Chapter 42 A Fake Pregnancy
Because she set off later than the others, Lü Yingfeng arrived late, after everyone else had already arrived.
Having just recovered from a serious illness, she didn't dress up much. Thinking it was just a short visit, she chose a moon-colored stand-up collar long gown with a diagonal opening. She wasn't wearing a Manchu dress, and instead looked like a Han woman in an antique style, rather than a concubine from the Qing Dynasty palace.
Summer was already hot, and the gathering place was Xianyue Pavilion in Chenmei Manor. It wasn't very spacious, and the noisy, brightly dressed people made Yinzhen close his eyes in annoyance, regretting that he had listened to Consort Hua's advice that day.
Just then, a graceful figure walked in under the moonlight, and slowly entered the hall and bowed gracefully—"Your Majesty and Empress, I have been ill for a long time and am feeling weak. I did not expect to be late. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Lu Yingfeng's appearance was like a white flower amidst a sea of beauties; seeing her instantly made one feel refreshed.
"Rise quickly." Yinzhen said calmly as he stood up, reached out from a distance to support the woman's arm and helped her to her feet, then led her step by step to the seat that had been reserved for her.
"I see that Ying'er's complexion has improved a lot, which must be because the imperial physician has been taking good care of her." He did not rush back, but stood there and carefully examined her.
Seeing this, the Empress spoke with some relief, "Yes, Consort Xin, you've been ill for over a month. The Emperor and I have been very worried about you."
Lu Yingfeng raised her head generously – “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty and Empress. I am much better now. I was ill for a month and didn’t have time to congratulate Consort Hui. Now Your Majesty has double happiness.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor smiled and looked at the two people sitting close together at the table. Consort Hui lowered her head with a slight blush, probably because she had been teased quite a bit today. Zhen Huan met the Emperor's gaze with a pair of meaningful eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then quickly turned her head away.
Huanbi, that girl, is so reckless and has caused herself such a big mess. The Emperor hasn't visited her these past few days, and she's feeling very anxious and aggrieved.
In fact, after so many days, Yinzhen had long since calmed down. If this matter were to be taken lightly, it was nothing more than a failure to discipline his servants. He had already given her enough cold treatment these past few days. But today, that one look from her made him feel a little agitated.
"Wanwan and Mei'er are both doing well, double happiness indeed." The Emperor smiled and patted Lü Yingfeng's shoulder before turning and sitting back down.
Cao Qinmo glanced at Consort Hua's urging expression, then made up her mind and said, "I think Consort Hui's pregnancy looks very good, but Consort Wan looks a little tired, probably because the baby is too fussy."
When Zhen Huan expressed her concerns, she put on an air of experience and said considerately, "Consort Wan doesn't know, but when I was pregnant with Wen Yi, it was incredibly difficult. It was only after Imperial Physician Jiang Shen prescribed some medicine that I was able to get relief. Would you like to try it, sister?"
Zhen Huan hesitated upon hearing this. She certainly wouldn't dare to eat it, but she couldn't say it directly. So she pretended to be very interested and said, "There is such a good prescription. Please take a look at it for me, sister. I will ask the imperial physician. If it is the right prescription, I will take it for a couple of days."
"How can you use prescriptions so carelessly?" The Empress looked at her disapprovingly—"We should at least call the imperial physician to take her pulse to find out what's wrong."
"Yes, the Empress is right." The Emperor nodded in agreement. "Since Jiang Shen has this ability, let her be summoned to examine Consort Wan's pulse."
The young eunuch outside received the order and quickly went out.
Zhen Huan realized what was happening and called out to those outside, "Remember to invite Imperial Physician Liu Ben as well!"
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Shen were both Consort Hua's men, so she dared not trust them easily. Only Liu Ben was somewhat familiar to her; if Imperial Physician Wen were still alive...
She shook her head, afraid to think about it any further. These past few days, she had not only become increasingly sleepy, but also had more nightmares, mostly bizarre and vague. Yet, the sound of Wen Shichu crying and wailing was uniquely clear in her mind every night, frightening her so much that she dared not fall asleep.
Before long, Jiang Shen arrived in a hurry, carrying a medicine box.
"Your Majesty, we have not been able to find the imperial physician named Liu Ben. It seems that he is not on duty today."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan felt a sense of unease and nervously glanced at the Emperor.
After paying his respects to everyone and making preparations, he knelt down in front of Consort Wan without delay and took her pulse.
Everyone in the room held their breath, and the once noisy inner palace became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Jiang Shen's brows furrowed more and more, and the time spent taking his pulse had already exceeded the usual amount, yet he still couldn't bring himself to withdraw his hand.
Zhen Huan's heart felt like it was being squeezed in her throat. Her voice trembled with uncertainty as she asked, "Imperial Physician, is there something wrong with my child?"
Jiang Shen's mind was racing. He had known that Consort Hua was going to arrange something important for him today, but he had no idea it was this important.
Knowing that this matter couldn't be kept secret, he steeled himself, withdrew his hand, and without looking at anyone, kowtowed to the Emperor and replied, "Your Majesty... Consort Wan shows no signs of pregnancy!"
A single sentence triggered a chord with everyone in the room, and they all turned their heads to look at Consort Wan in unison.
"How could that be! How could you, as a royal physician, spout such nonsense!" Zhen Huan suddenly stood up, her tone so intense that her voice cracked.
She pointed at Jiang Shen in disbelief, feeling all sorts of eyes on her from all around. She tried her best to calm herself down and looked at the Emperor pleadingly—"...Your Majesty, it can't be. My child has been in my belly for four months. How could it suddenly disappear?"
Yinzhen frowned, his gaze toward her unfathomable, his clenched left hand rubbing incessantly on his knee, before turning his gaze toward Jiang Shen.
Jiang Shen realized that his words had been misinterpreted, so he quickly explained, "What I meant was that Your Majesty has never been pregnant, so there is no sign of a pregnancy."
“I have symptoms of pregnancy-related sleepiness, and for the past four months, I have taken the pulse every day and they have said the fetus is healthy. How come you have no symptoms at all!” Zhen Huan raised her voice to confront him, then turned her tearful eyes to the person sitting calmly to the side and pleaded, “Your Majesty, please invite Physician Liu Ben here and ask him. He is the one who has been in charge of my pregnancy.”
Consort Hua could no longer contain her smugness at watching the show, and chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, invite Liu Ben here and ask him, and we'll know whether Consort Wan is telling the truth or not."
The Emperor took a deep breath and ordered in a calm voice, "Go find Liu Ben, and summon all the imperial physicians on duty at the Imperial Hospital as well."
Zhen Huan relaxed slightly upon hearing this, and her body went limp, causing her to fall heavily onto the stool. If Shen Meizhuang hadn't caught her, she probably would have tumbled backward.
Knowing that the Emperor had summoned her urgently, a group of people rushed over and quickly filled the room, lining up to take the pulse of Consort Wan one by one.
The Imperial Medical Academy staff were unusually united in their statements: "Consort Wan is not pregnant."
Zhen Huan slumped onto the stool, utterly dejected. Liu Ben had failed to arrive. Now that things had come to this, how could she not realize that she had been tricked? What a grand scheme!
"How dare you!"
When the emperor was enraged, everyone in the room trembled and prostrated themselves on the ground.
"Consort Wan, I have always thought you were intelligent, but now you have truly disappointed me to the extreme." He was not one to show his emotions, and in just a few breaths he composed himself, looking at Zhen Huan, whose face had turned pale with disappointment.
Zhen Huan slowly turned her stiff neck, and what was puzzling was that she did not argue, but only looked back with the same disappointed gaze—"Fourth Prince...does he really not believe Huan Huan at all?"
Seeing her like this, the Emperor asked in bewilderment, "Things have come to this, Liu Ben has vanished, how can you expect me to trust you?"
Her mind was a complete mess, and she didn't know where to begin. Everyone in the room seemed to be watching her make a fool of herself. "In that case, I'll just say one thing: I have never faked a pregnancy, nor would I stoop to it. On New Year's Eve in the Plum Garden, the wind seemed to understand my heart, and I longed for that. Your Majesty has always been the one who understands me."
After saying this, she slowly crawled on her knees to the Emperor, supporting her numb legs, and gave a desperate bow: "I will bear all the punishment, and I beg Your Majesty to clear my name as soon as possible."
It must be said that Zhen Huan truly lived up to her name. Yinzhen was already furious and about to get up and leave, but after hearing these words, he stared intently at the top of Zhen Huan's bowed head, and his heart could not help but waver.
"She's really sharp-tongued," Consort Hua thought angrily. "That vile woman managed to coax the Emperor into changing his mind with just a few words." She spoke anxiously, "Consort Wan is truly eloquent. She's managed to absolve herself so easily with just a few words. Did she think she could just get away with faking her pregnancy to gain favor and deceive the Emperor so lightly?"
The Emperor did not speak, but gave Consort Hua a cold look, which successfully silenced her.
After a moment of silence, he sighed inwardly, "They have demoted Consort Wan to the rank of Lady-in-Waiting and confined her to the Bitong Academy, where she is not allowed to leave without being summoned."
This was a verdict for Zhen Huan. She slowly exhaled, as if releasing a pent-up force, almost collapsing in place—"This concubine obeys the decree."
"Go all out to track down Liu Ben!" This was said to Su Peisheng.
The once pleasant gathering was now completely ruined. The Emperor, feeling annoyed, naturally did not want to stay any longer. After speaking, he took a step to leave and return to the Nine Provinces Banquet.
As soon as I stepped out the door, I looked up and saw a figure looming behind a pine tree not far away.
"Who's lurking around there?"
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