Not only did it become a portrait of Consort Chen, but it was the same one from her previous life!
In her past life, she thought Xie Jingyan had given it to her on purpose, but in this life, she saw the painting Xie Jingyan made with her own eyes.
The officials in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although Prince Ling has been courting death and deliberately provoking the Emperor more than once or twice, today is the Emperor's birthday. In the past few years, although the birthday gifts Prince Ling sent were perfunctory, at least they were acceptable on the surface. What he did today was too much. Does Prince Ling want to anger the Emperor to death on his birthday?
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face grim. Everyone worried that he would order someone to drag Prince Ling away and behead him at any moment.
Just as everyone was unanimously condemning Xie Jingyan in their hearts, Shen Wan spoke up, "Your Majesty, please be wise. The birthday gift the Prince prepared for you was 'Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains,' not this painting. The painting has been stolen and switched!"
The painting was switched?
The officials looked at each other.
The Emperor's expression softened slightly, but remained grave. "How could the painting have been switched?"
Shen Wan couldn't answer.
Xie Jingyan suddenly spoke up, "You'll have to ask the Prince of Jin about that."
One sentence drew everyone's attention to Xie Jingyin.
Xie Jingyin's expression changed drastically, and he was furious. "The painting you presented to Father Emperor was stolen and replaced, and you're asking me why?!"
Xie Jingyan's eyes were icy cold. "Wasn't the painting switched by someone you had it stolen?"
Xie Jingyin stood up angrily, but because of his anger, the wounds from the beating he had suffered were pulled and hurt so much that his vision went black.
Empress Song angrily said, "Prince Ling! Without any evidence, you dare to slander Prince Jin in front of all the civil and military officials. Don't think that just because the Emperor favors you, you can act recklessly!"
Empress Song's words were ironic enough.
The Emperor dotes on Prince Ling, so much so that this son of a disgraced concubine has the power to compete for the crown prince position, yet he deliberately tries to anger the Emperor.
Empress Song deliberately stabbed the Emperor in the heart with a knife.
Xie Jingyan laughed, "Who told the Empress that I have no evidence?"
Empress Song's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease arose spontaneously.
"Someone come here!"
As soon as Xie Jingyan finished speaking, Chen Feng led in an eunuch and a palace maid.
The palace maid was also holding a painting in her arms.
More importantly, that palace maid—
The civil and military officials did not know who this palace maid was, but Consort Zheng and Consort Wang recognized her as Cui'er, a palace maid from Empress Song's Fengyi Palace.
Empress Song gripped her phoenix robe tightly and looked at the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, the painting that Cui'er is holding was given to me by the Consort of Prince Jin. She knew that I liked famous paintings, so she specially sought it out. I don't know how Prince Ling could be so sure that the painting given to me by the Consort of Prince Jin was a replacement for his!"
Shen Ying and Fu Shu sat on either side of Xie Jingyin. She was watching the commotion intently when the fire suddenly spread to her.
The burning Shen Ying didn't even dare to cry out for justice. Empress Song and Xie Jingyin conspired to scheme against Prince Ling, but Prince Ling saw through their scheme and pinned the blame on her. After all, she was pregnant and could bear the blame.
Shen Ying felt extremely wronged. When Empress Song looked over, she had no choice but to stand up and say, "Father, that painting was indeed something I found to present to Mother..."
Empress Song coldly said, "What else does Prince Ling have to say?!"
The Left Prime Minister said, "Prince Ling deliberately disrupted the Emperor's birthday banquet and should be severely punished."
Xie Jingyan glanced at the Left Prime Minister and said, "Is the Left Prime Minister in such a hurry for Father to severely punish me? Before punishing me, shouldn't you take a look at the painting that the palace maid is holding?"
Empress Song's eyes were filled with panic, but she forced herself to remain calm.
The Emperor said in a deep voice, "Open the painting."
The palace maid quickly unfurled the painting, but only halfway through before she hurriedly rolled it up again.
This scene left everyone in the hall completely bewildered, including Shen Wan.
Even the "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting doesn't need to be like this. Empress Song immediately pushed Shen Ying out to take the blame. In the end, this fire will only burn Shen Ying, not Empress Song and Xie Jingyin. Why are the palace maids so afraid?
The emperor was not a patient man, and coldly said, "Open it!"
The palace maid's face turned pale. Eunuch Yuan quickly descended the steps and took the painting from the maid's hand.
Open.
I gasped when I saw it.
The Empress Dowager lost her patience. "What kind of painting is it?!"
Eunuch Yuan looked at the Emperor and slowly unfurled the painting.
Then Shen Wan was also stunned.
This is not "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", but another portrait of Consort Chen.
Xie Jingyan looked at Empress Song and said leisurely, "I'm curious, what is the Empress doing with the portrait of my mother that the Prince of Jin's concubine presented to me?"
Empress Song's face turned green.
Isn't it "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains"?
How could it also be a portrait of Consort Chen?!
Knowing that the painting given was Consort Chen's, why bother changing it? Instead of getting away with it, they only caused trouble for the fox spirit.
Empress Song couldn't answer, so she questioned Shen Ying, "Where did you get this portrait of Consort Chen?!"
Shen Ying felt like dying. She regretted attending the birthday banquet in the palace. She knelt down with a thud and said, "This painting by Consort Chen was a birthday gift from Prince Ling to the Emperor. I... I switched it..."
Empress Song scolded, "How utterly foolish! Your Pingyang Marquis's household is fighting amongst yourselves, and you've actually disrupted the Emperor's birthday banquet!"
"Your Majesty, it is my fault for not disciplining her properly, I have made mistakes..."
The Emperor's face darkened, and he roared, "Send her out of the palace! From now on, she shall not attend any palace banquets without my permission!"
If Shen Ying hadn't been pregnant, she would have been badly injured or even killed today.
Shen Ying was truly frightened. She said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. This wasn't my doing..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jingyin snapped at her, "Shut up!"
Shen Ying was dragged away at lightning speed.
Shen Ying was taken away, and Empress Song looked at the Emperor and said, "It is true that the Prince of Jin's concubine changed the painting, but it is also true that the Prince of Ling sent the portrait of Consort Chen to Your Majesty as a birthday gift!"
The Emperor looked at Xie Jingyan, "What exactly happened?"
Xie Jingyan said expressionlessly, "Someone told me that I would send a portrait of my mother to my father as a birthday gift, which would make him furious. I don't think I would do such a thing. Even if I am angry with my father, I would not use a portrait of my mother to anger him. I suspect that someone stole my painting. In order to make it easier to catch the thief, I specially painted this portrait of my mother. That's all."
Shen Wan, "..."
Why didn't she ever think that the painting might have been switched?
Why didn't Xie Jingyan deny it in his previous life, but instead allowed himself to be misunderstood by the emperor and officials?
Empress Song coldly replied, "What if no one replaces the painting?"
Xie Jingyan ignored Empress Song and looked at the Emperor instead, "Does Father Emperor think I would send you a portrait of Mother to throw away?"
Xie Jingyan wouldn't even agree to the Emperor throwing away Consort Chen's portrait, let alone asking him to voluntarily give it to the Emperor to throw away.
The emperor remained silent.
The Empress Dowager said, "The concubine of Prince Jin has ill intentions, and the Emperor has already punished her. Today is the Emperor's birthday banquet, so let's not let this matter spoil our good mood."
At that time, Xiao Xizi took the painting from Shen Wan's carriage.
It is the "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" that Shen Wan mentioned.
Although the painting is not large in size, it is magnificent and imposing, showing that it was done with care, and the emperor's mood finally improved.
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