Chapter 206 Trial
Li Ye sat on the dragon throne, his cough had subsided, but he was shrouded in a deathly aura, his gaze fixed on the palace gate.
The person arrived shortly afterward.
This old woman, as expected of someone who had worked in the palace, knelt down as soon as she entered and kowtowed three times heavily in the direction of the throne.
"This humble subject, Wang, pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Imperial Concubine..."
His first words were spoken in a thick Shandong accent.
After kowtowing, she glanced around the hall, but paused when her gaze fell on Li Yuanzhao, who held a high position.
Clearly, she didn't recognize the princess and didn't know how to address her, so she could only awkwardly look at the eunuch who had led her in.
Seeing this, the eunuch quickly whispered a reminder, "That is Her Highness the Eldest Princess."
Only then did Wang realize what was happening, and she quickly lowered her head and respectfully kowtowed in the direction of Li Yuanzhao.
"This humble subject greets Your Highness the Princess. May Your Highness live a thousand years."
Li Ye recognized her at a glance; she was indeed the midwife who delivered Shen Lang's baby, the one who showed him the child.
Over the years, although her hair has turned white and she has more wrinkles, her face is still the same.
In an instant, those scenes he had deliberately forgotten flooded his mind: the chaos in the delivery room, Physician Wen's gaze, the swaddling clothes handed to him by Madam Wang...
And then there was his chilling statement, "Kill the Empress."
Li Ye's fingertips clenched involuntarily, and his heart jumped into his throat.
Does this woman know those secrets?
Li Yuanzhao asked Li Ye directly, "Father, do you recognize this nanny? Is she the midwife who delivered Mother's baby back then?"
Li Ye's face had turned completely black.
At that moment, he felt as if he were a prisoner being led to court and being judged by a court of officials, even though he was sitting on the dragon throne.
His pent-up anger and fear made his tone particularly sharp.
"That happened twenty years ago. I'm so busy with state affairs, how could I possibly remember it?!"
Li Yuanzhao replied calmly, "That's true. Father is getting old, so it's normal that he can't remember things clearly."
Li Ye was speechless for a moment.
Li Yuanzhao looked at Imperial Physician Wen, "Then, Imperial Physician Wen, I heard that you and this old woman were guarding the Empress Dowager's delivery room that day. Do you know her?"
Upon hearing this, Imperial Physician Wen subconsciously looked at Li Ye.
The latter was desperately trying to signal to him with her eyes that he should deny it!
But the imperial physician seemed not to understand his meaning, and instead nodded.
“This old woman was indeed the midwife who delivered the Empress’s baby. The reason I remember her so clearly is because she spoke with a strong Shandong accent, which made her stand out among the palace maids from Beijing. There’s no way I could be wrong.”
“Very well.” Li Yuanzhao nodded slightly, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable sense of control. “Since it involves my background, if I were to personally conduct the interrogation, it would inevitably give others grounds for criticism, who would say it was unfair.”
Upon hearing this, Li Ye's eyes lit up. If he were to interrogate Wang Po, he could guide her on what she should and shouldn't say, and there would still be a chance for the matter to turn around.
But Li Yuanzhao immediately said, "Father Emperor was just so angry that he was unwell and is not suitable for such strenuous work as presiding over a trial. Of the three prime ministers, Cui Shiliang has already been executed, and Prime Minister Zheng was injured and taken away for treatment, so only Prime Minister Su is highly respected and most suitable to preside over the trial."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Li Ye with feigned concern, her tone carrying a hint of "consultation".
"Father, do you think this arrangement is appropriate?"
Li Ye's face was so dark it could drip water; he was furious, but could only nod helplessly.
Li Yuanzhao then turned to Cui Yunyi and asked, "Where is Consort Cui? Do you think it would be biased for Prime Minister Su to conduct the interrogation?"
Cui Yunyi was even more confused about what Li Yuanzhao was up to.
They actually want to publicly interrogate her about her background in front of all the civil and military officials?
But she remembered that Su Jingzhi was a cunning old fox who had once opposed the eldest princess, so she figured he probably wouldn't side with Li Yuanzhao.
Cui Yunyi felt somewhat reassured and nodded, "I have no objection."
“In that case…” Li Yuanzhao looked at Su Jingzhi and raised his hand to indicate, “Prime Minister Su, this matter will be entrusted to you.”
After being "invisible" all night, Su Jingzhi finally stepped forward, bowed to Li Ye and Li Yuanzhao, and then turned around to ask the old woman directly.
"Wang Mama, do you know why you were summoned to the palace today?"
Wang shook her head timidly: "This humble subject... this humble subject does not know."
Su Jingzhi's tone suddenly turned stern, "If you don't know, then listen carefully. Tell me, word for word, what happened on the day the Empress gave birth twenty years ago. If you conceal or lie in even a single word, you will be guilty of deceiving the Emperor and will be executed on the spot!"
These words terrified Wang, who kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This humble subject dares not! This humble subject will certainly report the truth!"
She began to recount her story, "On the day the Empress gave birth, I stayed in the delivery room the whole time, helping Her Majesty push... But halfway through the delivery, Her Majesty suddenly started bleeding profusely, and her face turned pale instantly. The palace maids panicked and rushed out to fetch the imperial physician..."
She pointed to Imperial Physician Wen, "Later, it was this imperial physician who came in. He gave the Empress a few acupuncture treatments, and then said that there were too many people in the delivery room and the air was polluted, which would affect the Empress's delivery. He told all the palace maids to leave, leaving only this humble one to assist her."
"But after he administered the acupuncture, the Empress's bleeding not only did not stop, but it flowed even more heavily!"
Wang's voice trembled slightly, as if she were recalling the tragic scene from that time.
"I was so anxious that I wanted to go out and call for help, but the imperial physician stopped me and told me to focus on the child. About half an hour later, the child was finally born. I quickly took the child to the outer room to clean him, and I don't know what happened after that. I only remember that not long after, I heard someone inside shouting, 'Your Majesty is dying...'"
"This is all I know!" Wang kowtowed again. "I truly have not uttered a single falsehood. I beg Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly!"
Su Jingzhi went straight to the point, "Was the child the Empress gave birth to a boy or a girl?"
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