An Qingran's face suddenly became hot. This matter between husband and wife was originally private, but she was asked like this. But at the same time, she knew that things would not be so easy to get away with. Obviously, they knew something, so they asked such a question.

So, she smiled and said, "I wonder how much this has to do with whether the prince can be humane? Even if there is no bridal chamber, it does not mean that there is something wrong with him. Besides, if the queen mother or the queen suspects anything, they can just ask the maids in the palace to check Qingran's body and know the answer after a check."

"It seems that you are really stubborn and make me underestimate you. You won't cry until you see the coffin. You are still lying to me now. Obviously, this is not the first or second time you have lied." The Queen Mother clapped her hands.

Following the sound, a palace maid came in from outside. An Qingran took a look and found it was Xiaorong, a maid from the East Palace. Xiaorong was the maid who served them in their daily life. On weekdays, she was so quiet that people almost ignored her.

Xiao Rong knelt there and saluted everyone. She avoided looking at An Qingran, and An Qingran knew something was wrong.

As expected, the Queen Mother said in a deep voice: "Tell us what you know, let everyone hear it, and see how the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess deceived us."

Xiao Rong said, "On the morning of the second day after the Crown Prince's wedding, the maids came to collect the handkerchief. The Crown Prince cut his arm. The blood on the handkerchief was not the blood from the wedding night. Everything I said is true. I dare not lie."

Everyone was surprised when they heard this. Shu Guifei wanted to laugh, but she just grinned and turned to look at Xianfei. Xianfei had not expected this situation, but she did not speak. The Queen Mother coughed, and Murong Lanxin next to her handed over a handkerchief. The prince wiped the corner of his mouth and sighed deeply: "I am old. People of this age, in addition to enjoying a peaceful life, their biggest wish is to have grandchildren. If the prince is inhumane, it will not only affect my great-grandson, but also the lack of an heir, and the people's hearts will be unstable."

Countless answers instantly popped up in An Qingran's mind, but she knew that those were not the problem. This matter itself was not a big deal. The matter of the prince would naturally be revealed after the imperial physician examined him. She was just shocked that there were secret agents everywhere in her palace, and she was not prepared. She didn't know how many there were in the East Palace. In the final analysis, it was her own problem.

Seeing that she didn't speak, the Queen Mother thought she had gotten the truth and sneered, "An Qingran, An Qingran, I didn't expect you two to be so stubborn and keep it a secret from us for so long. Do you know that this is not just your business? What do you want to say now?"

An Qingran was still kneeling there straight, she didn't want to say anything.

"Since you don't refute it, then everything she said is true. Then I ask you, do you admit your crime of deceiving the emperor?" The Queen Mother had a gloomy face and slapped the table next to her. The teacup in Murong Lanxin's hand fell to the ground. The noise attracted everyone's attention. The Queen Mother glanced at her, but Murong Lanxin didn't notice anything and still looked dazed.

Soon, everyone's eyes were still focused on An Qingran, wondering if she was calm or frightened. She just knelt there straight, her gorgeous clothes could not hide her slender figure, her nose was high, but there were beads of sweat, and her cherry-colored lips seemed a little pale, maybe because of nervousness...

"Don't think that the problem will be solved if you don't say anything, An Qingran. The emperor actually believed you and gave you the power to manage the six palaces. The situation now is really disappointing. You might as well tell me everything. The empress dowager might, because of your ignorance, plead with the emperor on your behalf." Concubine Shu pretended to be a good person. When she said this, her beautiful face was full of disdain.

An Qingran still didn't speak.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating. Everyone was originally staring at An Qingran, but now their eyes were focused on the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother's face, which was originally gloomy, became complicated at this moment. She was not in a hurry. She reached out and took the teacup from another palace maid, took a sip, and spit it out. After putting the teacup down, she sighed, "I usually trust you, but you can't even make a cup of tea properly. Do you think I can't see or hear because of my old eyesight? You all want to get away with it, but you are dreaming. Come on, drag him out and give him twenty strokes of the cane. Let's see if you will tell the truth."

Two maids came in to take away the palace maid who had just served tea, but the empress dowager just hummed, and the two maids went straight to An Qingran.

An Qingran still didn't say anything. Now the matter might not cause a commotion, but she was afraid that it wouldn't get bigger.

She deliberately looked left and right with a look of seeking help, making the Queen Mother think that she was sure to win.

The empress dowager looked at everything in front of her and a smile appeared on her lips. The same went for Concubine Shu. This time, An Qingran and the prince were doomed to die, and the next things would be much easier.

No matter how capable the prince is, once the news that he cannot have an heir spreads, they don't need to say anything, the ministers will naturally take care of things for her.

An Qingran stood up and shook off the two maids' hands: "I'll go by myself."

The two maids did not listen to her. Although her eyes were as sharp as torches and her cold light made people timid, no matter how timid she was, she would still be in a disadvantageous position. They followed the empress dowager, so how could they be afraid of her?

An Qingran was dragged out by two maids. Along the way, her shoes fell off and her clothes were torn. While she was struggling, the hairpin on her head fell to the ground and broke into two pieces, and her clothes were also torn.

"Are you scared now? Then why don't you tell the truth and save yourself from the pain?" The Queen Mother sighed, "Actually, even if you don't tell me, the truth is here. Do you think anyone will come to save you?"

An Qingran was still struggling, and in the process she threw the other shoe out. As she twisted her body, she saw something, and a smile flashed across her eyes. She raised her voice, "Queen Mother, you should investigate clearly. I have told the truth. Even if you beat me to death, it is the truth. The prince is very good. How can a grandmother hope that her grandson is inhumane?"

"Don't even think about hiding it from us again..." Before the Queen Mother finished her words, two tall figures walked in from outside. One of them was wearing a dragon robe, and although he had a beard, his eyes were sharp. The other one was wearing a bright yellow prince's robe, and his handsome face was full of anger. He took the lead, pulled the two maids aside, and took An Qingran into his arms. When An Qingran saw that it was him, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears: "Prince, the Queen Mother wants to beat me. The Queen Mother insisted that you are inhumane and asked me to tell the truth. I told the truth, but she didn't believe it..."

She spoke in a low voice, sobbing, but every word was clearly heard by everyone. When the emperor heard this, his expression became even more solemn. Imperial Concubine Shu, Imperial Concubine Xian, and all the palace people knelt on the ground. The empress dowager sat on the upper throne, her expression changed several times: "Your Majesty, you came at the right time. You should know about this matter. The prince and his wife are too lawless. They dared to use a fake Yuan handkerchief to deceive the late queen and your majesty. I was not in the palace at the time, but I didn't expect such a big mistake to happen..."

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Empress Dowager, don't be excited. I have known about this matter for a long time. The prince told me everything. He didn't consummate the marriage because An Qingran had not yet reached the age of 15 and he was afraid of hurting the princess' body. Later, due to the national mourning, the prince was very polite and filial. Why did he consummate the marriage during this period? It was not until An Qingran's coming-of-age ceremony that they had their wedding night. Those rumors are groundless. The Empress Dowager has lived in the palace for decades and has seen all kinds of things. Such rumors should be investigated and not let people with ulterior motives pollute her ears." At this point, the Empress Dowager couldn't hold her face anymore. Was the Emperor teaching her a lesson?

When the emperor said this, he looked at the concubine kneeling on the ground and said, "You are the same. The queen mother was temporarily blinded by rumors. You should have reminded her. Now, it's good that you didn't remind her, but you are still fanning the flames here. Think about it carefully."

He flicked his sleeves and looked at the Queen Mother. "Queen Mother, take good care of yourself. It's not worth worrying about these things in the harem. I have advised you that when you should enjoy your life, why worry about your children and grandchildren? Besides, your children and grandchildren will have their own happiness, right? I will take my leave now."

Without waiting for the empress dowager's reaction, he turned and left.

The prince supported An Qingran and bowed to the Queen Mother. "Grandson thanks the Royal Grandmother for her concern and care, and also thanks all the ladies for their care. I thank you here... Royal Grandmother, this matter has been clarified. If you don't want to investigate further, grandson will also take his leave."

These words made everyone in the room feel embarrassed, so no one spoke for a while.

Dongfang Jin didn't wait for them to speak. He half-hugged An Qingran, who was crying and almost fainted, and turned and left.

As soon as she left the Queen Mother's bedroom, An Qingran stood up from Dongfang Jin's arms and wiped her tears with Dongfang Jin's handkerchief: "Fortunately you arrived in time..."

There was no trace of tears.

Dongfang Jin understood after just one thought. He admired An Qingran's acting, but it did not affect his heartache for her at all. He held her arms tightly and said, "Qingqing, I'm here."

He had said this more than once. An Qingran turned her head in his arms, looked at his determined eyes, put her arms around his waist, and laid her head on his chest, her eyes narrowed happily: "Yeah, I know."

Dongfang Jin's face was dark, and he looked back at the Queen Mother's bedroom, with a cold light flashing in his eyes. His already stern face became even colder, and his steps involuntarily quickened.

Return to the East Palace.

An Qingran sat in the upper seat: "Rosewood, call all the palace maids here."

She had changed her clothes at this moment. She wore a light purple Luoru jacket with gold trimmings on the upper body and a pleated skirt with lotus flowers on the lower body. On her high bun, a pearl-embellished hairpin was shining with golden light.

Her red lips were like flames, and her eyes were flashing with anger. She looked at all the palace maids kneeling there and said coldly, "Listen, don't think that I am kind and can be slaughtered by others. From now on, tell me all your experiences before you came to the East Palace. If you hide anything, you know the consequences."

The palace maids all thought An Qingran was young, and seeing that she was always smiling, they all thought they could get away with it this time.