Chapter 233 Xi Qingtong sees blood
Qingwu had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Now that his reputation was cleared, he let out a long sigh of relief and felt naturally in high spirits.
The other couple still kneeling on the ground didn't look so happy. Xi Qingtong and Song Yunhe had never imagined that Xi Jianan would whitewash the exchange in such a way.
But what could they say? This matter would also benefit them. From now on, they would no longer have to worry all the time. So they could not say anything. They could only agree, accept it, and record what Xi Jianan said today as the truth. From now on, anyone who asked would tell them the same thing.
They were childhood sweethearts, in love with each other, and when they said such words in front of the emperor...they were tied together for the rest of their lives.
Xi Qingtong knelt on the ground, her five fingers pressed tightly against the ground, her meridians fully exposed. She glanced at Song Yunhe beside her. This husband she had planned to marry had now become an invisible shackle in her eyes.
Song Yunhe's face was pale, and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Endless regret welled up in his heart, regretting that he had been deceived by Xi Qingtong.
Their eyes met by chance, and they saw the same despair in each other's eyes - the rest of their lives were long, but they had to be tied to someone they had long been resentful of.
All those vows we made in the past have now become self-defeating.
The most ridiculous thing is that they still kowtow in gratitude and express their thanks: "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace!"
The moment the voice came out, Xi Qingtong clearly realized that from now on she could only be Mrs. Song. She regained her true identity that she had always dreamed of, but it seemed even more embarrassing than not regaining it.
Those sisters who used to know her in the boudoir must have been very surprised when they knew she had chosen Song Yunhe as her husband. They thought she was crazy.
The two of them stood up in a daze and prepared to leave, but Xi Qingtong unexpectedly met Prince An's eyes and was instantly startled!
Prince An, yes, Prince An!
Now that the situation has become like this, what should she and Prince An do? !
Frightened, Xi Qingtong suddenly felt dizzy. Fortunately, Song Yunhe supported her in time. Seeing this, Xi Jianan immediately said, "I am pregnant. Please allow me to go down and rest."
Xiao Yuancheng naturally had no objection. After he nodded, a palace maid immediately took the two of them to a side hall to rest.
Then came the part he was most looking forward to. Xi Jianan bowed and said in a clear voice, "I have an important matter to report. During my tenure in Jingzhou, I have witnessed an auspicious sign, which I would like to present to Your Majesty to celebrate his birthday!"
After he finished speaking, he clapped his hands twice, and the lords present watched as eight guards slowly walked into the hall carrying a huge object covered with a red cloth.
Xiao Yuancheng, still feeling excited, pretended to be serious and asked, "Oh? What's inside?"
Xi Jianan understood what he meant and stepped forward to remove the red silk. The moment the red silk fell, a magnificent bronze tripod suddenly appeared.
The tripod is half a man's height, its three legs standing like pillars supporting the heavens. Its belly is round and full, symbolizing peace and prosperity. Its ears are shaped like a coiled dragon, its head raised to the sky, its scales visible in every detail.
There was silence in the venue, with only occasional exclamations of surprise.
Xiao Yuancheng could hardly restrain himself from walking down from the dragon throne. He walked quickly to the tripod and touched the inscription "Longevity equal to the sky" on the tripod with obsession. He vaguely felt that these words were glowing with a mysterious green light under the illumination of the palace lanterns.
"This is the Longevity Cauldron! Judging by the seal script, it must be an ancient cauldron from the previous dynasty," Xi Jianan said solemnly. "When the cauldron appeared, it was surrounded by river fish and glowed at night. It is truly a sign of divine blessing! Therefore, I have come to the capital without stopping, just to present it to Your Majesty!"
"My dear ministers, come and see!" Xiao Yuancheng himself was fond of these antiques, and he could tell the authenticity of this ancient tripod at a glance.
Xiao Yuancheng excitedly beckoned his ministers closer for a closer look. "The bronze and the inscriptions are undoubtedly antiques from a previous dynasty!" He gently stroked the lines on the tripod's body with his fingertips. "Look at the patina, the verdigris—it's definitely not something you can fake!"
Several senior officials came closer to take a closer look and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise! This tripod has ancient patterns and vigorous inscriptions. It is undoubtedly an antique!"
"What's even more wonderful is these four words 'Longevity equal to the sky'," Xiao Yuancheng caressed the inscription lovingly, his face flushed, and he felt much better all of a sudden.
Seeing this, who in the palace didn't understand? They all knelt and shouted, "God bless Dayu, and may Your Majesty live forever!"
Among the kneeling princes, except for Xiao Ji and Qing Wu, the rest of them all had grim expressions. As expected, Xiao Yuancheng, overjoyed, immediately issued an edict: "Lord Xi, for your meritorious service in presenting the treasure, is rewarded with a thousand taels of gold! He is also granted the title of county earl!"
Amidst the sounds of congratulations, Xiao Ji and Qing Wu stood up and smiled at each other. Everything was under their control, and their hands were secretly clasped together under the table.
At this moment, a eunuch suddenly approached Bai De'an. After hearing what Bai De'an said, his expression changed and he approached Xiao Yuancheng and reported in a low voice.
Xiao Yuancheng frowned, but in a moment he raised his voice and said, "Lord Xi, please go to the side hall to receive your reward. And Xue Nu, your princess, please come with us. Lord Xi, I'm afraid you can't carry so much gold by yourself. Let's continue to appraise the treasures!"
These words were really abrupt. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that something must have happened. Xi Jianan also fixed his gaze. The three of them followed the eunuch to the side hall without saying much.
As soon as they left the main hall, the eunuch's expression suddenly changed. He said urgently, "Mrs. Song just fainted in the side hall. It seems she had seen blood! My lords, go and take a look!"
The three of them looked terrified, and hurriedly followed the eunuch to the side hall. As they reached the door to the attic, they saw Song Yunhe standing there. Before they could exchange pleasantries, the door creaked open and closed, and a female doctor emerged with a grave expression.
"What's going on?" Xi Jianan stepped forward quickly.
"I just examined Madam Song. She's spotting. The situation... isn't very optimistic." She hesitated, glancing at the tightly closed palace door. Finally, she just shook her head, "Let's wait for the imperial physician to come."
Qingwu keenly caught the doctor's strange expression and was about to ask her when the imperial physician hurried over.
Everyone had no choice but to follow the imperial physician in. Xiao Ji stopped outside the door and only looked inside from a distance. To be more precise, he looked at Qing Wu. As for others, he didn't care.
When the imperial physician was taking the pulse, another person suddenly walked in from outside the door. Qingwu glanced sideways and found that it was Princess An?
Why is she here? And she looks like she's here to join in the fun?
However, Qing Wu did not interrupt the imperial physician's pulse-taking. After a moment, the imperial physician frowned and asked, "How is the pregnancy these days, Madam?"
Song Yunhe hurriedly said, "The fetus has not been stable, but I have been taking the pregnancy-maintaining medicine on time..."
Hearing this, the imperial physician murmured in confusion: "If she had been taking pregnancy-preserving medicine all the time, it wouldn't have come to this..."
At this moment, Princess An, who had been watching silently for a while, suddenly raised her lips and sneered, "Yeah, how could the fetus be unstable for no reason? Could it be that someone is having an affair while pregnant?"
Xi Jianan shouted, "Princess An, please be careful with your words!"
Princess An's smile grew even more flamboyant. "Master Xi, what's the hurry?" She looked towards the bed, where Xi Qingtong was slowly waking up. "Just look at your daughter's face and see what it means to have a guilty conscience!"
Xi Qingtong had just opened her eyes when she heard these heartbreaking words. Her face turned pale as paper. She subconsciously covered her stomach, her lips trembling but unable to speak.
This appearance made the people standing by the bed feel a sudden pang of fear. Could something really be wrong? If Princess An didn't know something, she wouldn't dare to make a scene in public, right?
Princess An walked slowly to the bedside and looked down at Xi Qingtong. "Even a talent like Song Tanhua can't satisfy you?"
Although Prince An had changed the subject that day, Princess An had also remembered it in her heart. How could a woman be so indifferent to her man's philandering? Especially with a woman she hated. She hated that face!
Princess An knew what Xi Jianan said today, that the sister exchange was a done deal and there was nothing more to say, but she was unwilling to let Xi Qingtong go just like that.
Childhood sweethearts? When you find out your wife is cheating on you, will you still guess?
Song Yunhe couldn't help himself at this moment and asked, "Princess An, what do you mean by this?"
Princess An glanced at him sideways, her sympathy undisguised. "What do I mean...wouldn't you know if you examined her body?"
Hearing this, Xi Qingtong grabbed her collar tightly in fear, her voice trembling: "Yunhe... don't listen to her nonsense..." She looked at her father in panic, "Dad, I didn't..."
Things have come to this point. If someone finds out that she is having an affair again, she dare not think about what consequences will await her!
But those flickering eyes and pale face made it seem even more obvious that he was trying to hide something.
Looking at her like this, Song Yunhe suddenly remembered that she often went out recently and came home after several hours. He originally thought that she went out shopping, but could a pregnant woman really go shopping for so long?
His eyes turned cold, and he suddenly said, "I want to check."
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