Chapter 127: The Emperor Kills a Man

The dispute in Chengming Hall had been sorted out between the Second Master and his wife.

Mu Jiang’s miscarriage required someone to take the blame—even Mu Jiang herself had no say in the matter.

Huan Qingtang had pointed out the problem with the lip balm, which was not a lie on her part.

This was her merit.

But where the lip balm had come from was not something she had stated; it had been investigated by the household stewards.

The investigation led to Zhou Yuanqi, who had purchased such an item at the Yizhen Pavilion.

"I did not buy lip balm!" Zhou Yuanqi said.

The Second Madam also said, "Even if he bought it, he would not have given it to the concubine!"

"Mother and son, coordinate your stories—did he buy it or not?" the Dowager Madame asked coldly.

The Second Madam was startled.

She never imagined that such a remark could be seized upon by the Dowager Madame.

She once again recalled her daughter-in-law’s advice: do not speak.

"Summon the owner, manager, and shop assistants of the Yizhen Pavilion for questioning. I only bought two boxes of face powder, not lip balm," Zhou Yuanqi said.

The Dowager Madame snorted coldly, saying, "The Yizhen Pavilion has countless customers—how could they remember clearly? Even if they were called in to check the accounts, what could they clarify?"

"Is there a ledger?" Zhou Yuanqi asked.

If they had planned to frame him, there would certainly be a ledger.

The accounts would record two boxes of face powder and one box of lip balm.

What Zhou Yuanqi bought, and how it ended up in Mu Jiang's quarters—someone would then come forward to say a few words, and it would be settled.

As a child from the Zhou family, what did Zhou Yuanqi understand?

Cheng Zhao, who was on good terms with him, was likely the mastermind behind it all.

Zhou Yuanshen, the Second Madam, and the Second Master all understood.

As long as the evidence pointed to Cheng Zhao, she would have no chance to defend herself.

"Your Majesty, may this subject’s wife speak?" Cheng Zhao suddenly interjected.

The Emperor frowned. "Step back; there are others who may speak."

"It concerns Consort Dou," Cheng Zhao said.

Everyone was taken aback.

The Dowager Madame also looked at her in surprise.

Hearing the words "Consort Dou," the Emperor’s mood grew more irritable, with a flicker of anger pulsing in his brow.

"Your Majesty, the one who harmed the concubine’s unborn child is Consort Dou. Consort Dou holds a grudge against the Dowager Madame and the Zhou family. She lost her own son and wanted us to taste the same piercing heartache, so she used Doctor Feng’s hand to kill the concubine’s child," Cheng Zhao said.

She spoke with absolute certainty.

The Emperor frowned at her.

The Dowager Madame’s expression shifted several times, but she did not command her to be silent.

Doctor Feng was horrified. "Your Majesty, your subject is wronged! The Duchess is shifting blame and slandering me!"

"Whether it is slander or not, investigate Doctor Feng. A small lip balm, not even ingested—how could it cause harm to the fetus? If Doctor Feng had not been bribed by Consort Dou, the concubine would never have met with trouble," Cheng Zhao said. "Your Majesty, please issue an order to thoroughly investigate Doctor Feng."

The Emperor hesitated.

"Send someone to search his residence," he commanded nonchalantly.

Doctor Feng’s face lost all color. "Your Majesty..."

"Silence!" The Emperor rubbed his tight temples. "If you are innocent, I will naturally grant you justice—and at that point, I will cut off the Duchess’s head for you."

Everyone trembled again.

The Second Madam wanted to speak again, but this time Zhou Yuanqi firmly pressed down her other sleeve to remind her to stay silent.

"Duchess, are you certain this is not a false accusation?" the Emperor asked again.

Cheng Zhao shook her head firmly. "Your subject’s wife’s reasoning is all true. Your Majesty, think: how could the concubine and her child have come to harm? It was impossible!"

"Then search," the Emperor ordered.

His bodyguards took men and left.

Doctor Feng’s mansion was some distance from the Chenguo Mansion, and during the wait, everyone—kneeling, sitting, or standing—felt immensely agonizing.

Torture seemed to weigh on every person.

Some were deep in thought, some were frantically plotting countermeasures, and others were already drenched in cold sweat.

An hour later, the guards returned with the items they had seized.

Jewels and gold aside, there was also a phoenix hairpin inlaid with a sapphire—an item from Consort Dou’s palace.

The Emperor immediately recognized it as a court artifact and knew it belonged to the Consort. He sneered, "What is this?"

"Your subject—your subject—" Doctor Feng’s official robes were already soaked with sweat as he kowtowed repeatedly but could offer no defense.

Cheng Zhao’s third sister, Cheng Ying, said that there was a secret which outsiders might not know, but the Princess of Jingnan was aware: Doctor Feng was the deputy director of the Imperial Hospital, and he and Consort Dou had been childhood sweethearts.

Their statuses were too far apart for any illicit affair, and the Dou family had previously objected. But Doctor Feng had always been loyal to the Consort.

Later, when the Consort entered the palace, bore a son, and secured the Emperor’s favor, Doctor Feng had assisted her countless times, as was known among the meritorious families.

Yet, out of fear of the Duke of Piguo’s influence, the Consort’s authority, and Doctor Feng’s current position and connections, no one wished to court this trouble.

Of the many consorts in the palace, only four princes remained—so many sins had Doctor Feng helped the Consort commit that he had likely lost count.

The Dowager Madame had even heard of it, which was why she had hesitated to summon Doctor Feng initially.

Mu Jiang had made such a fuss that the Dowager Madame feared something might happen to the child, yet she thought Doctor Feng would not dare act so blatantly.

When Doctor Feng arrived, the Dowager Madame had already warned him that if he played tricks, both he and the Consort would face dire consequences.

This time, Doctor Feng had indeed done nothing.

But his residence was not clean: besides bribes and gifts exchanged in secret with the Consort, there was also a ledger detailing the crimes he had committed on the Consort’s behalf.

The Emperor looked at the phoenix hairpin and said coldly, "This was the one I personally placed on the Consort’s head on the day Hong’er was born. Now it seems—whose son is Hong’er, after all?"

Doctor Feng nearly collapsed to the ground. "Your Majesty, Your subject and the Consort are innocent..."

The Emperor drew the longsword at his waist, walked over slowly, and pointed it at Doctor Feng.

Doctor Feng did not dare to dodge.

Everyone thought the Emperor was just trying to intimidate him, perhaps even strike him—when the tip of the blade plunged into Doctor Feng’s chest.

Blood gushed from Doctor Feng’s mouth and nose.

His eyes wide open, he convulsed on the ground for a moment, then gradually stilled.

"Ah!" First Madam Song, standing nearby, let out an involuntary gasp.

She covered her mouth and nose tightly, glancing fearfully at the Emperor and the Dowager Madame, terrified that her outburst might bring death upon her.

Huan Qingtang was rigid, her face ashen.

At that moment, Zhou Yuanshen swiftly moved to stand in front of the Second House’s people. The Second Master rose promptly, and together father and son shielded the two women and the child behind them.

The Emperor watched this scene as if he found it amusing, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Blood still dripped from his longsword.

Huan Qingtang could no longer stand; her knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground. First Madam Song, mistaking this for a gesture of respect, quickly knelt as well.

All the serving maids and servants in the hall prostrated themselves.

The Second Master glanced at Zhou Yuanshen, and Zhou Yuanshen dropped to one knee: "Your Majesty, please calm your wrath."

"Your Majesty, please calm your wrath," the Second Master also knelt again.

The Dowager Madame watched it all, her chest heaving.

"Enough." The Emperor discarded his bloody sword. "My head aches. Mother-in-law, what do you say?"

The Dowager Madame said, "It is late, Your Majesty. Return to the palace and rest. Today’s farce has disturbed Your Majesty."

"It is no matter. The affairs of the Zhou family are all my household matters," the Emperor said.

The listeners’ hearts trembled.

And thus the Emperor left.

Doctor Feng’s corpse lay limply on the brick floor of Chengming Hall, gradually stiffening.