on her face, her mind a turmoil.

She really couldn't accept such a cruel reality, and she didn't even dare to imagine whether all this could be true.

At the same time, Concubine Rong, standing nearby, felt as if an invisible hand had suddenly gripped her throat, her breathing becoming rapid. She clenched her fists tightly, her long nails digging deeply into the flesh of her palms due to excessive force. The sharp stinging sensation quickly spread throughout her body, bringing her back to her senses from her extreme panic.

Immediately afterwards, Concubine Rong burst into tears. While sobbing, she raised her head and looked at the Queen Mother with tearful eyes, choking and sobbing, "Sister... I... I don't know why he framed me like this! So many years have passed, don't you still understand me? How could Jiuer be my son? Wuuwuwu..."

At this moment, a look of deep surprise appeared on Lu Feiling's originally stern face. Clearly, the direction of the situation before him was completely beyond his expectations.

But Lu Feiling remained incredibly calm. He stared intently at Xie Qi across from him, his gaze as sharp as a torch, and said in a steady and resolute voice, "Young Master Xie, everything requires solid evidence. Empty words are hardly convincing."

Lu Yinjiu, standing nearby, was already stunned by what was happening before his eyes. His beautiful face had lost all color, turning as pale as snow.

When he heard Lu Feiling say that, his emotions instantly surged like a flood breaking through a dam.

"How could I not be the Queen Mother's child? This is absolutely impossible! There must be something wrong..." Lu Yinjiu muttered to himself, his voice full of disbelief and self-doubt.

Lu Yinjiu knew very well that if what Xie Qi said was true, then his noble status as a prince would be gone, and he could not accept such a gap.