Chapter 426 It turns out he was a fake crown prince.
The emperor thought it was a good idea, "That's fine, it's a good opportunity to pray for blessings together with my son."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the fake prince standing to the side.
The fake crown prince was just an ordinary peasant who had never seen the world. He pretended to be stupid in the palace by listening to his mother and listening to Eunuch Zhang say that the jade statue could bring peace.
He immediately became interested, and before Lord Yuan could speak, he quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Father, let's give it a try, let's give it a try."
He already spoke in a somewhat simple and honest way, and even now, without pretending to be stupid, he still looks like a fool.
The emperor felt sorry for his son and waved to him, "My son, come here."
The fake crown prince, grinning foolishly, strode over to the emperor's side.
Lord Yuan, standing in the distance, frowned deeply, his face ashen, his heart filled with panic. He felt that this jade vessel was somewhat different, but he couldn't believe that Eunuch Zhang would do anything so treasonous at this time.
When the fake prince arrived, Eunuch Zhang took out the knife he had prepared beforehand and placed it beside them.
The emperor picked up a knife and made a small cut on his finger, dripping a few drops of blood onto the jade statue.
Then the fake prince took a small knife from a eunuch and cut a small gash on his hand, trembling with pain.
Eunuch Zhang chuckled from the side, "Your Highness, don't be afraid. It's just a matter of taking a few drops of blood."
After he finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed the fake prince's fingers, squeezing out a few drops of blood.
After the two drops of blood fell on the jade statue, Eunuch Zhang said loudly, "It is said that if a blood relative drips blood onto this jade statue and they mingle with it, and you sincerely pray for blessings, you will be safe and sound. However, if a non-blood relative drips blood onto it, the blood will not mingle, and not only will it not be safe and sound, but the pale yellow stone statue will slowly turn emerald green."
Upon hearing this, everyone present, including the emperor, the fake crown prince, Lady Fan, Lord Yuan, and Tao Meiyu, who had originally been focused solely on Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er, all showed surprise.
The emperor's face instantly darkened, and he sternly asked Eunuch Zhang, "What do you mean by incompatibility? Didn't you just say that as long as blood drips on it, it will ensure safety?"
Eunuch Zhang bowed and smiled, "Your Majesty, I didn't finish what I was saying earlier. You and the Crown Prince are father and son, so there's no need to worry about whether you get along or not."
As he spoke, he pointed to the jade statue and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't believe me, take a look."
The other guests in the palace also looked in the direction he was pointing.
All eyes were on the jade statue.
The emperor and the fake crown prince's blood dripped slowly down the jade statue along its veins.
Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er also watched intently.
A moment later, the blood of the emperor and the fake crown prince fell onto the base of the jade statue without mixing, and the entire pale yellow jade statue turned emerald green.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the two unmixed drops of blood.
The emperor trembled slightly. At this moment, he felt as if he had just woken up from a beautiful dream. He didn't want to face reality, but he had to. These two people were indeed imposters.
One after another, the ministers below the stage stood up and shouted, "Your Majesty, the blood is incompatible! His Highness the Crown Prince is not your biological son!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Empress and the Crown Prince have been away from the palace for many years. It is highly likely that someone with ulterior motives has sabotaged things and found two imposters to impersonate them!"
"Your Majesty, the royal bloodline cannot be mistaken. Please investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Most of the ministers who spoke were people close to Lord Zheng, and they were all officials who sided with the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince.
In addition, those ministers who wanted His Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty the Empress dead were also adding fuel to the fire. They didn't care whether the two were real or not; they wanted them dead.
The Emperor turned his gaze to Minister Yuan, "Minister Yuan, you brought the Empress and the Crown Prince here. Explain to me why!"
Lord Yuan suppressed his panic and slowly rose. He first glanced at Lady Fan and the fake crown prince, who were bowing their heads and not speaking, then bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I searched for him based on the portrait you provided, so there is absolutely no mistake."
He glared angrily at Eunuch Zhang, "Eunuch Zhang, what is the meaning of deliberately bringing out this jade statue for a blood test to prove kinship?!"
"And is this jade statue truly capable of proving kinship through blood tests, or is it merely based on Eunuch Zhang's word?"
Eunuch Zhang wasn't afraid of his doubts and slowly smiled, "If Lord Yuan doesn't believe me, you can summon the imperial physician now and have him preside over the blood test to see if the Crown Prince's blood and His Majesty's blood will mix."
His words further convinced everyone that the jade statue was genuine.
The fake prince lowered his head, trembling, and took two steps back.
Standing to the side, Eunuch Liu whispered in a voice only he could hear, "What do you think the consequences would be for impersonating the Empress and the Crown Prince?"
The fake prince asked in a low voice, "What are the consequences?"
Eunuch Liu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I heard that not only will their entire family be executed, but they will also be subjected to slow slicing."
"You may not know what 'lingchi' means. Lingchi is the act of cutting off pieces of flesh from the body until the person dies."
The fake prince froze, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, and his body trembled more and more violently.
Eunuch Liu let out a long breath and said slowly, "That meat is like slicing pork, one slice after another, which can make a person die of pain."
The fake prince's face immediately turned black, and his lips trembled.
Lord Yuan was still arguing, "Fine, we'll listen to Eunuch Zhang. Summon the imperial physician and have the blood test done again."
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