Once her heart wavered, when Jiang Xinyue looked over again, she unconsciously gave a placating smile.
At the eldest princess's residence, several young palace maids were peering around anxiously. When they saw the crowd approaching, they all jumped like frightened rabbits and scurried inside.
"Your Highness! Your Highness... the Imperial Noble Consort is here!"
The room erupted into chaos. When Jiang Xinyue entered, several nervous palace maids dropped their "fake blood bags" on the floor.
"Ah! Please spare us, Imperial Noble Consort! Our princess really did fall from the tower, we're not lying!"
They had just made preparations beforehand, so the consequences weren't too severe.
With one glance from Jiang Xinyue, all the servants blocking the eldest princess's bed automatically cleared a path.
The eldest princess lay in bed pretending to sleep with her eyes tightly shut.
She had a blood-stained white cloth wrapped around her forehead. Her eyeballs kept moving beneath her lids, and her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
Jiang Xinyue reached out and directly pulled away her disguise. The eldest princess felt a chill on her forehead and let out a small cry, quickly covering her smooth forehead. She called out pitifully, "Sister Zhen, I was wrong~"
The young girl opened her innocent eyes, which were as pure as crystal glass without a speck of impurity. No one would suspect that she had deliberately rolled down from the tower to frame Concubine Cheng.
But these tricks couldn't fool Jiang Xinyue, who was like an "old hand" at such matters.
"You think you can fool your father with this?"
She flicked the eldest princess's forehead and tossed aside the cloth. "Bring candles, embroidery needles, and the animal blood you prepared earlier."
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Xinyue said, "Let me show you what it means to commit to a performance."
When the Emperor received the news at Jiuzhou Qingyan, he immediately sent Wang Dequan to check on the eldest princess's injuries.
He had been poisoned by gu and didn't know when it might flare up. The imperial physicians were on standby day and night at Jiuzhou Qingyan, and he couldn't move around freely in case the poison acted up when the physicians weren't able to treat him in time.
"Ouch—"
"What... what happened?"
Wang Dequan saw the wound on the eldest princess's forehead, about the size of a thumbnail, still bleeding. The skin was deeply indented, looking extremely painful.
The eldest princess lay weakly in bed, her lips pale and dry: "Lord Wang... please don't tell father about how serious my injury is. With Sister Zhen taking care of me, I'll recover soon. Tell father not to worry about me, his own health is more important. I also believe Concubine Cheng didn't push me intentionally."
These words would surely comfort the Emperor's heart.
As for Concubine Cheng...
The Emperor had summoned Lord Cheng to Jiuzhou Qingyan for business, but Concubine Cheng had also been carried there on a stretcher.
While the Imperial Noble Consort went to check on the eldest princess, Concubine Cheng had persuaded Lord Cheng to bring her before the Emperor.
If he hadn't seen her it would have been fine, but having seen her, not asking about her condition would make the Emperor seem cold-hearted.
Although Concubine Cheng kept saying it was her own fault and had nothing to do with others, the Emperor still needed to question Lord Cheng about the corruption case of the Governor-General of Liangguang. Even if just for Lord Cheng's sake, he had to show some concern.
The Emperor finally realized that it was the Imperial Noble Consort who had beaten her.
Lord Cheng immediately said: "If the Imperial Noble Consort beat you, she must have had her reasons. It must be because you did something wrong. However, thirty strikes shouldn't have injured you this severely. The servants below must have taken advantage of their authority and deliberately used excessive force on Concubine Cheng."
The implication was that while the Imperial Noble Consort wasn't at fault, her servants might have overstepped their bounds, and the Emperor should punish them.
Concubine Cheng lay on the stretcher: "The imperial physician said my tendons and vessels were injured from the beating. Even after I recover, my back and waist will ache terribly during rainy weather. Your Majesty... I will suffer from this chronic condition... I..."
As she spoke, she began to cry.
The Emperor's dilemma was resolved after Wang Dequan arrived. He reported anxiously: "Your Majesty, the eldest princess has a gash on her forehead, and the flesh around it is damaged. Imperial Physician Yan says it might leave a scar! With the princess's face marred, her future marriage prospects might be... Consort Yu has already fainted upon hearing this news."
A perfectly beautiful princess with a gentle temperament, and now her face would be scarred - the Xuanwu Emperor's anger shot straight to his head.
You've scarred my daughter's face, and you dare to come complaining first?
Where is the justice?
Bah! He IS justice!
Lord Cheng's eyes turned cold as he looked at Concubine Cheng, who shook her head in terror, indicating she knew nothing about this.
Seeing the situation change, Cheng Yuan immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, Concubine Cheng has harmed the eldest princess. I have failed to teach my daughter properly. Please issue an edict to strip Concubine Cheng of her position and confine her to the Cold Palace. I... I request Your Majesty to dismiss me from my position. It's all my fault for not teaching my daughter well, I have failed Your Majesty's grace."
If he hadn't taken the initiative, the Emperor might have really done this in his anger. But since he suggested it himself, the Emperor actually calmed down.
Grinding his back teeth, he said: "Wang Dequan, send Concubine Cheng back to Lanyue Pavilion. Before we return to the palace, Concubine Cheng is to stay in her room to recover and not go out."
Then he turned to Cheng Yuan: "Beloved Official Cheng, you may leave now! I am not in the mood today."
The Emperor usually dealt with matters immediately and never procrastinated. This showed how upset he was about the eldest princess's injury and potential scarring.
Cheng Yuan didn't dare to provoke the angry dragon further and quickly retreated with Concubine Cheng.
"Father!"
In her quarters at Lanyue Pavilion, Concubine Cheng stood up holding her waist. She wasn't showing the near-death appearance she had before the Emperor, but instead smashed a vase on the table: "Why did you ask the Emperor to send me to the Cold Palace? The eldest princess was clearly faking it. She rolled down the stairs herself! She's just getting revenge on me because I used Consort Yu against the Imperial Noble Consort. She..."
"All of you, leave us."
Cheng Yuan gave a meaningful look: "Clean this up, and from now on, don't let your mistress break things anymore."
Whether in or outside the palace, all imperial property was recorded.
For Concubine Cheng to break a vase right after leaving Jiuzhou Qingyan clearly showed dissatisfaction with the Emperor's decision.
"Father!"
"Slap!"
After all the servants had left, Cheng Yuan turned and gave Concubine Cheng a harsh slap. The fierce look in his eyes made her tremble.
"Father... father..."
She was so frightened she could say nothing else.
"I lay low in the morgue for seven years, dealing with corpses every day, living in absolute poverty. I finally endured until the Emperor noticed me. If you ruin my plans, even though you're my daughter, I won't hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"
Large tears fell from Concubine Cheng's eyes: "I... I understand, father."
Cheng Yuan took a deep breath, gave her one more warning look, and then left.
