Chapter 185 Hold Me Close
Physical examination.
Inside the Cining Palace, the air seemed to have frozen into ice.
Narcissus could feel the gazes coming from all directions, filled with mockery, inquiry, and a mix of emotions she couldn't discern at that moment.
The Empress Dowager's order was an imperial decree; if she disobeyed it, she would be defying the decree.
Even with Emperor Zhaoheng's protection, if the Empress Dowager makes a big fuss, she could be temporarily placed in a vulnerable position...
The Empress suddenly spoke, her words seemingly for Narcissus's sake: "Consort Jin, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is acting out of good intentions, for the sake of the royal family's reputation... Please bear with it for now..."
"Once your identity is verified, all rumors will naturally disappear, which will be the best explanation for you and the imperial heir."
The Empress spoke, silencing Consort Jing, Wen Jingfeng, who seemed to want to speak up for Narcissus.
Consort Jing glanced at Narcissus with some concern, but Narcissus did not look at her. She stood there with her head down.
Soon after, Shui Xian slowly raised her eyes and looked straight at the Empress Dowager on the phoenix throne, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Empress, your humble servant dares not disobey the imperial decree."
Narcissus's voice was tinged with sobs, but it also revealed a hint of determination after careful consideration.
"However... the child in my womb is the twin heirs that Your Majesty so earnestly desires. Imperial Physician Pei has repeatedly warned that although the pregnancy is stable, it is most important not to disturb it... If the slightest mistake during the examination disturbs the fetus... I would be guilty of a crime for which I could not atone even with ten thousand deaths!"
Narcissus, supported by Tinglu's hand, slowly knelt on the ground and pleaded:
If...if anything happens to the imperial heir, so that timely intervention can be provided, I beg Your Majesty the Empress Dowager to grant my request!
At this point, she bowed her head and earnestly pleaded with the Empress Dowager.
Since Narcissus had already lowered her stance so much, the Empress Dowager had no reason to stop her.
After all, what she said was reasonable, and Narcissus didn't even mention refusing a physical examination; she only said it was out of concern for the safety of the imperial heir.
Even the Empress Dowager could not refuse this request in front of everyone.
The Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she snorted coldly, "Granted. Summon Imperial Physician Pei Jichuan."
Pei Jichuan was soon summoned. Upon hearing that he would be examined, he immediately knelt down and pleaded his case.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! The Imperial Concubine is carrying twins, which means she needs to be even more careful than ordinary pregnant women."
"Recently, Consort Jin's emotions have been fluctuating, and she has shown signs of slight bleeding. I just administered a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine to calm her down. If we were to force her to undergo a physical examination now, the shock could easily lead to fetal restlessness, or even... a miscarriage!"
His words were earnest, and what was originally a doctor's judgment was perceived by the Empress Dowager as an act of defiance against the imperial decree by Shui Xian and Pei Jichuan.
However, the Empress Dowager was determined to suppress Narcissus's arrogance, and she would not give up because of the words of a mere imperial physician.
She waved her hand impatiently: "Imperial Physician Pei, you just wait here. The examination will be done by the experienced nanny, so as not to disturb the imperial heir."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager's voice deepened, revealing an undeniable authority.
"Does my order not stand the test of time?"
The examining nanny, having received a signal from the Empress Dowager, approached again, step by step.
Shui Xian subconsciously took a half step back, her body swaying slightly, her face turning even paler. Tuoba, sitting at the farthest point in the main seat, frowned slightly in pity, but remembering the instructions Shui Xian had given her when she sent Yinzhu to her last night, Tuoba still suppressed the urge to suddenly stop her.
The atmosphere inside the hall was extremely tense. When the examining matron stepped forward to take Shui Xian to the side hall for a physical examination, everyone held their breath.
At the crucial moment, Narcissus suddenly took another step back, as if she didn't want to keep up with the examiner's angle.
The Empress Dowager sneered, "Consort Jin, what more do you want? Are you having second thoughts?"
Narcissus blinked lightly, tears welling up in her eyes, and said with a wronged expression:
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager insists on examining it, and I... dare not disobey the decree."
Shui Xian stepped forward and reported, "But I remember the palace rules: the physical examination of concubines is no small matter and must be recorded in detail and archived in the Imperial Clan Court for future reference."
"Regardless of the outcome, my reputation has been tarnished today."
She slightly raised her chin, tears streaming down her cheeks, making her appear even more broken.
"Your Majesty, I implore you! If my innocence is proven, please issue an edict immediately to announce to the six palaces a thorough investigation into the source of this rumor! Who is so audacious as to frame the birth mother of the imperial heir and disrupt the peace of the harem..."
"If Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is unwilling..."
Her gaze swept over the expressionless examining nanny, each word spoken with a resolute determination to destroy everything.
"The moment this old woman touches my clothes will be the moment I vow to die to prove my innocence!"
No one expected that today's small gathering at Cining Palace would escalate to the point of forcing Consort Jin to her death!
While a physical examination is certainly humiliating, why would someone born into a poor family, not a lady from a high-class household, feel so humiliated that she would choose to die to prove her innocence?
This thought flashed through the minds of many people in the hall at that moment.
The Empress Dowager's face instantly turned extremely ugly. In a corner where no one was paying attention, the Empress's pale face also changed color slightly. She had obviously not expected that Narcissus would fight back so fiercely, even at the cost of her life.
They were the ones who spread the rumors; they knew it all too well. They just never expected that at such a crucial moment, Narcissus would risk her life to force the Empress Dowager to investigate where the rumors originated...
Although the Empress Dowager was unprepared, she figured she could just insult Narcissus first and then arrange for someone to take the blame.
Just as she was about to issue the decree, she casually brushed off Narcissus and then ordered the examining matron to continue the crucial examination...
"His Majesty has arrived!"
At the time when the emperor should have been attending the morning court session, Emperor Zhaoheng strode into the main hall of Cining Palace without waiting for the eunuch at the door to finish announcing his arrival.
He didn't even wait for the panicked crowd to bow in greeting before striding over to Narcissus. The first thing he noticed was the teardrops clinging to her cheeks and eyelashes. She was covering her face and sobbing, looking even more pitiful.
"Xian'er!"
He strode over to her and, without a word, pulled her tightly into his arms.
Emperor Zhaoheng reached out and patted her back to soothe her frightened heart.
Just then, perhaps because he was in a hurry, he accidentally bumped into Narcissus's sleeve.
With a soft "snap," a letter fell from Narcissus's wide sleeve and landed right on the polished gold brick floor in front of Emperor Zhaoheng.
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze sharpened.
Feng Shunxiang had already bent down to pick it up and offered it to him with both hands.
Emperor Zhaoheng quickly unfolded the letter, and when his eyes swept over it and he saw the handwriting, his heart couldn't help but tremble along with hers.
The letter reads: "Your Majesty, I am but a humble woman, yet I am deeply fortunate to have received Your Majesty's favor and grace... However, the rumors circulating in the palace are unpredictable. I would not regret my death, but I fear it would damage Your Majesty's reputation and tarnish the face of the imperial family... After much deliberation, my heart is filled with anguish. I only wish to be deposed and confined to the cold palace, so that Your Majesty's reputation may remain intact and the nation may be at peace..."
She hadn't done anything wrong, yet she was already prepared to abandon her beliefs!
There wasn't a single complaint in this letter; it was filled with self-loathing.
It was a desperate act of thinking of him, even preparing for self-exile!
Recalling the scene before him where he was being forced to undergo a physical examination, Emperor Zhaoheng instantly understood... Shui Xian had probably already foreseen the desperate situation she would face in the harem!
He clutched the letter tightly in his palm, a surge of protectiveness towards Narcissus rising within him, along with anger towards his mother, who sat atop the phoenix throne on the high platform before him.
"emperor!"
The Empress Dowager forced herself to remain calm and attempted to strike first, "I am doing this for the sake of the royal family's reputation, for the sake of..."
"Mother!"
Emperor Zhaoheng abruptly interrupted her, his voice icy cold: "Xian'er willingly went to Jingguang Temple to pray for your well-being. During that time, I sent secret guards to protect her at every turn. I know her whereabouts and her innocence better than anyone else!"
"What is happening today is not about her proving her innocence to anyone, but about someone challenging my authority and questioning my judgment!"
His gaze swept over the trembling, terrified women examining patients behind him like a sharp blade, a ruthless glint flashing in his dark eyes.
"Drag these audacious servants who dared to disturb the Imperial Concubine and plot against the imperial heir out of the palace. Each of them shall be given ten strokes of the cane and immediately expelled from the palace, never to be employed again!"
After dealing with the old woman, he turned to the Empress Dowager, whose face was ashen, and said in a cold tone, disregarding the presence of all the concubines, without any mercy:
"The Empress Dowager is getting on in years. She should enjoy her remaining years in Cining Palace. The Empress and the two Noble Consorts will take care of the trivial matters of the inner palace. There is no need for her to worry about them anymore."
The Empress Dowager never expected that Emperor Zhaoheng, who had always been lenient with her, would be so presumptuous towards her over such a trivial matter.
The implication was that they wanted to confine her to the Cining Palace and take away her power!
Ignoring the shock and anger in the Empress Dowager's eyes, Emperor Zhaoheng turned to look at the Empress beside the Empress Dowager.
"Empress, you are in charge of the six palaces, yet you have allowed such vicious rumors to spread, leading to today's predicament. Go back and reflect on your actions in seclusion, and consider what constitutes the virtue of an Empress!"
"emperor......"
The Empress never expected that Emperor Zhaoheng, who had always shown her leniency because of her health, would be so angry with her because of today's events!
However, the empress's trembling voice did not elicit any pity from Emperor Zhaoheng.
He leaned down and gazed tenderly at the slightly weak Narcissus in his arms, who was still shaken by the physical examination.
"Can you still stand firmly?"
Emperor Zhaoheng noticed that she was leaning against him, and her right hand was unconsciously gripping the front of his clothes.
Shui Xian nodded reluctantly, and just as she was about to stand up straight, Emperor Zhaoheng whispered in her ear, "Hold me tight," and the next moment he bent down and personally picked her up horizontally.
He strode out...
......
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