sjar Chapter 505 I have never touched you, so where did your belly come from?
Chapter 505 I have never touched you, so where did your belly come from?
The cries for help from inside the fire grew weaker and weaker. Zhao Yunci ordered the guards beside her, "Save people!"
"Yes!" Several guards immediately rushed to the fire.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the guards finally carried two people out of the fire.
The young eunuch was already unconscious, his body charred black.
Although Consort Shu was still conscious, she appeared quite differently—she was protecting her belly with both hands, and her high, protruding abdomen was particularly conspicuous in the firelight.
Zhao Yunci's face instantly turned ashen. He strode up to Consort Shu, his voice as cold as the dead of winter.
"I have never touched you, so where did your belly come from?"
Consort Shu, though weak in breath, still managed to say, "Your Majesty, this child is your own flesh and blood!"
Zhao Yunci was furious. "When have I ever had any physical intimacy with you?"
"The day before I was sent to the Cold Palace, I drugged His Majesty, and he remembers nothing." Consort Shu said through gritted teeth, word by word, "That night, I served His Majesty, and this child was conceived then."
Upon hearing this, Su Wan's expression also turned ugly.
Although she believed in Zhao Yunci's character, who could really say for sure about such things?
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunci trembled with rage.
Do you think I'm a fool?
"Your Majesty, the drug I used was a sleeping potion obtained from outside the palace. After taking it, one will not only lose consciousness, but will also remember nothing afterwards." Seeing that Zhao Yunci did not believe her, Consort Shu hurriedly explained, "How could I dare to joke about such a thing?"
"What a fine Consort Shu!" Zhao Yunci was furious. He turned to the guards and ordered, "Guards, drag her away and execute her!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Consort Shu cried out in terror, "I am carrying the emperor's child! How can you be so cruel?"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have used those methods, but the child is innocent!"
She kowtowed desperately, begging for mercy, "Your Majesty, even if you don't care about our past relationship, you should at least think about the child!"
Su Wan felt a pang of pity seeing Consort Shu's miserable state.
She had never met Consort Shu and did not know why the Emperor had banished her to the Cold Palace, but if she was indeed pregnant, such treatment was indeed too cruel.
"Your Majesty," Su Wan said softly, "why don't we wait and talk about it later?"
Zhao Yunci turned to look at her, her anger undiminished: "Is the Empress going to plead for her?"
"I am not pleading for her." Su Wan shook her head and walked to Zhao Yunci's side. "Since she is about to give birth, why not wait until the child is born and use the blood test to determine whether the child is His Majesty's flesh and blood?"
When Consort Shu heard the words "blood test for kinship", a hint of panic flashed across her face.
Although she quickly covered it up, Zhao Yunci still managed to catch it.
"What?" Zhao Yunci sneered, "Are you scared?"
She forced herself to defend herself, saying, "How could I be afraid? This child is Your Majesty's flesh and blood, so it doesn't matter what method you use to test it."
Zhao Yunci squinted and leaned closer to observe her expression carefully.
"Since that's the case, then I'll wait until you give birth, and I'll verify it myself. If it's not mine, I'll skin you and that adulterer alive."
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu turned pale and collapsed to the ground.
Regardless, I've survived today...
Zhao Yunci glanced at the disheveled Consort Shu and said coldly, "Take her away and keep a close watch on her. Don't allow anyone to approach her."
"Yes!" Several guards immediately stepped forward and carried Consort Shu away.
Su Wan turned to look at Zhao Yunci and saw that his face was ashen. She asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you really not remember that matter?"
Zhao Yunci held her hand and said sincerely, "Wan'er, I swear to heaven that I have never touched her in the slightest."
"I was indeed unwell for a few days during that period, but it was definitely not because of any sleeping pills."
Su Wan nodded: "I believe His Majesty, but since she dares to say such a thing, she must have something to rely on."
"Rely on?" Zhao Yunci sneered. "She just wants to use a child to save her life. Once the child is born, a checkup will reveal whether it's real or fake."
Just then, the chief eunuch in charge of putting out the fire ran over again: "Your Majesty, the fire has been brought under control, but the Cold Palace is almost half burned down."
"How is the injured eunuch?" Su Wan asked with concern.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physicians are treating him, and he is out of immediate danger."
Zhao Yunci nodded: "Send more manpower to ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Also, thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire."
"Yes!" The chief eunuch hurriedly withdrew.
Looking at the distant firelight, Su Wan suddenly remembered something: "Your Majesty, why was Consort Shu banished to the Cold Palace?"
Zhao Yunci remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Her father is the Prince of Pingnan, and her brother has committed numerous evils in his fiefdom, including rape and plunder, causing untold suffering to the people. I... she can be considered a sacrifice in the reduction of the power of the princes."
Su Wan didn't know what to say. She felt a pang of sympathy for the woman, but His Majesty said the child wasn't his.
Zhao Yunci squeezed her hand, "Wan'er, don't let her words affect your mood."
Su Wan shook her head: "I won't. I just feel that, no matter what, the child is always innocent."
Looking at her kind face, Zhao Yunci felt even more affection for her: "You are always so kind..."
Inside a side hall of the palace, a woman was sitting in front of a mirror, applying makeup. Her delicate face was reflected in the bronze mirror.
"Your Majesty." A thin eunuch tiptoed in and knelt down to report.
"This servant has just returned from inquiring about the matter of Consort Shu; there has been a result."
The woman paused slightly in her eyebrow pencil, looking at the eunuch in the mirror: "Speak."
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu is indeed pregnant and about to give birth. She told the Emperor that the child is of imperial lineage and was conceived using a sleeping potion." The young eunuch carefully observed the Empress's expression.
The woman snorted coldly, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes: "A bastard dares to impersonate a royal heir."
"When did His Majesty become so merciful? He should have been dragged out and beheaded long ago."
“His Majesty originally intended to order her execution,” the young eunuch swallowed hard. “But the Empress pleaded for her life, saying that she would wait until the child was born and then use a blood test to verify the paternity. That’s why His Majesty spared Consort Shu’s life for the time being.”
The eyebrow pencil in the woman's hand snapped in two with a snap. "You stupid woman from Huangshan!"
The young eunuch trembled with fear at her anger and quickly lowered his head.
The woman stood up, paced around the room a few times, and gleamed with calculation in her eyes: "She's good at playing the good guy, but little does she know who she's actually helping."
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" the little eunuch asked tentatively.
The woman walked to the window and looked through the window lattice toward the distant Cold Palace, where smoke was still rising.
"Since she wants to get a blood test, let her get as many as she wants. Go tell Father immediately to proceed as planned."
"Yes! This servant will go and deliver the message right away." The little eunuch stood up in response, but was stopped again just as he was about to leave.
"Wait." The woman turned to look at him. "Remember, this must be done cleanly and efficiently, leaving no trace."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."
The eunuch hurriedly withdrew, and the woman stood alone by the window, a cold smile playing on her lips.