"Alright, my dear ministers, don't trust the rumors. I know my queen's character very well. Please don't spread rumors. If anyone doubts the queen's pregnancy, I will not forgive them."

Mo Qiyuan gave these officials one last indirect warning and then dismissed the court.

But the matter of disbanding the harem was once again disrupted by these officials.

After returning to the imperial study, Mo Qiyuan asked someone to call Wei Lingfeng and asked him to find out who spread these rumors among the people. He would not let Yun'er off easily for such a false accusation.

Leave the imperial study and go to Fengyi Palace.

Mo Qiyuan saw Ye Jinyun and the other two in the yard. Lin Qingtang was holding the child and placing him on her lap. Ye Jinyun was feeding her son complementary food, while Yu Wan'er was watching with great interest.

This scene was so heartwarming that he couldn't help but stop and watch from a distance.

Just as Ye Jinyun finished feeding her son the last mouthful of egg custard, she looked up and saw Mo Qiyuan standing in the distance watching them.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing standing there?"

"I'm just taking a look."

As he said this, he walked over, picked up his son who had just finished eating complementary food, and burped him.

When Lin Qingtang and the other two saw the emperor coming, they did not stay any longer. After paying their respects, they took their leave, leaving the space to the two of them.

"I heard that General Lin had a fight with someone in the court today? I hope the emperor won't be embarrassed." Ye Jinyun said to him.

"That's fine, General Lin fought well. Those old fellows had the audacity to defy the emperor and slander the current empress based on rumors. If someone else had come to me with this advice, I would have stripped him of his official hat."

Ye Jinyun nodded. She knew how harsh the words those officials said were, but she wanted to know whether Mo Qiyuan would believe these rumors.

She didn't mind if others believed it, but if her husband also believed it, she would have to re-evaluate his sincerity towards her.

"Then, Your Majesty, what do you think of those rumors?"

Mo Qiyuan frowned.

"Yun'er, don't you believe me? How could I not believe you? Not only did you say that it was you who cured the poison in my body that day, but even if there was no evidence, I would never question you."

Ye Jinyun had a relieved smile on her face. She was worthy of giving her heart to him. Even though he was a king with three palaces and six courtyards in the past, he would only have her in his eyes for the rest of his life.

She stood up and kissed him on the cheek, then kissed her son in his arms.

Surprise flashed in Mo Qiyuan's eyes. This was the first time Yun'er took the initiative to kiss him, and their eldest son rushed to his mother and wanted to go into her arms.

Mo Qiyuan quickly pulled back the half of his body that had been leaning out, and came close to Ye Jinyun and whispered:

"But I heard that Helian Rongxia is very handsome, and all the women of Beirong are in love with him. I wonder if my Yun'er will also fall in love with him?"

Ye Jinyun hit him and said, "What is the emperor talking about? Why are you getting more and more frivolous?"

Hearing this, Mo Qiyuan smiled and whispered in her ear:

"I have something even more indecent."

Ye Jinyun glared at him unhappily.

She took the child from his arms, thinking of her restless son, and turned around and walked into the room.

Mo Qiyuan hurried to catch up. How could this ancestor take her son while she was still pregnant? What if he kicked her in the stomach?

…

Everything was peaceful in Ye Jinyun's Fengyi Palace, but in the territory of Da Qi, rumors about her and the blood in her womb were becoming more and more intense.

Not only the capital, but also the border areas were spread throughout, and many different versions were derived.

Even Helian Rongxia, who was far away in Beirong, knew about it. He found the rumor so outrageous that he found it ridiculous.

However, he actually hoped that the rumor was true. If she really loved him and had a child as the rumor said, he would probably wake up laughing in his dreams.

For this purpose, he specially sent a letter to Mo Qiyuan, saying that if Mo Qiyuan believed these rumors and did not trust Ye Jinyun, he would not mind taking them back to Beirong to fulfill his responsibility in the rumors.

Mo Qiyuan was so angry that he immediately wanted to rush to Beirong and fight, but that was unrealistic.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a lot of demands on the list of tribute that Beirong would have to pay next year, and only then did he feel relieved.

Helian Rongxia wants to take advantage of this verbal advantage, right? Then let him bleed more, otherwise he will keep plotting against his wife and children.

To say how outrageous this rumor is, the following version is in fact true:

Some versions say that the blood in the current queen's belly is not the emperor's, and even the eldest prince she gave birth to before is not hers. Otherwise, why were all the concubines in the harem unable to get pregnant, but she was able to get pregnant? Moreover, she was taken back to Beirong just after giving birth to the eldest prince. It is obvious that Helian Rongxia did not want her own flesh and blood to be exiled to another country, so she had her and the child brought back to Beirong.

Some versions directly say that Ye Jinyun is a witch who came to bring disaster to Da Qi. Otherwise, how could she change from an ugly woman into a beautiful woman? She could not even die after falling from a mountain. She must have some magic. Even her child was stolen from someone else. Otherwise, how could a witch get pregnant?

Mo Qiyuan was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. Many people who deliberately spread rumors were arrested, but the rumors showed no sign of stopping.

In the end, it was Ye Jinyun who came up with the idea, asking him to announce it to the world and let the people supervise each other.

They were told that if they found anyone around them spreading rumors about the queen, they could report it to the local authorities. If the authorities confirmed the report, they would receive one or two taels of silver. All those who spread the rumors would be imprisoned. Only then did the rumors die down.

However, Ye Jinyun's reputation was damaged, and court officials even wrote to the emperor asking him to depose her and appoint another concubine as queen.

Mo Qiyuan was so angry that he didn't care whether the person who made the suggestion was a censor or not. He directly issued an order that if anyone dared to mention this matter again, their property would be confiscated and they would be executed. Therefore, the officials gave up the idea.

But in the end, both sides took a step back, and Mo Qiyuan made the final concession on the issue of dismissing the concubines.

This means that except for concubines below the rank of concubine, all concubines need to leave the palace. Those above the rank of concubine can choose to stay or leave voluntarily. If they choose to stay, they must accept that the emperor will no longer care about them and they will be prepared to die in the palace.

Those who choose to leave the palace on their own initiative will be recognized as adopted daughters by the empress dowager, and will be given a mansion and rewarded with gold and silver. They will enjoy the same treatment as when they were in the palace, allowing them to live the rest of their lives in peace.

Of course, the treatment of concubines below the rank of concubine would not be bad either.

However, if the concubines who remained in the palace had other thoughts and made mistakes, regardless of their rank, they would be demoted to commoners, and their mother's family would also be punished.

As soon as these words were spoken, the concubines in the harem all vied to leave the palace.

Not to mention those concubines below the rank of concubine who were forced to leave the palace, even the concubines above the rank of concubine expressed their willingness to leave the palace to Ye Jinyun.

The person who surprised Ye Jinyun the most was Concubine Shu. After hearing the news, she was the first to come to Ye Jinyun and express her willingness to leave the palace.