xymnovel Chapter 1203 - 945: Closing the Net 6_2
Chapter 1203 - 945: Closing the Net 6_2
And often covered for them. Time flew by, and soon it was the Crown Prince’s birthday. During the banquet, Noble Consort Rou showed signs of morning sickness, and the Empress asked if she was feeling unwell.She falsely claimed that the sun was too harsh and she suffered from heatstroke.
The Crown Prince’s birthday was on the Dragon Boat Festival; the sun wasn’t too harsh to cause heatstroke!
The next day, the Emperor secretly summoned the Imperial Physician. The answer he got was shocking: Noble Consort Rou was pregnant.
This news infuriated the Emperor because he had been injured during the autumn hunt shortly after the Crown Prince was born and had been impotent since, so how was Noble Consort Rou’s child possible? He was determined to find out.
However, at this time, Noble Consort Rou was foolish enough to try to ensure the child in her womb was seen as a dragon seed.
So she invited the Emperor to her palace and offered him wine. It was at this moment that the Emperor, unable to bear it any longer, sent Noble Consort Rou and her unborn child to the afterlife with a bowl of poisoned wine.
When Ji Youzhi recounted this story, Lu Zezhong’s eyes widened, "Xiaorou was pregnant when she died suddenly?"
Princess Lianchun slammed the table, gritting her teeth, ready to speak but was silenced by the Emperor’s stern gaze!
"Oh! So you didn’t know!" Ji Youzhi looked at the surprised Lu Zezhong and chuckled lightly.
"Indeed! Consorts having an affair is a capital offense, let alone being pregnant with an illegitimate child!
If I were Noble Consort Rou, I certainly wouldn’t dare to speak of it."
"But don’t worry, Noble Consort Rou never disclosed that you were her lover!"
Lu Zezhong let out a heavy sigh of relief, confident that Xiaorou hadn’t mentioned his name. Otherwise, he would have been executed by the late Emperor long ago.
"But now your good fortune has run out because the Emperor knows everything about you."
"What do you mean by that? I’ve never admitted to such treacherous acts, don’t pin this on me!"
Lu Zezhong decided in his heart that since both Noble Consort Rou and the late Emperor were dead, no one could prove his guilt!
As long as he insisted that he knew nothing and it was all Ji Youzhi’s fabrication, he would be fine!
"Don’t think that pretending to know nothing and insisting it was all my invention will keep your wealth and status safe, Lord Lu. I have another story. Would you like to hear it?"
Ji Youzhi’s words sent alarm bells ringing in Lu Zezhong’s mind once again.
"You... what story are you talking about? I... I’m telling you, it’s all irrelevant to me. If you have evidence, then present it. If not, don’t falsely accuse me out of nothing!"
Ji Youzhi sneered, "I, Ji, never falsely accuse anyone without evidence."
Ji Youzhi turned, took a cup, and took a sip.
Emperor: "..." That was his teacup. The only people who would casually drink his tea were probably him and Ji Youze!
After drinking the tea, Ji Youzhi felt his throat was better, put down the cup, and continued.
"I have another story here, about a woman.
In a mountain village in the Lingnan area, besides tending to crops, the farmers’ other means of livelihood was hunting.
There was a young woman who had just given birth to her eldest daughter. Her husband went hunting in the mountains and was killed by a fierce beast.
She was widowed from then on. Her in-laws bullied her and drove her away. She left her young daughter with her in-laws and became the mistress of a peddler for eight years.
Eight years later, the peddler’s wife died, and he brought her into the family as his legal wife. She then gave birth to another daughter. By this time, the peddler had become a wealthy merchant.
He often did good deeds and became a well-known philanthropist within a hundred miles.
Decades later, one day, a young man passed by the area and happened to stay at the philanthropist’s house, meeting their daughter. This young man was none other than Prince Qing."
When Ji Youzhi got to this point, his eyes were fixed on Lu Zezhong’s eyes, and sure enough, he saw the disturbance in his pupils!
"Have you figured it out?
Why do Princess Qing and Noble Consort Rou look so alike?"
Ji Youzhi sneered and asked him quietly.
Lu Zezhong sighed heavily, "So that’s it!"
Ji Youzhi commented, "Unexpected, right? Both sisters’ lives were ruined by your hands!"
"I... I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
Lu Zezhong was still trying to defend himself.
"Still so stubborn. It seems that if I don’t finish the story, you won’t admit it!"
Ji Youzhi took the Emperor’s teacup again, drank it nonchalantly, and continued his story.
"The disguised Prince Qing only mentioned that he was the brother of a minor official in the Capital City, but he was about to marry the wealthy merchant’s daughter. The merchant, impressed by his eloquence and identity as a Capital City resident, thought of marrying a daughter to him as a way of connecting with people in the Capital City.
So he agreed.
At that time, the wealthy merchant never imagined that the supposed Capital City gentleman was actually a prince.
After they married, they were allowed to travel lightly to the Capital City.
But troubles arose on the journey back to the Capital.
The young prince had left the Capital privately, and it coincided with the Empress Dowager choosing a bride for him, so he was captured and brought back to the Capital.
Leaving behind his new bride on her way to the Capital.
Coincidentally, a court official handling a case was also on the way back to the Capital and met this young woman, who looked remarkably like his beloved, this was Princess Qing.
One was a woman separated from her husband, and the other was a court official. Suddenly, they had a mutual understanding due to the official’s transition from indifference to interest."
As Ji Youzhi recounted this, Lu Zezhong’s body was already trembling.
"Lord Lu, do you want me to continue?"
Lu Zezhong spat blood with a puff sound.
He collapsed to the ground.
"Someone, summon the Imperial Physician, make sure he survives. Today, I must hear the truth!"