Consort Ning clearly came prepared, and within a few sentences, Wei Zhengde was left speechless.
Song Zhao watched as Wei Zhengde's flickering gaze occasionally stole glances at the Empress, while the Empress didn't even spare him a glance. It was as if they were afraid that a mere exchange of glances would reveal some secretive, undisclosed truth between them.
Just as the drama reached its climax, Xiao Jingheng arrived.
"The Emperor has arrived~"
The Empress stood up, leading the concubines to pay their respects to Xiao Jingheng.
Xiao Jingheng, without diverting his gaze, walked straight toward the high platform and the phoenix seat.
As he passed by Consort Ning, she raised her eyebrows and cast a sidelong glance at him.
With just one glance, her eyes welled up with tears.
She pursed her lips, blinked forcefully, suppressing the tears, and regained her usual air of arrogance, not allowing anyone to see her vulnerable side.
Xiao Jingheng personally helped the Empress to her seat before instructing the concubines to rise and forgo the formalities.
Yan Jiude brought a chair and placed it in the second seat on the phoenix seat at the top.
Xiao Jingheng and the Empress took their seats, and he held her hand with concern. "How are you today? Are you feeling better?"
The Empress smiled serenely and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm doing well."
"Good to hear." Xiao Jingheng nodded slightly, then his gaze swept down to the obvious palm prints on Wei Zhengde's face. He asked, "Wei Qingjia, what happened to you?"
Just as Wei Zhengde was about to respond, Consort Ning stepped forward and preempted him, saying, "Your Majesty, you must listen carefully to Wei Jianzheng's words. He claims that I am an ill-fated star, a demonic consort!"
With a burst of anger, she stubbornly and aggrievedly looked at Xiao Jingheng and mockingly said, "After hearing the reasons, it is Your Majesty's judgment that matters. If Your Majesty also believes that I am an ill-fated star, there is no need to confine me anymore. Just send me to the Cold Palace and give me a white silk cloth. It would save the trouble of breaking my heart."
Xiao Jingheng frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Consort Ning snorted in a coquettish manner, then glanced at the Empress and said, "Your Majesty should ask Wei Jianzheng what nonsense he's spouting! He took the false birthdate I provided to the Palace Affairs Department and confidently asserted that I am an ill-fated star! Only you, Your Majesty, know my true birthdate. Why don't you ask Wei Jianzheng how he arrived at this astrological conclusion?"
Consort Ning questioned Wei Zhengde while her sharp gaze never left the Empress.
Unshaken, the Empress went along with Consort Ning's words and asked, "Wei Jianzheng, I'm also curious to know the situation. Could you please explain?"
Wei Zhengde bowed and solemnly replied, "The astrological signs indicate that it is a matter of destiny, not some fabrication by this humble servant. The Tianyang Star is indeed in a conflicting position with the Tianfu Star, indicating a calamitous situation that is unfavorable for the Empress and the imperial heir."
Consort Ning sneered, "Then who did you deduce it to be? You claimed that this person did not meet with the Empress during the visit to the Buddhist temple in the Six Palaces yesterday. Among all the palace concubines, only I and Song Guiren were absent. You say it's not Song Guiren, and you say it's not me. It's truly strange..."
"Could it be that there's a sister hidden away by the Emperor in this palace, someone we haven't met yet?" she added sarcastically.
Consort Ning's words became increasingly audacious and disrespectful. Normally, at a time like this, Xiao Jingheng would scold her even if he indulged her.
But today, Xiao Jingheng remained silent and let her speak freely.
Clearly, he also wanted to know what secrets were hidden in all of this.
The Empress glanced sideways and saw Xiao Jingheng's face darken. Immediately, she spoke up:
"Wei Zhengde, the safety of the crown prince is related to the prosperity of the nation. You must be careful and not make any mistakes."
Wei Zhengde stroked his beard and calculated silently, muttering something to himself.
After a while, he finally said, "If it's not because of the astrological sign of the Fire Element, then it must be a clash in their personal names. Consort Ning and Song Zhao, can you reveal your given names to this humble official?"
The personal names of the palace concubines could not be revealed.
So the officials of the previous dynasty only knew their surnames and titles, not their given names.
Consort Ning and Song Zhao exchanged a glance and then both turned their gaze to Xiao Jingheng.
He remained silent for a while before saying, "Consort Ning's given name is Wan Shuang, and Song Zhao's given name is simply Zhao."
Wei Zhengde's expression changed upon hearing this and he immediately asked, "Is it the bright Zhao as in the sun?"
Song Zhao's heart tightened, sensing that something was not right. But all she could do was respond, "Yes, it is."
Wei Zhengde immediately bowed to Xiao Jingheng and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty! As the sun represents the day, the problem lies in Song Zhao's given name..."
Everyone's gaze fell on Song Zhao.
Song Zhao clasped her hands tightly at her side, appearing flustered and at a loss.
But in her heart, she knew better than anyone:
The Empress had thought of everything.
She had already planned for every possible outcome.
She wanted to trap Consort Ning because of her arrogance and jealousy. The Empress was afraid that Consort Ning would have thoughts about the crown prince in her womb, so she set up this scheme to trap Consort Ning.
But if there were any mistakes, she also had a backup plan.
That was to let the people from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau also pin the blame on Song Zhao as the ominous person.
After all, Song Zhao was currently favored by the emperor.
The Empress, who was pregnant and unable to be intimate, would be pleased if Song Zhao was trapped. It would also sever her favor.
After all, Consort Ning's astrological sign could be fake, but Song Zhao's name couldn't be, right?
This move was preemptive, yet it also counterattacked.
It was truly a well-thought-out strategy!
The hall fell silent for a moment, and then the Empress sighed and said, "So it's Song Zhao? Recently, when I informed her of my pregnancy, she has been by my side every day, taking care of me meticulously and entertaining me with idle talk, becoming very close to me. How could the calamitous star be her? Wei Zhengde, could you have made a mistake?"
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Wei Zhengde became even more certain and said, "If the Empress says so, it only confirms what the celestial signs have shown. Because Song Zhao has been frequently accompanying you, although her intentions are pure, her recent astrological signs clashed with those of the Empress, leading to the misfortune that occurred yesterday!"
What else could Song Zhao say at this moment?
She hadn't done anything wrong, nor did she need to explain herself.
She could only gaze at Xiao Jingheng, waiting to see how he would handle the situation.
After the gaze between Song Zhao and Xiao Jingheng ended, his eyes gradually darkened.
He looked at Wei Zhengde and asked softly, "If the astrology prediction about Consort Song's clash with the Empress is true, how should we handle this matter?"
Wei Zhengde replied, "It's not too difficult to deal with. We just need to confine Consort Song until the Empress safely delivers her child. Once the trajectory of the Tianyang Star changes and it no longer clashes with the Tianfu Star, we can lift the confinement."
Before Xiao Jingheng could speak, Consort Ning, growing more irritated, glared at Wei Zhengde. Her anger was about to burst from the top of her head.
"Do you think we're all fools and can be fooled by your nonsensical words?" she said, approaching Wei Zhengde. In a voice audible only to the two of them, she spoke through gritted teeth, "This is your last chance. Honestly tell the Emperor who instructed you to spout such nonsense here. If not, be prepared to have your ivory-less dog mouth torn apart by me!"
