Then he heard Empress Dowager Zhang's somewhat eerie voice coming from inside, "Yunzhu, is this the record that Granny Zhu made last month?"

Empress Dowager Zhang tightened her grip on the booklet, her gaze fixed on the conspicuous red checkmark.

She herself had experienced pregnancy and childbirth, so how could she not know what this meant?

His expression instantly changed from unreadable to gloomy and vicious, the coldness in his eyes seeming capable of freezing a person to death.

Even though Wang Yuan on the ground did not look up and meet Empress Zhang's gaze directly, she suddenly felt a powerful pressure.

She was secretly delighted; this time, Ning Yin probably wouldn't have enough lives to be beheaded.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xuan outside the palace remained expressionless, but Qingying behind him suddenly became somewhat worried, after all, the Empress had been spending more than a month with Shen Yun.

While it's true that the Empress would never betray His Highness, there's no guarantee that Shen Yun wouldn't try to force himself on her. What if the child in the Empress's womb really is Shen Yun's? What would His Highness do then?

Qingying frowned, genuinely worried for Ningyin.

The next second, Empress Dowager Zhang's cold voice came from inside.

"Meiying, go and bring Granny Zhu here!"

Mei Ying accepted the order and quickly left the main hall of Chang Le Palace. She had only taken two steps when she bumped into Xiao Xuan, who was dressed in a dark blue python robe, at the door.

The man had his hands behind his back, and his expression was completely unreadable. However, the inexplicable sharpness emanating from him made Mei Ying's heart skip a beat.

Did His Highness the Crown Prince hear everything?

She was about to speak when Xiao Xuan stopped her, waving his hand to signal her to go about her business.

Mei Ying nodded, bowed to Xiao Xuan, and left, while Xiao Xuan still looked like he was watching a good show.

No wonder this lowly maid came to the East Palace today. He clearly remembered that the person who registered before was an old nanny. Although he did not concern himself with the affairs of the inner palace, he knew everything about Ningyin.

He even remembered exactly how many days Ning Yin had her period.

He also firmly believed that Ning Yin would never betray him.

He had already seen through this lowly servant's thoughts, and now he wanted to see what other tricks she could come up with.

A short while later, the exhausted Granny Zhu came over with Mei Ying, her hands still tightly clutching her stomach.

When the two women saw Xiao Xuan, they both bowed and did not speak. Mei Ying knew that Xiao Xuan did not want the people inside to know about him now, so she specifically instructed Zhu Mama.

When the two entered the main hall, Wang Yuan was still kneeling on the ground, while Empress Dowager Zhang returned to her seat at the head of the table, her eyes filled with overwhelming rage.

"Your Majesty, I've heard that the Crown Princess was kidnapped by thieves, and those thieves are none other than her ex-husband. For over a month, they've been living together in one room. Even the most virtuous woman would find it hard to bear such treatment..."

Wang Yuan looked down at the ground, her voice somewhat embarrassed.

At this moment, Mei Ying and Granny Zhu also knelt down. Granny Zhu was covered in sweat and trembling, enduring the pain.

"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Zhang lifted her eyelids to look at Granny Zhu, her voice icy: "Granny Zhu, you went to the East Palace last month to register the Crown Princess's menstrual records. Are they accurate?"

Granny Zhu quickly nodded and replied, "Your Majesty, I went to Zhaoyang Palace to register at the beginning of last month. At that time, the Crown Princess told me that she had her period."

"Fine, you dare to swear on your life that every word you say is true?"

"Your Majesty, this servant dares not utter a single falsehood."

Granny Zhu was in so much pain that she almost fainted, but she still insisted on keeping her body upright and dared not be disrespectful in the slightest.

Empress Dowager Zhang leaned back in her chair, fiddling with the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand with a meaningful expression. She did want to have a great-grandson, but if that great-grandson was someone else's bastard, she would destroy him without hesitation.

Previously, because of Ning Yin, Xiao Xuan almost died in the wilderness. And that's not all; to save her, his own grandson risked his life alone.

In the end, Ning Yin actually cuckolded her own grandson, which is utterly despicable.

Empress Dowager Zhang already disliked Ning Yin because of the disparity in their status and position. Now that she knows about this, she can't wait to arrest Ning Yin and bring her to justice.

But right now, what she should be dealing with most is Granny Zhu. Such an important matter, yet Granny Zhu is keeping it a secret. What use is Granny Zhu, the person in charge of registering it?

"Granny Zhu, since you knew that the Crown Princess had her period last month, why didn't you tell me? Do you also want to protect her?"

"Your Majesty, I truly did not know that the Crown Princess was pregnant. I was supposed to go to the East Palace today, but for some reason, my stomach started hurting badly early this morning and it still hurts now. I did not mean to hide it from you."

Granny Zhu looked pained; the charge of covering up a crime had suddenly been placed on her, and she was far from calm.

She turned to look at Wang Yuan, who seemed calm and composed, and suddenly a suspicion arose in her heart. Yesterday, Wang Yuan had inexplicably brought her a bowl of chicken soup, and Zhu Mama had taken it and drunk it without thinking much about it.

But she now realized that Wang Yuan had been far too attentive these past two days. In the past, she had always looked down on them, these old women, because she was the Empress Dowager's new favorite.

The more Granny Zhu thought about it, the more convinced she was that there must have been something wrong with the chicken soup from yesterday. Her stomach was perfectly healthy, and she had never experienced anything like this before.

Seeing that Granny Zhu was staring at her, Wang Yuan pretended to be innocent and sympathetic and said something on Granny Zhu's behalf, "Your Majesty, Granny Zhu is probably unaware of the situation. She has a terrible stomachache today."

"Junzhu, did you tamper with the chicken soup you gave me yesterday?!"

"Granny Zhu, what do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about. I helped you register at the various palaces, how can you frame me like this!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!