Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

Wei Fenghui followed closely behind, asking with a puzzled look, "Then, what if the poison is neutralized?"

"The poison has been neutralized?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Prince Duan's eyes. "A woman like her, who would not hesitate to test medicine on herself and force me to have physical intimacy with her, if the poison is truly neutralized, it must be because she made merry with others to break the poison."

Prince Duan spoke with increasing confidence, as if he had already confirmed his speculation.

"you……"

When Jiang Huaiyu heard the Prince of Duan speak so disparagingly of his niece, he was filled with rage. However, as a prince, he was of utmost nobility and there was nothing he could do but grit his teeth in silence.

"Prince Duan, how dare you be so insolent!"

The eldest princess spoke up promptly, sternly rebuking Prince Duan.

Prince Duan, however, did not take it to heart, and a look of disdain and contempt appeared on his face.

"The Emperor has arrived——"

A loud announcement came from outside the hall from an eunuch.

A magnificent figure in bright yellow slowly entered, followed by Wei Fengyao, Wei Fengyun, Jiang Xinrui, and others.

Everyone knelt down and bowed, respectfully wishing the Emperor good health.

Seeing that Jiang Xinrui was safe and sound, Jiang Huaiyu finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

Seeing that Jiang Xinrui showed no signs of illness, Prince Duan became even more convinced that the woman must have been having an affair to be cured of the poison.

Emperor Erkang walked to the center of the main hall and sat down in the main seat. The eldest princess, Consort Chao, Consort Xi, and others sat down in turn, while the rest stood respectfully around them.

"Prince Duan, do you know what crime you have committed?"

Emperor Erkang's face was as cold as ice.

"Father, what crime have I committed?"

Prince Duan straightened his back and asked in return without any fear.

Emperor Erkang sneered, "Heh, you're really stubborn." He then turned to Wei Fengyao, "Commander Wei, this matter is now entirely in your hands."

"I obey, Your Majesty."

Wei Fengyao responded in a deep voice, his expression resolute, ready to handle this crisis properly.

While on duty, Wei Fengyao suddenly received an urgent message from the Si Ming Tower concerning Jiang Xinrui's safety. He immediately rushed to the scene, where he encountered Emperor Erkang and Jiang Xinrui, who had just recovered from her poisoning. Jiang Xinrui recounted the entire ordeal to Emperor Erkang and Wei Fengyao.

Emperor Erkang naturally favored his own son and firmly believed Jiang Xinrui's statement.

"Your Highness, you just clearly stated that there was no antidote for the deadly poison my cousin suffered from. However, now that the poison has been cured, you are falsely accusing her of having an affair. If my cousin truly did not have an affair, how will you explain yourself?"

Prince Duan firmly retorted: "Absolutely impossible! She is poisoned and there is no cure. The only way to cure her is to have sexual intercourse with someone."

Witnessing the Prince of Duan's malicious slander against his beloved, Wei Fengyao was consumed by rage and turned to look at Jiang Xinrui. Jiang Xinrui understood immediately, and lightly rolled up her sleeve, revealing the clearly visible mark of virginity on her arm.

Upon witnessing this scene, Prince Duan's eyes widened in shock, his trembling finger pointing at Jiang Xinrui. "This is impossible, absolutely impossible! This virginity mark must be fake." His emotions spiraled out of control. "That's right, it must be fake."

At this moment, Emperor Erkang spoke up: "Linchuan, have someone investigate carefully to see if Miss Jiang's virginity mark is genuine."

Princess Linchuan immediately ordered her accompanying matron to examine the mark. The matron rubbed it vigorously, but the mark remained unmoved. She curtsied and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, Princess, Miss Jiang's mark is indeed genuine."

Emperor Erkang's voice was low and authoritative, "What else do you have to say?"

“This is absolutely impossible, how could this be?” Prince Duan shook his head repeatedly, still unwilling to accept reality. “How could she possibly have the antidote?”

Wei Fengyao pointed out righteously and sternly: "The reason you still don't believe that your cousin was cured by the antidote is because the antidote is hidden on you. You are the one who poisoned your cousin!"

The words left everyone present in shock.

"Guards!" Emperor Erkang roared.

Eunuch Ying immediately responded, "This servant is here," and thus a magnificent and dramatic story unfolded.

"Conduct a thorough search of Prince Duan and find the antidote."

"As you command." At the order, several eunuchs stepped forward to Prince Duan, bowed politely, and said, "Your Highness, we apologize." Then, without further ado, they pressed Prince Duan down and began to thoroughly search his body.

"How arrogant you are! I am Prince Duan, how dare you treat me so disrespectfully!" Prince Duan struggled fiercely, but under the firm control of the two eunuchs, he could not break free even a little.

A young eunuch took a packet of fine powder from Prince Duan's chest and respectfully presented it to him.

The imperial physician, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward, gently sniffed the powder, and then lightly waved his hand to fan out the fragrance. He then respectfully bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this powder does indeed have an antidote effect."

"The evidence is conclusive, Prince Duan, what else do you have to say?" Emperor Erkang's face was gloomy, and everyone in the hall was silent, not daring to easily offend the emperor.

"Your Majesty!"

Consort Chao slowly knelt down along the edge of the chair, her eyes filled with tears.

"Your Majesty, Duan'er is deeply in love with Miss Jiang, but unfortunately, he cannot be with her, which is why he has made such a grave mistake. I beg Your Majesty to forgive Duan'er's rash actions."

Consort Li, on the other hand, looked smug and secretly calculated how Prince Duan's downfall would benefit her son, Prince Rui, in inheriting the throne. She spoke harshly, saying, "Your Majesty, the laws of the royal family cannot be taken lightly. Prince Duan is narrow-minded. Miss Jiang only rejected his love, yet he resented her and secretly plotted to ruin her reputation."

Their viciousness and despicable methods are truly appalling.

Consort Chao glared angrily at Consort Li, that venomous woman, who dared to kick someone when they were down. In an instant, she changed to a pitiful expression and stared at Emperor Erkang.

"Your Majesty... Duan'er acted on impulse. I remember when the Empress was still alive, a palace maid once tried to seduce Your Majesty with drugs, but the Empress discovered it."

The Empress was kind-hearted and forgiving, and knowing the palace maid's deep affection for the Emperor, she ultimately only confined her for three months. If the Empress were still alive, she would surely have understood Duan'er's devotion and granted him his wish to be with Miss Jiang.

A strong sense of disgust welled up in Jiang Huaiyu's heart. This Consort Chao actually attributed Prince Duan's indecent behavior solely to his deep affection for Jiang Xinrui. She downplayed all the blame, attributing it to Prince Duan's unrequited love, and even brought up the Empress who had been dead for many years in an attempt to lessen Prince Duan's guilt.

Emperor Erkang's gaze was deep, a faint trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.

Consort Chao noticed the change in Emperor Erkang's expression and was secretly delighted. She sneered, "Empress, you are truly my good sister. Even after many years of your passing, you can still lend me a helping hand."

Just as the atmosphere in the hall was heavy and everyone held their breath, waiting for Emperor Erkang to make a decision.

Wei Fengyao suddenly stepped forward.

“Your Highness, you are mistaken. If the late Empress were still alive, she would never have tolerated Prince Duan. She would not have sacrificed another innocent life for Prince Duan’s selfish desires. This is not benevolence, but hypocrisy!” His voice was firm and powerful.

Consort Chao frowned, her gaze icy. "Who do you think you are? You were probably not even born when the late Empress passed away, so how dare you speak of her affairs?"