"The Crown Prince's blood... was spat out at such an opportune moment..."
Yet when one considers that his nominal wife was secretly seducing his own father behind his back, anyone would be enraged enough to feel their blood boiling—let alone the Crown Prince, who was already physically frail.
The incident had blown up so dramatically, and with the temporary palace being so compact, keeping it under wraps was impossible. Moreover, An Jingnan had come searching for his daughter, forcing the Crown Princess to order the Golden Guard to conduct a search. Now everyone was awaiting the outcome.
By this point, likely not only Xiao Huayong but the entire temporary palace knew exactly what disgraceful deeds An Zhengyi had committed.
Though Shen Xihe knew full well that Xiao Huayong was feigning, she had no choice but to play along. After hastily paying her respects to the Youning Emperor, she hurried back to her bedchamber. Xiao Huayong lay quietly on the bed, his face as pale as paper, his lips tinged a faint purple. A cascade of dark hair spilled disorderly across the pillow, making him appear exceptionally fragile and even pitiable...
The Youning Emperor and the Empress Dowager naturally followed closely behind Shen Xihe. As they all entered Xiao Huayong's chamber, the Emperor stared intently at his son's pallid countenance, remaining silent.
Several imperial physicians took turns examining him, all arriving at the same conclusion. The Chief Imperial Physician reported, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has suffered a severe emotional shock that damaged his heart meridian, causing him to lose consciousness. Given His Highness's inherent physical weakness and his frequent emotional fluctuations in recent years, this has truly harmed his constitution and compromised his foundational health. I fear..."
"Fear what?" the Empress Dowager demanded, her face dark.
The Chief Imperial Physician trembled inwardly but had to speak the truth. Besides, the Eastern Palace had its own physicians well-versed in medical theory—there was no hiding it. "Without miraculous medicine or a fortunate turn of events, I fear even three to five years may be too much to hope for."
After delivering this verdict, the physicians prostrated themselves, not daring to lift their heads or even breathe heavily.
Shen Xihe suddenly turned and performed a formal kneeling bow to the Empress Dowager and the Youning Emperor. "Your child implores Your Majesty to sentence the An woman to death!"
As the Crown Princess, unless on special occasions, she typically had no need to perform such a formal and solemn bow to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
"The An woman is shameless and devoid of integrity, with a heart as venomous as a snake's. Does Your Majesty still hesitate to deal with such a person?" the Empress Dowager pressed coldly.
On one side was Shen Xihe, applying subtle pressure—seemingly ready to kneel indefinitely and create an irreparable scene if the Emperor did not administer fair punishment.
On the other was the resolute Empress Dowager, clearly dissatisfied with his delays and apparent favoritism toward An Zhengyi.
"Mother, there are still questionable aspects regarding the An woman's case..."
"What questionable aspects?" the Empress Dowager pressed. "Though this is not the main palace, her courtyard was still guarded by the Golden Guard. If she hadn't left on her own, how could she have vanished without a sound? If there truly were someone within the temporary palace capable of such a feat, how could Your Majesty rest easy?"
"Mother, the doubt lies with Shu Fei. If the An woman had plotted this, why would she not conceal Shu Fei properly? Why carelessly abandon her in the courtyard, as if confessing without being pressed?" the Youning Emperor seized on this point.
"Shu Fei has long since awakened. Perhaps we should summon her to inquire why she was discarded so carelessly in the courtyard," Shen Xihe suggested, her eyes lowered.
Shu Fei had indeed regained consciousness but had not yet come forward.
As soon as Shen Xihe spoke, the Youning Emperor realized this was not a loophole but rather further evidence that would leave An Zhengyi with no defense.
This girl was even more cunning than he had imagined—intentionally revealing what seemed like a suspicious flaw, luring others to investigate deeper, until finally trapping the person she intended to frame with no chance of recovery.At this critical juncture, he had no choice but to summon Shu Fei. The crowd moved from Xiao Huayong's bedchamber to the main courtyard outside. By now, those present weren't just from Shu Fei's palace—several imperial princes and clan relatives had also arrived under the pretext of visiting the Crown Prince.
Of course, it was Xiao Changqing who had initiated this. He was the one leading this grand procession to "show concern" for the Crown Prince. In reality, having long deduced the truth, Xiao Changqing had brought this crowd specifically to witness how his lofty, life-and-death-wielding imperial father would swallow his humiliation, endure unspeakable bitterness, and force down his rage like swallowing teeth with blood—all while Xiao Changqing's eyes shone with undisguised delight.
"Your Majesty, this concubine was napping in my bedchamber. When I awoke, I found myself moved from my bed to the daybed beside the main hall," Shu Fei spoke with bewildered confusion. "This concubine knows not what transpired."
"Consort Shu, how did the imprint on your palm come to be?" Shen Xihe's gaze fell upon Shu Fei's hand.
Shu Fei turned her wrist to conceal the mark: "I don't understand what the Crown Princess means by this?"
Shen Xihe seized Shu Fei's wrist and forcefully turned it over. Her palm bore a mountain-like imprint, likely left by something clutched tightly: "When Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and I rescued you, I saw you holding something in your hand, though I didn't think much of it at the time."
"I was holding nothing! This mark was left when I gripped my huasheng hairpin during my toilette, recalling how someone had abducted me. The carved patterns on the huasheng left this impression." Shu Fei broke free from the grip and retrieved another huasheng from her hair. The white jade hairpin indeed featured a distant mountain relief carving that appeared roughly the same size.
"Is that so?" Shen Xihe curled her lips in a faint smile, turning to look at Biyu who was returning with two Golden Guard members escorting a eunuch.
Biyu stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness, this maid observed this young eunuch acting suspiciously in Consort Shu's bedchamber. When I called out to him, he immediately fled. The Golden Guard and I apprehended him and found this token on his person."
Biyu respectfully presented a jade token with both hands. The token featured a raised mountain relief carving. Shen Xihe took it, then snatched the huasheng from Shu Fei's clenched hand. After comparing both items, she declared: "Consort Shu, shall I test which object truly left that mark on your palm?"
Shu Fei's face tightened, her hands trembling involuntarily.
"This token... if this humble prince sees correctly, it belongs to the Anbei Protectorate Headquarters," Xiao Changqing interjected coolly.
Shen Xihe glanced at him—his input was unnecessary. Anyone who had seen such tokens could recognize them.
An Jingnan and An Zhengyi grew tense. Shen Xihe had bided her time without revealing her hand, only to strike suddenly with full preparation. Now the father and daughter didn't even dare claim the token was forged, because once they did, Shen Xihe would naturally order an investigation. They were certain one of their attendants must have lost an actual token—this was undoubtedly genuine!
"Consort Shu, why would you conceal this token?" Shen Xihe scrutinized Shu Fei. "Could it be that you and An Niangzi are as close as sisters, thus you wish to help fulfill her ambition of climbing the social ladder by marrying into royalty?"
This implied Shu Fei and An Zhengyi were accomplices. If they were indeed co-conspirators, many things would become much easier to explain.
"You..." Shu Fei choked with anger but couldn't formulate a defense. She had first misinterpreted the palm imprint, and now Shen Xihe held concrete evidence—anything she said would lack credibility.Shu Fei did not speak, but the Youning Emperor understood that she too had fallen victim to Shen Xihe's scheme. Shu Fei was no fool; she knew the evidence in her possession was detrimental to the An family, which was why she sought to conceal it. For your convenience in future readings, you can click the "Bookmark" below to save your progress (Chapter 618: Deeper Entanglement) and find it on your bookshelf when you reopen!
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