Chapter 330 Turning Against Each Other
Doctor Xue examined Shen Ci'an's pulse and confirmed that he had indeed taken the medicine. He had no idea how horrific the death would be.
Is he insane?
"Lord Shen's strong character is truly admirable. I hope you can bear the consequences when the time comes." Xiao Yunheng sneered, a surge of anger rising in his heart.
Shen Ci'an appears to be upright and reliable, but it turns out he harbors wicked intentions and is not trustworthy at all.
When he first followed him, he was not entirely at ease with him and kept testing him.
It wasn't until Shen Ci'an rescued Li Yan, the Minister of Works, from the imperial prison that he began to trust him to some extent.
He only began to look at Yan Wenhong with new respect after she devised a plan to rescue him.
But what happened in the end? Even though he made Shen Ci'an take the drug to ensure everything went smoothly and let him know all his plans, he actually betrayed him for a woman.
Shen Ci'an had helped him a lot, but he had also secretly helped him a great deal, and he had promised not to lay a hand on Jiang Zhi again.
If I were to ascend to the throne one day, Shen Ci'an would certainly be my right-hand man. Becoming a marquis or prime minister would be a given, and I could have as many women as I wanted, with one on each side.
His future was bright and promising, yet he insisted on going down a dead end and working against himself.
Xiao Yunheng gave a cold, dismissive smile, looking at Shen Ci'an as if he were a dead man.
"If the Prince of Xiang has nothing else to say, then this humble official and his wife will take our leave." Shen Ci'an was not intimidated at all, only giving him a cold look.
When he took that pill, he had already disregarded life and death.
Xiao Yunheng is a major threat, and he is also deeply favored by the emperor. No matter how serious his crimes are, he will not be punished. Only by arousing the emperor's suspicion and giving him a reason to kill him can Xiao Yunheng be completely brought to power.
"Wait a minute, things haven't been settled yet, why is Lord Shen in such a hurry to leave?" Xiao Yunheng was certain that Shen Ci'an was feeling guilty.
That's true. The three witnesses he brought here today are no pushovers.
Especially Lin Qiyun.
It took him a lot of time and effort to save her, and Shen Ci'an was not directly involved in the process.
He said to Emperor Xuanzhao, "Your Majesty, I can fully understand why Lord Shen values Princess Qinghe's reputation and does not want to verify this matter. But may I ask the Crown Prince and Lord Shen if they would dare to let this doctor take Princess Qinghe's pulse first?"
Xiao Xuanyou remained calm; at this moment, he had no grounds to object.
Shen Ci'an raised an eyebrow. "What does the Crown Prince of Xiang want to do?"
"Lord Shen need not worry. This doctor took the pulse of a lady in the Eastern Palace some time ago. Let him see if she is Princess Qinghe?"
"What do you think, Shen Qing?" Emperor Xuanzhao also asked him.
Shen Ci'an nodded and helped Jiang Zhi sit down.
The doctor stepped forward cautiously, and Xiao Yunheng asked Jiang Zhi, "Wait, apart from today, has Madam Shen not set foot in the East Palace at all in the past few months?"
Jiang Zhi glanced at Shen Ci'an, then lowered her head and wrung out her handkerchief. "Yes."
"Alright, please take my pulse, doctor," Xiao Yunheng said.
The doctor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He was just a folk doctor who, despite having seen countless medical cases, had never come into contact with royalty or nobles.
Moreover, he wasn't stupid. This was clearly a power struggle within the royal family, yet it dragged in a powerless and insignificant doctor like himself, which truly terrified him.
But there's no use thinking about it now. After carefully taking Jiang Zhi's pulse, he nodded and said, "That's right, this lady is the one from the East Palace. I would never mistake this unique pulse."
He dared not lie and could only tell the truth.
Xiao Yunheng then laughed, "Didn't Princess Qinghe just say that she hasn't set foot in the East Palace in recent months? Then why is she here having this doctor take her pulse?"
Jiang Zhi looked troubled, biting her lower lip tightly as she glanced at Shen Ci'an.
Shen Ci'an gave her a reassuring smile, "Madam, please feel free to say whatever you want. I'll take care of everything."
Jiang Zhi hesitated for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and knelt before Emperor Xuanzhao. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I deserve to die."
"Speak." Emperor Xuanzhao's face revealed neither joy nor anger.
At this moment, Li Jinyan knelt down and said, "Father, it is all my fault. I have not been able to conceive since I got married, so Mother specially went to Jiangnan to find a famous gynecologist to treat me."
"I knew that Lady Shen had not conceived since her marriage, so I secretly brought her into the palace to examine her pulse together."
Emperor Xuanzhao lowered his eyes and stared at Jiang Zhi, "Then why did Madam Shen hide it just now?"
Jiang Zhi lowered her head. "Yes, it's because I took a lot of medicine to treat my health, and my husband later disagreed with me seeing those doctors and taking all kinds of medicine anymore. Once, I secretly went to see a doctor without his knowledge, and he scolded me for a long time."
She kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept things from you for fear of upsetting you."
“How could Madam be so foolish?” Shen Ci’an lifted his robe and knelt beside her. “Princess Qinghe did all this for my sake. If Your Majesty wants to punish me, I am willing to accept any punishment.”
Emperor Xuanzhao felt an unbearable headache.
This matter involves many aspects, and since there are conflicting accounts, it is impossible to draw a conclusion easily.
But one of them was his son, on whom he had placed great hopes since childhood, and the other was his "illegitimate son," on whom he felt deeply guilty. He really didn't know which one to favor.
"Enough, enough, I will not blame you for this for now," Emperor Xuanzhao waved his hand.
Li Jinyan spoke up, "Father, there is something I don't understand. Regarding the matter of the physician entering the Eastern Palace, because Lady Shen was afraid that others would find out, she specifically instructed me to act carefully. Why is it that the Prince of Xiang, who is far away in the Prince of Xiang's residence, knows so much about such a secret matter that happened in the Eastern Palace?"
This was practically pointing a finger at Xiao Yunheng, accusing him of planting spies in the Eastern Palace and spying on him day and night.
"This matter was told to me by the doctor after I saved him. I have only reverence for His Highness the Crown Prince and have never overstepped my bounds in the slightest," Xiao Yunheng said.
Emperor Xuanzhao somewhat regretted coming to the Eastern Palace to see the Crown Prince with Xiao Yunheng today.
“I know,” he asked in a deep voice, “Prince Xiang, do you have any other evidence?”
"Of course there are."
Xiao Yunheng's gaze fell on Lin Qiyun, who was kneeling, and he raised an eyebrow at her without making a sound.
Fortunately, I had a backup plan.
He had spent a lot of energy and effort to rescue Lin Qiyun while avoiding Xiao Xuanyou's men, so he would naturally be put to good use.
Lin Qiyun understood what he meant.
Previously, she had kept it somewhat hidden for the sake of Jiang Zhi's reputation.
But since Shen Ci'an has switched sides at the last minute, he doesn't need to worry about so much anymore.
Lin Qiyun's face lit up with joy.
Jiang Zhi, your time to die has come.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, this sinful woman has something else to say."
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