Qi Yihan raised the letter in his hand again, "Eldest Sister, your clandestine affair with the Little Fairy coincided with Duke Rong leading troops into Shu, under imperial decree to quell bandits. I recall that year, you were ill and confined to your separate residence for over a year."
The Eldest Princess, with a hidden pregnancy, feigned illness and retreated to her estate to conceal the birth of her child, only returning after recuperating and completing her confinement.
Shortly after, Duke Rong returned victorious from the campaign. The Eldest Princess, utilizing this temporal gap, successfully sent the child away in a masterful deception.
"You are spouting nonsense!" the Eldest Princess adamantly denied. "You slander me. Even if you are a Prince, you must still provide me with justice, otherwise."
Qi Yihan's eyes turned icy, "Otherwise what? You intend to seek the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's intervention? Sister, you are truly foolish. Do you believe I would act against you without the Emperor's explicit will?"
The warm chamber was almost set ablaze with the ladies' hushed whispers. They had never imagined the Prince was acting under imperial orders.
The ladies, filled with astonishment, dared not even breathe heavily.
A princess, after all, was a married woman. Though she represented the royal family's dignity, it was limited. It was well known that imperial daughters throughout history had often indulged in impropriety, with former princesses keeping male consorts and cuckolding their husbands, engaging in all sorts of misdeeds.
"You lie! How could the Emperor believe such rumors?"
Qi Yihan pointed to the letter, "Naturally, it is not rumor. Your letter to Zhu Zhen, along with the items found in the infant's swaddling clothes from that year, are all here."
With that, another person entered, presenting a baby blanket embroidered with a hundred blessings on red Shu brocade, along with a golden collar inlaid with jade, adorned with eight auspicious golden toads.
These were precisely the items the child had with him when he was sent away.
"Impossible, impossible." Upon seeing these two items, the Eldest Princess completely broke down.
Li Man'er, sensing the doubt in their eyes, recounted the entire affair from beginning to end.
"Years ago, the Eldest Princess and the Little Fairy conceived a child in secret. She used her illness as an excuse to reside in her estate for over a year. The Eldest Princess gave birth to a male infant. To ensure the child's safety, she sent him to Hanqing Temple. Later, Zhu Zhen's whereabouts became unknown, and the infant was adopted by the abbot, becoming a young monk named Yan Zhen."
Li Man'er only learned later that Yan Zhen, whom she had searched for in vain, was actually a monk and the Eldest Princess's illegitimate son. It was, in fact, Qi Yihan's subordinates who were more capable, quickly tracing the clues to Yan Zhen.
"When my mother was carrying me, her pregnancy was not smooth. She was devout and whenever she passed by a temple or a Taoist shrine, she would always offer incense, praying to the Buddha and the Three Pure Ones for the safety of the child in her womb." Li Man'er couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, thinking of Ning Shi. "This was merely a mother's sincere wish for her child's well-being, yet it led to my mother Ning Shi's death! That time, she happened to pass by Hanqing Temple, offered incense, and donated oil money, only to encounter the Eldest Princess who was visiting her son. Although the Eldest Princess wore a veil, my mother did not recognize her. However, the Eldest Princess, guilty of her secrets, feared exposure and, upon returning, harbored murderous intent."
"You are spouting nonsense!"
Li Man'er, furious, disregarded propriety and rank and strode towards the Eldest Princess, forcing her to retreat step by step. She stared intently, "Do you dare deny your affair with the actor and giving birth to a son? Do you dare deny visiting that child? Do you dare swear that the monk Yan Zhen is not your son and that you did not orchestrate my mother's death for this matter?"
The Eldest Princess was in disarray, her eyes filled with venom, yet she maintained her royal demeanor. "County Princess Anning, you are insolent. I am the Eldest Princess, and it is easy for me to kill someone. Why would I order someone else to harm her? Even more absurd, you claim my grandmother was responsible. I ask you, what power do I possess to make your grandmother harm her own daughter-in-law?"
"You held something over her head, didn't you?"
"Hmph." The Eldest Princess looked at Cui Shi, who sat as still as an old monk in meditation, "Cui Shi, what leverage do you have over me that you would willingly become my instrument? Did I promise you benefits? Did I ensure your descendants' promotions and official ranks?"
The Eldest Princess was certain Cui Shi dared not speak the truth. This matter needed to be resolved swiftly. Cui Shi, as a witness, was inherently unstable; if she changed her statement, the Eldest Princess still had a chance to clear her name.
"This old servant is guilty. In those years, the late Marquis had many concubines and numerous offspring. Out of jealousy, I successively harmed six or seven of the late Marquis's beloved concubines and their children. Some fetuses were still within the womb, several months along, already formed, while others were harmed during childbirth, appearing as difficult labor, only to perish within hours of being born. The late Marquis was initially unaware of the truth. However, when he learned of it, he wrote me a letter of divorce, stating he did not wish to spend his remaining years with a wicked woman, but that he would conceal the truth for the sake of the children."
Everyone was shocked and fearful, never imagining Cui Shi to be so heartless and cruel, not only harming her daughter-in-law but also taking so many lives within the household.
Cui Shi slowly retrieved something from her embrace – the burned letter of divorce that Li Man'er had previously taken. "I have schemed my entire life. Rather than be cast aside, I would rather die. Thus, I personally poisoned and killed the late Marquis."
"Hiss~"
In the warm chamber, gasps of astonishment echoed. Even the Eldest Princess's eyes widened, as if shocked by Cui Shi's self-destructive actions.
"My sins are grave, and death is my due. The lives of the late Marquis, his concubines, and their children were all caused by this old servant alone. However, Ning Shi's death was never my intention. The Eldest Princess, discovering the late Marquis's suspicious death, used this matter as leverage, forcing me to harm Ning Shi."
"Nonsense, utter falsehoods." The Eldest Princess, like a madwoman, devoid of any imperial grace, lunged at Li Man'er and Cui Shi, shouting, "Insolent, insolent!"
"You are the insolent one." A majestic voice echoed, drawing everyone's attention.
The newcomer was clad in a bright yellow robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon and wore thick-soled court boots of the same hue.
Upon seeing him, everyone immediately knelt and cried out, "Long live the Emperor!"
The arrival was none other than Emperor Chenghua.
The Eldest Princess's heart was in utter chaos, knowing she was likely doomed today. She immediately declared loudly, "Your Majesty, they slander me. I have done nothing. I wish to see the Empress Dowager, I wish to see the Empress Dowager."
Li Man'er clearly saw a flicker of murderous intent in Emperor Chenghua's eyes.
Qi Yihan yielded his seat to Emperor Chenghua. The Eldest Princess crawled towards him, pleading, "Your Majesty, I am your own sister."
Li Man'er mused that indeed, the Eldest Princess was the Emperor's full sister. Whether she had harmed people or had illegitimate children, if the Emperor wished to protect her, who would dare to touch her!
What reason had compelled the Emperor to harbor murderous intent towards the Eldest Princess based on such old matters?