roccoschili Chapter 423 Reversal
Chapter 423 Reversal
Inside the palace, the Empress stood before the couch, looking at the old nanny. This nanny came from the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau and was responsible for examining the bodies of newly entered palace ladies-in-waiting and maids.
"Your Highness, this old servant has offended you." The old nanny said respectfully, "This old servant will help Your Highness undress."
As she spoke, the old woman placed her hand on the Empress's belt. Suddenly, a hand pressed down on hers.
The old woman was taken aback and looked at the Empress in surprise.
"I heard you know a skilled craftsman who can restore flawed objects to their original state?" The Empress spoke in a low voice, only the nanny could hear her. She took out a jade pendant from her sleeve and handed it to the nanny: "Once this matter is settled, come to Chang Le Palace and have this jade pendant repaired."
The old woman stared at the jade pendant in the Empress's hand. It was smooth and delicate, with exquisitely carved phoenix patterns on the surface, making it extremely luxurious and without the slightest flaw.
She was a veteran in the palace, and to have climbed to her current position, she must have been a shrewd and calculating person.
On the surface, the Empress asked her to introduce a skilled craftsman to repair the jade pendant, but in reality, she was using the jade pendant to bribe her.
The fact that the Empress bribed her at this critical juncture is enough to prove that the Prince of Qi's background is questionable.
Why doesn't the Empress give her the jade pendant now?
She was probably worried that her answer wouldn't satisfy Lord Feng, and that Lord Feng would jump out and accuse her of being bribed by the Empress, and then have the Emperor of Northern Qi order a search of her.
After all, how could a lowly palace maid like her possibly possess such a precious jade pendant?
Once discovered, both she and the Empress will die.
It would be most prudent for the Empress to give her the jade pendant as a token only after the matter is over.
Moreover, the Empress was not afraid that if she refused, the Empress would report her to the Emperor of Northern Qi.
Firstly, if the truth is revealed, the Empress will face the heinous crime of having her entire family executed, and she is not afraid of adding this crime to her list.
Secondly, she couldn't produce any evidence that the Empress had bribed her, and the Empress could turn around and accuse her of framing a concubine.
“Your Majesty, this old servant is of lowly status and has no knowledge of any skilled craftsmen.” The old woman loosened the Empress’s belt: “Please lie down on the couch, Your Majesty.”
The Empress realized that the old woman was politely declining. Her heart felt as if it had been plunged into ice water, chilling her to the bone.
Besides the fear of the secret being revealed, there was also the humiliation of being examined.
She was born into a prestigious family and raised in a pampered environment. Later, she was crowned Empress, becoming the most honored woman in Northern Qi, and had never experienced humiliation. Unexpectedly, at the age of forty, she was about to suffer such a disgrace.
The Empress almost pushed the nanny away and confessed her crime.
Can not.
It wasn't the last moment yet; she couldn't admit defeat, or she would risk the lives of her entire clan.
Her only hope was that the medical examination would be wrong, but what were the chances of that happening...?
The empress lay on the couch, closed her eyes, turned her head inward, and clenched her fingers tightly into her palms.
The next moment, she noticed the nanny pause in her movements, and her heartstrings tightened with her movements. She heard the nanny go out and ask the palace maids serving her to come in and help her change her clothes.
The outer hall was silent, except for the sound of palace servants walking into the inner hall.
The Empress slowly opened her eyes, sat up wrapped in a thin blanket, and, with the help of palace servants, put on her clothes and went outside the palace.
The Emperor of Northern Qi saw that the Empress came out with a cold expression and neat clothes, showing no sign of anything unusual.
He asked the old woman, "What were the results of the examination?"
The Empress's fingertips trembled slightly; the pause the nanny made during the physical examination had already foreshadowed the outcome.
Her heart pounded like a drum as she awaited the old woman's verdict.
Lord Feng scrutinized the Empress, noticing her grim expression. He had a vague idea of what was going on and grew increasingly eager for the answer the old nanny would give him.
If the nanny reveals that the Empress has never given birth, Prince Qi will be executed, and the Empress will also be sentenced to death.
At that time, His Majesty will surely summon the wise king back to the capital.
Their Feng family will also rise again and prosper for another hundred years as the wise king gains power.
Feeling the attention from all sides, the old woman knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, Her Highness is a woman who has given birth."
The Empress was suddenly stunned, feeling a sense of disbelief.
Although she held onto a sliver of hope, she knew very well that this hope was extremely slim, and that she was merely holding on until the very last moment.
I thought the old woman would reveal the truth, but things took an unexpected turn.
The old woman had clearly rejected her attempt to bribe her.
While the nanny was examining the empress, the Emperor of Northern Qi had many suspicions in his mind. Until this moment, upon hearing the nanny's report, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Impossible!" Lord Feng's expectation shattered, refusing to believe the result: "Your Majesty, the nanny has been bribed by the Empress. Please search her."
“Lord Feng, you have accused Prince Qi of not being my son, and the evidence you presented has been refuted one by one by your witnesses. You have also proposed a physical examination. In order to silence public opinion and prevent the royal family from being criticized, I have endured the humiliation of having my body examined by the nanny.”
The Empress's expression turned cold and sharp: "Now that the old nanny has verified my identity and proven my innocence, you are now accusing me of bribing her. According to you, I have the ability to foresee the future and have already predicted that you would frame me today, so I bribed the old nanny beforehand?"
At this point, the Empress changed her tone: "Lord Feng, will you not rest until you have put me to death?"
Liu, the eunuch standing to the side, changed his expression. The Empress could not possibly have the ability to foresee the future, let alone know that there was a physical examination. How could she have bribed the nanny in advance?
Moreover, the nanny was hired temporarily by him. Lord Feng testified that the Empress bribed the nanny, which implies that he was the Empress's man.
Eunuch Liu knew the Northern Qi Emperor best. He was naturally suspicious and troubled by the remnants of the previous dynasty, unable to sleep all day. His health was deteriorating day by day, and his temperament was becoming increasingly violent. He might even suspect the emperor.
Lord Feng's expression suddenly changed, but before he could speak, the Empress said, "Lord Feng, do you want me to prove my innocence with my death?"
Lord Feng realized that the situation had spiraled out of his control and was about to speak in his defense.
Eunuch Liu spoke first: "Lord Feng, your suggestion to examine the Empress Dowager is already an act of insubordination and an offense against the imperial dignity. The Empress Dowager will not hold it against you, but in order to prevent His Majesty from being criticized, she will endure the humiliation of having the nanny examine her."
"If this matter gets out, the entire royal family will become a laughingstock among the nations. As a subject, have you considered His Majesty's situation?"
Eunuch Liu rebuked him, "You have not considered His Majesty's well-being at all; instead, you have gone too far, attempting to force the mother of the nation to her death. What are your true intentions?"
Lord Feng was terrified when Eunuch Liu accused him of something, and he hurriedly said, "Your humble servant..."
The Emperor of Northern Qi shouted, "Shut up!"
His face was gloomy, and it was obvious what Feng Xiaozhong was planning without even thinking about it.
Feng Xiaozhong was a member of the Xianwang faction. He forced the Empress to commit suicide, and the Qi Prince's lineage became controversial. He would no longer pass the throne to the Qi Prince. Therefore, the one who would benefit would be the Xianwang.
The scales in the Northern Qi emperor's heart had already tipped in favor of the empress.
Because Eunuch Liu was completely loyal to him, he would never help the Empress to fabricate lies.
On the contrary, Feng Xiaozhong was oblivious to his own mortality and showed no respect for hierarchy. In front of him, the ruler of the country, he was aggressive towards the empress.
"Feng Xiaozhong, you have disrespected the imperial authority, framed the empress and concubines, and slandered the Prince of Qi as not being the heir to the throne. You deserve to be executed." The Northern Qi Emperor's eyes flashed with ferocity as he ordered, "Guards, drag him away and behead him."
Regardless of whether the Prince of Qi was born to the Empress, from the moment Feng Xiaozhong reported him, he never intended to let Feng Xiaozhong leave the palace alive.
Lord Feng's mind went blank, and he collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, his lips trembling as he tried to beg for mercy.
The Imperial Guards entered, covered his mouth, and dragged him away.
The Northern Qi Emperor turned his attention to the Empress and the Prince of Qi. Although the nanny examined the Empress and proved that she had indeed given birth, the Prince of Qi had assassinated him with the intention of rebelling and usurping the throne, so he would definitely have to be dealt with separately.