Chapter 263

de the villa, Guan Xuefeng had just stepped through the door when he saw two figures, big and small, sitting together on the velvet carpet in front of the sofa.Hearing the sound of the door opening, b...Wow, that's a huge pot!

Shen Fu's mind was completely blank. The drowsiness she had just felt vanished in an instant.

She slowly raised her head, and Xianggui's eyes landed squarely on Shen Fu's face.

Her icy eyes could pierce to the bone. If her gaze were a knife, it would have been plunged into Shen Fu's heart.

The moment Shen Fu noticed the gaze of Empress Xiao Gui, she could only feel speechless and choked with emotion.

Could this be Shen Ronghua talking about himself

Xianggui Bin should not be so foolish.

Shen Fu rubbed her temples hard, she had to follow the evidence even if they were trying to frame her.

Let's not talk about how she, a newly favored concubine, could possibly have the reach to do this.

Could a mere nobody like him possibly dare to interfere with the Third Prince

Just talk about the time issue.

Since Shen Fu entered the Hall of Harmony, she had only left once to pay respects to the Noble Consort Rong before that. After that, she never left the Hall of Harmony again.

Now, Empress Consort Xianggui is saying that she is the one who harmed the Third Prince.

Wouldn't that be a bit of a stretch

With a clear understanding of the pros and cons, Shen Fu wasn't worried at all. She sat calmly in her chair. Facing Xianggui's gaze, Shen Fu didn't move an inch.

He yawned and sat there expressionlessly waiting.

Xianggui, staring at Shen Fu, clearly saw the change in her expression, knowing that her ruse today wouldn't work.

She wasn't too disappointed.

Shen Fu was able to make the Eternal Emperor's soul sway in just two months, which means she must have some real skills.

"Is it true that Lady Shen Ronghua harmed the Third Prince" Before the Emperor or Empress Dowager could speak, Consort Shu was the first to voice her opinion.

She has always disliked Lady Xianggui, but unfortunately, Lady Xianggui relies on the Third Prince and her son, making it impossible for anyone to touch her.

The Imperial Concubine had long endured her for many years.

At this moment, Xianggui was kneeling on the ground. Shufei raised her jade hand to her cheek and looked at the scene with an expression of amusement and unconcerned indifference: "Indeed, if it weren't for the third prince's upset stomach today, the Emperor would still be in Shen Ronghua's room..."

Shufei finished speaking, she shook the fan in her hand and looked towards the Emperor on her right: "Your Majesty, is that so"

Xiao Yu sat on the chair, turned his head to look at Shu Fei: "Shu Fei, be careful with your words."

But those eyes held no intimidation whatsoever. The gaze directed at Shufei was also faint, devoid of any blame.

The Noble Consort sat beside the Emperor, seeing everything clearly.

Her palm clenched tightly, then gradually relaxed.

When he turned his head, he shouted at Xiangguibin below: "Xiangguibin, when you speak and act, you must be based on evidence. You say that Shen Ronghua harmed the third prince with your silver tongue, but what evidence do you have"

As the highest-ranking noble consort, Noble Consort Rong naturally shoulders the responsibility of managing the imperial harem.

The Noble Consort's voice was cold, but if you looked closely, you could see the disdain in her eyes as they fell upon the Favored Consort Xiang.

>>>>

Du and the Noble Consort were also quite courageous and intelligent back then. Their wisdom and kindness are needless to say.

Back then, the fame of both Dhun and Lady Gui was almost overshadowed by her. She could easily master any skill like playing the qin, calligraphy, painting, or writing poems.

If she hadn't risked her life to give birth to the Third Prince, she might not even be on the throne now.

And yet, this stunning woman had such a foolish sister.

Over the years, if it weren't for the Emperor's indulgence, both overt and covert, how could Concubine Xianggui have possibly kept hold of the Third Prince

I'm afraid he would have been swallowed whole, not even a bone left. How could he still be sitting here and talking such nonsense

"I... my concubine..." Xiang Guifei was startled by Rong Gui Fei's gaze, and the words stuck in her throat.

The Noble Consort lowered her head, her voice soft and gentle yet unable to conceal the warning within: "It's getting late. Everyone is already tired. Tomorrow, His Majesty still has the early court meeting. If there's nothing else, it's best to rest early."

The Third Prince was just idle anyway.

In the end, it's just that I ate two extra chestnut cakes and got bloated.

The Noble Consort had seen Shen Fu early on. From the start of this affair until now, there wasn't a trace of nervousness on Shen Fu's face besides that initial moment of astonishment.

This thing wasn't done by Shen Fu at all.

Even as a noble Consort, she had long ago seen through everyone in this household.

Besides, don't say that Shen Ronggui didn't do anything.

Let's just say one thing, even if it's found out after investigation What would be the punishment from His Majesty if such a trivial matter was penalized

The Third Prince was never truly in any danger. Just a few pieces of chestnut cake! With how much the Emperor favors Shen Ronghua these days, it could only be a light reprimand at most.

"What do you think" The Noble Consort Rong smiled, looking at the Honourable Consort Xiang. Her words were clearly a warning to the Honourable Consort Xiang, telling her not to cause any more trouble.

Yet, this noble concubine seemed to have her heart blinded by lard, completely oblivious to the meaning behind it.

"To Your Majesty, to Her Imperial Highness Consort Gui, and also to Lady Xiang, are you truly ignorant, or are you pretending to be"

Turning her head, she fell to her knees and pleaded with the Emperor kneeling: “The Third Prince is my lifeblood. I simply cannot bear to see him suffer through this.”

She cried pitifully, tears streaming down her face as she uttered words of affection to the Third Prince.

Shen Fu sat on the chair, even without moving she could feel Xi Zhou's gaze watching her, enjoying the show.

She wasn't in a hurry either, just quietly watching Xiang Guifei cry.

His gaze fell upon her, and Shen Fu only stood up with a terrified face: "Your Majesty,"

Shen Fu's face was covered by something, and beneath the powder and rouge, her face, while still beautiful, lacked a certain refinement.

"My Lord, your humble servant truly doesn't understand what Noble Consort Xianggui is saying," Shen Fu raised her head, a pair of clear black and white eyes looking up, boldly allowing everyone to watch.

Under the dim candlelight, Shen Fu's confusion and helplessness were all clearly visible on her face.

Her innocent face looked up at the emperor with pure sincerity: "It's just that a mother and son are connected by heart. As the biological mother, Empress Xianggui must be worried about the third prince."

She was deliberately mentioning her biological mother now. The Third Prince wasn't Xianggui's biological son; if one were to inquire, most of the concubines in the palace likely knew this well.

But Shen Fu could be unaware of this.

After all, she had never considered becoming a concubine before. If it weren't for her unintentional entanglement with the Emperor, Shen Fu wouldn't have embarked on this path.

What others know, Shen Fu can be unaware of.

After all, ignorance is bliss, isn't it

Shen Fu's words, "my birth mother," caused Xianggui, who had been weeping loudly, to fall silent. She lifted her head and looked at Shen Fu's face, which was reflected in hers.

For a moment, I wasn't sure if her words were intentional or unintentional.

Everyone in the harem knew that the Third Prince was hers, brought to her by accident. The Xianggui Consort had cried and wailed for so long, but now that she saw this, she didn't even shed a tear.

Shen Fu looked at Xianggui's appearance, her heart almost bursting into laughter. She quickly lowered her head and hurriedly bowed, covering the smile on her lips.

"If only Consort Xianggui said this, there must be her reason. To prove my innocence, I am willing to follow her investigation."

Shen Fu's act of coquetry and innocence was seamless.

She was innocent to begin with, and she believed that the Emperor wouldn't believe she did it. Now that she was being implicated by Xianggui, Shen Fu neither cried nor argued.

He spoke with eloquence and reason, his every move graceful and composed.

Suddenly, Xianggui, who was kneeling on the ground and crying, was compared to nothing.

"Lady Xianggui had been making a fuss all night, and Emperor Xiao Yu was long out of patience."

He looked down with cold eyes, his fingertips swiftly rubbing the jade ring on his thumb.

Since you said it was Shen Ronghua who harmed the Third Prince, could you please tell me why What methods were used When and where did this happen Are there any witnesses or evidence

The Emperor looked at Xianggui with a frosty gaze after she had spoken so much, "If you have any evidence, bring it out. Otherwise, you are merely spouting nonsense!"

While Grandpa's tone wasn't particularly harsh, everyone could hear the coldness in his words.

Xianggui Concubine shivered all over. Raising her head to meet the Emperor's gaze, she hastily averted her eyes: "This concubine... This concubine said that Shen RongHua is quite good.

But...but it wasn't him, Shen Rong Hua.

Even the Grand Master doesn't seem to know what he's thinking. Both share the surname Shen and have been bestowed with the title of Rong Hua.

From the very beginning, news of Shen Fu's conferment spread like wildfire throughout the palace. All the ladies knew about it.

But at first, no one knew Shen Fu's background and dared not offend her easily. As for Shen Qingru, she fell ill after that day and didn't leave the house.

Even if you are curious, you can only give up.

It was only when Empress Xianggui brought it up that everyone remembered.

"The one in your house who is so composed, Hua" Shu Fei yawned sleepily and, hearing this, put down her hand.

Her long, narrow eyes flashed. Back then, she was the one who had personally whipped Shen Qingru across the face, leaving her disfigured.

Now that she hears it from Xianggui, she remembers it well.

"You didn't say it was him. You said it was Shen Ronghua, the one living in your house, who harmed the third prince" The Empress Dowager smoothed her fingernail armor, asking with an air of nonchalance.

"Your Majesty, it was Xian Gui Fei who knelt on the ground without leaving a trace and glanced at Shen Fu."

She was planning to frame Shen Fu today.

She wasn't stupid, she knew that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't blame Shen Fu for this baseless accusation.

But to be blamed for something as big as the Prince's misfortune, even if you didn't do it, would still make your heart race.

Her intention was to see Shen Fu afraid and flustered, even to the point of losing face in front of the Emperor.

Nowhere did she expect, Shen Fu not only didn't act that way, but instead calmly and confidently won the gaze of the Emperor.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. It is this concubine, Shen Ronghua, Shen Fu, speaking. Ever since she became a concubine, Shen Qingru has been like a corpse, lifeless."

I couldn't fight for her affections, nor could I bring the Emperor to Changqiu Palace.

Xianggui Bin thought so, the disgust in her eyes couldn't be contained: "She's a concubine in the palace. Ever since the last time I unintentionally punished her, she has held a grudge against me."

It's likely that the Third Prince has indigestion, so they intentionally fed him chestnut cake.

Xianggui told the emperor, bowing her head and kowtowing: "Please, Your Majesty, investigate and give a fair judgment to this concubine and the third prince."

She spoke and then fell to the ground, refusing to get up.

His gaze lingered on her back for a long time, saying nothing, only lifting his eyelids to glance at Lin An.

"The slave will go and bring the person here. Upon receiving the gaze of Your Majesty, Lin An immediately bent down."

Shen Fu stood on the chair, looking at Lin An's departing figure behind her, only feeling that something was wrong.

Given her understanding of Shen Qingru, she wouldn't resort to such an obvious and petty tactic.

After all, with her ruthlessness and cunning, either she wouldn't make a move, or if she did, the Third Prince would be impossible to survive.

But what now After all this commotion, the Third Prince turned out to be nothing more than someone who ate too many chestnut cakes.

The old master has already punished the servants who attended him. After all, this matter is in the past.

With such persistence and deliberate correction, she wouldn't let it go. Seeing that she wasn't fooled, she finally implicated Shen Qingru in the matter.

Even if there was evidence that Shen Qingru did it in the end, after all this back and forth buildup...

Even the innocent can be forced to explain themselves. Even if the emperor were to punish, he wouldn't be too harsh.

Ke Xiang Guibin went through all that trouble last night, she wouldn't have wanted to see the Emperor scold Shen Qingru a few times, would she

So what was she doing, setting up stages and performing all night What was her purpose

Shen Fu didn't understand, but thinking back and forth couldn't figure out a direction.

Changqiu Palace wasn't large, and the two of them lived in the same palace. Lin An had just gone out and returned quickly.

"Your Majesty, Shen Rong Hua has brought Lin An. Lin An bowed her head and was led forward."

Behind her, Shen Qingru moved forward with lotus steps, and walked slowly: "The concubine pays respects to Your Majesty."

Shen Qingru said, lowering her head and kneeling.

She was dressed in a sky-blue Bibo Yunyan skirt, making her skin as white as snow. The sheer gauze skirt, thin as a cicada's wing, outlined her graceful figure. Her whole person was shy and helpless, charmingly alluring.

It had been a long time, Shen Qingru seemed to have lost weight. Her originally sturdy frame now appeared somewhat frail. As she walked forward, her skirt swayed gently, highlighting the gracefulness of a Jiangnan woman.

As Shen Qingru stepped forward, the voices in the room seemed to quiet down considerably.

Countless eyes turned to Shen Qingru in the center of the hall, and then those inquisitive gazes fell shamelessly upon Shen Fu's face.

Having slimmed down, Shen Qingru became much prettier. But the most important thing wasn't this; it was everything from her clothing and manner of dressing to her posture and back view, even the expression on her face when she lowered her eyes...

A suspicious look fell upon Shen Fu's face.

Before they stood together, no one thought much of it. But now that they're side by side, everyone realizes how much Shen Qingru and Shen Fu resemble each other!

Just like twins!

Facing the crowd's unrestrained gazes, Shen Fu remained still, allowing them to look at her without a change in expression.

Not only them, but even she herself, looking at Shen Qingru ahead, had the illusion of looking in a mirror.

Did Shen Qingru eat some kind of elixir or something

Shen Fu looked ahead, her posture even resembling her own Shen Qingru. A hint of irritability flashed in her eyes.

Xiao Yu sat high above, naturally seeing the two people clearly. He held a teacup in one hand and looked at Shen Qingru before him.

His eyes glazed over for a moment, then he spoke: “Shen Rong hua”

"Empress Xianggui said that you fed the third prince chestnut cakes, but is there such a thing"

Chen Qingru knelt on the ground, raising her head timidly. She first glanced at the emperor, then lowered her eyes: "It was this concubine..."

"You seem to be quite honest. The Emperor's eyes held a hint of coldness as he inquired, “Why did you harm the Third Prince”

"The steamed chestnut cake was given to me by a concubine. The concubine admitted that Shen Qingru knelt on the ground, her waist straight as an arrow, her voice opening like a gentle and charming Jiangnan woman."

When she spoke, it was exactly the same as Shen Fu's.

She seemed unaware, timidly raising her head: "But I...I don't want to harm him."

"Oh" The Grandfather lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

Shen Qingru met the emperor's gaze, neither servile nor arrogant: "That day, my concubine had a poor appetite and asked for a plate of chestnut cake to whet her appetite. The third prince happened to see it and asked my concubine for some. That's how this came about."

She said, biting her lip, a touch of unease creeping onto her innocent face.

"But when she opened her mouth again, a bolt from the blue came crashing down: 'Furthermore, this concubine is carrying your child, another heir to the throne. How could this concubine bear to harm the Third Prince'"uzzing with excitement, as if they had already seen the ending.The bald man's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Kid, I'm looking forward to seeing how long you can keep hold of your remaining seventy...