12dz Chapter 150 Doubt
Chapter 150 Doubt
He Lingyi deeply sympathized with Consort Qin's hatred.
But there wasn't much she could do. She offered a few words of comfort and prepared to leave, but before she left, Consort Qin asked her to wait. Then she took a deep breath, her eyes regaining some of their former clarity from the sorrow of her mother's love, and then she spoke.
"Although I am no longer involved in affairs, I have heard some things about Consort Tong's pregnancy in the harem. Because it involves whether the royal bloodline has been confused, I have to remind you that when His Majesty was unwell, in order to prolong his life, the Imperial Hospital had to administer strong medicine. At that time, Physician Xu told me that His Majesty was afraid that he would have no more children. In just a few months, Consort Tong became pregnant. Therefore, I am skeptical about this matter. It would be best if you asked Physician Xu. If... someone is trying to tamper with the royal offspring, you and the Crown Prince should be more vigilant."
Words, click to the end.
But the meaning couldn't be clearer.
He Lingyi had not expected to gain such a reward today, so when she got up to bid farewell to Consort Qin, her sincerity remained unchanged.
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I understand. I will discuss it with His Highness immediately."
After saying this, Consort Qin returned to her previous state of grief, her eyes and nose red. Even though the spring breeze had swept across Dalong, her heart remained forever in that cold winter.
As He Lingyi stepped out of the palace gate, her expression was not pleasant.
Confusion about the imperial heir is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Is Consort Tong really so brainless as to do that?
She was no longer sure, so she quickly left and headed straight for the East Palace.
Not long after, news spread that she was not feeling well, so Physician Xu was ordered to enter the Eastern Palace to take the Crown Princess's pulse, and was subsequently detained.
Inside the side hall, Physician Xu told the Crown Prince and He Lingyi everything he knew. He was originally Consort Qin's man, so there was no need for him to fabricate anything. After listening to his detailed analysis of the old emperor's condition and the extent of the medicine administered that day, Chen Sha, who was well-versed in medical principles, nodded repeatedly, indicating his agreement with his statement.
At this point, the couple exchanged a glance, realizing that Consort Tong had indeed taken a risk.
"To save Physician Xu's life, you will stay in the East Palace for the time being and take good care of the Crown Princess's pulse."
"Yes, this old minister thanks the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess."
If such a royal secret were to be leaked, it would be a capital offense, and might even implicate nine generations of one's family. Therefore, Physician Xu was eager to extricate himself from this matter completely, and thus naturally kowtowed to thank the Crown Prince and his wife for their imperial grace.
After seeing off Physician Xu, the Crown Prince immediately summoned Xia Jing.
"Investigate all the palace servants who have been serving Father Emperor these past few days, and see if anyone has been imposters. Also, I need to know who diagnosed Consort Tong's pregnancy, and who has been protecting her pregnancy!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
After giving these instructions, He Lingyi waved for everyone to leave.
Inside the side hall, only she and the Crown Prince sat quietly, neither of them saying much. She refused to speak because she knew the Crown Prince was processing the matter, so she could only quietly accompany him, unable to do anything else.
It wasn't until almost an incense stick's time had passed that the Crown Prince finally revealed some of his past experiences.
“When I was six years old, my mother was pregnant once, but unfortunately the child was miscarried before three months. Since then, my mother’s health and spirit have not been as good as before. Sometimes she looks at me and smiles, but it’s as if it’s not me. So for a long time, I thought that if that child could have been kept, my mother would not have passed away so early, and I would not have no close siblings by my side.”
"It's widely rumored outside that the princes and princesses in the palace have died one after another, all because of me. I don't like to explain such a bad reputation, but that doesn't mean I can tolerate Consort Tong's outrageous behavior. But I don't understand why Father is covering for her. This... could it be that the intimate moments could be fake?"
The Crown Prince shared his thoughts, and He Lingyi also had doubts on this point.
What methods did Consort Tong use to gain the old emperor's approval of her actions? There's probably no one in the world willing to willingly wear a green hat for themselves!
Thinking about this, the couple were both puzzled.
"Your Highness, please don't be anxious. Take your time investigating. We'll eventually find out the reason. Right now, Consort Tong is in the limelight. Given her arrogant nature, she'll surely slip up easily. It won't be difficult for us to investigate then."
The Crown Prince nodded, tacitly agreeing with He Lingyi's words.
The strife in the palace was far from over, and the same was true outside the palace. A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the seventh day after the death of Old Madam Chi.
Chi Yunjing remained imprisoned in the dungeon of the Eastern Palace and was not released. In fact, this matter had caused quite a stir in the court. Although he had no powerful backers, he was still a fourth-rank official. His arrest and detention without reason became a pretext for the censors.
Therefore, Zhang Yanguan, the man who once fought Prince Jin for three hundred rounds in the court without losing, took this matter and lashed out in the court, expressing his dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince's failure to restrain the behavior of the Eastern Palace guards.
At the same time, the two young masters of the Haibo Marquis's family, as well as Qiao Er, were also impeached.
The crown prince listened quietly to his impassioned and eloquent speeches, without refuting them, but instead asked calmly.
"According to what Minister Zhang said, shouldn't the Imperial Guards of the Eastern Palace be disbanded? Shouldn't the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review be dismissed and investigated? And while we're at it, should we arrest everyone in the Eastern Palace and have you interrogate them?"
Three questions left Zhang Yanguan speechless, unsure how to answer.
He always just curses people without thinking about what to do next. With his passion and stubborn sense of justice, he dares to stab anyone and pull anyone out. So in the past, he wasn't afraid of even the Heavenly King himself. Anyway, he only had one life to live, and he was willing to kill himself for everyone to see!
As a result, the Crown Prince neither argued with him nor got angry with him. He simply asked him a few questions, which left Zhang speechless for a moment. As a result, Zhang Yanguan's face turned red with anger, but his momentum was suppressed.
Many officials who had been "hurt" by Zhang Yanguan's eccentric temper were secretly cheering in their hearts. "Serves you right for being so arrogant and domineering. Now you've met your match!"
Therefore, the officials who supported the crown prince became even more emboldened, and their wise ruler was not even afraid of the censors. He was truly a great man!
The Crown Prince didn't really want to confront Zhang Yanguan, but this matter involved many people. If people came to impeach him every day, his case files would pile up. He decided to deal with the most troublesome one at once, and then he could take down anyone who dared to speak out in the future with just three questions!
After all, no one dares to actually do that, because that would be announcing to the world that the Crown Prince's Palace is going to be disbanded!