Chapter 427 Discovering Something's Wrong with Eunuch Zhang
Lord Yuan thought to himself that if he were given another chance, he could tamper with the process and alter the results of the blood test.
However, before the emperor could respond, the fake crown prince suddenly rushed out, knelt down before the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, we're not doing it anymore, we're not doing it anymore."
The emperor frowned. "What does my son mean?"
The fake prince kept kowtowing to him, saying, "Your Majesty, my mother and I were forced into this. We never intended to impersonate the Empress and the Crown Prince. It was Lord Yuan who did it. We are innocent!"
He was so nervous that he spoke incoherently.
The emperor's brows furrowed deeply. "You're saying you and your mother impersonated the empress and the crown prince?"
The fake prince nodded emphatically.
Lord Yuan rushed over and knelt before the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince suffered a severe head injury and is not in his right mind. He was frightened by Eunuch Zhang, which is why he said such things."
The fake prince retorted, "No, it was you! You arranged for us to enter the palace. You gave me and my mother money to impersonate the Empress and the Crown Prince. It was all you!"
Lady Fan rushed over and knelt beside the fake crown prince, trying to comfort him.
Tao Meiyu also jogged over and squatted down beside Fan Shi, silently praying that they could get through this ordeal.
Unexpectedly, the fake crown prince suddenly kicked Tao Meiyu away, saying, "It's all because of you! It's you! You taught Lord Yuan to make us impersonate the empress and the crown prince! It's all because of you!"
Tao Meiyu fell heavily to the ground, staring at the fake prince in astonishment.
The emperor looked at the chaotic crowd with a face full of anger.
Lord Yuan tried to continue his sophistry, "Your Majesty, I was merely searching for the person based on the portrait you provided! I had no intention of deceiving you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor slammed his hand on the table. "Guards! Take them all away! I want to interrogate them myself!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
A group of guards carrying large swords rushed up and surrounded Fan Shi and Tao Meiyu.
Tao Meiyu never expected that it wouldn't be Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er who exposed her, but rather that this silly boy would betray her.
She was furious, and after being taken away by the guards, she immediately blamed everything on Lady Fan and the fake crown prince.
The banquet, which was originally intended to celebrate the Crown Prince's birthday, ended in discord.
The emperor summoned Eunuch Zhang to his palace and asked sternly, "What exactly happened? Eunuch Zhang, I remember you have always been very prudent in your actions. How could you have done such a thing behind my back today?!"
Eunuch Zhang knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I was only doing this for your own good. I saw that you were bewitched by that mother and son, so I resorted to this desperate measure."
The emperor did not blame him; it was just a beautiful dream that had ended. He would not blame the old man beside him for such a thing.
He sighed deeply and said, "What should we do with those people from today?"
Eunuch Zhang said in a deep voice, "Lord Yuan is ambitious and can even disrupt the royal bloodline. He must die. And those fake empress and crown prince, the fake mother and son, are deceiving the emperor and committing treason. They must not be let off easily."
The emperor was a ruthless person by nature.
After thinking it over, he got up and personally interrogated those people.
At first, no one spoke, but after seeing the instruments of torture, they all told the truth.
Lord Yuan was ordered to be beheaded and his head displayed to the public. Lady Fan, the fake crown prince, and Tao Meiyu were demoted to slaves and exiled to the desolate Binzhou.
When the news came out, Tao Meiyu's legs went weak.
She bit her lip, her heart filled with regret. If she had known, she would have been better off marrying an honest man in Cheng'an County.
To demote her to slavery and exile her to Binzhou would have been the death of her.
No one can survive in Binzhou.
Tao Meiyu finally hugged her legs and cried bitterly.
When she cried, the fake prince also cried.
Fan stared blankly ahead, a helpless smile playing on her lips.
She had spent half her life as the empress's stand-in, but in the end, she still couldn't compare to her and could only ever be her shadow.
Madam Fan pounded her chest, laughing and then bursting into tears.
After the banquet ended, the stories of that night were being told throughout the streets and alleys.
Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er happily told General Han about it.
General Han stroked his beard and said, "That young woman who impersonated the Crown Princess is really bold, daring to poison someone in the palace."
Han Yan'er replied, "That's right, not only are they bold, but they are also extremely foolish."
General Han looked at Zhou Feng and said, "However, not everything that happened last night was bad. It's easy to tell who the good guys and who the bad guys are in the court."
Han Yan'er nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Last night, several officials wished the fake crown prince and the fake empress would die. If they hated the fakes so much, how much more so the living ones?"
General Han nodded. "That's right. I finally understand why His Highness the Crown Prince has been hiding his identity all these years."
Han Yan'er looked at Zhou Feng beside her, her face gradually showing worry, "My husband has been in the capital all this time, won't that attract their attention?"
Zhou Feng looked ahead with a calm gaze and slowly said, "Before I came here, my elder brother specifically told me a piece of advice: when soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it. What is meant to come will eventually come. There is no need to hide anymore."
Han Yan'er suddenly realized.
Inside the palace, after the emperor dismissed the imposters, he turned his attention to Eunuch Zhang.
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