One of the palace maids trembled slightly, gritted her teeth and spoke: "Apart from the first two times, Your Majesty actually did not visit Consort Yue for a period afterward..."
"Your Majesty, do you believe your servant?" Haoyue knelt upright, her face showing no trace of panic, as if the palace maid wasn't speaking of her.
The Emperor looked down at the trembling golden needles on his chest—how could he not believe her? If not for his faith in her, if not for his faith in her...
"Guards..."
"This humble maid has evidence!" Knowing things were turning dire, the palace maid committed the grave offense of interrupting the Emperor. She had originally been under Chief Eunuch Lai Fu's command. Had Consort Yue not threatened her with the man who had been waiting for her outside the palace for years, how could she have been coerced into serving Consort Yue? She only needed to endure one more year to leave the palace—they had even secretly set a wedding date. Now they would likely never meet again. Knowing she couldn't escape death, she would make sure Consort Yue couldn't live either!
"Your last visit with Her Ladyship was on the ninth day of the eleventh month. Calculating the time, Her Ladyship should have been six months pregnant. Yet she already knew she was pregnant that day—she secretly took miscarriage-prevention medicine before enticing you to share her bed. In truth, she had been pregnant for over seven months. Miraculous Doctor Yu would know with one examination."
The hall fell deathly silent. All eyes, both open and hidden, fell upon Haoyue. The account was so detailed and plausible—could it be true?
The Emperor suddenly smiled. "I recall it was Minister Fang who performed the health examinations for Consort Yue."
The imperial physicians knelt in a corner, led by the chief physician. The named Physician Fang turned pale, forehead dripping with cold sweat as he crawled forward and prostrated himself on the ground.
"Then let Minister Fang inform Us—exactly how many months pregnant is Consort Yue?"
"Your servant... your servant deserves ten thousand deaths!"
"What need have I for your ten thousand deaths? I only need you to take Consort Yue's pulse. Is this not your duty?"
Physician Fang collapsed disgracefully to the floor. He hurriedly tried to kneel properly again but couldn't maintain the position for even a breath before collapsing once more, his disgrace fully exposed.
The Emperor closed his eyes and leaned back. Lai Fu, despite his own illness, attended at his side and immediately reached out to support the Emperor's head, fearing he might be uncomfortable.
The Emperor turned his head and saw Lai Fu, now so thin he was practically skin and bones. For a moment, his gaze couldn't focus properly. That's right—he hadn't seen this old servant for many days. "Are you preparing to continue serving me in the underworld?"
Lai Fu's eyes immediately reddened. Though he had been hurt and resentful over the Emperor's past distrust, this was still the master he had served his entire life. An entire lifetime! From youth to now, decades had passed in a blur. Who could have imagined that the ambitious young prince would meet such an end?
The Empress Dowager had been calculating timing in her heart, but now couldn't help informing her confused son: "Do you think Lai Fu is truly ill? He was plotted against—poisoned. I heard Haoyue dislikes him and never allows him into her Like Moon Hall. Had he always been by your side, how could you have reached this point? Emperor, you may not believe me, nor Yan Xi, nor anyone else, but you should believe in Lai Fu's loyalty to you. What other path does he have besides loyalty to you? Who else does he have besides you?"
Was... that how it was?
The Emperor's gaze fell into emptiness, his expression faint. "Haoyue, do you have anything to say?"
"Your servant's loyalty to Your Majesty is witnessed by heaven and earth!"
"And the Fourth Prince?"The Fourth Prince swallowed hard and responded with equal firmness, "Your son is naturally loyal to you, Father Emperor."
The Emperor threw his head back and laughed, his chest heaving so violently that the golden needles seemed on the verge of falling out. Awakening from this dream, he realized how utterly foolish he had been.
These were his own sons—the truth or falsehood of their words required no debate and was clear at a glance. The most laughable part was that he had been so blinded in mind, deceived by such lowly tricks to this extent, and had alienated that nephew who had always treated him with sincere devotion.
Knowing that he consumed elixirs, that nephew had made sure the Celestial Masters vanished from the capital. If he were to find out that the Emperor had believed slanderous tales and consumed human blood and heart flesh, he would surely have killed Haoyue first, even if he knew it would lead him to the executioner's block.
That nephew was his prized steed, now a thousand miles away, driving back enemies and protecting the people on his behalf.
"Miraculous Doctor Yu, your assistance is requested."
Miraculous Doctor Yu sighed inwardly, cupped his hands slightly, and walked toward Consort Yue, who was being restrained.
Haoyue, who had been acting defiant all along, suddenly struggled with all her might. "Your Majesty, why won't you believe me? You promised you would always trust me!"
"I did trust you," the Emperor said, his smile bitter. "So when you said Hua Zhi was secretly forming factions and building such a network for treasonous purposes, I believed you. When you claimed she resented the Hua family's plight and schemed to make Yan Xi fall in love with her, I believed you. When you suggested Yan Xi's loyalty was now questionable, I listened and set up these intricate traps to test him. And when you said Little Six had grown powerful enough to rebel and was plotting a coup, I truly forced him to lead his officials into the palace. Haoyue, have I not trusted you enough?"
"Then trust me once more, just this last time!"
"If you were as innocent as you claim, why fear having your pulse read?" The Emperor waved his hand, and two more palace attendants stepped forward to help restrain Haoyue.
Miraculous Doctor Yu shook his head slightly, resigned, and knelt to take Consort Yue's wrist. Once this matter was over, he vowed never to step foot in the palace again!
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts so much..." Haoyue screamed, breaking free from her captors to clutch her stomach. Just as everyone assumed she was feigning, the lower part of her robe soaked red—she was truly miscarrying.
"Your Majesty, my stomach hurts terribly..." Haoyue lifted her head, revealing a face drenched in sweat. On it was the same look of dependence and trust she always wore in front of the Emperor, like a delicate young girl.
Unfortunately, the Emperor was no longer the man he once was. He did not even glance at Haoyue and merely asked, "Miraculous Doctor Yu, have you determined the cause?"
"This old man estimates she is more than seven months along."
"Chief Physician, go and examine her."
The Chief Physician obeyed, stepping forward to forcibly take Consort Yue's wrist and check her pulse. Trembling, he reported, "Your subject concurs with Miraculous Doctor Yu's assessment."
As if all his spirit had drained away, the Emperor looked utterly defeated. Hearing Haoyue's continuous cries, he said coldly, "Gag her."
With the affection built on deception gone, so too was any pity. Haoyue writhed in pain, her features contorted, experiencing for the first time the heartlessness of an emperor. She thought, if only this child had been lost earlier—if it had, she would never have found herself in such an impossible situation.But she couldn't bear to lose it. In her previous life, she had never been able to conceive until the very end. She could only watch as he favored one woman after another, watched him rejoice over the birth of his illegitimate eldest son, and grow increasingly cold toward her because she couldn't bear him a legitimate heir. This time, she had conceived so easily. Even though the timing wasn't right, she was still overjoyed. It wasn't so much about love, but rather that the regret from her past life was finally being fulfilled in this one. This sense of satisfaction was so overwhelming that it made her even more reluctant to let go. She feared that if she lost this one, there would never be another.
"Mm..." A sharp pain shot through her, and Haoyue instinctively tensed up. A rush of warmth spread from her lower body, and soon the unbearable agony that made her wish for death began to ease.
An experienced matron stepped forward, lifted the hem of her clothes, and let out a sharp cry before stumbling back two steps. Quickly realizing where she was, she covered her mouth and used her body to shield Haoyue. She then turned to Yu Xiang, urgently shaking her head at her.
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