Chapter 244 Seizing the Loophole
It’s a pity that Nie Danying, this smart man, had already been seen through by Hawking Chi.
He raised his eyes leisurely and glanced at Nie Danying.
It was just an emotionless glance, but it made Nie Danying's back instantly tense up. This was one of the few times that the emperor looked at him straight in the eye.
She was about to speak again, but Hawking Chi had already lowered his eyes and continued to play with the jade beads in his hand.
It seemed as if the jade bead interested him more than anyone else present.
Huo Jinchi said nothing, and Nie Danying didn't know how to speak anymore, so he could only swallow the words that were about to come out of his mouth, and then glanced at Yun Qin with a hint of pride in his eyes.
But Yun Qin didn't pay any attention to her at all. Seeing that there was no movement in the inner hall for such a long time, she was filled with anxiety. Compared to what punishment she would receive later, she was more concerned about whether Concubine Shen could give birth to the child smoothly.
It was two months early. Even if the baby was born, would it be...
She didn't dare to think too much and could only wait patiently. She didn't even look at the fight between the few people and even felt annoyed.
In other words, the real culprit must be found as soon as possible, otherwise, she will definitely kick all these people out!
Including Hawking Pond!
All the fights in the harem were caused by him!
Yun Qin's gaze fell on Huo Jinchi again, with some resentment unconsciously in her eyes, and she inadvertently saw the jade beads in his hand.
She gently twisted her fingers through the cuffs, suppressing the urge to touch her wrists.
He himself couldn't figure out when this string of beads came into his hands.
How could he still have the mind to play with beads!
Yun Qin couldn't stand it any longer and said to Rong Xin, "Let's go to the inner hall and take a look. What's taking so long?"
"Yes." Rong Xin took the order and returned to the inner hall.
Jiang Yuan, who was standing by, saw her anxiously and whispered, "Don't worry, Concubine Xi. This is Concubine Shen's first child. It will take at least two hours to give birth, and it may even take a day. Only half an hour has passed."
Only half an hour?
Yunqin felt that time seemed to last an extremely long time, yet only an hour had passed.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for letting me know."
But she also understood that if the doctor's pregnancy was not over, the shorter the delivery time, the better. The longer the time, the more likely the mother and child would be in danger.
Jiang Yuanzheng's gentle attitude towards Yun Qin made people look sideways.
Everyone knows that Jiang Yuanzheng rarely shows up nowadays. Even if he does, it is only to check the pulse of the Emperor or the Empress Dowager. Others cannot even see him, let alone have a chat with him.
Isn't it all because of the emperor's favor that she is now favored by Prime Minister Jiang?
The only one present who was gritting her teeth in hatred was probably Xu Danying. She tried hard to escalate the situation, but it was all ruined by Fang Danying.
This idiot, instead of helping her attack Yun Qin, targeted her instead!
One or two of them were interrupting, and Yun Qin looked concerned and anxious. She felt that even if the eunuch from Yanning Palace was arrested and identified Yun Qin on the spot, the emperor would not necessarily punish her severely.
It was exactly as she thought.
The eunuch was brought up quickly. Needless to say, he was terrified and insisted that it was Yun Qin who ordered him to move the pebbles.
Yun Qin, who had been silent all this time, finally opened her mouth and asked:
"You said that I ordered you to do this, then tell me when and what I said!"
The eunuch answered quickly, stating the time and place clearly and in a serious manner, and it was obvious that he had been prepared.
As if she had not expected this at all, Yun Qin showed some panic on her face, "You are talking nonsense, when have I ever seen you before, and when have I ever asked you to go to the west pond..."
When she said this, she suddenly seemed to realize that she had let the cat out of the bag and immediately bit her lip.
Everyone was startled, but the eunuch seemed to have been reminded of something and immediately said, "Yes, it's the pebbles you asked me to get from the west pond!"
Yun Qin did not rush to speak, but glanced at Xu Danying opposite her. Even though she hid it quickly, Yun Qin still saw a hint of desolation on her face.
She sneered in her heart and said:
"Eunuch Xu, please take the pebbles from the west pond and see if they are the same as the pebbles here."
Her expression became calm again and her voice became softer. It seemed as if her panic just now was just an illusion.
Xu An glanced at the emperor, and seeing that he said nothing, he immediately smiled at Yun Qin and said, "Yes, I will go right away."
After saying this, he took his people away.
Xu An's attitude, to a certain extent, explains the emperor's attitude.
But seeing the eunuch's panic-stricken look, they all felt that there was something fishy about the matter.
Nie Danying clenched his fists so tightly that his palms were about to break. He never thought that she could escape like this. He hated the emperor even more for still favoring her at this time.
Xu An came back quickly, holding two pebbles in his hands.
"Your Majesty, the one on the left was placed on the road, and the one on the right was brought back from the pond in the west by my servant."
Xu An didn't say anything else.
Because even if she didn't say it, anyone with a discerning eye could see the problem. After all, one pebble was very smooth, while the other was covered with moss. The difference was obvious.
Yun Qin snorted and sneered, "If it was really a pebble from the pond in the west and placed on the road, I'm sure anyone would be able to see it at a glance, right?"
"Who ordered you to do this?" Huo Jinchi finally spoke up and shouted at the eunuch.
The eunuch was also panicked, "Yes, I remembered it wrong, it's not the pond to the west... Your Majesty, I didn't say a word of falsehood, it was Concubine Xi who ordered me to do it!"
No matter how he was asked afterwards, he just stuck to this statement.
"Drag him away and send him to the Ministry of Punishment!" Huo Jinchi was too lazy to listen and just waved his hands.
The eunuch was dragged away screaming. Everyone looked at the emperor, waiting for him to say what to do with Concubine Xi, but after waiting for a long time, the emperor did not open his mouth.
This made them unable to sit still any longer.
"Your Majesty, this eunuch's words are so blunt. Even if he was misled by Concubine Xi, she is not innocent in this matter." Nie agreed and spoke first. "There are many doubts about Concubine Xi saving Concubine Shen. Your Majesty must give Concubine Shen an explanation!"
Seeing someone speak, Fang Danying was smart for once. He didn't say anything else, but waited to see how the emperor would react.
"I clearly caught his flaw, but you made it sound like a misunderstanding!" Yun Qin laughed, "I'd like to hear where the doubts came from."
Huo Jinchi said nothing, but just glanced at Jiang Yuanzheng next to him.
Jiang Yuanzheng understood what he meant and said immediately, "I can prove to Concubine Xi that she has just recovered from her hemorrhage and needs to rest in bed. But today her mood was very unstable and she even ran around. This action is very likely to cause another hemorrhage. She is already weak and if it happens again, I am afraid that I will not be able to save her."
"Even if Concubine Xi is just putting on an act, she wouldn't risk her life, right?"
After he finished speaking, Huo Jinchi said calmly: "Do you still have any questions?"
This attitude clearly shows that he has no intention of punishing Concubine Xi.
Nie Danying was filled with hatred and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a weak baby crying in the inner hall.
Rong Xin then ran out and said happily, "It's born, it's born, Lady Shen has given birth!"