Chapter 90, Chapter 90 (None)

Holy crap!

Jiang Ling couldn't help but curse under her breath. Consort Zhao's slander was so unexpected that she was caught off guard.

It was utterly unbelievable. Whether Consort Zhao knew she had been wronged, Jiang Ling had no way of knowing. But she knew she was more wronged than Dou E!

However, Consort Zhao probably didn't know she was there, so Jiang Ling suppressed the urge to rush out and beat her up, and continued to eavesdrop while lying in bed.

Emperor Yuanming was also shocked. He glanced at the screen subconsciously, his face darkening as he asked, "You said that Consort Hui pushed Arui down the steps. Besides you, did anyone else see it?"

"At that time, everyone was in a panic and didn't know where to go. The moon was out of sight and the lamps were flickering wildly. I don't know if anyone else saw it. I was looking down the steps, trying to find where the Emperor was. Who would have thought that I would see Consort Hui push the First Prince down the stone steps. Consort Hui is of noble status, and this matter is too important. I was so frightened that my legs went weak and I almost fell down as well."

As Consort Zhao spoke, she gently touched her chest, her body trembling, still filled with fear and unease. She stepped forward and said urgently, "This concerns the Crown Prince and the royal bloodline. I was restless all night and dared not hide it any longer. I came to tell Your Majesty this morning."

Emperor Yuanming stood there, his mind in turmoil, a surge of inexplicable anger rising from the depths of his heart. He shouted sternly, "Zhao Wanying, you have slandered Consort Huishu based solely on your own words. What is your punishment?"

Consort Zhao froze, standing there motionless, tears welling in her eyes finally spilling out.

"emperor....."

Consort Zhao cried out pitifully, "Your Majesty, I have no grudge against Consort Hui, why are you slandering her..."

"That's right, we have no grudge against each other, why are you slandering me?" Jiang Ling endured the dizziness, slowly sat up, and interrupted Consort Zhao.

Consort Zhao was startled and turned to look at the screen. She knew that Jiang Ling had been summoned to the Chuigong Hall by Emperor Yuanming. She had already looked around when she entered the room, and Emperor Yuanming had also dismissed everyone else.

She never expected that Jiang Ling would be staying with Emperor Yuanming, and that Emperor Yuanming would trust and favor her so much!

Jiang Ling slowly emerged from behind the screen, her face pale and tired, walking with great difficulty. She swayed and stood before Consort Zhao.

"Look at me, I've really lost my mind. Consort Zhao and I are not without grudges." Jiang Ling raised her hand to cover her head, pretending to blame herself, and said, "In the past, Consort Zhao wanted to raise A-Lang, but the Emperor refused, and Consort Zhao hated me because of this. Now she is taking the opportunity to slander me. If something happens to me, A-Lang will naturally be raised by you, and you might even take A-Zan away from her."

Consort Zhao's gaze lingered on Jiang Ling's forehead. Her pupils contracted sharply, but she quickly regained her composure and curtsied gracefully: "Consort Hui, it was His Majesty's decree that the Fourth Prince was entrusted to Consort Hui's care. How could I dare to disobey the decree? Why does Consort Hui have to use this to mock me?"

Jiang Ling seized the opportunity to retaliate. She couldn't figure out Consort Zhao's intentions, so she brought up their past interactions.

Consort Zhao remained calm and said, "Since Consort Hui is here, it saves trouble. I won't gossip behind her back. I will just tell you what I saw. Your Majesty, do you believe me? I accept whatever Consort Hui hates me and plans to take revenge on me."

"hehe!"

Jiang Ling sneered and slowly clapped her hands. "Consort Zhao, don't be discouraged. You are still a talented woman. Your reaction and the words you spoke are truly admirable."

Jiang Ling had overheard all of Emperor Yuanming's insults directed at her. She felt as if she had been stripped naked, standing before Emperor Yuanming and Jiang Ling, ready for their mockery and amusement.

Consort Zhao's face was cold and pale, humiliation, anger, and hatred churning in her chest, her eyes almost bloodshot.

"You are so shameless, trying to absolve yourself completely and putting on such a dignified air."

Jiang Ling stared at her intently, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "You opened your mouth and claimed that I pushed the First Prince. The Emperor didn't believe your slander, and I happened to be there. Seeing that you couldn't succeed, you didn't dare to change your story too quickly, so you immediately gave a vague answer to make it seem like you were very upright and that everything you said was true. The Emperor doesn't believe you because he's biased against me."

Consort Zhao bit her lip tightly and said pitifully, "I had no such intention. If Consort Hui thinks that way, I have no way to defend myself."

"Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance, and I cannot allow myself to be slandered like this."

Jiang Ling ignored Consort Zhao and said to Emperor Yuanming, "I have always been open and honest, and I have nothing to hide from others. In order to avoid arousing suspicion from Your Majesty, it is better to clarify things as soon as possible. Since it is related to the First Prince, why not ask someone to check if the First Prince has woken up and if he remembers what happened? Also, Consort Lin should know about this matter."

Emperor Yuanming was instinctively furious at Consort Zhao's betrayal, because the only person he trusted was Jiang Ling. If she really made a move against the eldest prince, he would be all alone in the vast harem.

Moreover, there were also Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang; Emperor Yuanming would never want to see Jiang Ling get into trouble.

On the other side, concerning his eldest son Xiao Yunrui, Emperor Yuanming's mood soured at the thought of his injury. He summoned Huang Liang and instructed him, "Go and see how Consort Lin is doing. If she wakes up, ask her about what happened last night and have Consort Lin come to see me."

Huang Liang hurried out. Jiang Ling, having already spoken these words, was utterly exhausted. She sat down on the brocade bench, leaning against it to catch her breath.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Emperor Yuanming asked with concern when he saw Jiang Ling looking listless. "Let Wu Shishan treat you. You can't push yourself too hard."

Jiang Ling hadn't slept well that night, and woke up disheveled and unkempt, without washing or eating a single grain of rice. Thinking about the impending battle, Jiang Ling glanced at Consort Zhao, who was awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, a cold glint in her eyes, and deliberately said, "Your Majesty, I won't take my medicine yet. I'll have breakfast first. Your Majesty also needs to eat; your body will recover faster after you've eaten."

Emperor Yuanming was already exhausted from all the commotion, and now he felt his stomach was empty. He said, "Alright, I'll do as you say. Let's have a meal first."

The palace maids busied themselves, bringing in handkerchiefs and hot water to help Emperor Yuanming and Jiang Ling wipe their mouths and rinse their mouths.

"What are you still standing here for? Get out!" Emperor Yuanming threw the handkerchief at the eunuch and frowned unhappily when he saw Consort Zhao still standing there blankly.

Consort Zhao lowered her eyes, curtsied, and took her leave without saying a word, then went to wait in the outer room.

The two ate their breakfast in silence. Jiang Ling filled his stomach to about 80% full and drank half a cup of hot tea, which barely restored some of his energy.

Huang Liang entered the room and reported, "Your Majesty, the First Prince has not yet woken up. The Imperial Concubine is seriously injured, but upon hearing Your Majesty's summons, she arrived in a sedan chair. Would Your Majesty like to summon the Imperial Concubine?"

Emperor Yuanming put down his teacup and said, "Bring Consort Zhao in as well."

Huang Liang went out and led the two into the house. Consort Lin's left arm was hanging down, and she leaned on Granny Xie, walking very slowly step by step.

Emperor Yuanming stared at her blankly, a pang of sorrow rising in his heart. Overnight, countless women in the harem had been injured. Such a catastrophic event could no longer be concealed; news had undoubtedly spread throughout the capital. The imperial family's reputation was utterly ruined, a stain that would be etched into the annals of history.

"Let's talk while seated," Emperor Yuanming said with mixed feelings.

Huang Liang led people in and brought in a round-backed chair. After expressing her gratitude, Consort Lin slowly sat down. She seemed listless, gave a bitter smile, and said weakly, "Your Majesty, I am not sitting properly. Please forgive my disrespect."

Emperor Yuanming raised his hand, dismissing Huang Liang and the others, and asked, "Has Arui been treated? What is his condition?"

Consort Lin lowered her eyes, concealing the sadness in them, and said bitterly, "Arui is not getting better. My left shoulder is badly injured, and I'm afraid it will be crippled in the future."

Emperor Yuanming was also feeling bad. After a long silence, he said, "I summoned you here because Consort Zhao said that Consort Hui pushed Arui down the stone steps."

Consort Lin was stunned. She looked up at Jiang Ling, her sallow face showing a blank and puzzled expression.

"Your Highness, Consort Zhao," Jiang Ling bowed to her, pointing to his forehead, and said helplessly, "I was knocked against the city wall by Consort Zhao and almost fainted. I'm still unconscious. The Crown Prince is unconscious and must have injured his brain. Your Highness is also injured, so you should know that an injured person, especially one with a brain injury, wouldn't have the strength to push someone down the stone steps and move as fast as lightning."

Consort Lin remained silent, while Consort Zhao sat there, eyes downcast, uttering not a sound. She appeared calm, but the veins on the back of her hand, clasped in front of her, were bulging menacingly.

Jiang Ling continued, "I have nothing to hide and have a clear conscience. I'm afraid Your Highness might misunderstand, so it would be better to invite Your Highness here so we can all sit down and talk things out. Otherwise, Your Highness might be misled by Consort Zhao and mistakenly accuse the perpetrator."

Exhausted, Consort Lin leaned against the armrest. She didn't answer Jiang Ling's question, but looked at Consort Zhao and said, "You saw everything?"

Consort Zhao nodded hurriedly and said urgently, "I witnessed it with my own eyes. If Your Highness does not believe me, the truth will come to light after the First Prince wakes up."

"Consort Zhao, how dare you still claim to speak the truth! If I were truly a heinous, ruthless villain, and the incident occurred in the capital while I was far away in a prefecture, would I possess magical powers to fly to the capital and commit this crime? It's the same reason I'm injured and unable to do what you claim. Such a simple analogy, yet you still refuse to acknowledge it, insisting on blaming me, unless—"

Jiang Ling paused, then smiled mockingly at Consort Zhao, "You are the one who is plotting to kill two birds with one stone, but it is you who pushed the First Prince down the stone steps!"

Consort Zhao's face turned deathly pale, and she could no longer sit still. She raised her voice and retorted, "It wasn't me! Consort Hui is trying to make false accusations and bite back!"

"Since Consort Zhao has seen me, why can't I see Consort Zhao?"

Jiang Ling stared at Consort Zhao, his gaze moving from her to Consort Lin, and finally settling on Emperor Yuanming: "When you look at others, they are also looking at you, just like now. You saw me push the First Prince down, do you think I wouldn't see you? Would I be stupid enough to harm the First Prince in front of you? Besides, I still feel that since Consort Zhao claims to have seen me harm the First Prince, it doesn't make sense that she didn't tell Consort Lin but instead came to tell the Emperor. Is Consort Zhao afraid of seeing Consort Lin and having her secret exposed, or is she just eager to see me die?"

Emperor Yuanming's face darkened, and he asked suspiciously, "Consort Zhao, what makes Consort Hui's words? What explanation do you have?"

Consort Zhao, her face ashen and eyes red, said, "Your Majesty is biased, believing only what Consort Hui said, and treating all my words as lies. I was frightened. Consort Lin and the First Prince are injured. If I go to tell Consort Lin, she certainly won't be able to recover in peace. Your Majesty is our sister in the harem, the pillar of the nation. I will report to Your Majesty and ask him to uphold justice."

Consort Lin paused for a moment, then said quietly, "Arui came by briefly."

Everyone in the room was taken aback. Emperor Yuanming looked anxious and asked, "Has Arui woken up? What did he say?"

Consort Lin said, "Arui isn't really awake. He's like he's having a nightmare, calling out for Consort Xian in fear. I think the person who pushed Arui was Consort Liu!"