Yu Qingwu then cupped her hands towards Emperor Wei Jing and said, "Your Majesty, I request that you allow the palace matrons to examine Miss Qiu the Eleventh's body again."

On the throne, Emperor Wei Jing's face was cold and stern, his eyes revealing a hint of suppressed anger.

He cast a sharp glance at Miss Qiu the Eleventh and waved his hand towards Yu Qi, instructing, "Go and invite the best body examiners from the palace."

As soon as these words came out, Consort Liu, who had intended to help, immediately shut her mouth.

She only stared at Yu Qingwu with venomous eyes, saying in a sinister tone, "Good on you, Consort Yu, so ruthless! To compete for favor, you're even pushing your own cousin to her death."

"What does Your Highness Consort mean by that? Could it be that Qiu Kui really has been having an affair with the First Prince?" Consort Liu was just about to use Confucian rhetoric to criticize Yu Qingwu when Consort Shu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

She raised her lips, her beautiful eyes curving into a strong mockery. Before Consort Liu could retort, she lightly covered her mouth, staring at her in astonishment and said, "Your Highness Consort's reaction... could it be that you already knew about the affair between the First Prince and Qiu Kui..."

"You... you must not speak nonsense!" Consort Liu roared in anger.

Consort Shu spread her hands, smiling with provocation.

At this moment, Empress Zhou, who was on the side, stopped them and gently scolded, "Alright, Consort Shu, Consort Liu, you two must not quarrel. You are both the Emperor's consorts; what kind of decorum is this to be arguing like this?"

The Empress supported her forehead, and while speaking, she gently patted Emperor Wei Jing, who seemed about to rebuke Consort Liu, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry either. As a mother, Consort Liu is inevitably anxious when she sees Qi Yun causing such trouble. Please don't blame her anymore."

"Besides, hasn't the result not come out yet? Why rush to convict someone? Perhaps... there really is a misunderstanding?"

"Jin Yan is a mischievous child usually. Who knows, maybe... he really framed Qi Yun over a petty matter? It's not the first time this child has bullied people, is it?"

Empress Zhou sighed, her sharply defined features seemingly sharp, but under her gentleness, a layer of softness emerged.

Especially seeing her so impartial, protecting Consort Liu's child in every way, Emperor Wei Jing immediately felt sorry for her.

He held her hand back, his eyes, which had been filled with anger, immediately softened a lot when he looked at Empress Zhou, and he called her by her nickname in a gentle voice, "Yiyi, you are just too kind, always thinking of others, which is why everyone dares to run wild over you?"

"You are the Empress, and you must be tough when necessary."

This attitude was completely different from the one he had towards Consort Liu.

Consort Liu was so angry that her face turned green, and she gritted her teeth and looked at Empress Zhou, but she dared not say another word.

Xie Qiyun saw that his imperial father was so partial to Empress Zhou, and he dared not say anything more either.

The hall suddenly became unusually quiet, except for the sound of breathing and Miss Qiu the Eleventh's low sobs.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Qi led a matron into the door.

Seeing the matron, Miss Qiu the Eleventh looked a little flustered, but because of her mother's usual teachings, she quickly calmed down, wiped away her tears, and went into the inner room with the old matron.

A moment later, she came out of the inner room with the old matron.

When she looked at everyone, her expression was full of humiliation.

Although she was good at lying and pretending, as a sixteen-year-old girl, being examined in front of so many people was still a bit embarrassing.

But now, no one would care whether she was embarrassed or not.

As soon as the old matron came out, Consort Liu and You Wanwan rushed up and asked urgently, "Matron, may I ask if Miss Qiu is experiencing this for the first time?"

"This..." The old matron looked embarrassed.

She looked at Xie Qiyun, then at Miss Qiu the Eleventh, and finally knelt down in front of Emperor Wei Jing, stammering, "Your Majesty, this... Miss Qiu the Eleventh is not only not experiencing this for the first time, but judging from her pulse and the marks, she seems to have... also had a child before..."

!!!

Not only was she impure, but she also privately murdered the imperial bloodline!

In an instant, everyone was shocked.

Consort Liu's eyes widened, full of disbelief!

You Wanwan stared at Miss Qiu the Eleventh with all her might, her eyes almost spitting fire.

Xie Qiyun was even more shocked, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Miss Qiu the Eleventh was extremely resentful.

This slut! She dared to kill his child in private!

"No! That's not true! You're talking nonsense! I didn't! I didn't!" Miss Qiu the Eleventh was instantly stunned. She quickly waved her hands, crying and angrily pointing at the old matron, roaring, "Who... who ordered you to do this? Why do you want to slander me?"

She roared hysterically, but the old matron was not afraid. She glanced at her coldly, and said neither humbly nor overbearingly, "Whether this old servant is slandering Miss Qiu or not, you can tell by calling an imperial physician to examine you again."

The old matron looked confident, while Emperor Wei Jing's face became more and more unsightly.

He gripped the teacup in his hand tightly, almost trembling.

"You despicable thing! Damned despicable thing!"

Emperor Wei Jing cursed and pointed at Xie Qiyun, who was kneeling on the ground, and said sternly, "Men! Drag this damned beast down for me! Flog him fifty times, and from today onwards, strip him of all official titles and send him to the frontier to be a common soldier!"

What! To send her son to that bitter and cold place?

Hearing this, Consort Liu panicked instantly. With a plop, she knelt on the ground, not caring about her image at all, and cried while hugging Emperor Wei Jing's leg, shouting, "Your Majesty, please don't! Please don't! It's true that Qiu Kui is impure, but that doesn't prove that the one she had an affair with was Qi Yun!"

"You know that Qi Yun has always been upright and never beat around the bush, and he doesn't have those devious thoughts. This... all of this... there must be an inside story."

"Miss Qiu, you... you tell me honestly! Whose child was it? Who did you have an affair with before?"

As she spoke, she secretly winked at Miss Qiu the Eleventh.

Being shouted at by Consort Liu, Miss Qiu the Eleventh suddenly woke up.

She looked at Empress Zhou, then at Xie Jin Yan, and seemed to suddenly understand something.

Good! Since they were using her as a pawn to bring down Xie Qiyun and wanted to put her to death, then no one should have it easy!

Miss Qiu the Eleventh bit her lip, knelt down in front of the Emperor with a plop, looked at Xie Jin Yan and then at Empress Zhou with teary eyes, pointed at them, and said, "It's His Highness the Crown Prince! That child of mine was His Highness the Crown Prince's! The Crown Prince and the Empress wanted to bring down Consort Liu and the First Prince, so... so they instructed me to collude and frame the First Prince!"

"Promising... promising to make me the Empress after ascending the throne!"

Miss Qiu the Eleventh cried, and crawled to Xie Jin Yan's feet, hugged his thigh, and said sadly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, I sacrificed my purity for you, how can you be so heartless?"