Sun Mingzhu immediately understood. Her eyes lit up, and she screamed and knelt down in front of the emperor, crying.
"Your Majesty, I was admiring the plum blossoms in the courtyard when I heard the Empress and Consort Xin arguing."
“I was terrified and could only hide to the side. I never expected that after the Empress finished disciplining Consort Xin, she would smash her stomach against a tree and then push the Empress into the lake.”
Su Ruiling had no idea that Consort Xin had arranged witnesses. She paused for a few seconds, then immediately retorted:
"You're talking nonsense. I didn't touch her at all from beginning to end. As for her stomach..."
“Your Majesty, her belly is fake. There is no imperial fetus inside at all. She has been using a pillow to pretend she is pregnant these past few days.”
ah? ?
The ministers pricked up their ears, hardly believing what they were hearing.
Did the imperial concubine fake her pregnancy?
This news is absolutely explosive!
Consort Xin seemed to have anticipated Su Ruiling's words. She feigned innocence and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress has said such absurd things in order to harm me."
“My unborn child has always been healthy, as Imperial Physician Zhang can attest.”
Imperial Physician Zhang and Consort Xin exchanged a glance and immediately knelt down.
“Your Majesty, I have been taking care of Consort Xin’s unborn child. There is absolutely no problem with the pregnancy. It is impossible for her to have a miscarriage and still be in a false pregnancy.”
Sun Mingzhu added fuel to the fire, saying to the emperor:
"I saw with my own eyes that Her Majesty the Empress pushed Consort Xin."
After saying that, Sun Mingzhu quietly patted Jiang Yuanyuan on the back.
Remembering her mother's earlier instructions, Jiang Yuanyuan immediately burst into tears.
The child's crying instantly drew everyone's attention.
Jiang Yuanyuan cried with a look of innocent fear, her voice trembling as she said:
"Her Majesty the Empress pushed Consort Xin!"
"Her Majesty the Empress pushed Consort Xin!"
Sizzle!
Everyone gasped in shock.
With the words of Imperial Physician Zhang and Sun Mingzhu, plus the words of a child crying out.
The fact that the Empress caused Consort Xin's miscarriage has become a widely accepted truth.
Su Ruiling shook her head, feeling a chill run through her from head to toe.
Faced with so many accusations, she felt that even if she had eight mouths, she still couldn't explain herself.
The emperor frowned.
With all the ministers present, and this matter concerning the imperial heir, he must give everyone an explanation today.
However, he couldn't believe that the woman he loved so deeply would do such a thing.
The emperor could only look at Mu Jinnian and ask:
"Young Master Mu, you just saved Consort Xin. Did you see how she fell into the water?"
Mu Jinnian glanced at Su Ruiling, then pondered for a moment with some difficulty.
If he could prove that Consort Xin fell into the water on her own, he could clear his aunt's name.
But……
In the end, Mu Jinnian chose to tell the truth:
“Your Majesty, when I arrived, Consort Xin had already fallen into the water, so I did not see how she fell in.”
"However, I believe that Her Majesty the Empress is absolutely innocent."
Consort Xin snorted coldly and said resentfully to Mu Jinnian:
"Young Master Mu is probably also deceived. She harmed my child and harmed me. This is an irrefutable fact."
"She's a heartless woman, and you still believe her? You must be blind."
Consort Xin spoke with an air of confidence and arrogance.
With Imperial Physician Zhang and Sun Mingzhu as witnesses, she is absolutely capable of bringing down the Empress this time.
Consort Xin looked at the Emperor; now everything depended on his decision!
Just as everyone was waiting for the emperor to make a decision, a small, childlike voice broke the heavy atmosphere.
The little dumpling toddled up to Consort Xin, pulled a round pillow from behind her back, and asked innocently:
"Your Highness, is this the child in your belly?"
ha?
The ministers were instantly dumbfounded, thinking that the newly appointed princess had lost her mind, actually holding a pillow and claiming it was a child.
Consort Xin was taken aback, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.
She never expected that the pillow she casually tossed aside would be picked up by the little dumpling.
"What nonsense are you spouting! How could this tattered pillow possibly be my child!" Consort Xin retorted, her eyes darting away.
Little dumpling: "But I just saw you take it out of my belly with my own eyes."
"You even told your aunt that you've been carrying this in your belly for the past few days."
Consort Xin was shocked. She realized that the little dumpling had seen her argument with Su Ruiling!
Upon hearing that the little dumpling could prove her innocence, Su Ruiling quickly squatted down beside her and asked:
"Little dumpling, you saw it all just now, didn't you?"
The little dumpling nodded and said, "I was just behind the rockery when I saw Consort Xin pulling you and arguing with you."
The emperor said urgently, "With your uncle here, little dumpling, don't be afraid. Tell me everything you saw."
The little dumpling slowly addressed the crowd:
"Consort Xin said that her unborn child had been lost a few days ago and that she had been stuffing a pillow into her belly."
"She also said she wanted her aunt to go and keep her child company, and then she ran into a tree and jumped into the lake."
After hearing what the little dumpling said, everyone immediately understood everything.
It turns out they wanted to pin the miscarriage on the Empress.
Consort Xin clenched her fists in a panic, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to defend herself.
But her mind was a complete mess, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and the more she hated it!
During the day, she tried to make the baby bump into her stomach, but she dodged quickly and failed.
Now that she was about to frame the Empress, she saw everything and ruined her carefully laid plans.
Why does she always manage to ruin her plans?!
The Emperor pulled Su Ruiling to his side, put his arm around her waist, and coldly said to Consort Xin:
"Consort Xin, what else do you have to say!"
Consort Xin looked up at the Emperor, her eyes filled with resentment and anger.
"What can I say now that things have come to this? You never loved me at all!"
The Emperor said, "I told you long ago that I have only ever loved the Empress in this lifetime."
Consort Xin burst into laughter, pointed at the Emperor, and shouted:
"Yes! We grew up together as childhood sweethearts, but it couldn't compare to her sudden appearance."
"But I was not reconciled! So I drugged you, and that's how I got the title of Imperial Concubine."
Consort Xin stood up unsteadily, her hair wet and plastered to her face, the water stains under her eyes indistinguishable between tears and lake water.
"But Brother Yao, have you really never liked me even for a moment?"
The emperor looked at her coldly, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
"I have always treated you as my younger sister. It is you who have been stubborn and made so many mistakes."
Consort Xin grinned, but her smile was extremely bitter.
She waved her long sleeves.
"Yes, I know you don't love me, so I used a secret recipe from the Western Regions, took a lot of Western Region herbs, and drugged you to get pregnant."
“But Brother Yao, do you know! The Western Region creeping grass is too harmful to the body! Our child, I only managed to keep him for a little over five months, and he died a few days ago.”
"He's a demon child, his whole body is bluish-black, he looks absolutely terrifying!"
"I was terrified! I can't allow our child to look like that!"
"So I just threw him into the ditch!"
"Hahaha! That child is a useless thing. He couldn't be saved while he was alive, and he can't help me bring down Su Ruiling after he dies."
Consort Xin spoke louder and louder, her expression dazed, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing.
Apart from the little dumpling, no one could see that a tiny, bluish-purple baby was climbing on Consort Xin's shoulder.
When he heard the last sentence, he sadly lowered his head and cried.
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