The princess was not afraid at all; she had received a miraculous opportunity, and no one in the world could find any evidence against her.
She looked at Xu Zifan with a mixture of grievance and strength, "Your Highness...you...you doubt me?"
Chen took a few steps toward Xu Zifan, looking at him and then at the Princess. "Princess, that's not what I meant, cousin..."
According to custom, Chen should have addressed Xu Zifan as "Your Highness," but she insisted on calling him "Cousin," a form of address that conveyed a great deal of intimacy. Only then did the Princess notice Chen's unusual behavior. She looked at Chen with a cryptic expression. Wasn't Chen supposed to dislike the Prince and refuse to marry him? Why was she calling him "Cousin" and wearing the bracelet the Prince had given her? And now, standing pitifully beside the Prince, it seemed as if she had bullied Chen.
The princess became wary. She could be reborn; others might be able to as well. But this wasn't the time to think about such things; she absolutely couldn't be convicted.
The princess straightened her back and said solemnly, "Your Highness, I have never done anything to harm the concubine. If you don't believe me, please investigate. If I wanted to harm the concubine, she wouldn't have been well during her seven months of pregnancy."
These words implied that Chen was the culprit. Everything was fine at the Prince's residence, so why did something happen as soon as she arrived? However, Xu Zifan knew the inside story and didn't need to suspect anyone; finding a suitable reason was enough.
He looked at everyone present and asked in a deep voice, "Who saw what happened? Did anyone tamper with it? Tell the truth, there is no hiding anything."
His gaze lingered on Lady Liu for a moment. Aside from Lady Chen, who possessed the "Favored Concubine System," only Lady Liu, who could communicate with plants, knew the truth.
Lady Liu was weighing the pros and cons with her head down; she did indeed know the truth. The situation was so chaotic then, everything happened in the blink of an eye. Having watched countless palace dramas in modern times, she immediately suspected someone was plotting against the concubine. She quietly inquired about the surrounding plants, gathering all the details.
The concubine gave birth prematurely. In the ancient environment, the fetus was very likely to not survive, and the concubine might also have suffered health problems. This was a very serious matter, and an explanation had to be given to the concubine.
If she said it was an accidental act by the child, the prince would certainly not be pleased, nor would the concubine be satisfied; if she said it was done by the cousin, she saw that the concubine and the cousin got along very well, and did not seem to have any conflict. Besides, the prince seemed to have some suspicions about the princess and was biased towards the cousin, so if she did not go along with what the prince said, she might be disliked by the prince.
If the prince offends the princess, who already dislikes her, and if she is convicted this time, her power will be greatly reduced, and the inner court will become much more secure. Then it will be much safer for her to cultivate her own power base and conceive.
As for remaining silent and protecting oneself, that's the worst strategy; the backyard needs no invisible nobody.
Lady Liu quickly grasped the key point, and raised her head with feigned difficulty. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "Your Highness, I saw it."
The princess turned sharply to look at her, her heart leaping into her throat. Had she seen it? What had she seen?
At this moment, the imperial physician rushed in. Xu Zifan quickly ordered the imperial physician and the female physician to enter and treat the concubine, and forbade anyone else to move. He looked at Liu Shi and said in a deep voice, "Speak whatever you see. Whoever it is, if they are deliberately trying to harm someone, I will not let them off lightly."
Lady Liu glanced at the Princess Consort cautiously, then immediately lowered her head and said hesitantly, "I saw with my own eyes that the Princess Consort walked to the young lady's side, reached out and touched her face, and when she put her hand down, she wiped it on the young lady's bracelet."
The princess's pupils constricted. She never expected that Lady Liu had actually seen it, and seen it so clearly! She quickly and sternly shouted, "Nonsense! My hand is not a blade. It won't break if I touch the bracelet. Besides, I didn't even touch that bracelet."
Chen immediately whispered, "Actually... I also felt the princess's hand touch my wrist, but I was holding Xiyun and didn't see it, so I didn't say anything just now."
Chen is lying.
She was completely unaware at the time, but she knew the truth, so she boldly lied. Who says you need evidence? In the backyard, witness testimony is enough to prove a crime.
Xu Zifan's face turned cold, and like those family heads who were easily led astray by women, he looked at the princess and asked, "Princess, do you have anything else to say?"
"Your Highness, I am innocent! I did nothing wrong. I don't know why Miss Liu and Madam Liu are saying such things. I have no reason to do this. Your Highness, please investigate!" The princess was already somewhat flustered. She dared to do this because she was determined that no one would know, and if anyone suspected her, they would suspect that the child had accidentally broken the bracelet. But why was everyone pointing the finger at her? How could such a secret matter be discovered?
Xu Zifan didn't want to hear her say any more, so he waved his hand and ordered, "Someone, take the princess back. Without my permission, she is not allowed to leave the house." After saying that, he looked at Chen Shi, "Cousin, it's getting late. I'll have someone take you back. Liu Shi, you should go back too."
Before the princess could even defend herself, she was forcibly taken away by two maids. These servants were all handpicked by Hu Feng and only obeyed Xu Zifan's orders, without considering the princess's status.
Chen said remorsefully, "Cousin, the concubine's death is all because of my bracelet... I'll wait here for her to be safe. I'll just send someone to let my parents know. They won't worry knowing I'm here."
"Go back now. I have some household matters to attend to at my residence; it's quite chaotic, and it's inconvenient for you to stay. I will return once the concubine is safe."
"I've sent someone to deliver a message to you. Go ahead." Xu Zifan ordered someone to escort her out without allowing any argument.
His words "family matters" struck a nerve with Chen, extinguishing even her joy at surpassing the princess. Moreover, she failed to complete the task assigned by the system to be embraced by Xu Zifan, which deducted her points, making her face extremely pale.
Seeing that the two had left, Madam Liu knew she shouldn't stay either. After thinking for a moment, she went forward and poured Xu Zifan a cup of tea. She used her plant-based abilities to nourish the tea leaves, giving them a fragrant aroma. She served the tea to Xu Zifan and advised, "Your Highness, please have some tea to soothe your throat. Your concubine is a lucky person and will surely be alright. I hope Your Highness will take care of yourself and not worry too much."
Xu Zifan took a sip of tea; it was indeed delicious, but still far inferior to the spiritual tea he grew in his space. He nodded to Liu Shi, "Go on, but don't wander off unless necessary."
Liu's smile froze. Her chance to be a gentle and understanding confidante was gone, and she could only lower her head and regretfully take her leave.
The imperial physician came out and respectfully reported, "Your Highness, the concubine has experienced a miscarriage, leading to premature labor. The delivery will be difficult. I will prescribe a labor-inducing medicine and use century-old ginseng slices to help the concubine breathe. She should be fine."
"Yes, I will send someone to fetch ginseng slices to ensure the safety of mother and child." After saying this, Xu Zifan ordered someone to invite a midwife. The midwife was chosen by the concubine to live in the mansion, so she wouldn't be inconvenient at the moment.
The concubine's childbirth was indeed difficult; she struggled all night and didn't give birth to a weak son until dawn. She was completely exhausted, her hair plastered to her face with sweat, as if she had just been pulled from the water. After giving birth, she anxiously sat up and looked around, "How is the baby? Is he alright?"
The midwife quickly washed the baby clean and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Your Highness, the little one is doing well. He is a little thin, but he will recover with rest."
The concubine asked her to bring the child closer so she could see him with her own eyes before she breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Take him to the Prince for a check-up, and then have the imperial physician examine him carefully to make sure the young master is alright."
"Yes, Your Highness. Please lie down and rest. I'll call the female physician in to examine you." The midwife agreed and hurriedly took the child out.
The concubine collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Looking at the interdimensional trading device in the void, visible only to her, she was filled with lingering fear. If it weren't for this miraculous opportunity, she would have been finished.
Fortunately, Xu Zifan had called everyone out for questioning, leaving only her maid. She quickly made up an excuse to send her away and exchanged her hairpins, jade pendants, and future dimensions for the medicine to take.
They had done business together several times and were considered acquaintances. As soon as the other party learned about her situation, they gave her this medicine, saying that she could be safe and sound, and in the end, she really was safe and sound.
Everything was fortunate, and she kept thanking God. The female physician came in to examine her and said that her body was a little weak, but she would recover completely after half a year of rest. The concubine didn't care much. In her previous life, she had given birth to two sons. The elder inherited the throne and brought her endless glory, while the younger was useless and only brought her shame. She had enough of this one good son; whether she could have more children in the future was irrelevant.
Xu Zifan waited outside all night and saw the skinny, monkey-like child reach out to take him in. He thought for a moment and said, "The concubine has just given birth and needs to rest. Let's put the child in my west wing, and Hu Feng will take care of him personally. Hu Feng, have someone arrange for a sedan chair to be brought over so the child won't catch a cold."
The concubine's maids and nannies were stunned. They had never seen a newborn child being cared for by its own father before. They looked at each other, but none of them dared to utter a sound. The prince had already lost his temper several times in the past few days, and the other two children in the manor were with the prince. This... being able to live in the prince's west wing was a good thing, wasn't it? It meant being more valued.
Before the servants could figure it out, Hu Feng took the child away. The imperial physician had examined the child; he was a bit thin, and whether he would grow up to be strong and healthy was uncertain. Xu Zifan wasn't worried about that. Even without his intervention, the various artifacts from his concubine's dimensional possessions could ensure the child's health. He took the child away simply because he didn't want him to grow into a ruthless, smiling tiger.
Xu Zifan instructed his servants to properly escort the concubine back to her courtyard and take good care of her, then left with his men. Walking in the garden, the sun gradually rose. He thought about how the Princess and Lady Li were now confined to their quarters, the concubine was weak and bedridden, and only Lady Liu remained, whom he couldn't easily do anything about. His backyard truly felt desolate and forlorn.
But this is just right, so none of them should come out and cause trouble. The more they cause trouble, the harsher their punishment will be.
At this hour, he should be attending the morning court session. It's time to persuade those subordinates who want to claim credit for the throne to leave. He wants to establish a true power that belongs only to him, one that doesn't care about the throne, one that can be trusted and is invincible.
That day, after court, Xu Zifan was summoned to the imperial study by the emperor. The emperor, reviewing memorials, asked without looking up, "Did you summon the imperial physician to your residence last night? Did you conceive your second child?"
"Yes, please bestow a name upon me, Father."
"No rush." The emperor paused for a moment, finished reviewing a memorial, and looked up to ask, "What do you think of the incomplete scroll that the Liu family sent out?"