For some reason—
Though he clearly regarded her merely as a chess piece, a dog, when the truth of the matter began to emerge, Prince Rui suddenly found the tightness in his heart easing somewhat. He felt much more at ease.
“Stop making a scene. Come back to the residence.”
If this continued, they would only become a laughingstock.
Su Luoluo met Prince Rui’s gaze coldly and flung off his restraint. Prince Rui immediately flew into a rage and shouted in a low voice, “How much longer are you going to carry on? I’m not divorcing you, and Yiyao will only stand on equal footing with you. You should be satisfied!”
The position of Princess Consort Rui should have belonged to Yiyao in the first place!
From the moment Yiyao had saved him, he had already promised her that position in his heart. Yiyao was the light of his life, his benefactor, and the woman he loved most.
He was willing to leave the position of Princess Consort Rui to Su Luoluo. She should have let the matter go.
“This has nothing to do with Yiyao. It was done by her Wet Nurse. Now the Wet Nurse has committed suicide out of guilt, and Yiyao has lost both her child and her Wet Nurse. What more do you want?”
As Su Luoluo listened to Prince Rui and saw the flash of smugness in Su Yiyao’s eyes, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she raised her hand and slapped Prince Rui hard across the face.
Ah—
Su Yiyao shrieked in fright. Prince Rui raised his hand to strike back, but His Majesty’s cold, murderous gaze stopped him in his tracks.
Su Luoluo gently pressed a hand to her aching heart. She could not understand how she had continued loving Prince Rui all these years, thinking only of him and planning everything for his sake.
Had she been blind?
She must have been.
“Eunuch Yunhai, how should someone like Su Yiyao be punished?”
She would not let Su Yiyao die just yet, but neither would she let her escape unscathed. Blood for blood, life for life—that much was certain.
“In response to Princess Consort Rui, she should receive fifty strokes and be banished from the Capital.”
“I was wrong! I know I was wrong!”
Trembling with terror, Su Yiyao reached out and clutched Prince Rui’s robe, sobbing.
“Prince, I truly didn’t do it on purpose. I… I’ll prove my innocence with my death.”
Su Yiyao knew Prince Rui would never let her die, so after hesitating briefly, she dashed toward a dragon pillar.
As expected—
Prince Rui panicked. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, his eyes filled with heartache. Su Yiyao sobbed as she threw herself against his chest, looking utterly wronged.
“Luoluo, what do you think?”
His Majesty looked toward Su Luoluo. He had always known her to be gentle and docile, but this time, he saw her in a completely new light. She had everything firmly in the palm of her hand, leaving no one any room to act.
Su Luoluo bowed to His Majesty, then turned toward Prince Rui. Her body was so weak that she swayed as if she might collapse, and the smell of blood clung heavily to her. Yet she still stood straight and proud as she questioned him coldly.
“Prince Rui, you said I had an affair with the carriage driver. Did you see it with your own eyes? Where did you learn of it? And from whom did you hear it?”
Today, in front of these civil and military officials and the various judicial offices, she would make them sort out this entire matter clearly.
Prince Rui’s heart seized. He looked toward Su Yiyao, who trembled in fear.
“Open your dog eyes wide and look carefully. Aren’t these two children members of the imperial family?”
Fuling and Eunuch Xiaosheng carried over the two children. They had just drunk a tiny amount of milk, received medicine, and been wrapped up again so that they were warm and comfortable.
Su Luoluo dragged her pain-wracked body toward her children. She hurriedly took their pulses one by one and examined them.
“Imperial Physician Chen, I was poisoned. A large portion of the poison passed into the two children as well. That is also why I wasn’t poisoned to death. I’ve already written down the prescription. It’s in the side hall. I’ll trouble you to…”
If there had been only one child in her womb, the outcome truly would have been the death of both mother and child. But with two children sharing the burden of the poison, they had managed to survive instead.
“I’ve already gone to take care of it. Princess Consort Rui, you… you have suffered.”
Imperial Physician Chen bowed deeply to Su Luoluo. Su Luoluo personally helped him up. She understood the meaning in his eyes: he hoped she would save his wife and child.
Otherwise…
Madam Chen had once clasped his hand with tears in her eyes and told him that even if it cost her life, she would give birth to the child. But after examining her, Imperial Physician Chen feared that… both mother and child would die.
Judging from Su Luoluo’s methods, she not only knew medicine, but was also extraordinarily skilled in treating children. Perhaps his wife and child would not have to die after all!
Su Yiyao gnashed her teeth in fury. If she had known this would happen, she would never have poisoned them. It would have been better to leave them dead and without a burial place. Now, with all three of them poisoned together, it had instead proven that they were truly mother and children.
As Prince Rui looked at the two children, his heart became as complicated as if ten thousand mountains were pressing down on it.
They really were his children!
“His Majesty…”
Before Prince Rui could speak, Su Luoluo turned and bowed.
“As for how Prince Rui treated me and how Su Yiyao framed me, if His Majesty does not believe me, you may investigate. I cannot swallow this grievance. I want to personally watch Su Yiyao receive her punishment—and I want Prince Rui to kneel before me and admit his fault!”
“You wish!”
“You wish!”
Prince Rui and Su Yiyao shouted at the same time, their faces dark with anger.
This time—
It was not only His Majesty.
The various officials, physicians, Wet Nurses, and the others all revealed looks of disbelief. None of them had expected Prince Rui and Fifth Miss Su to be so utterly incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.
“Su Luoluo, Yiyao has only just given birth, and her child has died. She has suffered both physical and emotional trauma. How could she possibly endure your punishment?”
Prince Rui stepped forward and blocked Su Yiyao from view, a murderous glint flashing through his eyes. Hearing this, Su Luoluo’s anger sent her blood surging.
“She has just given birth. Did I not just give birth as well?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. They were both his women, and both had just given birth, yet he protected Su Yiyao in every possible way while heaped blame upon Su Luoluo. Who was right and who was wrong? No one needed to look any further to know.
“Prince Rui.”
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward and bowed, his expression solemn.
“Your Highness appears to be showing excessive partiality. No matter what, Su Luoluo is your Princess Consort Rui, and these two children are your own flesh and blood. In truth, you and this Fifth Miss Su have neither a proper relationship nor a proper standing, yet you carried on together and even produced stillborn children. Even as a prince, you should not have violated such a grave taboo.”
Su Yiyao’s face turned deathly pale. This was precisely why she had been so eager to become Princess Consort Rui. Their relationship was improper both morally and legally, and the people of the world would laugh them to death over it.
The veins on the back of Prince Rui’s hand bulged as his fury surged, but in the end, he did not dare say another word.
This was Dali Temple—the Dali Temple had the authority to act even against members of the imperial family!
“Do as Luoluo says.”
His Majesty issued the order coldly. He then turned and sat down in the seat of honor. Afterward, he even had someone bring over a chair for Su Luoluo to sit in. While Imperial Physician Chen and the other physicians discussed how to treat the children, they also prepared medicine for Su Luoluo. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Minister of Justice, the Censorate, and Shi Wanyue, seated in a wheelchair, all stood firmly on Su Luoluo’s side.
Su Luoluo—
When she had arrived, she had stood alone.
Now, she was surrounded by people.
When Su Yiyao was seized and forced face-down over the long bench, the people from the Disciplinary Office rushed in as well. The sight of the boards in their hands made Su Yiyao let out a shrill scream.
“No! Prince, save me! Prince… I’ll be beaten to death! I’ve only just given birth!”