Song Chengze exhaled, "The girl is currently in my son's residence. Zhuang Jing is so important, and they're afraid that if the news leaks out, it might attract the Crown Prince's attention and cost her her life. Last year, Zhuang Jing even went to the palace to treat Aihua's illness."
The emperor was surprised again, and after thinking for a moment, he seemed to have realized something. "Did your mother also let her see it?"
"Yes, Father has a good memory. It is precisely because Mother has met her that I have kept her in Qionghua Palace. Mother does not know her specific situation, but only knows that she is a very important person."
The emperor smiled faintly, the deeper meaning of his smile unseen. He looked at Song Chengze again, very carefully, not from top to bottom, but from inside to outside. Qingning felt sweat on his forehead. Song Chengze remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the emperor, but sweat was streaming down his temples.
"Oh, so it's you. You're the one who's most deeply troubled. Well, let's get to the bottom of it now. Even though your story is so convincing, there has to be someone to prove it. Go, bring Zhuang Jing here, and invite your mother as well."
Song Chengze bowed in response. When he retreated, the prince was hurriedly climbing the stairs. The two brothers stood at the gate of Chengtian Hall and looked at each other. Neither spoke first. Until Lu Chengbao stepped forward, bowed to the prince and said, "The emperor is waiting for the prince."
The prince snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves and walked into the hall.
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"So, the truth is revealed? The emperor believes it?" Meng Qi grabbed Song Chengze's sleeve and said anxiously.
Song Chengze smiled slightly, "Princess, please let me sit down, take a breath, and have some tea."
Meng Qi smiled embarrassedly and quickly poured tea for Song Chengze.
"After my mother and I returned to Chengtian Hall, the hairpin had been smashed to pieces. After Qingning examined it, my father, still unconvinced, sent Lu Chengbao to the Imperial Hospital for further examination. The Crown Prince's face turned green when he saw Zhuang Jing enter. Zhuang Jing began to recount how her sister had served the late Empress Dowager, and every time she mentioned something, the Crown Prince denied it. Zhuang Jing's claims were all plausible, and some of them were still fresh in my father's memory. The Crown Prince's rebuttals were becoming increasingly weak.
"Finally, Zhuang Jing said that he was ordered by the Crown Prince to hunt down Qingning, and that Father had struck him on the forehead with an inkstone, drawing blood. When Lu Chengbao brought back his account to the Imperial Hospital, Father was so enraged he fainted. Thanks to Qingning's presence, Father no longer needed the Crown Prince's personal admission.
"The Crown Prince was clearly unaware of the hairpin. He never imagined that his inability to conceive for so many years was related to it. But he also refused to admit that the son was not his. Later, the Emperor sent for the child to be brought in for a blood test and abducted Consort Liang. Before the blood test could even begin, Consort Liang couldn't stand it anymore and said she had never been pregnant, and that the Crown Princess had made her fake it, and that she had brought the child from somewhere when she gave birth."
Meng Qi sat across from Song Chengze. The Crown Prince was truly courting death. This act of confusing the royal bloodline was a capital offense. She couldn't believe it. If this matter hadn't been exposed, what would have happened if the Crown Prince had taken the throne and passed it on to this child in the future?
"The Crown Prince, seeing he could no longer bear it, said this was his contemplative measure. He wanted to use a child to reassure people, and if he truly couldn't have children in the future, he would naturally adopt one from his brothers. He would never do anything to confuse the royal bloodline. As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with a slap from the Emperor. If it weren't for the Emperor's poor health, that slap would have been enough to get the Crown Prince down."
"Then what?" Meng Qi asked softly when she saw Song Chengze looking at her quietly.
"Zhuang Jing and that Consort Liang, along with the child and their attendants, were all beaten to death. Lu Chengbao was to immediately send them to the Ministry of Punishment."
"What? A child too?"
Song Chengze nodded, "Yes, not only those who serve the children and Liangdi, but also those who serve the Crown Princess. Anyone that the emperor can think of who knows about this matter will be beaten to death."
"Where are the Crown Prince and Crown Princess?"
"Imprisoned. Father was furious. After giving all these instructions, his energy and spirit were already exhausted. He simply said to be imprisoned in the Eastern Palace and not allowed to leave. I thought that we should wait for a few days until Father's health has recovered."
Meng Qi nodded. This incident was such a huge blow to the emperor that it would take him a few days to digest it.
"Is mother okay?"
"It's okay. Mother was originally going to serve Father, but Father didn't allow it. He left Qingning behind."
Meng Qi understood that the emperor would never be satisfied even if he looked at his son, born to the woman he loved most, in such a scene.
"You don't have to worry. Qingning's medical skills are so high. With him by the emperor's side, nothing will happen." Meng Qi reached out and held Song Chengze's hand.
"Yes, I know, but I'm still worried. As long as the emperor father doesn't decide on the prince's decision, I won't feel at ease. The emperor has asked me to take over the prince's duties temporarily, so I'm afraid I'll be busy for a while. I also have to be on guard against the prince having a backup plan, and there are always some palace matters that need to be prepared just in case."
"I'll go to the palace in a few days. Now that the Crown Princess is imprisoned, I'm the only daughter-in-law left. If I don't go to tend to her, I'll feel bad, and I'm afraid someone will use this against you."
Song Chengze thought for a moment and said, "Okay, wait until the palace is ready, and I'll ask Chu Yong to pick you up."
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