"Who are you? Wearing my Yao'er's clothes, tell me who you are!" Hua Xiong, seeing it wasn't Hua Yao but the woman was wearing Hua Yao's clothes, grew even more worried for Hua Yao.
The woman glanced timidly at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li looked at Lu Jing'an, whose chest was heaving with anger, and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I recognize this woman."
"You recognize her?" Lu Jing'an narrowed his eyes.
Zhong Li glanced at Shen Nong, then turned her gaze to Lu Yuanhong and said, "Yes, not only do I recognize her, but Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince should also recognize her, shouldn't they?"
Hearing Zhong Li speak, Lu Yuanhong instinctively turned his head, his gaze falling on the woman curled up on the bed.
He found her familiar, yet couldn't recall anything.
"Crown Prince, do you recognize her?" Lu Jing'an asked Lu Yuanhong.
Lu Yuanhong's brows twitched several times. Unable to recall her name, he could only cast his gaze towards Shen Nong.
Shen Nong thought for a moment and was about to answer when Lu Jing'an said, "I'm not asking the Empress, I'm asking him."
Lu Yuanhong started to break out in a cold sweat, but still couldn't recall the woman's name.
Seeing him like this, Zhong Li let out a cold laugh and bowed to Lu Jing'an, saying, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should let me tell you."
"Granted."
"This woman is the illegitimate daughter of Steward Wang, Wang Mei," Zhong Li stated.
Upon hearing this, Shen Nong slowly closed her eyes, her scalp beginning to tingle.
Lu Yuanhong's pupils widened at the name, his expression one of disbelief. He had thought this woman was dead after disappearing from Beitian Temple. He had even mobilized all the forces of the Eastern Palace to search for her. How could she possibly be in the palace?
"Wang Mei?" Lu Jing'an said, his gaze falling on Wang Mei.
Wang Mei, realizing what was happening, quickly knelt and kowtowed to Lu Jing'an, "Long live Your Majesty."
"You, an illegitimate daughter of a sixth-rank steward, how did you appear in the palace?" Lu Jing'an asked.
Wang Mei dared not speak, only looking at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li bowed and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, if I were to say that Wang Mei is a survivor and a victim of Beitian Temple, would you believe me?"
"Beitian Temple," Lu Jing'an murmured to himself for a long while, then nodded, "I have heard of the Beitian Temple incident. But as for her situation, please tell me."
Zhong Li nodded and recounted Wang Mei's story, including her relationship with the Crown Prince, in its entirety. However, she omitted Steward Wang's selfish intention of offering his daughter to curry favor with Shen Nong, only to fail disastrously. She framed Wang Mei's situation as an accidental farce.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Yuanhong became agitated and exclaimed, "Father! Father! Don't listen to Minister Zhong's nonsense. I am framed. I don't recognize her at all..."
"Does His Highness the Crown Prince truly not recognize her?" Zhong Li interrupted Lu Yuanhong.
Lu Yuanhong froze.
Zhong Li continued, "Wang Mei has given birth to a son. Is His Highness the Crown Prince willing to undergo a blood paternity test?"
Lu Yuanhong lowered his eyes, unable to utter a single word.
Lu Jing'an looked at the man before him, adorned in opulent robes, and in his fury, kicked him.
"Your Majesty!" Shen Nong was utterly stunned by his action. She stepped forward to pull him away, but Lu Jing'an turned and slapped her.
Shen Nong's eyes widened in shock.
"Empress!" Lu Jing'an pointed at Shen Nong's nose and said, "As the mother of a nation, you are a ruthless executioner! Wang Mei may have a humble background, but the child in her womb is real. You actually made the inhumane Beitian Temple act, nearly taking Wang Mei's life. No matter her standing, she is my subject and Steward Wang's daughter. In your eyes, are human lives so cheap?"
"Your Majesty!" Shen Nong knelt on the ground, her eyes darting around, trying to find a way to excuse herself. "I... I merely felt that Wang Mei's status was too low. If Your Majesty were to know of the Crown Prince's absurd actions, and Wang Mei carrying his child, she might become a legal wife, which would undoubtedly hinder the Crown Prince's future. That is why I..."
"Your Majesty!" Shen Nong crawled to Lu Jing'an's side, embracing his legs, "Your Majesty, as you just saw, the Crown Prince has almost forgotten about Wang Mei. Therefore, this was all my idea. I... I... I know I was wrong. I truly know."
As Shen Nong spoke, her tears began to fall like beads from a broken string, making her appear particularly pitiable.
"Wrong, how were you wrong?" Lu Jing'an asked her.
Shen Nong replied, "I know what I did was not right."
"Not right?" Lu Jing'an sneered, his gaze falling on the young eunuch who had brought them there. "You, come here."
The young eunuch's body trembled, and he tried to escape, but Lu Wuxie, with quick hands, dragged him back and threw him before Lu Jing'an.
Lu Jing'an looked at the group of masters and servants kneeling before him, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "Empress, if you truly knew this was wrong, why would you have this little eunuch perform this charade?"
Shen Nong stiffened, "Your Majesty, I do not understand what you are saying."
"You don't understand?" Lu Jing'an narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does the Empress truly take me for a fool?"
Shen Nong swallowed with difficulty.
"This little eunuch said earlier that Hua Yao brought the Crown Prince into Yueming Pavilion. I asked him if he had seen clearly. He said he had. Is this your so-called 'clearly'?" Lu Jing'an's final words were a roar, indicating his extreme anger.
The young eunuch, never having witnessed such a scene, rolled his eyes and fainted from fright.
Lu Jing'an glanced at him. "Send him to Dali Temple and let the torturers interrogate him."
Zhong Li nodded and signaled the guards at the door to drag the young eunuch away.
"Empress, by staging this, do you truly believe I am a fool?" Lu Jing'an turned his gaze back to Shen Nong.
Seeing that her scheme had been exposed and there was no point in further denial, Shen Nong was no longer afraid. She fixed her gaze on Wang Mei and said, "How coincidental. My plan failed to capture Hua Yao, yet you appear. This is a restricted area of the palace. How did you, an illegitimate daughter from outside the palace, manage to enter?"
Wang Mei's body trembled, and she kowtowed to Lu Jing'an. "Your Majesty, you already know my story. The reason I am here today is that I snuck in myself."
"How so?" Lu Jing'an asked.
Wang Mei recounted, "Ever since I was rescued by Minister Zhong, Her Majesty the Empress has been searching for my whereabouts throughout Jincheng. She even went to my residence multiple times to search for me, causing considerable trouble for my father and mother. She even threatened my parents' lives on several occasions, demanding they hand me over. My parents, out of love for their daughter, refused. But as time passed and my child grew, I couldn't remain in hiding forever. In my desperation, I thought to beg the Crown Prince and the Empress for mercy, or at the very least, turn myself in, to avoid causing harm to others. So, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, when the palace's security was not as strict, I hid in my father's carriage, which he used during the day to enter the palace, and snuck in. Who would have thought I would encounter such a situation? Sob..."
As Wang Mei spoke, her grievances intensified, and tears streamed down her face.
Shen Nong glared at the young girl before her, gnashing her teeth in anger. She couldn't fathom how Wang Mei, who had nearly been killed in Beitian Temple, had suddenly become so clever and had even managed to turn the tables on her.
As she pondered this, her gaze fell upon a figure standing in the corner.
Zhong Li... Well done, Zhong Li.
"Alright, let's say your explanation is plausible. Then I ask you, why are your clothes the same as Hua Yao's?" Lu Jing'an inquired.