Chapter 101 The woman in his arms was his woman.
The candlelight beside the imperial desk was bright, making the red undergarment even clearer.
The tiger head embroidered on it is endearing, and the daffodils are elegant and refined. The stitches are fine and lifelike.
Emperor Zhaoheng's fingers unconsciously tightened, squeezing the soft silk until it deformed.
He recognized the embroidery technique.
Narcissus is an excellent needleworker; the fine needlework is clearly her technique!
Upon seeing this, Prince Duan immediately stepped forward and knelt before the imperial desk.
"Your Majesty, you are wise! Your humble servant... Your humble servant is truly... Alas!"
He sighed heavily, as if he found it difficult to speak, "Your subject occasionally brought the Crown Prince to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and indeed encountered the Imperial Concubine a few times in the Imperial Garden."
"According to palace rules and etiquette, I, your humble brother, naturally offer my respectful greetings! Perhaps... Her Highness the Noble Consort has misunderstood something..."
He said with great distress, "This undergarment... was given to me by the Imperial Concubine when I was taking a walk alone near Tingyu Pavilion a few days ago. There was no one around... She handed me a purse and left in a hurry."
"When I returned and opened it, I found... I have been at a loss as to what to do with it, and I am filled with anxiety day and night!"
Prince Duan spoke with absolute certainty, and then let out a long sigh.
"Today, upon seeing that the Imperial Concubine is involved in a major witchcraft case, I have thought it over and over again and realized that I cannot allow such a bewitching concubine to deceive His Majesty and wreak havoc in the palace any longer! That is why... that is why I have dared to present this item to the Empress Dowager."
Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes darkened, the veins on the back of his hand gripping his undergarment bulged, and he roared out the name of Prince Duan:
"Xiao Yirui! How dare you! You actually frame the Imperial Concubine! Do you know this is a capital offense?!"
"emperor!"
The Empress Dowager protectively shielded Prince Duan behind her, her voice stern and firm.
"Even now, are you still going to side with that vile woman?! Rui'er has always been upright and honest, how could she possibly frame a concubine out of thin air?!"
"If he hadn't been forced into this situation, why would he have produced such evidence that damages his reputation?!"
"If Your Majesty continues to act willfully, ignoring loyal advice and only trusting the wicked concubine, then you will truly be a foolish and incompetent ruler! You will be ridiculed by the world!"
Just as the mother and son were at odds, an announcement came from outside the palace: "Consort Jin has arrived!"
Emperor Zhaoheng subconsciously looked at the Empress Dowager and, sure enough, saw a cold smile flash across her lips.
He instantly realized that the summons of Narcissus was part of a scheme orchestrated by the Empress Dowager!
Narcissus walked slowly, still wearing the same imperial concubine's auspicious robe she wore at the hundred-day celebration this morning. Her face was so pale in the candlelight that it was almost transparent.
As soon as she entered the room, her gaze fell upon the glaring red in Emperor Zhaoheng's hand.
Without asking any questions, she followed proper etiquette and stepped forward to bow deeply.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. May I ask what brings you here so late at night?"
Seeing her calm demeanor, the Empress Dowager became even angrier. She snatched the bodice from Emperor Zhaoheng's hand and slammed it hard onto the gold brick in front of Shuixian.
"You wretch! Look at this for yourself! What is this?! Caught red-handed, what do you have to say for yourself?!"
Narcissus's gaze fell on the undergarment. She did not pick it up immediately, but examined it for a moment before slowly raising her head to meet the Empress Dowager's aggressive gaze.
"Your Majesty, the embroidery on this item... is indeed very similar to my embroidery."
The Empress Dowager immediately seized upon a crucial incriminating evidence and shouted sternly, "You admitted it! Emperor, did you hear me?! She admitted it! This is her..."
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager,” Shui Xian interrupted her calmly, her gaze still serene, “I have not yet finished speaking.”
"This morning, I discovered that the red silk bodice that I personally embroidered for Yongning, which I intended for her to wear at her 100-day celebration, has vanished."
"Now it seems that this item is very similar to the one that I lost..."
"absurd!"
The Empress Dowager scoffed, her face full of disdain.
"How could a girl's bib and a woman's bib be the same size and made of the same material? Do you think I and the Emperor are fools?! This is clearly your own personal item!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's cold gaze also fell on Shui Xian, scrutinizing her.
Narcissus bent down, carefully picked up the bodice, held it up to the candlelight, and gently stroked the patterns on it with her fingers.
She examined it carefully, then said softly:
“Please look closely. The fabric of this bodice is indeed fine Suzhou satin, but there are extremely fine stitching marks at the edges.”
"If I am not mistaken, this is a secret technique called silk reeling and silk patching."
She gently touched a seam with her fingertip that was almost integrated with the embroidery pattern.
“Someone cut out the complete embroidered piece from the bellyband that I embroidered for Yongning, and then used this technique to piece it together on another, larger piece of fabric of the same color.”
She then turned the bodice inside out, facing it up to the light.
"Furthermore, look at the embroidery thread for these daffodil petals. The imitator only copied my needlework and color scheme, but ignored the source of the silk thread I used."
"The colored threads I use are all the new 'Radiant Glow' brocade threads that were presented as tribute by the Imperial Household Department last month. They will shimmer with a very subtle seven-colored luster in the sunlight."
"The silk thread used in this item, although similar in color, is dull and lacks luster; it is a common, ordinary colored thread."
This bib was a gift she had prepared for her daughter's 100-day celebration long ago, and she was extremely familiar with everything about it.
When she saw the familiar tiger head on it, she knew that it was made by her. However, because she used the best silk thread, it was difficult for imitators to find it, which caused the oversight.
She raised her head, her clear eyes looking at Emperor Zhaoheng, and held her bodice above her head with both hands.
"If Your Majesty does not believe it, you may immediately summon the experienced embroiderers in the palace to examine it. The difference in craftsmanship and silk thread cannot be hidden from the eyes of a true expert."
The Empress Dowager's face turned extremely ugly, and she stubbornly argued:
"Lies! All lies! Even if... even if what you say is true, it could be something you planned all along! You deliberately used this method to frame Rui'er!"
Narcissus finally turned her gaze to the Empress Dowager, her tone still respectful, but with a hint of sarcasm.
"Your Majesty, you are wise. If I truly intended to seduce the Prince, why would I go to such lengths to alter a baby bib and give it to him..."
She stopped looking at the trembling Empress Dowager and turned her head, her eyes brimming with affection, to Emperor Zhaoheng.
Those usually calm eyes finally welled up with layers of grievance.
"Your Majesty, I truly have no idea who would go to such lengths to frame me... even resorting to such despicable means..."
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at her pale face and listened to her well-reasoned explanation.
Compared to the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan's accusations, which were full of loopholes and mere sophistry, the scales in my heart had already completely tipped!
He strode out from behind the imperial desk, bent down, and carefully helped the kneeling Narcissus to her feet.
Emperor Zhaoheng's warm palm held her cold fingers tightly.
"Xian'er has been wronged."
His voice was low and carried an unmistakable apology.
"Emperor!" Upon seeing this, the Empress Dowager was so angry that she almost fainted.
Emperor Zhaoheng frowned, turned to look at the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan, and said in a loud voice, "Empress Dowager's headache has not yet subsided today, and she should not overexert herself. Feng Shunxiang!"
“Your servant is here!” Feng Shunxiang immediately stepped forward.
"Send the Empress Dowager back to Cining Palace for quiet recuperation! Prince Duan has behaved improperly and spoken inappropriately before the Emperor. Effective immediately, he is forbidden from entering the palace for six months without my decree! This is as punishment!"
"Emperor! You...you've truly been bewitched!"
The Empress Dowager's expression turned ugly. Under Feng Shunxiang's respectful but forceful request, she angrily dragged Prince Duan away from the Qianqing Palace.
Only Emperor Zhaoheng and Shui Xian remained in the hall.
The candlelight crackled, illuminating the two people's tightly clasped hands.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Narcissus, who was secretly shedding tears, and gently embraced her.
"What happened today was my fault; I have frightened you."
Narcissus's tears then flowed like a burst dam, soaking the front of his dragon robe.
She leaned against him, her voice filled with endless vulnerability: "Your Majesty... I am not afraid of being wronged, I am only afraid... only afraid of our Yongning..."
Narcissus's voice was nasal, "She's so young, and she has to endure these vicious schemes... Just thinking about it makes me tremble with fear..."
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart ached at the sight of her tears, and he quickly reassured her, "No! With me here, I will never allow you and your daughter to suffer any harm!"
Narcissus raised her tear-filled face.
"But Your Majesty... if they could find witchcraft items in my palace today, they could find other things elsewhere tomorrow..."
"I would gladly die, but I cannot allow His Majesty to be criticized by his court officials and condemned as incompetent by the world for protecting me! I simply cannot bear it..."
Emperor Zhaoheng frowned deeply. He believed that Shui Xian would not use witchcraft, but after all, something was found in her palace.
If he were to go to great lengths to promote narcissus, it would indeed provoke criticism from court officials and the people of the world.
But the woman in his arms was his woman.
The child who was falsely accused of not being his biological child was also his own flesh and blood.
Emperor Zhaoheng pondered for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Xian'er, I will have the Censorate investigate thoroughly and clear your and the child's name."
"As for Yongning... there is absolutely no doubt about her status as a princess!"
As early as when Shui Xian was pregnant, the Imperial Household Department had checked the records and confirmed that the time of Shui Xian's conception and the time of her service to the emperor matched.
Whether it was conception or childbirth, some procedures were very strict. Yongning had long been registered in the imperial genealogy, and it was not something that Wu Zhengshi of the Imperial Observatory could deny with just a few words.
Narcissus cried until her cheeks were burning, and she looked at Emperor Zhaoheng.
Their eyes met, and Emperor Zhaoheng could clearly see the tenderness in her eyes for him.
After pondering for a long time, Narcissus finally spoke, "How about..."
She leaned close to Emperor Zhaoheng's ear and whispered a few words. Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes widened in shock, and he looked at her in disbelief.
"This can't be allowed!"
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