Consort Yun's words were like lighting a muffled explosive in the hall,
shocking everyone to the core in disbelief.
Everyone looked at her in astonishment and shock, Consort Yin even directly said she was talking nonsense,
"The Empress is the central palace, the mother of all under heaven! Why would she need to risk her life just to get you to frame Consort Chen?"
Sitting at the head of the table, Xiao Jingheng's face was gloomy and he said nothing,
but the Empress Dowager couldn't help but ask, "Explain clearly, what exactly is going on here?"
Consort Yun cried as she recounted:
"The Empress's intentions, I do not know. She only gave me the incense and told me to use it every day. She also said that in the future when her heart disease flares up again, I should testify that Consort Chen was the one who gave it to me."
Consort Chen poked at her temple furiously, "Are you brainless? She wanted you to frame me so you just framed me?"
"I didn't want to either! But what else could I do?" Consort Yun sobbed, "The Empress said if I didn't do as she asked, she would force me to drink the red flower drink, so I could never conceive in this life! She is the central palace, I have long been under her tyranny, and my days have been truly difficult..."
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing lotus root-like forearms.
Her arms were very white, but they were covered in new wounds on top of old wounds, a ghastly sight.
"I am of low status with no favor from His Majesty, and since my grandfather died, my family's status in the previous dynasty has plummeted. If I did not obey the Empress, I fear she would have beaten me to death someday, and no one would have cared!"
What she said was not wrong either.
The only reason she was able to become a consort was because her grandfather was a founding elder of the Qi Dynasty, honored by the previous emperor, and also respected by Xiao Jingheng.
After her grandfather died, her useless father contributed nothing to politics, and her maternal family's glory was gone in a day.
Hearing Consort Yun's grief over her helplessness, Xiao Jingheng remained silent the entire time.
The Empress Dowager glanced at him and saw his face clouded like fog, clearly furious.
So the Empress Dowager asked again, "You said all this was under the Empress' coercion, so why were you tight-lipped earlier and confessing everything now?"
Consort Yun said, "Only because the Empress said she would ensure my safety. But just now when His Majesty was about to punish me, she didn't say a word, and I became truly frightened! I did not mastermind this, nor did I want to be a scapegoat for others!"
Xiao Jingheng pondered silently,
according to Consort Yun's account, the Empress should have been trying to protect her earlier,
but it just so happened that the Empress Dowager brought Divine Doctor Yu to give the Empress a consultation, so the Empress went to the inner chambers and had no time for Consort Yun.
Xiao Jingheng didn't notice anything strange earlier,
but thinking about it now, it was suspicious that the Empress brought Divine Doctor Yu to the inner chambers.
What was she trying to hide from others? So she didn't dare let Divine Doctor Yu take her pulse in front of everyone?
Consort Chen had always been hot-tempered. Hearing Consort Yun's words made her furious.
"How can this be! As the nation's mother she is actually so vicious?"
She nodded at Xiao Jingheng pleadingly and said aggrieved, "I hope Your Majesty and Empress Dowager can give me an explanation for today's events!"
Only then did Xiao Jingheng say in a deep voice,
"This matter cannot be taken solely on Consort Yun's words. After all, the Empress's miscarriage and hemorrhage were facts, she wouldn't use the imperial heir to frame you."
Having said that, he called for Jiang Deshun, "Go call the Empress out, I have questions for her."
At the same time, in the inner chambers,
the Empress was reclining on a heated seat, letting Divine Doctor Yu take her pulse.
Shuang Ruo and Yan Jiude were both standing by to serve her.
Seeing Divine Doctor Yu's expression change while taking her pulse, Shuang Ruo immediately took out a silver note and put it before him,
"Divine Doctor Yu, your eyes see true and your mind is bright. Naturally you know what to say and not say before His Majesty. Your medical skills are superb, but the doctors in the palace are not necessarily that much worse than you, or less smart than you either. I believe at your venerable age, you should understand the importance of discretion."
Divine Doctor Yu glanced at the silver note and saw it was for one thousand taels.
From the corner of his eye he also saw Yan Jiude standing to his right.
That man was fiddling with a thick cloth, staring intently at him.
The implication was already very clear.
If Divine Doctor Yu did not take Shuang Ruo's silver now, Yan Jiude would immediately take action and suffocate him to death, making it look like an accident.
Then even if Xiao Jingheng investigated later on, with just the few of them in the inner chambers, they could say whatever they wanted.
In fact, as soon as Divine Doctor Yu started taking the Empress's pulse, he could already tell she had no heart condition.
And the reason the Empress was able to perfectly feign having a heart condition all these years was because she had privately given Judge Chu many benefits.
The private residence Judge Chu had outside the palace was one of the Empress's gifts.
Judge Chu was highly virtuous and skilled in medicine, specially in charge of the health of the emperor, empress and empress dowager.
Although over the years other imperial doctors had also taken the Empress's pulse and found abnormalities, Judge Chu was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Since he said the Empress had a heart condition, even if other doctors suspected something, what could they do?
Whoever dared expose this would surely have no way out.
Serving in the palace, medical skills were secondary.
Most important was understanding the principle that less trouble is better than more trouble, and learning how to protect oneself.
Just as the Empress was now threatening Divine Doctor Yu,
at this moment, Divine Doctor Yu could only take the silver note, and then told the Empress,
"Your Majesty, this humble one understands what must be done."
The Empress smiled, "Divine Doctor Yu's skills are superb, a true divine doctor. Rest assured, I cherish talent and will ensure you spend your life in splendor."
No sooner had she finished speaking than they heard Jiang Deshun announce from outside,
"Your Majesty the Empress, His Majesty cares about your condition. If Divine Doctor Yu has finished taking your pulse, please come to the main hall to speak."
"Understood."
After the Empress returned to the main hall, Xiao Jingheng immediately asked Divine Doctor Yu, "How is the Empress's health?"
Divine Doctor Yu said, "Her Majesty's miscarriage, hemorrhage, and damaged constitution cannot be reversed. I'm afraid this humble one's limited skills are unable to treat Her Majesty."
This was no longer Xiao Jingheng's main concern.
He barely paused to think before asking again, "Then what about her heart condition?"
At that time, the Empress still did not know what Consort Yun had told Xiao Jingheng while she was in the inner chambers.
She was still pretending to cry, but her eyes were fixed intently on Divine Doctor Yu.
Then she saw,
the old man actually took out the silver note Shuang Ruo had given him, respectfully presented it to Xiao Jingheng, bowed and said,
"This humble one cannot treat Her Majesty's damaged constitution, and Her Majesty has no heart condition that requires treatment either. This consultation fee was given by Her Majesty just now, I dare not accept a reward for no achievement. I return it humbly to Your Majesty."
