"And this Miss Xia," Bai Ying's eyes were as cold as frost, her fingertip pointing directly at Xia Yuwei, her voice clear and sharp, "is nothing more than an imposter who was switched out back then."
"You're talking nonsense!" Xia Yuwei suddenly erupted in a piercing scream, her voice so sharp it almost shattered eardrums. Her face contorted, her eyes bloodshot, she no longer cared about her composure, and lunged at Bai Ying like a madwoman, "You bitch, how dare you slander me! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Where was even a trace of the poise of a noblewoman at that moment?
Her hair was disheveled, her hairpins were askew, and her elegant dress was trampled into a mess. She looked like a madwoman from the marketplace.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
Bai Ying remained expressionless, only slightly turning her body, and Xia Yuwei missed her target, staggered a few steps, and fell heavily to the ground. The gold hairpin in her hair clattered to the ground, and she was extremely disheveled.
On his high throne, the emperor frowned, his face grim, his gaze coldly sweeping over Xia Mingde, his voice authoritative even without anger: "Minister Xia, what is going on?"
Xia Mingde was already ashen-faced, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his legs were so weak he could barely stand. He never imagined that this matter would be exposed in front of the Emperor!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." His lips trembled, his words incoherent, his mind blank.
Xia Mingde already harbored deep hatred for Xia Qingdai.
That damned bastard! Who would have thought she would dare to do such a thing? How dare she go so far as to tell the Emperor!
What should we do now?
He should have strangled her the moment she was born!
The emperor sneered, a chilling glint in his eyes: "In that case, let's conduct a blood test to determine kinship; a single examination will tell."
"Your Majesty!" Xia Mingde was struck as if by lightning, and knelt down with a thud, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
The emperor's gaze was sharp as a blade, piercing straight at him: "Xia Qingdai is indeed your biological daughter, isn't she?"
Xia Mingde was drenched in cold sweat and dared not raise his head.
When the children were switched, he and his wife were the victims, but instead of pursuing the truth, they claimed to the outside world that Xia Qingdai was only an adopted daughter and Xia Yuwei was their biological child.
The emperor had also asked him about this matter...
When asked why he adopted such a grown child, he only said that he and Xia Qingdai's parents were old friends, so he adopted her as his daughter.
Later, he arranged a marriage with the Marquis of Anding. Now that the truth has come out, not only is the Marquis of Anding unable to explain himself, but how can he bear the crime of deceiving the emperor?
The hall was deathly silent, except for Xia Mingde's rapid breathing.
The emperor stared at him coldly, awaiting an answer.
"Then let's have a blood test to determine kinship." The emperor's voice brooked no argument.
Xia Mingde trembled. Before, at the Xia family, he could deny it in front of so many people, but here, with the emperor present and even a powerful cultivator protecting him from behind.
His excuses were useless; he couldn't lie like he did at the Xia family's house!
Xia Mingde finally broke down and kowtowed: "Your subject confesses! Xia Qingdai is indeed your subject's biological daughter!" His voice was hoarse, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.
Xia Yuwei suddenly raised her head, her carefully applied rouge unable to conceal her deathly pale face. Her usually affectionate and smiling eyes were now bloodshot as she stared intently at her kneeling "father."
"It's over..." This thought exploded in Xia Yuwei's mind. She felt cold all over and even found it difficult to breathe.
Over the years, she has acted arrogantly and domineeringly, relying on her status as the legitimate daughter of the Xia family. How many people has she offended?
Those illegitimate daughters she trampled underfoot, those daughters of officials she publicly humiliated... Now that her identity has been exposed, what kind of ridicule awaits her?
The faces of the people at the scene were filled with disbelief.
Who would have thought that the "adopted daughter" whom the Xia family despised was actually Xia Mingde's biological child!
Ironically, Xia Mingde's doting on his adopted daughter Xia Yuwei was common knowledge—coral trees for her birthday every year, priceless silk gauze... but he gave his own biological daughter nothing.
"This is utterly absurd!" Song Wenyu exclaimed first. "His own daughter suffered terribly while living away from home, yet he spoils this imposter rotten?"
"I heard that when Xia Qingdai returned to the manor, she didn't even have a decent winter coat..."
"I saw it with my own eyes when I went to the Xia residence; Xia Qingdai was dressed very scantily..."
Whispers slithered into Xia Yuwei's ears like venomous snakes, making her tremble and her face turn extremely pale.
The imperial concubine looked coldly at the person in front of her, her slender fingers twisting the handkerchief embroidered with a golden phoenix out of shape.
Her icy gaze pierced Xia Mingde like a knife, her chest heaving violently.
This hypocritical official actually abandoned his own flesh and blood like trash, while doting on an adopted daughter of unknown origin! How can he be worthy of being a parent?
What's even more ridiculous is that just half an hour ago, Xia Mingde was still righteously declaring in the Golden Hall that he wanted to sever ties with Xia Qingdai. Thinking about that face now makes me want to vomit!
"Xia Qingdai..."
The imperial concubine looked at the girl with a straight back in the hall, and a pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.
Xia Qingdai cured the Third Prince's strange illness, and the Imperial Concubine had long regarded Xia Qingdai as one of her own.
Now, she felt incredibly sorry for her.
This matter was not originally a big deal; it was up to Xia Mingde to decide which child to adopt as his daughter.
But it's unacceptable for him to bully Xia Qingdai!
"Your Majesty," the Imperial Concubine suddenly spoke, the pearls on her phoenix crown swaying gently with her movement, "why is Xia Mingde so deceiving the Emperor?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
