After the Substitute Male Bride Fled, the Emperor Turned Dark - Chapter 13

The Imperial Physician arrived extremely quickly; he had likely been waiting nearby in anticipation of an emergency.

Consort Shu spoke up. “Bai Shuang suddenly went into a frenzy and nearly collided with a noble person. Physician Gu, what is your explanation?”

Physician Gu pondered for a moment before speaking. “According to Your Ladyship, if Bai Shuang went into a sudden frenzy, it is likely that it was startled or sensed a dangerous presence. However, the most probable cause is that it smelled an unsettling odor. May I ask which noble person Bai Shuang intended to strike?”

Silence filled the hall for a few breaths. The Empress Dowager fingered her purple sandalwood prayer beads, her gaze shifting imperceptibly toward her son. Seeing his expression cold and stern, it was clear his displeasure had reached its limit.

After a long while, she let out a helpless sigh. “I appreciate your intentions. It is getting late; you should all return to your respective quarters.”

Fang Zhiyan, who had remained motionless until now, stood up. Under the collective gaze of everyone present, he walked straight to Beauty Zhou’s side and knelt. Lan Ruo, her face pale, knelt beside him.

He looked toward the Empress Dowager, his gaze showing genuine sincerity for the first time. “I hold Your Imperial Majesty’s kindness deep in my heart, but I ask that you rescind your order. His Majesty has prepared many fireworks, waiting to bring a smile to your face. If the wives and daughters of the officials are absent, it would be far too lonely.”

Xiao Huan’s eyes were dark as he watched the person kneeling straight below him.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes met his. After a moment, she raised an eyebrow. “Do you truly think so?”

Fang Zhiyan returned a smile. “Yes. Furthermore, if the officials leave the palace now, rumors regarding this concubine will fly everywhere by tomorrow. Since I have done nothing wrong, there is no reason for me to accept such a charge.”

Grand Princess Tajia, whose mood had been at its lowest point, felt a bit better. Concubine Zhuang had such boldness; she admired it.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Court Physician bowed and approached. He sniffed several times and used a silver hairpin to lightly scrape the fabric of Fang Zhiyan’s clothing. After bringing it close to his nose, his expression changed drastically, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

“Your Majesty! Empress Dowager! On Concubine Zhuang’s clothes, there is indeed the residual scent of the Soul Enchanting Incense! This is a forbidden item in the palace, identical to the one used by the foreign consort years ago!”

As soon as these words fell, the entire hall was in an uproar. The Empress Dowager’s fingers tightened around her prayer beads, her voice cold and heavy. “Search Jingyang Palace.”

Xiao Huan’s eyes were as cold as ice, yet he did not look at Fang Zhiyan. He spoke flatly, “Li Mao, take men and go there personally.”

Fang Zhiyan knelt in the center of the hall. His hands and feet were cold, but he did not panic. His mind quickly recounted the people and events he had encountered during this period. Gradually, those scattered mists in his mind were connected by a single thread, forming a terrifying truth.

Beauty Zhou knelt to one side with her head bowed, a hint of a victorious smile hidden at the corners of her mouth.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Eunuch Li returned from searching the palace. He held a small porcelain bottle containing white powder. The Imperial Physician confirmed that this was indeed the Soul Enchanting Incense.

“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Li hardly dared to look up at his master’s face, struggling to finish his words. “The servants found this in a secret compartment in Concubine Zhuang’s quarters.”

At this, the people in the hall erupted like a fire being lit, throwing accusations left and right. The most furious was a lady dressed in purple official robes. She spoke sternly, “That such a filthy thing still exists in the palace shows truly malicious intent. Back then, the late Emperor’s consort nearly caused a great disaster.”

“The evidence is conclusive. Such a demon consort who disturbs the peace of the harem should be executed.”

“Concubine Zhuang, what do you have to say?”

It was Xiao Huan’s voice. It did not contain the disappointment or anger the crowd had expected. Seeing the Emperor’s ambiguous attitude, the others did not dare to speak further.

Fang Zhiyan took a slow breath and calmly stated his case. “This concubine has never actively used Soul Enchanting Incense. A few days ago, unexplained red rashes appeared on my body, and I used the prescriptions provided by the Imperial Physician for several days.”

According to what he had just learned, the Soul Enchanting Incense was not a fragrance or incense but a special substance that needed to be boiled in water and ingested. Furthermore, it required continuous consumption to be effective.

The Head Physician’s prescriptions had cured the ordinary rashes almost instantly, so why had the previous physician failed to treat them? It was not that the medicine was wrong; it was that someone did not want him to recover, all so they could mix the Soul Enchanting Incense into his medicine and have him drink it for several days.

“If someone set me up, it is possible they mixed this contraband into my medicine.”

Lan Ruo quickly followed up. “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, please investigate clearly. Dozens of people enter and leave Jingyang Palace every day. The items in the secret compartment were surely planted by someone else.”

The crowd listened, realizing this was indeed a possibility. This Soul Enchanting Incense was colorless and tasteless. If it were mixed into a bitter medicinal soup, it would be understandable if it went unnoticed.

Beauty Lin spoke up boldly, “What Sister Zhuang says is not without reason. I ask Your Majesty to investigate strictly so as not to wrong her.”

At that moment, a guard entered to report that they had caught a suspicious looking eunuch at a corner gate of the harem. When the man was brought in, Fang Zhiyan’s hand hidden in his sleeve tightened.

It was the sweeping eunuch from Jingyang Palace, Fu Xi. He was the youngest, most sweet talkative, and most likable person in Jingyang Palace. His face was round and could be described as endearingly simple. Fang Zhiyan found him very pleasant and had given him many rewards.

Receiving a signal from the Emperor, the imperial guard holding him shouted sternly, “Speak! Which palace do you serve, and what were you doing acting so suspiciously?”

Fu Xi struggled, desperately turning his head toward Fang Zhiyan’s position, crying out piteously, “Your Ladyship, save me! Your Ladyship! Did you not say that everyone would be at the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility tonight, and told me to take advantage of the few people at the East Gate to go out and get something?”

The hall fell into a heavy silence.

Fang Zhiyan’s voice was chilly. “Fu Xi, are you blind or has someone caught you in a trap to frame me like this? Who told you to do this, and what benefits were you given? Just speak. His Majesty treats me with great favor; as long as you return to the right path, I can ask His Majesty to spare your life.”

Fu Xi’s exaggeratedly tearful face froze for a moment. Pressed to the ground, he could only see that flash of brilliant true red. If he were truly just an ordinary little eunuch in Jingyang Palace, it would have been so good.

“This servant is loyal to Your Ladyship alone and only listens to your orders.”

Fang Zhiyan sneered. “Then recount for me, without missing a single word, our conversation, the time, and the place from the first time I ordered you to leave the palace to get something.”

He already had the answer in his heart. Tracing back to a few days ago, the only time he had been alone with Fu Xi was in the warm pavilion. It was the first day the rashes appeared. The servants were busy dealing with mold in the courtyard, fearing it would affect his health. Lan Ruo was personally leading the medicine brewing, and everyone was in a state of chaos.

No one knew that Xiao Huan had come to Jingyang Palace.

Fang Zhiyan had been taking a nap. When he opened his eyes and saw a dark shadow by the bed, he had screamed in fright. Fu Xi had come in to ask what was wrong. Fang Zhiyan’s mind was not yet clear, so he could not think about why Fu Xi had entered or why Xiao Huan had hidden behind the screen. He was extremely thirsty and asked Fu Xi to make tea for him.

On that day, while everyone else was busy, Fu Xi had served him closely for nearly fifteen minutes. During the rest of the time, Lan Ruo was inseparable from him.

As expected, Fu Xi said, “On the day Your Ladyship first developed the red rashes, at the third quarter of the hour of the Horse, you woke up startled from a dream. I made tea for you. Only I was present then. You said the Soul Enchanting Incense you brought into the palace was used up and told me to go outside the palace to find a shopkeeper named Pockmark to get more.”

Fang Zhiyan felt a chill in his heart but was also speechless. It turned out someone could truly lie through their teeth so brazenly.

“After it was done, you gave me fifty taels of silver.”

Seeing Fang Zhiyan remain silent, Beauty Zhou suddenly sobbed, covering her face as she wept. “Sister! I did not expect! It would be like this!”

Fang Zhiyan ignored her artificial behavior and looked toward Xiao Huan, who was partially hidden in the shadows. “I ask Your Majesty to provide proof for this concubine.”

What does this have to do with the Emperor? The crowd did not understand. With both witnesses and physical evidence present, what else could Concubine Zhuang have to argue?

Xiao Huan coughed lightly, showing a rare and slight bit of awkwardness. “On that day at noon, I was inside Concubine Zhuang’s room.”

A series of hushed gasps rippled through the surroundings. Several cabinet officials looked at each other, and after a moment, they had an epiphany.

On that day, those several veteran officials had been surrounding the Emperor discussing the drought in the north. Their political views clashed, and there was no result for a long time. Then, Eunuch Li came in and said the Empress Dowager wanted the Emperor to visit the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility. They could not delay matters between mother and son, so they had to wait in the Council Hall for over half an hour.

It turned out the Emperor had actually gone to Concubine Zhuang’s residence! In broad daylight, with political discussions halfway through, did the Emperor truly have so little self restraint? Beauty indeed causes trouble; it truly causes trouble.

Fang Zhiyan bowed toward the front. “Today’s matter is an undeserved disaster for this concubine. I ask Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to uphold justice for me.”

The way Xiao Huan looked at Fu Xi was as if he were looking at a dead object. “Drag him away and interrogate him thoroughly. Make sure he tells the truth. I want to see who wants to stir up trouble on a day like this.”

Despite all his calculations, Fu Xi had not realized there was a third person in the warm pavilion that day. And that person was the Emperor.

Beauty Zhou’s palm, hidden in her sleeve, was bleeding from where she had dug her own nails into it. Was it a single flaw in a perfect plan, or was heaven exceptionally protective of Concubine Zhuang, allowing her to escape unscathed?

“Beauty Zhou.”

Beauty Zhou’s whole body trembled.

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