"Does the Eldest Princess intend to abuse her power?" Gu Jiangli asked coldly.
"Shut up! Guards! The evidence against Consort Chen for plotting against the royal family is irrefutable, and her crime of insubordination is utterly heinous! Seize her at once!"
As soon as the princess finished speaking, Granny Sun and two burly old women surrounded her.
Gu Jiangli's eyes were as cold as ice as she rebuked, "Princess, this is the inner palace! Not your princess's residence! If you want to abuse your power, you have to ask His Majesty for permission!"
The eldest princess waved her hand and said fiercely, "I am a member of the Chu royal family. What's wrong with disciplining a mere concubine like you! How dare you disrespect me? Granny Sun, slap her!"
Granny Sun obeyed the order, stepped forward, took out the bamboo cane that had been prepared beforehand, raised her hand, and aimed it at Gu Jiangli's face to bring it down.
Just as the blow was about to hit Gu Jiangli, a small, thin figure blocked Gu Jiangli's path.
With a loud "snap," it made a crisp, heavy sound.
"Ugh..." Lotus let out a muffled groan, and then the right side of her face swelled up instantly.
The intense pain instantly filled her eyes with tears, but she bit her lip to keep them from falling, and kept protecting Gu Jiangli behind her.
"Fine! You wretched girl, you want to shield your master, huh? Granny Sun, beat her too!" The princess's sinister voice reached Gu Jiangli's ears from afar.
Gu Jiangli's brain went blank for a moment.
Upon seeing Lotus's swollen face, her anger reached its peak.
Seeing that she had missed the target with the first strike, Granny Sun quickly raised her hand to strike again.
Gu Jiangli's eyes hardened, and he grabbed Hehua's forearm with one hand and walked up to Granny Sun.
With lightning speed, she grabbed Granny Sun's raised right hand with her left hand, then raised her own right hand and, with the fastest speed and greatest force, swiftly and decisively brought it down on that round, plate-like face.
"Smack—"
A crisp slap echoed throughout the room.
Lotus opened her mouth wide, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Granny Sun's face was slapped to the side, blood immediately seeping from the corner of her mouth. She looked at Gu Jiangli with an extremely incredulous expression.
"You...you dare to disobey the Princess's decree..."
Granny Sun struggled to break free from his grasp, wanting to use even more force to retaliate against Gu Jiangli.
Gu Jiangli showed no fear. Instead of dodging, she stepped forward and let the bamboo planks fall on her like the wind.
She said coldly, "I'm pregnant."
Granny Sun's pupils suddenly contracted, and the bamboo cane stopped two fingers' distance from Gu Jiangli's left cheek.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All that could be heard was the rustling sound of the draft blowing through the room.
The princess's face was a mixture of blue and purple, looking extremely unsightly.
The Empress Dowager, who hadn't spoken for a long time, slowly stood up from her seat, her voice trembling, "You... what did you say?"
Gu Jiangli slapped away Granny Sun's hand with disgust, shielded the lotus flower behind her, and said to the Empress Dowager again:
"Your Majesty, I am pregnant with His Majesty's child. If the Princess intends to abuse me, she should think carefully about whether it will endanger the royal offspring."
The eldest princess could hardly believe her ears; her legs trembled slightly. She forced herself to speak loudly:
"Nonsense! You're trying to use pregnancy to escape punishment, aren't you? Don't even think about it!"
"The imperial physicians are available to take my pulse at any time. If the Princess insists on taking the medicine, perhaps you should inform His Majesty first."
The princess turned pale, shook her head blankly, and murmured, "Impossible...impossible..."
The Empress Dowager paid no attention to the Princess's unusual behavior. She shouted to another nanny, "Go find Imperial Physician Lin! We must find out today whether Consort Chen is pregnant or not."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
The old woman left in a hurry.
Granny Sun, sullen and covering her swollen face, retreated to the side.
Seeing that the immediate crisis had passed, Gu Jiangli immediately inquired about Hehua's injuries.
Lotus's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them, but she bit her lip tightly to keep from making a sound of sobbing.
Gu Jiangli looked at the half of her face that was red and swollen and felt a pang of heartache.
That motherboard was originally designed as a torture device for slapping people in the face; its thick surface was far more powerful than a slap.
In severe cases, the victim may even lose a molar or suffer facial paralysis.
Just one stroke of the board turned the lotus flower into this state; she must have been in excruciating pain.
"Your Majesty... I'm alright..." she whispered, trying hard to hold back her tears.
Gu Jiangli frowned, her eyes filled with worry.
But she didn't say much; now was not the time to comfort Lotus.
She faced the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess, quietly waiting for the imperial physician to arrive.
However, to her surprise, the emperor also came with the imperial physician.
The emperor's expression remained unchanged, maintaining the same distance and indifference from everyone else.
The imperial physician, hunched over, followed behind him and then came to Gu Jiangli's side.
The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised when she saw the Emperor, but she still said:
"The Emperor has arrived, please sit down. Consort Chen says she is pregnant. Quickly have Imperial Physician Lin examine her pulse and take a look. If it is true, this will be your first child."
Upon hearing this, Physician Lin also showed a delighted expression, thinking he should quickly check Gu Jiangli's pulse.
Gu Jiangli glanced at the emperor's expression and felt inexplicably guilty.
She remembered that the emperor didn't want children yet, and she didn't know if he could accept it at this point.
As Gu Jiangli pondered this, she slowly handed her hand to Physician Lin.
But then the emperor suddenly spoke up:
"No need, I know she's pregnant."
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