Chapter 267 Big Fish is the Queen
Concubine Yi: "Isn't it? You scold me if I smile. The Empress is still sitting there. Even the Emperor didn't say a word, but you are jumping up and down."
These words were a bit harsh, and Concubine Shu immediately felt embarrassed.
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Queen Song interrupted them coldly: "If you want to quarrel, go outside Jingren Palace. Do you think this place is a vegetable market?"
Concubine Yi resolutely stood up and apologized to Queen Song: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I spoke out of turn."
Seeing this, Concubine Shu could only stand up and bow unwillingly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
After paying his respects, he sat down again without waiting for Queen Song to speak.
That look, I'll be as perfunctory as you want.
The concubines and nobles sitting in the back looked at each other in bewilderment, all of them kept silent, and some even regretted coming here.
It would be great to see the emperor, but with this smoke-filled situation, I'm afraid that if things go wrong, it will bring disaster to others.
Concubine Xian looked at Concubine Yi in surprise, thinking that the rumors these days were indeed true. Concubine Yi suddenly became close to the Queen.
why is that?
This doubt passed through her mind once, and then she put it behind her.
Now is not the time to think about this issue.
After waiting for another quarter of an hour, Hu Qian came in hurriedly. Because he ran so fast, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
The moment Zhenpin saw Hu Qian, she immediately stood up and stared at Hu Qian.
Hu Qian didn't waste any time. He bowed to everyone and said, "Your Majesty, Doctor Xu is willing to confess. I brought him to the palace as soon as I heard about it."
Having said that, he turned around and said, "Bring the person in."
Two young eunuchs carried the bloody Doctor Xu into the main hall.
As soon as they came in, the hall was filled with a faint smell of blood. Yunlu and Shaohua immediately lit some spices to dispel the bloody atmosphere in the hall.
Doctor Xu was thrown to the ground. Because of the torture, he could only lie prone. When he opened his mouth, blood foam came out.
Concubine Shu covered her mouth with a handkerchief in disgust: "How can you still explain yourself after being beaten like this?"
Concubine Yi didn't say anything, but she also looked puzzled.
However, Concubine Xian stared at Doctor Xu closely. Although her face showed no emotion, her hands were tightly twisting the handkerchief.
Lu Xiang observed the behavior of the three people, and finally his gaze lingered on Concubine Xian for a while, then moved away without making a sound.
Hu Qian bowed to Concubine Shu and said, "Don't worry, Madam. He can still tell you whatever you want to ask."
Everyone knew that they wanted to pry something out of Doctor Xu's mouth, so they wouldn't kill him, but it wouldn't be pleasant either.
Doctor Xu entered the Ministry of Justice and begged for mercy after only the third torture.
"Doctor Xu, Concubine Zhen was clearly not pregnant, so why did you lie and say she was? Who told you to do this?"
Queen Song slammed the table and said angrily.
As soon as these words were spoken, Concubine Shu and other concubines who came later all showed shocked expressions and subconsciously looked towards Concubine Zhen.
This made Concubine Zhen feel so ashamed.
After the shock, everyone felt relieved.
It turns out that Concubine Zhen’s pregnancy was fake.
Concubine Shu showed an expression of gloating over other people's misfortunes without any scruples. She half covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled, "Oh, what's going on? Concubine Zhen is not pregnant. Is she faking pregnancy on purpose to win favor? Concubine Zhen, you are too foolish."
He said confusedly, but the sarcasm in his eyes was about to overflow.
Concubine Zhen bit her lip and said indifferently, "Madam Shufei, please be careful with your words. The Empress said that it was Doctor Xu who lied that I was pregnant, not that I pretended to be pregnant."
"Does it make any difference? Maybe you and Doctor Xu planned this together." Concubine Shu said, glancing at Concubine Zhen.
After being shocked, Concubine Xian was filled with fear. The fingers that were gripping the armrests of the chair turned pale. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she would have almost been unable to sit still.
Was it really because of this incident that Doctor Xu was arrested?
How did the Queen realize that something was wrong with Doctor Xu, and how did Concubine Zhen discover that she was not pregnant?
The series of questions made Concubine Xian's mind a mess. She tried hard to calm herself down, but she became more panicked.
Imperial Physician Xu had been taking care of Concubine Zhen's fetus during this period, and Concubine Zhen had not asked any other imperial physician to take her pulse. Why was it suddenly exposed?
Queen Song glared at Concubine Shu with a cold look and said, "Shut up."
Concubine Shu gritted her teeth in anger, but when she saw that the emperor didn't say anything, she could only shut her mouth in hatred.
Doctor Xu prostrated himself on the ground, gasping for breath. His defenses had long been broken after being severely tortured, so he did not struggle or cry out for injustice. He said with trembling lips, "I confess everything. I contributed a recipe for pregnancy to Concubine Zhen, so Concubine Zhen recognized my medical skills and kept asking me to take her pulse. When the time was right, I lied to Concubine Zhen that she was pregnant. Because I had worked in the Imperial Hospital for several years, Concubine Zhen did not suspect anything. I also gave her medicine so that she would not have her period for a short time..."
Concubine Zhen was so angry that her hands were shaking. She angrily asked, "I trust you so much, why do you do this?"
Doctor Xu did not look at Concubine Zhen. He grimaced in pain from the wound he pulled while talking. After a pause, he continued, "Originally, we should have waited a little longer and asked the maids in the Yanxi Palace to pretend to accidentally spread the rumor that Concubine Zhen was not pregnant. When the emperor got suspicious, he would naturally ask other doctors to diagnose her. Then Concubine Zhen would be guilty of deceiving the emperor and would have no way to defend herself."
"At that time, I will admit that it was the Queen's will..."
When Queen Song heard this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How ridiculous! I am the head of the harem, and I have many ways to deal with Concubine Zhen. Why would I have to go through so much trouble?"
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but nod in their hearts.
That's right. If the Queen wants to punish someone, all she needs to do is say a word. Even if she is right, she can make your life miserable. There is no need to call an imperial physician to plot against Concubine Zhen.
She is just a concubine, not the emperor's favorite. Why doesn't the empress deal with the concubine who has a prince, but goes to deal with Concubine Zhen?
Just kidding.
Besides, she is Lu Xiang’s aunt. Isn’t it said that the Queen loves Lu Xiang very much, so much so that she even takes better care of Concubine Zhen in the harem? Could this be false?
Doctor Xu shook his head and said, "That's not the case. The Queen instructed me and Concubine Zhen to stage this fake pregnancy. The Queen didn't have her own child, so she tried to get Concubine Zhen to fake pregnancy so that she could bring a baby boy from outside the palace to be her own son on the day of delivery. In this way, it's not just Concubine Zhen who is deceiving the Queen, but the Queen herself."
If this were to happen, Queen Song would be deposed even if she didn't die.
Therefore, Concubine Zhen's fake pregnancy was just a bait. The big fish that the person behind the scenes really wanted to catch was Queen Song.
Emperor Chengde was completely stunned when he heard this.
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