The Vicious Woman and the White Moonlight are both me - Chapter 29

Each side had its arguments, and now the topic had shifted to Zhan Xinyue. The Emperor’s eyes swept the room—but he saw no one.

“Aman, where is your study companion? Where is she?”

Song Zhaoyan spoke with calm confidence, neither humble nor deferential:

“Father, after the Crown Princess fell into the water, Zhan Xinyue immediately steadied me and, without hesitation, jumped in to save her. In the process, her clothes got soaked. Fearing it would be improper to appear in the hall in wet attire, I instructed her to return and change before coming back. She should be here shortly.”

With that, Song Zhaoyan turned to face Consort Chen and Pei Yayun.

“When the Crown Princess fell, Consort Chen and the Eighth Princess immediately claimed it was my doing and later said it was the fault of my study companion. Yet the first person to rush to save her was my study companion. If we truly had ill intentions, why would we go to her rescue?”

Pei Yayun grew flustered, her voice edging into panic. “Even if Zhan Xinyue went to save her, so what? Who’s to say you’re not acting out some ploy? Rumors are swirling in the palace that the Crown Princess’s pregnancy is suspicious. Perhaps you sent Zhan Xinyue to push her as a test, to expose whether she was lying to Father Emperor—and then they’d be punished, giving you a chance to help Fifth Brother…”

“Yayun!” the Consort suddenly interjected, her voice sharp and authoritative, cutting Pei Yayun off. “What nonsense are you speaking before His Majesty?”

Pei Yayun immediately realized her mistake. She hastily covered her mouth, met the Emperor’s stern gaze, and kowtowed deeply, begging for forgiveness.

“Father, please forgive me. I spoke without thinking, uttering nonsense! Perhaps it was because I was stunned by Elder Sister Zhaohua’s slap!”

Hearing that her daughter had been struck, the Consort’s heart ached. She quickly stepped forward to check on her.

“What did you say? You were hit? Let Mother see immediately!”

The slap Song Zhaoyan had delivered had indeed been strong. Now, it had not subsided and even looked slightly swollen. No one had noticed so far, largely because Pei Yayun had been feeling guilty and kept her head lowered after entering.

“Your Majesty, you must see justice done for me. You know this child Yayun well—perhaps seeing Zhan Xinyue push someone just now provoked Princess Zhaohua to warn her with a slap!”

The Consort’s words subtly shifted the blame onto Zhan Xinyue as well. She dared not risk it landing on Song Zhaoyan—if the Emperor became enraged, he might unfairly punish Pei Yayun.

“Rumors swirling in the palace? About the Crown Princess’s child being… unusual?”

The Emperor finally changed the topic, his gaze sharp with judgment as it turned toward the Empress.

“So this is how you manage the harem, allowing your subordinates to gossip so freely? It seems you too must bear responsibility for endangering the Crown Princess.”

The Empress immediately knelt and pleaded, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I only learned of this matter today. My management may have been lacking, but the most urgent matter now is to find out exactly who harmed the Crown Princess and whether Princess Zhaohua instructed Zhan Xinyue to do it.”

The question returned once more to Zhan Xinyue. Just then, a palace maid ran in from the inner chambers to report that the Crown Princess was bleeding.

The Crown Prince immediately grew anxious. “Where are the imperial physicians? Why haven’t they arrived?”

Before anyone could answer, a messenger announced outside that the physicians had arrived—and Zhan Xinyue, now changed into dry clothes, had come as well.

The physicians quickly prepared to pay their respects, but the Emperor raised his hand. “No need for formalities. Go check on the Crown Princess first!”

Zhan Xinyue performed her bow, while Song Zhaoyan still felt a bit stunned.

“The Crown Princess isn’t really pregnant… so why is she bleeding?”

This time, the system responded almost immediately.
[It’s merely that the Empress and the others used some medicine—done deliberately!]

Only then did Song Zhaoyan finally relax—so that was the reason.

Once the imperial physicians examined her, it would be clear that the Crown Princess was feigning pregnancy. In that case, her crime would be deceiving the Emperor—a far graver offense than the current accusations of pushing the Crown Princess or attempting to harm the heir.

Thinking this, Song Zhaoyan’s tension eased considerably.

“Zhan Xinyue, as Aman’s study companion, your duty is naturally to prioritize her safety. Earlier, Consort Chen lunged at Aman, and you caught her. Yet after you moved closer, the Crown Princess fell into the water. It is said that while steadying Aman, you deliberately pushed the Crown Princess. Did this happen?”

Zhan Xinyue’s expression did not waver; she remained composed, even upright and principled.

“Your Majesty, absolutely not. I did not touch the Crown Princess—how could I have pushed her?”

Hearing this, Song Zhaoyan, seemingly worried the Emperor might not believe her, quickly added, “Father, I am willing to stake my life on this. Zhan Xinyue is not responsible for this incident!”

The Emperor, surprised that Song Zhaoyan—who usually treated life as nothing—would vouch for someone, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Pei Shen, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and knelt behind them. “Your Majesty, I can also vouch for Miss Zhan.”

Facing Pei Shen, the Emperor’s expression darkened. Just seeing him reminded the Emperor of that courtesan who had once tried to seduce him—Zhang’s desecration of his one true love.

A hypocrite, when seeking justification for themselves, could twist facts in their favor even if reality was against them.

“I did not ask you; do not speak!”

Though scolded, Pei Shen did not mind. He only wished for Zhan Xinyue’s safety.

If the Emperor believed her, then the culprit must be Consort Chen—she had tried to push Song Zhaoyan so that she would collide with the Crown Princess but had failed. In that case, Consort Chen’s attendants had stepped in to finish the act.

Seeing that the Emperor seemed to take Zhan Xinyue’s words at face value, Consort Chen grew even more panicked. “Your Majesty, it really wasn’t me! The Eighth Princess said she wanted to help me… who knows if she accidentally touched the Crown Princess when she ran over?”

“Impudent!”

Seeing that Consort Chen had failed to pin the blame on Song Zhaoyan or Zhan Xinyue and was now trying to shift it onto Pei Yayun, the Consort’s anger finally boiled over.

“Your Majesty, it seems the true culprit is Consort Chen. Her words contradict each other, and when her defenses fail, she starts grasping at straws. You must punish her severely!”

With that, the Consort delivered her judgment decisively, placing all responsibility squarely on Consort Chen. The young woman’s cries of injustice went entirely ignored.

Tonight’s moon-worship ceremony had been a scheme concocted by the Consort and Pei Yayun, designed to test whether the Crown Princess was truly pregnant. Their intended culprit was Song Zhaoyan. When framing her failed, their plan defaulted to Consort Chen.

Only if the Eastern Palace remained unsettled would her second son, Pei Chengzhou, have a chance. Otherwise, why expend so much effort?

Faced with the endless bickering of the attendants and princesses, the Emperor felt a headache coming on. He let out a heavy sigh and asked sharply about the inner chambers: “How is the Crown Princess?”

The Empress, who had remained silent until now, kept her face composed but felt a flicker of panic inside.

Though the medicine given to the Crown Princess could create the appearance of pregnancy, the imperial physicians present tonight were not her usual attendants. The Empress feared that the ruse might be exposed.

If they could get through this night without incident, no one would suspect the Crown Princess of feigning pregnancy. Six months later, they could seize the second son’s child, and with the backing of the Crown Prince’s maternal family and the Crown Princess’s Zhao clan, their position would be unassailable. Perhaps the Emperor would even consider early abdication.

The Crown Princess could have skipped the moon-worship entirely—but the Emperor had personally insisted.

At that thought, the Empress cast a glance at the Emperor, then lowered her eyes, lost in her own calculations. What she was thinking, no one could know.

The Emperor’s voice carried a clear edge of displeasure as, finally, an imperial physician stepped out to report on the Crown Princess’s condition.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the Crown Princess fell into the water and was frightened, causing some bleeding. The fetus’s pulse is extremely weak, appearing intermittently, making it difficult to diagnose. Therefore—”

“Useless!” The Emperor’s anger flared. “What do you mean, intermittently? If you can’t diagnose her today, beware for your heads!”

“Your Majesty, forgive me!”

“Go! Treat her at once!”

The physician could only rise, trembling, and hurry into the inner chambers.

Inside the main hall, Beauty Chen’s wails drowned out the Crown Princess’s cries. Since the culprit had already been “identified,” there was no need to waste any more time.

“Guards, drag Consort y Chen away and execute her! Rise, all of you!”

With those few words, the matter was effectively settled, and the Consort and Pei Yayun both exhaled in relief.

Consort Chen had become the indisputable culprit of the night’s chaos.

Now, all that remained was to see the situation regarding the Crown Princess’s supposed pregnancy.

Song Zhaoyan knew the Crown Princess was feigning pregnancy. The current bleeding and irregular pulse were all effects of the medicine. What remained to be seen was whether the attending physicians could correctly diagnose the situation—and whether they were loyal to the Empress. If they were, things could get tricky.

The Empress would certainly not allow the Crown Princess to actually give birth tonight, as that would ruin her plan to seize the second son’s child in six months.

But if the false pregnancy was discovered, the Emperor would have a legitimate reason to punish the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess.

Thinking of this, Song Zhaoyan’s mind returned to the earlier moment when the Emperor had personally insisted that the Crown Princess attend the moon-worship ceremony.

Something significant was clearly unfolding tonight, yet so much had happened and so much information was swirling in her mind that Song Zhaoyan felt utterly overwhelmed.

The Empress’s heart pounded with unease. She exchanged a quick glance with the Crown Prince, silently conveying a wealth of information in a single look.

The Crown Prince hesitated slightly—was he really going to take that step? What if it backfired?

The Empress’s gaze, however, was resolute, carrying an unmistakable finality. It seemed to say: under ordinary circumstances, we wouldn’t act—but if the physicians truly discovered that the Crown Princess’s pregnancy was false, the Emperor would not let it pass. This could be a chance to hold the Empress’s family and the Crown Princess’s family accountable to promote loyal generals such as Zhan Xinyue’s father and other military leaders.

The Emperor had long feared the influence of the Empress’s family. If not for the scarcity of capable allies, their position would have crumbled long ago.

Reading the Empress’s intent, the Crown Prince’s hesitation finally vanished. He would act when the moment presented itself.

At last, the imperial physicians stepped forward. The Empress and Crown Prince both leaned in, noticing the unease written plainly across their faces, as though they had discovered some shocking secret.

The others in the hall whispered among themselves, curious. Did this mean the Crown Princess’s child had not survived? Were the physicians afraid of the Emperor’s wrath?
The physicians knelt in the center of the hall, hesitating to speak.

The Emperor finally asked, “How is the Crown Princess’s condition?”

“Well…”

The physician’s reply faltered, uncertain. Then the Empress interjected, “Crown Prince, accompany the Crown Princess.”

The Emperor did not object—there was nothing unusual in that.

“Speak plainly. How is her condition? And the child?”

The Empress clutched her sleeve tightly, her nerves taut as she waited for the physician’s response. She glanced toward the inner chambers. After the Crown Prince had gone in, the attending maids had emerged and waited by the curtain.

“Your Majesty, forgive us. We have repeatedly checked the pulse and examined the Crown Princess, and there is no sign of pregnancy.”

Hearing this, the Empress closed her eyes in despair.

“What?”

The Emperor had yet to react with surprise, but Consort Gu was the first to voice her shock, on the verge of bursting into laughter.

It wasn’t only her—almost everyone present was taken aback.

Of course, Song Zhaoyan played her part to perfection, wearing a face of utter shock that mirrored everyone else’s.

“Have you confirmed the diagnosis? Earlier you said the fetal pulse was intermittent—so was it a miscarriage, or was there never a pregnancy at all?”

Seeing that the Emperor did not react with the fury he might have, the physician calmed and replied, “Your Majesty, it is not a miscarriage. There is no sign of pregnancy at all. The faint, intermittent pulse observed earlier was caused by medication, and the recent bleeding as well. We diagnosed this purely from the pulse and dared not lie.”

After the physician finished, the hall fell into a heavy silence. Even Consort Gu, proud though she had felt moments ago, did not dare laugh.

A false pregnancy—this was far more serious than who had pushed the Crown Princess.

If the matter had been delayed even a little, perhaps Consort Chen would not have had to die. Poor Consort Chen…

“Outrageous!”

Unlike the calm of moments before, the Emperor’s anger finally flared. Everyone present dropped to their knees in unison.

“Empress, was it your instruction that led to the Crown Princess’s false pregnancy?”

The Empress immediately cried out in protest, “Your Majesty, may heaven bear witness! How could I commit such a thing?”

“Even if it was not your instruction, it is still your dereliction of duty as Empress. Do you understand your crime?”

The Emperor’s words were harsh and final. Just as the Empress opened her mouth to continue defending herself, a sudden, agonized cry came from the inner chambers.

“Anxian! Anxian, what’s wrong? Wake up!”