Chapter 36: The Princess Makes a Trouble and Reveals the Truth in Public
The candles at the palace banquet were burning brightly, illuminating the gilded furniture in the hall. The long table was laden with delicacies, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine and powder. But Yun Zhi, from the side courtyard, felt a chill run down her spine the moment she stepped into the main hall. Lin Wanru sat at the head table, her eyes like poisoned needles, fixed on her. Su Yurou sat beside her, a faint smile on her lips, clearly a premeditated conspiracy between the two.
"Sister Yun is here? Come and sit down," Lin Wanru said, picking up her wine glass, her tone so fake it was sickening. "Today is a family dinner, and I specially asked the kitchen to make your favorite steamed fish. Come and try it."
As the maid brought the fish to Yunzhi, the rich fishy smell assaulted her nose. Her stomach churned, and she fought back a dry heave. She could only manage a smile, "Thank you, Princess. I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I won't try it."
"Poor appetite?" Lin Wanru put down her wine glass, her eyes suddenly cold, and her voice rose a few notes. "Sister, your appetite has been poor. I'm afraid it started last month. You can't stand the smell of greasy food, you hide in your room and don't come out. You even dare to throw away the cakes given by the Queen. Sister, what are you hiding?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room fell silent. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Yun Zhi, some curious, some inquiring, some gloating. Yun Zhi's face paled instantly, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. Just as she was about to argue, she saw Lin Wanru clapping her hands.
“Bring it up!”
As soon as he finished speaking, two guards came in, escorting someone in—it was Qiu Wen! Her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in tears. As soon as she entered the hall, she fell to her knees and kowtowed to Xiao Jin: "Your Highness, spare me! I didn't mean to do this! It was Concubine Yun who forced me to do this!"
"What am I forcing you to do?" Xiao Jin sat in the main seat, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. There was no emotion in his tone, but the air pressure around him was so low that water could drip out.
Qiu Wen burst into tears, pointing her finger at Yun Zhi: "It was Madam Yun who forced me to help her hide the medicine! She also forced me to lie! She said she was pregnant and was afraid that the prince would find out, so she asked me to hide it from everyone! That medicine... that medicine was the pregnancy-preserving medicine that Doctor Xie sent through someone!"
The words "abortion-stabilizing medicine" were like thunder, sending the entire room into an uproar. Several concubines couldn't help but gasp, their gazes fixed on Yun Zhi's belly.
"You're talking nonsense!" Yun Zhi stood up suddenly, her voice trembling. "I didn't force you! I'm not pregnant! You were bribed by the princess and are deliberately slandering me!"
"Slandering you?" Lin Wanru sneered, pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper from her sleeve and throwing it in front of Yun Zhi. "Sister, look at this! I found it under your pillow. It's written in the handwriting of Imperial Physician Xie. It's all about 'Be careful to maintain your pregnancy' and 'Don't overwork'. Sister, are you still trying to make excuses?"
Yun Zhi looked down at the paper—the handwriting on it did look like Xie Heng's, but she had never seen this piece of paper before! It was obviously a forgery by Lin Wanru! She was about to pick up the paper to explain herself when Xiao Jin's voice came crashing down like an icicle: "Yun Zhi, what else do you have to say?"
She suddenly looked up, slamming into Xiao Jin's deep, unfathomable eyes. There wasn't a shred of trust in them, only a thick, sinister veil that threatened to devour her. Yun Zhi's heart sank instantly, tears streaming uncontrollably. "Your Highness, it's not me! This letter is fake! Qiu Wen was bribed by the princess! I'm not pregnant with Doctor Xie's child, I'm pregnant with..."
"It's yours?" Lin Wanru interrupted her, her tone full of sarcasm. "Sister, you may fool others with this, but not me! You drank the sterilization soup when you entered the palace, so how could you possibly be pregnant with the prince's child? You must have had an affair with Imperial Physician Xie, got pregnant with a bastard, and you're trying to blame it on the prince!"
"I didn't have an affair!" Yun Zhi was so anxious that she was shaking all over. She wanted to rush over to argue with Lin Wanru, but Qingzhu held her back tightly. Qingzhu leaned close to her ear and said in a trembling voice, "Don't be impulsive, girl! Without evidence, you can't argue with her!"
But who cares about evidence now? Lin Wanru pressed on, Qiu Wen wept as she "testified," and the gazes of the entire room stabbed at her like knives. Yun Zhi looked at Xiao Jin, tears streaming down her face. "Your Highness, please believe me! I truly didn't have an affair. This child is yours, truly yours! The medicine you replaced neutralized the sterilization soup, which is why I'm pregnant..."
"Enough!" Xiao Jin slammed the table, sending the wine jug and cup crashing to the ground, shattering porcelain. He stood up, his eyes brimming with rage, and walked towards Yun Zhi. "You're still lying! I replaced the medicine? You're so good at flattering yourself! The whole palace is almost aware of your dirty deeds with Xie Heng, and you still want to deceive me?!"
Yun Zhi was so shocked by his roar that she took a step back and accidentally bumped into the chair behind her. She looked at the disgust and anger in Xiao Jin's eyes, and the despair in her heart overwhelmed her like a tide - he didn't believe her, he never believed her!
"Your Highness, please don't be angry," Su Yurou stepped forward at the right time and said hypocritically, "Perhaps Sister Yun was just confused for a moment. You should check it out first and don't hurt the relationship."
"Find out?" Xiao Jin sneered, his eyes sweeping over Qiu Wen and the "love letter" before returning to Yun Zhi's pale face. "We have witnesses and evidence, what else is there to investigate?"
Seeing Xiao Jin's anger, Lin Wanru quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Your Highness, Yun Zhi's affair with a man outside her family and her secret pregnancy have brought shame upon the palace! If this gets out, even the imperial family will be disgraced! You must not let her off so easily!"
Everyone in the hall echoed her words, some saying "beat her with a stick and drive her out of the palace," others saying "give her poisoned wine." No one spoke up for her. Yun Zhi looked at the scene and suddenly found it funny—she had always been alone in this palace, without even a single person to defend her.
She held onto the chair and slowly stood up. Tears were still falling, but her eyes gradually became firm. She raised her head and looked directly at Xiao Jin. Her voice was sobbing but very clear: "I didn't have an affair, nor am I pregnant with a bastard. This child is yours. Believe it or not, I will never let you hurt him!"
"Hurt him?" Xiao Jin's eyes grew even colder. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, nearly crushing her bones with such force, "You're pregnant with Xie Heng's bastard, and you still dare to say such things in front of me? Yun Zhi, you have no shame!"
The severe pain in her wrist and his humiliation made Yun Zhi unable to hold back any longer and burst into tears: "Xiao Jin, why don't you believe me? What should I do to make you believe me? This child is really yours. Feel it, he is right here..."
She pulled Xiao Jin's hand, wanting him to touch her belly, but Xiao Jin suddenly pulled his hand back, as if he had touched something dirty, his eyes full of disgust: "Don't touch me! You and the bastard in your belly make me feel sick!"
These words completely shattered Yun Zhi's last shred of hope. She looked at Xiao Jin, tears blurring her vision. Suddenly, the man before her felt incredibly unfamiliar. The man who had watched over her on a rainy night while her fever subsided, the man who had jumped into the lake to save her, the man who had secretly replaced her tonic, all seemed like hallucinations.
Seeing Xiao Jin completely enraged, Lin Wanru let out a smug smile and bowed to him, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, why not ask the imperial physician to take Sister Yun's pulse and find out whose child she is pregnant with, so that everyone can be convinced."
Xiao Jin didn't say anything, just staring at Yun Zhi intently, his eyes a mixture of anger and suspicion. Yun Zhi's heart instantly jumped into her throat. She wasn't afraid of taking his pulse, but she was afraid that after taking his pulse, Xiao Jin still wouldn't believe her, and she was afraid that he would immediately order an abortion!
"Your Highness, please don't!" She knelt on the ground, grabbed Xiao Jin's clothes, and her tears fell on his boots. "Please don't call the imperial physician! I am really pregnant with your child. Please believe me, please..."
To Xiao Jin, her pleas sounded like a cover-up. He kicked her away, his voice as cold as ice: "Call the imperial physician! I want to see what kind of evil creature you're carrying!"
The guards responded and ran out. Yun Zhi slumped on the ground, looking at Xiao Jin's indifferent back, Lin Wanru's smug smile, and the gazes of the people watching the show. Suddenly, she felt powerless. She knew that her secret, her child, would soon be lost.
The candles in the hall were still burning, but Yun Zhi's world had completely fallen into darkness. She held onto the cold ground and slowly raised her head, looking in Xiao Jin's direction. Only one thought remained in her mind: even if it cost her her life, she would protect her child.
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