The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

These words struck Cining Palace like a thunderbolt.

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Qi Yitang was shocked, Qin Lianyue was stunned, and the Empress Dowager stared in disbelief, smashing the teacup in her hand to the ground with a loud bang.

Xie Changqing felt that the breath in his chest hadn't completely relaxed before it was pulled up again.

"What did you say?!"

Several breaths passed before the Empress Dowager finally spoke, trembling, "You...you just...say what you just said again!"

The palace maid repeated herself, "This servant wants to accuse Consort Li of adultery. The child in her womb is not the emperor's heir, but the bastard child of her lover!"

Qin Lianyue suddenly stood up, her face turning pale and then flushed, her voice so shrill it was almost unrecognizable.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

The palace maid was an unfamiliar face, but she stood ramrod straight. "Your Majesty, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. You know best how this illegitimate child came to be."

Qin Lianyue felt as if she had been splashed with a bucket of black dog blood out of nowhere; it was fishy and smelly, and she couldn't wash it clean.

Although the method of drugging was not sophisticated, this is indeed my cousin's child, so what adulterer is he?

Perhaps due to emotional turmoil, Qin Lianyue felt a sharp pain in her abdomen from anger. "Someone come here!"

"Drag this lowly servant away and beat her to death with sticks!"

"Hey—" Qi Yitang stopped her suicidal act and stopped her directly, "Li-meimei, why are you so agitated?"

"Could it be that what this palace maid said was true? You secretly cheated on His Majesty, and fearing exposure, you're trying to silence her?"

At this point, Qi Yitang gasped and made a horrified expression.

I burst out laughing. This over-the-top acting deserves a dismal -100 points.

Xie Changqing believed it too, and was furious. "How dare you commit such a disloyal act?!"

Previously, Xie Changqing was punished by his elder brother for misunderstanding Qi Yitang's affair, but he had no resentment and was actually quite glad.

Thankfully it was a misunderstanding; at least there was no affair.

How long has it been? And another similar incident has occurred. Xie Changqing was dumbfounded and furious. What's wrong with these women? Why are they all cheating on his brother?

My brother is the emperor, the supreme ruler, the master of the world. What do they take him for?

Xie Changqing's brother complex is completely intolerable.

He walked directly up to Qin Lianyue, sword in hand, his eyes fierce. "Did you or didn't you?!"

"No, eleventh brother... I didn't, it's all a misunderstanding!"

Qin Lianyue's face flushed red, her voice trembling with agitation, "Qi Yitang is spouting nonsense! I absolutely did not betray my cousin, this vile servant must have been instructed by someone!"

She glared at Qi Yitang, her eyes venomous. "It must be because you can't have children yourself, and you're jealous that I'm pregnant with my cousin's child, so you specifically hired someone to slander me?"

Xie Changqing then looked at Qi Yitang.

Qi Yitang spread her hands, indicating her innocence, "How can this be considered slander? Since someone dared to report you, they must have solid evidence. Why don't we listen to their detailed explanation?"

"What evidence? It's clearly fabricated, made out of thin air!"

The two of them argued back and forth, getting into a huge fight.

The Empress Dowager's temples throbbed from the noise, and she felt like her brain was about to explode.

"That's enough!"

The entire hall fell silent.

Qin Lianyue froze, tears welling up instantly. She threw herself at the Empress Dowager's feet, clutching her skirt. "Aunt! Aunt, you must believe me! I love my cousin deeply, how could I possibly have another man? Aunt..."

Looking down at her niece who was resting on her knees, the Empress Dowager believed her.

Yue'er knew better than anyone else about her infatuation with the emperor, but the royal bloodline allowed no room for ambiguity.

Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, otherwise wouldn't we be handing over the Great Qian Dynasty to others?

"Moon, get up and sit down."

The Empress Dowager's voice deepened, her authority leaving no room for doubt: "If this palace maid intends to smear your reputation, I will not let her off lightly."

"Consort Qi, please sit down as well."

"Yes." Qi Yitang obediently found a seat and sat down.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressively suffocating. Qin Lianyue's eyes were red-rimmed as she stared intently at the palace maid, her gaze as if she wanted to skin her alive.

The Empress Dowager asked, "Which palace are you from?"

The palace maid kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was originally from the laundry department. On the night of your birthday banquet, there were not enough people in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Eunuch Degui, who was by His Majesty's side, transferred people from various palaces to serve in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. I was one of them."

"Why do you say that Consort Li is not carrying the emperor's child? What evidence do you have?"

The Empress Dowager's voice was icy cold, "Listen carefully—if you utter any lies and shake the palace, I will have you beaten to death immediately."

The palace maid kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead striking the gold bricks. "Your Majesty, I dare not utter a single falsehood. I saw with my own eyes that on the night of the Thousand Autumns Banquet, His Majesty went out to sober up, and Consort Li followed him out, then entered Changchun Pavilion."

Qin Lianyue sneered, "What's wrong with me following His Majesty?"

"There is nothing wrong with Consort Li's actions."

The palace maid raised her head and said, "But His Majesty did not go to Changchun Pavilion. No sooner had Consort Li entered than another man followed her in and committed adultery with her."

Qin Lianyue's pupils shrank sharply. Impossible, absolutely impossible!

She clearly saw her cousin go in with her own eyes, how could it be another man?

But before he could finish speaking, a thought slithered into his mind like a venomous snake.

She followed her "cousin" into Changchun Pavilion, but before she could find him, she felt a pain in the back of her neck and lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, there was a man on top of her. He called her "Tang'er", and she naturally assumed that he was her cousin.

But now that I think about it, that voice doesn't seem to be...

But at that time she was in a hurry to get things done and had inhaled the sleeping potion, so she didn't realize it.

Most importantly, her cousin always called Qi Yitang "Tangtang" instead of "Tang'er".

Qin Lianyue trembled uncontrollably, her nails digging deep into her palms, and the cramps in her abdomen grew stronger with each wave.

Impossible, it can't be like that...

My cousin clearly acknowledged the child, saying it was his first prince and he was overjoyed. That's absolutely impossible!

Palace maid: "The moon was bright that night, and I saw it clearly. That man was not His Majesty. I would bet my life on it."

Xie Changqing's breath caught in his throat. "You wretch, how dare you—!"

He actually believed her and helped her catch Qi Yitang cheating, but little did he know that she was the most despicable one, already pregnant with an illegitimate child.

He wanted to tear this adulterous woman to pieces, and then arrest that shameless adulterer, whip him three hundred times a day, pour boiling oil over his body, slice off all his flesh, and torture him to death!

The Empress Dowager stopped Xie Changqing, her voice tense, "Speak, who is that adulterer...?"

Qin Lianyue's eyes widened in shock.

She wanted to cover the maid's mouth, to kill her, and to silence everyone who knew about this forever.

But she opened her mouth in vain, unable to make a sound.

Just as the palace maid was about to speak, a eunuch's shrill voice suddenly came from outside.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Qin Lianyue's face turned pale instantly.