Chapter 56: 55

It was the day. The day I smile up at Guan Shu and Rong Er to let them know that their murderer will be exposed.

I applied a fresh scent of jasmine on my neck and wrists. Since there weren't perfume bottles in ancient China and I didn't want to do what the other people did, I made my own perfume. It was easy.

Time was quite slow but I was ecstatic for Hua Er to announce that it was officially two in the afternoon. My palms were clammy and no matter how much I wiped them across my bed sheets, it was still sweating buckets. I felt this rush in my body as I tried to breathe slowly. I avoided all the negative thinking in my head, which was hard—very hard. I was easily an overthinker so there were thousands of outcomes already visualized in my head.

No matter how much I tried to push those thoughts aside, it kept playing in my head. I was capable of anything.

Guan Shu would scold me and tell me to stop bringing so much attention to myself, but she wasn't here anymore. She would swat me away and tell me that I was crazy. Rong Er would shake his head and not understand what I was saying. I felt the smile on my face.

Fen Xi avoided bringing up the topic of Chen Xi or Guan Shu, but I knew she wanted to ask me when I was going to get a sixth maid. I was actually allowed eight maids, but six was enough for me. I remained with five because I just didn't want to replace Guan Shu's spot. Was it time to get over it? Yes, but I don't think I will.

"Your Grace," one of my eunuchs, Li Shi, approached the doorway. He bowed before setting a container on the table. "The Empress was worried about your health, and she wanted to deliver this to you."

I widened my eyes. "Her Majesty? She is very considerate."

"I believe so," the eunuch nodded in agreement, but there was an unsettling expression on his face. "But for your safety, Your Grace, I'd suggest you check it with a needle."

Li Shi was fairly old. He had kind eyes and he's always been very sweet to me. Knowing that not everyone was out to get me in the harem was comforting.

"Thank you," I smiled, then taking the top off the container. "I'd like you to deliver a message to the Empress's maid, Xiao Li. I believe she was waiting for me at the bridge near here..."

"Of course, Your Grace." the eunuch walked closer towards me.

I looked at him and wiped my spoon. "Tell her that I won't be coming to her chamber to help her out with the paintings... I believe I need to relax after drinking the soup."

"I will do," the eunuch nodded. He hesitantly looked at the bowl of soup, already concerned whether if I was going to drink it or not.

"You may leave now," I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Y-Yes, Your Grace." he bowed before he left.

Hua Er, Fen Ai, and Snoopy sat down around me. I looked at them and I felt empty. I reminisced about my Noble Consort life and how easy it truly was. That was when I was naive and was able to trust the people who associated with me.

Now, I was too afraid to even speak badly about the Empress with my other maids. I mean I still do, but there was a fear factor to it.

Everything will change in almost an hour and I was going to do the best I could. I was ready. If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't be able to pull this off. My eyes were slightly watering too. I would, again, be vulnerable in front of Hua Er and my maids. I didn't want them to assume that I didn't know what I was doing. I wanted to be sure of everything.

I want to be capable of things. I've been appearing strong ever since I become a concubine. It wasn't a facade. I am strong, but sometimes I needed to stop being so hard on myself.

A tear ran down my face, tickling my skin.

For once, I didn't care anymore. I'll cry in the arms of the people I've known. I missed my friends. I missed Cherry. I missed my annoying, petty little sister Cara. I'd do a lot just to irritate her again.

I tried to wipe my tears away but I couldn't. They gradually fell and I couldn't hold it any longer. Before I could even truly cry, I felt the loving embrace of three bodies.

***

"Your Majesty," one of the Empress's maids, Xiao Li, rushed into the large bedroom. She kneels before her. "Imperial Noble Consort Han... She drank it."

The Empress, Nian Shu, towered over her, smugly smiling to herself. In her arms was a small child. A little princess, in the arms of the Empress. She kept her head up to avoid ruining her headpiece. Nian Shu carefully set the princess down. As she bent down slightly, she held the maid's wrists gently and pulled her up. "Do get up."

"The small princess is growing up so fast!" Xiao Li commented, watching Li Hua giggle at her.

"Yes, indeed," Nian Shu let out a small chuckle. She smiled playfully at Li Hua but only got a blank stare in response. "I love her very much. I'm afraid if she grows up to look like that... woman."

As Nian Shu picked up the baby again, her face changed. She looked pleased with Li Hua. The wet nurses would arrive soon and take the princess from her hands, but Nian Shu deeply wanted to spend more time with the baby. Although it wasn't her child, she was extremely attached.

Nian Shu took a deep inhale and liberated herself by exhaling slowly. She closed her eyes. Xiao Li blinked rapidly as Nian Shu grinned widely. The dream-like state she was in—she couldn't help but open her eyes to face Xiao Li and laugh.

She laughed, loudly. In a large palace like hers, she was able to laugh maniacally without others worrying about her sanity. Nian Shu covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, still chuckling behind it.

Xiao Li widened her eyes at the outburst. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"I'm alright? I am better than alright! Xiao Li," Nian Shu grinned and rocked Li Hua in her arms. The baby's eyes bulged out at the maid. "You deserve more than I've given you..."

The maid only gave her a simple smile, knowing that what she wanted would be hers either way.

Nian Shu paused again to let out a soft chuckle. The stress from her face was gone, and now, joy was already radiating from her entire presence. Her maid was shocked that the Empress was even showing this side to her.

"When did she drink it?" Nian Shu asked, smiling to herself as she poured herself tea with one hand.

"Fifty minutes ago," Xiao Li responded quickly. She looked at Nian Shu and let out a ruthless laugh. "Rumours have it... Madame Ying Yue might have gone crazy!"

Nian Shu, sitting in her throne now, let out another roar of laughter. Li Hua quietly sat in her lap. Nian Shu sipped the tea and gently rested the cup on the table. "She'll say the most foolish things. I cannot wait for her to embarrass herself in front of His Majesty. Oh, Xiao Li, how great of a maid you are..."

Xiao Li tried to hide the annoyed expression on her face as she nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I must call a eunuch to get her," the Empress kept the smug look on her face as she stared off into the distance. "A good empress has to check up on the other women in the harem. Xiao Li, call a eunuch to find her. We'll inform His Majesty that she got too drunk."

The Empress thinks quite irrational when she's happy. Xiao Li thought. The Emperor wouldn't buy it at all.

Because she was sticking with the plan, the maid kept quiet. She chuckled at the Empress's sudden burst of happiness, but the Empress thought she was laughing with her. Xiao Li grinned and shook her head to herself.

Ying Yue was giggling uncontrollably while the footsteps gradually started to get louder. The Empress's eunuch and Ying Yue's eunuch, Li Shi, worriedly pressed their ears to the door. They heard the state of her laugh.

They knew that it wasn't going to be good.

Both of them quickly came in and hastily looked around the room. Ying Yue had thrashed her bed and was kneeling on the floor, tears rolling down her cheeks. She laughed hysterically but was sobbing as she did.

"Madame Ying Yue has been acting like this and she hasn't stopped," Hua Er worriedly rushes to the eunuchs, urging them to help. "Please, I don't want her to go insane! Please... I'm afraid if..."

Li Shi knew right away that his mistress did not check the bowl for poisoning, or did the bowl even have poison in it? He shook his head to himself. No, of course not. The Empress drugged her with something else.

"She drank too much wine," the Empress's eunuch stated, hurriedly trying to leave to tell the Empress. "She's drunk. We must inform His Majesty."

Hua Er shook her head. "She didn't drink any wine."

Ying Yue grabbed Li Shi's arm, urging him to come closer. She tried to pull his arm but she was too weak. Although in the hysteric state she was in, she was still absolutely stunning, hence she wasn't worried for the Emperor to see her.

Her cheeks were already burning from the dried-up tears. She desperately clung to the eunuch's arm as she whispered loudly. "... I need to speak to His Majesty! I need to confess something! Please! I demand you to let me speak to him!"

"Ah... Your Grace, you mustn't let His Majesty get involved," Li Shi attempted to swat her hands away from him. "Not in this current state... We need to get you a physician... We need to identify why you're like this."

The Empress's eunuch shook his head, holding back the smile spreading. "No. If she is seeking to confess something, she must."

Fen Ai shrugged and looked at the two men. "We've tried everything we could to help her. We must let her confess to His Majesty or else she'll stay like this..."

"See, brother, we must let Madame Ying Yue seek His Majesty," the Empress's eunuch smiled. "Let's help your mistress out."

---

"Send Madame Ying Yue to seek audience!" a eunuch called, his voice boomed in the room.

My hands shook. I couldn't control it. Everywhere in my body was trembling and I felt my heart palpitations. When I walked into the hall, I felt all eyes on me. Everywhere, I felt pairs of eyes watching my every move, judging me.

The Empress smirked at the goofy grin I plastered on my face. I fell over nothing and hit the ground with a loud thud. I laughed. Laughing louder, I faced the Emperor with a tired smile, giggling at his stern expression.

"Warm blessings to Your Majesty, happiness and peace to Empress." I kowtowed, then getting up and nervously laughing at the Emperor's face.

I could see that he was fuming. His eyes coldly flicked from the eunuchs to me. I could never read him, but I knew there was no amusement in his eyes when he looked at me. He definitely thinks I'm wasting his time and everyone else's. Not for long.

I crawled closer, tears beginning to well up. "Y-Your Majesty... I need to confess something! Y-You must not be angry with me!"

"I will not," the Emperor exhaled sharply. "I am already mad at you, I cannot be as mad as whatever it is—"

"I-I tried to investigate the Empress behind your back, Your Majesty," I burst out in fear, bowing again to show how anxious I was. I trembled under my hanfu. "T-The Empress found out a-and I think... I think the soup she sent me had something in it!"

The Emperor knitted his eyebrows. "You investigated the Empress for what reason? Ying Yue, be careful about what you're saying..."

The Empress scowled. The amusement in her face diminished and I can sense that she was slightly afraid. She sat comfortably in her throne, but now, she was fidgeting. Chang Ying slowly turned to look at the Empress.

"Your Majesty," the Empress drifted her eyes away from me, and then at her husband. "I don't know what she's talking about... I did send her soup but Imperial Noble Consort Han must be drunk."

She shouldn't have admitted that.

"N-No, Your Majesty," I cried out, shaking my head violently. "The Empress murdered Guan Shu! Guan Shu... Guan Shu hung herself with silk—Your Majesty, you know servants... They... They don't have access to the finest silk!"

Chang Ying cleared her throat. "Your Majesty, she is right... I was quite skeptical of Guan Shu's suicide."

The Empress quickly snapped her head to glare at Chang Ying. I peered up, quickly looking away to stop myself from peeing myself. This was nerve-wracking. I wasn't ready. I don't think I was ready.

"You cannot make things up like that," the Emperor stood up from his throne in anger. "You are drunk and you should go rest! Another word from you and—"

"The Empress has been receiving letters from the same assassin group that tried to harm you, Your Majesty," I pleaded, sobbing as I spoke. I choked on my spit. "I-I admit that I trespassed into her chamber... I wanted evidence to show that she murdered my maid!"

The Emperor quickly glances at the eunuch beside him. "Give her some water."

"Yes, Your Majesty." he quickly nods. Soon after, I felt the glass of water in my hand and I gulped it in one sip. The eunuch slightly smiled at me and resumed back to his place.

Again, the Emperor seemed to be thinking. He looked at the Empress and then looked back at me, then at the eunuchs in front of me. "Search her estate for anything that may have been consumed."

"You don't believe me, Your Majesty?" the Empress intervened, but that didn't stop the Emperor.

They agree again and hurriedly leave the room. I took that chance to force more tears from my eyes. Raising my trembling hands to brush my loose hairs, I made sudden eye contact with the Emperor. "I-I found the letters. Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't believe her," the Empress shook her head in dismay, her eyes narrowed at him. "She's drunk and she's deluding. She must receive proper treatment... This... This entire case is plain unnecessary!"

Loud footsteps interrupted the moment and I turned to see Li Feng, Jaxon and two other guards walking in. Jaxon quickly hands the pile of papers to the eunuch. The Empress's eyes of bewilderment were displayed to the public. Her lips parted in horror as the Emperor skimmed through the letters.

Li Feng passed the poem to the eunuch. As the Emperor took the poem and eyed it carefully, Li Feng spoke up, "The poem is written by Her Majesty. She spoke ill of Imperial Noble Consort Han. The Empress's personal stamp is visible at the end of the poem."

"Your Majesty, they match up to the letter that was supposed to be sent to..." the eunuch took a pause, his eyes trailed away from the letter. He glared at the Empress.

"She forged this! She—" the Empress began but once she took one look at the Emperor, she stopped speaking.

The Emperor's eyes spoke the truest form of anger. His face remained stoic but his eyes told everything. He fixed his gaze at the Empress, clenching his teeth. A vein popped from the left side of his temple. "I trusted you with my heart... I loved you..."

I gulped. After looking at the Emperor, I chose to face down. I already addressed the letters, now I can talk about Guan Shu. Since the Empress has a bad reputation in the Emperor's eyes, now I have to finish the kill.

My eyes were fixated on the ground. I couldn't bear to look at him nor the Empress. I couldn't. I felt guilty about breaking the apparent love they had. The Emperor loved her. Although I wanted to ruin his perspective of her, I was so selfish to realise that he did love her. He was hurt. His love, the Empress, betrayed him.

"I-It's... It's a misunderstanding!" the Empress's voice trembled.

I peered up only to see that the eunuchs have dragged the Empress out in front of me. She didn't look back at me at all.

Then again, more shuffling, more people coming. Was it the eunuchs?

As I turned around, I recognized the face. The assassin disregarded me and looked at the Emperor. He kowtowed and greeted him. With agitation, he pointed at the Empress. "Her Majesty... isn't the only person involved."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"There is another third-party I don't know of," the assassin bowed to him again. "Please pardon me from execution! I haven't succeeded in this mission! I'll tell you all that there is about the group—"

"You expect a pardon? How many times, tell me... How many times have you attempted to remove me from the throne? You—" the Emperor barked, he gripped the vessel in his hand so tightly that I was waiting for it to break into pieces.

Before the Emperor could vent further, the two eunuchs rushed quickly towards the Emperor. They passed the bowl to the physician. "Your Majesty, Madame Ying Yue consumed one-third of the soup given by the Empress."

"Will she be alright?" the Emperor quickly asked, taking another glance at my face.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Her Grace will be fine after an hour," the physician set the bowl on the table next to him gently. "It seems that there were medium doses of Fangkui infused with the soup."

"My mistress did not consume wine." Li Shi shook his head.

The Empress shook her head in denial. "N-No! Your Majesty, she framed me! She put the dosage in there herself! If she didn't know, why didn't she drink all the soup?"

I didn't even think of that. My heart almost stopped. The Empress had a perfect retaliation and I assumed I was doomed. Before I could even defend myself, Fen Ai in the far distance was quick to answer. "Your Majesty, Madame Ying Yue and the rest of the concubines had lunch. Her Grace ate a large portion and was full. She abandoned the soup because she couldn't bear to drink any more of it."

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!" a loud voice called behind me.

My heart beat faster. I didn't expect her to be involved. I almost burst out laughing, the whole gig is up with the Empress. I was almost drunk in ecstasy. Justice was served, finally, nothing can get better than this.

Fen Ai was quick on her feet! I was impressed.

We greeted the Empress Dowager in unison. The Emperor rose from his chair to greet his mother. She lost the glow on her face and now, she was solemn. The casualness of her demeanour was rather scary. She looked at the Empress like she had nothing to do with her anymore.

The Empress Dowager tilted her chin up and slowly shook her head at the Empress. She kept a proper posture as she settled down in her throne. "You want to ruin the Imperial family, for what?"

"No... No, Mother, it's not like that..." the Empress whined, she crawled towards the Emperor, climbing up to grab his hand. Although I couldn't see her face, I knew she was crying.

"Empress Dowager, I apologize... I apologize for," I gulped, still keeping up with my act. "I apologize for doing this behind your back... Please punish me! I deserve punishment!"

She studied my face and looked away, sighing. "Ying Yue, I told you not to investigate and get yourself into trouble but... What you did... I cannot help but thank you."

"I'll have you stay at your estate for two days," the Empress Dowager gave me an apologetic look.

"No, Mother," the Empress screamed, she turned around still trying to grab the Emperor's hand. The guards quickly pulled her away but her eyes never left mine. "She's a vile wench! A wicked, vile woman! She's lying to you! She's lying to all of you!"

"I want this to be recorded," the Emperor ordered. "Record everything from now to the end of this case... I want this to be a warning to whoever else that may attempt this monstrous crime!"

I did it. I actually did it. The Empress will be put away. All the stress, all the overthinking... It all paid off.

The men sitting on the side quickly began to dip their brushes into the ink. All of them looked up at the Emperor before immediately writing away.

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes at the assassin. She tilted her head forwards. "What about the assassination where the Empress was almost killed?"

Oh no. I didn't think of that. Who cares. The Empress was too busy pleading with the Emperor and sobbing between her words that she wasn't able to back herself up.

"They weren't associated with my group, Your Majesty. I apologize but I do not know who they were." the assassin replied firmly.

While she leaned back in thought, I took my chance to speak. This was what I was waiting for. My repressed anger, my grief, my fury, was ready. My throat was already burning just like my desires. The Empress was in front of me, playing innocent and whining. This was something that I've been longing to do ever since she landed a slap at me. To put her in her place was liberating.

"Your Majesty," I bowed again. "Guan Shu... Please investigate it... I know the Empress murdered her. She framed her! Silk... Investigate the silk!"

The Emperor clenched his jaw tightly while he gave the eunuchs another glance. Without speaking, they hastily scrambled out the door.

The pain in his eyes said it all. There it was. Dong Mei's death did not cause him to react this way at all. The Emperor loved the Empress. He always did. Maybe not as much as before, but he still did. I almost felt bad that I had to hurt the Emperor to depose the Empress...

Sacrifices were made already. I can't do anything to change things back to normal.

I was about to speak up about Dong Mei's death. It was right to speak out about it. Guan Shu didn't deserve to be framed for something that could hurt her reputation like this. I did it for Chen Xi too. My mind was racing. I couldn't muster up the words to speak. Before I could even breathe, a maid from the side rushed in beside the Empress and kowtowed to her superiors.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager," she breathed. "I have to confess something."

"What is it?" the Emperor took a sharp inhale.

"I-I've been hiding the Empress's mother in a deserted palace for months," the maid cried, bowing repeatedly. "They both planned to fake her death... to use it as an excuse... T-To gain sympathy... Forgive me!"

"You brat!" the Empress snapped her head to the maid next to her. It was weird to see her kneel near me.

The woman in the kitchen... The familiar woman Hua Er mentioned. That was the Empress's mother. A eunuch had interrupted our walk to inform the Emperor that the Empress's mother was ill. Faking her death just for that?

No. It was more serious. The Empress planned this before, I knew it. I came into the Palace and they knew it would've been the perfect timing for the elaborate plan. Of course, her mother was still alive! I've had doubts that the Empress planned all of this alone.

"Where is she?" the Empress Dowager shouted.

The Empress pulled the maid's arm roughly towards her. "Shut up! Shut up!"

"Palace of Gathering Essence, Your Majesty." the maid meekly replied as Li Feng dragged the Empress further away from her enemies.

As per usual, the guards immediately walked out to search for her. For everyone else in the room, we were all shocked. Heck, even I was. I expected this to be a short trial but now that one maid spoke up, I was expecting to be kneeling here for hours.

"This is just speculation," the Empress shook her head. "You saw my mother's body! We buried her in front of—"

"Dig up her grave." the Emperor instructed, then giving the Empress a taunting look.

The Empress balled up the bottom of her hanfu in her fists. "Your Majesty, please! I love you! You must trust me!"

"Be quiet," the Emperor snapped. He stood up and walked closer towards the Empress. He towered over her. "Anything else you say cannot make up for the sins you've committed!"

Right after the Empress's rage, the entire room was silent. Nobody made a sound. It was clear to see that nothing would make the Emperor forgive the Empress. I won. I already won. So why was I feeling so guilty? I knew the Emperor was hurt by it. I knew the Empress was too.

What am I even thinking? I shouldn't even be concerned about the Empress. All those months of trying to mind my own business, just for her to frame me—just for her to kill off my maid like it was no big deal. Who does she think she is?

But the silence didn't last long. The Empress still wanted to bargain. She grabbed the Emperor's hand again, clasping it between her hands. "Your Majesty... Everything I did... It was all in good nature! I didn't mean any harm!"

"You meant to harm those poor people. I know you did. Assisting in my assassination was all in good nature? You committed treason, Empress!" the Emperor barked as he swatted his hand away from the Empress. She landed on her shoulder.

Another body fell to the ground, and now, it was confirmed. The woman Hua Er recognized was the Empress's mother.

"Your Majesty," the Empress's mother whined, louder than the Empress. "Heaven and Earth can be my witness, they're lying to you!"

The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows, giving her a look of disgust. "How can they be lying when I can see you in flesh?"

The Empress and her mother looked frightened at the Emperor's reddened face. His skin was glossy and shiny from the sweat he was excreting. This was bad. I didn't expect it to be a full-blown soap opera. With this happening, I had a tingly feeling that more stories were to come against the Empress.

At this rate, I know the Emperor will never forgive her.

It wasn't long for it to be revealed that the body was gone. They must have planned this for a very long time because they could've been caught. Or, the corruption in this place was just too prominent. Actually, it was. You didn't have to be a genius to know that you can get away with anything if you were royalty.

The Empress is a prime example.

I remained silent. There was nothing I could do but just watch the scene play out in front of me. No matter how much pleading and begging the mother and daughter duo did, the Emperor still had the same ounce of hatred boiling in him. The Empress Dowager was also taking digs at the Empress's mother.

It was so messy that I was in shock. I started this and I didn't know whether I should be proud or disgusted.

I already avenged Guan Shu, but Chen Xi's face against the bars was still haunting me. Despite the fact that I still hated her, I needed to prove her innocence. It was the right thing to do. I decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Your Majesty," I bowed, still playing my role of being hysteric. "C-Chen Xi didn't kill Dong Mei nor did she kill Li Mei... Please... believe me."

Right after I finished, Niu Lin quickly kneeled next to me. "Her Majesty threatened us to not speak up about it! We all knew that she was the one who prepared Madame Dong Mei's medicine. Guan Shu was used as a scapegoat."

When the Emperor turned to look at the other concubines, they nodded their heads in unison. They mumbled apologies to the Emperor. One of the Noble Consorts that Niu Lin was close to, stayed in her seat but spoke, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Empress bribed the eunuchs heavily to lie on Imperial Noble Consort Han's name."

"Chen Xi... Chen Xi told me she was bribed," I mumbled, loud enough for the Emperor to hear me. "In return for her betrayal, she can seek medical help for her father..."

"You malicious woman! I cannot believe I haven't deposed of you sooner," the Emperor wagged a finger. "You are a disgrace, I'm so ashamed I made you my Empress... All the people you extorted... I wonder how you could hide all these things from me..."

The Emperor continued. "I don't understand. You are second to none, Empress, I have told you this. It is unnecessary to kill a pregnant concubine! As an empress, your job is to manage the harem and you couldn't just do that? If you can't comprehend that, you might as well resign."

The roasting didn't stop.

"You," the Emperor pointed his index finger at the Empress's mother. She didn't look upset. She looked as if she was ready to leave. "...Joining in your daughter's schemes... You betrayed my mother! Do you know upset she was when she heard the news that you have passed?"

The Empress Dowager remained stoic.

"Two maids... A toddler and a baby. Two maids, a toddler, and a baby died," the Emperor had disappointment written on his face. "When Imperial Noble Consort Han was accused of poisoning me, that was you, wasn't it? The maid that was executed, she died on behalf of you, didn't she? ... You will be sent to eternal doom! The gods will never forgive the sins you have committed..."

There were no rebuttals nor back talking from the Empress nor her mother. The Empress didn't respond. They embraced each other tightly.

The Emperor sighed as he turned his back towards them and walked back towards his throne. "Empress, you did not do these things for me, nor us. You did them for yourself. Harming and killing other women in the harem only serves you!"

"You two have committed murder, treason, and defamation," the Empress Dowager placed her tea down. "There is nothing else to say."

This was it. The time had come. The title of 'Empress' will be vacant. It'll be easier for me to go back home because I know that I wasn't going to be bothered anymore. Jaxon and I looked at each other briefly. It was the look of joy—the look of being heroes, the look of achieving something so big.

I was proud of myself.

"Princess Hua Yang has arrived!" a loud voice boomed.

I didn't expect her to come. She looked around and made eye contact with the Empress. But now, there was no more politeness when she looked at the Empress. Pretending to be nice to the Empress, was over.

"Greetings to the Emperor," Hua Yang kneeled and bowed. "Warm blessings to Mother."

"You may rise," the Empress Dowager looked at Hua Yang strangely.

Hua Yang got up. "Thank you, Mother."

"Hua Yang, may I ask why you're here?" the Emperor asked.

Hua Yang walked up to kneel next to me. I was sandwiched between her and Niu Lin. Even I was a little bit confused as to why Hua Yang was here. She stayed very silent about things like this.

Hua Yang kowtowed. "Your Majesty, Mother, I have to confess something..."

"Speak." the Emperor motioned with his hand.

"I have been prescribing the same amount of medicine to the Empress and the pregnant concubines," Hua Yang began. "Before and after the Empress's pregnancy as well..."

She sighed before continuing. "I found it odd and didn't think much of it before it was brought up in a conversation I had. Your Majesty, please check how long Her Majesty was pregnant."

"Your Majesty, what does this mean? Please," the Empress choked. "This... This is ridiculous! What does that even mean? Hua Yang, what are you trying to accuse me with?"

Hua Yang ignored her. Before the Empress could comply, she was gently dragged away by two physicians. The Empress's mother tried to stop them.

The suspense was already killing me because I didn't know what else to think. So many things were happening at once. My brain was starting to hurt. I needed another cup of water, I was starting to become dehydrated. I don't know how long this went on but it was starting to become an informal trial.

I lost my sense of time, just being here. Although I didn't drink the soup, I was starting to feel like I did. Something about all of this made me feel uneasy. There was a chain of events after this that I didn't plan.

Being the cause of a drastic, dramatic event was hard to grasp.

The Empress was soon ushered back in front of me and the physicians were hesitant to even respond. I would be too.

"The Empress has been pregnant for... twelve weeks..." they said uncomfortably.

"We've only laid together nine weeks ago." the Emperor replied, defeatedly and still, in anger. His eyes were boring into the Empress's eyes. He refused to blink. Everyone could feel his pain, even the Empress could.

"N-No, Your Majesty... That's inaccurate! That's impossible! Your Majesty," the Empress held her mother tightly. "It's only you! I only love you!"

Chang Ying and I gave each other odd looks. We both looked away, thoughtfully. Hua Yang was silent next to me, but I could tell she was thinking. Her eyes wandered from the Emperor to her mother.

I didn't want to ask. Chang Ying knew. She leaned her frame forwards, indicating that she was about to say something. "Then who's the father?"

The Empress Dowager crossed her arms. "There is a strict policy that no outside men are allowed in the harem. Who has been in the harem constantly?"

The entire hall was in shock. Nobody dared speak up nor accuse anyone of such. Everyone was too busy processing everything that happened because what had happened was chaotic. The Emperor was pained, the Empress and her mother were hugging each other tightly, and the Empress Dowager sat quietly in her throne with a lack of emotions. As for me, I had a song stuck in my head.

For a second, I thought we would end it there. No one wanted to say anything. To my surprise, Hua Yang broke the tension.

"Prince Jing," Hua Yang answered, almost in a whisper. "I didn't notice it... But now, it's so obvious... It was Prince Jing."