“Princess Consort Rui said that the child had no birthmark, while Fifth Miss Su said that the child did have one. But I just examined the child and found no birthmark at all. Instead, there are several injuries, as though the child had been squeezed hard and thrown…”
Shock swept through the entire hall!
Su Luoluo lunged toward the child, tears streaming down her face.
Prince Rui abruptly raised his eyes to Su Yiyao, his thick brows drawing tightly together. What exactly was going on? He vaguely sensed that this matter was even more complicated than he had imagined.
When Su Yiyao saw that Prince Rui had grown suspicious, her heart leaped in terror. If even Prince Rui did not stand on her side, she would truly be left without any support.
“No… That’s not how it is… There was no birthmark. I remember now.”
Su Luoluo slowly closed her eyes, suppressing the hatred surging through her, and coldly instructed Fuling,
“Take my sister to her brother. Let His Majesty and the honored gentlemen see whether the two children look alike.”
Fuling’s eyes reddened as she bowed. A young eunuch carried the boy over, and the two children were placed side by side. His Majesty went over first, followed by the various officials, who examined them one by one.
Prince Rui’s handsome face was dark and solemn, but he could not help walking over to take a look as well.
The moment he saw that the two children had identical features, a deafening roar seemed to explode in his mind. He turned and glared darkly at Su Yiyao.
“This… The girl isn’t dead!”
When Imperial Physician Chen saw the child’s faint breathing, he grew excited at once. Several Pediatric Specialists quickly stepped forward to examine the child as well. Soon, one of them said,
“Both children are in extremely poor condition. They need immediate treatment, and preparations must also be made to feed them.”
Su Luoluo’s heart had already shattered into pieces. She fell to her knees before His Majesty and knocked her head heavily against the floor.
“His Majesty, please let the Imperial Physicians save my children first. And please have the Imperial Household Department protect them.”
Everything was already perfectly clear. How could His Majesty not understand? He was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged. He raised his hand and said,
“Do as she asks.”
After saying that, His Majesty helped Su Luoluo to her feet.
“Why call me His Majesty? You should call me Imperial Father.”
Su Luoluo caught the fleeting guilt in His Majesty’s eyes. With reddened eyes, she bowed deeply.
“Imperial Father.”
This was the last time… she would call him Imperial Father. It was to thank him for saving her life, and also for his magnanimity.
Everyone’s eyes fell on Su Yiyao. The sky seemed to have collapsed upon her, and she knew that she was going to die.
There was no use begging Prince Rui now. He clearly suspected her, and everyone here suspected her as well!
What exactly was going on?
Su Yiyao was completely dazed. Everything had clearly been within her calculations. Everything had been developing according to her plans.
If nothing had changed, she would already be Princess Consort Rui, sitting in a consort’s carriage on her way back to the prince’s residence to recuperate.
“No, no, that’s not how it is. It isn’t…”
She shook her head frantically, her face deathly pale. In her panic, a vicious glint flashed through Su Yiyao’s eyes. She shoved her Wet Nurse forward and screamed shrilly,
“How could you do such a thing? How could you? Where is the child I gave birth to?”
That bastard child had thick brows and large eyes, looking exactly like the coachman. Fortunately, he barely resembled Su Yiyao at all. Only his ears looked somewhat like hers—they were small and delicate—but who would pay attention to that?
Hearing Su Yiyao’s shrill accusations, the Wet Nurse knelt on the ground, trembling violently. She hurriedly looked up to defend herself, but Su Yiyao threw herself down beside her, kneeling and crying as she struck her.
“You raised me. I treated you like my own mother. Brother Heng and I have always been as close as brother and sister. We’re just like one family.”
The Wet Nurse’s body suddenly went rigid. She stared blankly at the Su Yiyao she had raised.
Was she… threatening her with Henger?
Henger was the Wet Nurse’s son, the same age as Su Yiyao. He managed one of the shops in Su Yiyao’s name and lived a comfortable life.
But she knew what Su Yiyao was capable of. If she did not do as Su Yiyao instructed, Su Yiyao would certainly kill her son.
The Wet Nurse trembled all over, her face turning pale. She looked at the hysterical Su Yiyao, then suddenly shoved her away and cursed angrily,
“I had no choice, Miss! You gave birth to a stillborn child, but you were determined to have a son. You wanted to make the Prince happy and His Majesty pleased, so I could only steal Princess Consort Rui’s child and give it to you, then stuff a child I found somewhere into her arms and frame her!”
“I wanted to get rid of her so that you and the Prince could love each other and remain devoted to one another for the rest of your lives!”
“I was confused! I did something I shouldn’t have. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry to all of you!”
The Wet Nurse cried out each sentence in turn. When she rose to her feet, she suddenly spun around and slammed herself into the dragon pillar.
“Don’t!”
Su Yiyao screamed, but her heart was filled with wild joy.
As long as the Wet Nurse died, there would be no evidence, and none of this would have anything to do with her.
So she threw herself toward the Wet Nurse with even greater force, acting as though she would stop her at any cost. But her foot slipped, and instead she shoved the Wet Nurse from behind. The Wet Nurse struck the dragon pillar even harder with a bang, and when she slid to the floor, blood was already streaming from her forehead.
Su Yiyao rushed over and held her. As she looked at the dying Wet Nurse, a trace of smugness flashed through her eyes.
The Wet Nurse saw that expression clearly. Tears filled her eyes, and what seemed like regret flickered within them. She gripped Su Yiyao’s hand tightly, wanting to say something, but in the end, she did not speak.
“Wet Nurse, Wet Nurse, don’t die! Wet Nurse, I don’t blame you. I don’t blame you! What will I do if you die? You’re the only one who cares for me, the only one who loves me!”
Prince Rui’s eyes had originally been dark and filled with suspicion. He had suspected that Su Yiyao would stop at nothing, but judging from what had just happened, it seemed that her Wet Nurse had done everything herself, and Yiyao had known nothing about it.
Su Yiyao knelt before His Majesty and knocked her head against the floor.
“It’s all this subject’s fault. This subject is willing to accept punishment.”
After saying that, she knelt before Su Luoluo as well, weeping so pitifully that she looked like a rain-drenched pear blossom.
“Fourth Sister, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t know. I really didn’t. When I went to your room, I thought you had stopped breathing, so I ordered the servants to properly handle your funeral arrangements. We entered the palace because we wanted His Majesty to forgive you and put an end to this matter. We didn’t come for the position of Princess Consort Rui.”
Su Luoluo listened to her distort everything, listening as she tried to distance herself from the matter sentence by sentence. She slowly walked over and leaned down. Her red lips moved close to Su Yiyao’s ear as she whispered,
“See… You still lost, Su Yiyao.”
Su Yiyao was so enraged that her teeth nearly cracked, but she could not lose control now. She had to endure it, or she could lose her life at any moment.
“But I still have one more gift for you!”
Hearing Su Luoluo’s threat, Su Yiyao hurriedly raised her head. She watched as Su Luoluo slowly straightened, her brows and eyes cold. Su Yiyao felt weak with panic, as though she were about to fall into an abyss.
What was she going to do?
What exactly was she going to do?
Prince Rui reached out and seized Su Luoluo’s wrist. His expression was dark and complicated, and he did not know what to say.
So…
She really had not committed adultery with the coachman. She had been wrongfully accused?