The Prince of Jin looked at the princess, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Princess, do you have anything to say?"
Although he was extremely reluctant to believe it, the evidence was right there, leaving him with no choice but to accept it.
His virtuous and gentle princess had actually targeted his concubine and her child.
"Your Highness, I have a way to prove I didn't do it!"
The disappointment in the prince's eyes stabbed deeply into the princess's heart. She was tasting the bitter feeling of being unable to defend herself for the first time.
The plan she had intended to use to bring down Concubine Song had to be put forward ahead of schedule.
"Concubine Song is not pregnant at all! She has been faking her pregnancy from the very beginning. How could I harm her non - existent child?"
The princess's words were like a bomb dropped into the crowd.
The prince looked at her in disbelief. Before he could say anything, Concubine Song had already started sobbing. "I don't know where I've offended the princess. After failing to harm me, the princess even wants to slander me like this!"
"You know very well whether it's slander or not! Last month, the people in your courtyard bought a lot of edelweiss. Pregnant women can't touch edelweiss, but when used together with the green ling flower, it can create the illusion of pregnancy. Your Highness just needs to send someone to check if Concubine Song has come into contact with the green ling flower, and you'll know if what I said is true."
At this point, she didn't care that the prince would ask why she had known this long ago but hadn't reported it earlier. If she couldn't clear herself today, the image of virtue and gentleness she had built over the years would be completely ruined!
Hearing this, Concubine Song's tears flowed even more fiercely. She was born with a weak and pitiful appearance, which could easily arouse a man's desire to protect her. Even when she shed tears, she was so charming that people couldn't help but feel heart - ache for her.
"I did send someone to buy edelweiss, but, but..."
Concubine Song stopped halfway and looked at the prince with teary eyes.
"Your Highness's birthday is coming up in a month. I heard that Your Highness has trouble sleeping at night. The mansion doctor said that edelweiss can soothe the nerves, so I wanted to make a sachet for Your Highness. Who would have thought that the princess would misunderstand me like this..."
The prince looked at Concubine Song with a hint of surprise. "You're so considerate. Pregnant women can't use edelweiss. You should also take care of your own body..."
Hearing this, the mansion doctor quickly said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Edelweiss will only harm pregnant women if they take it. Ordinary minor contact won't cause any harm."
The princess looked at the mansion doctor in disbelief, feeling that something was slipping out of her control.
At this time, the people the prince had sent to investigate came back.
This matter involved his princess, his concubine, and his child. He had to find out the truth no matter what.
"Your Highness, there is no green ling flower in Concubine Song's courtyard. I also asked the people in the medicine shops. Although the green ling flower is not a precious medicinal material, it is rare. There is only one medicine shop in the city, the Gu family's, that sells it. And there is only a small amount of it in the mansion doctor's place in the mansion, and it has hardly been used."
Hearing this, the prince swept the cup off the table.
With a "bang", the cup shattered on the ground, right at the princess's feet. The broken porcelain splashed all over her feet.
"Princess, what else do you have to say?"
The prince's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his voice was filled with uncontrollable anger. His usually gentle eyebrows and eyes now seemed to be brewing a storm.
"Your Highness..."
The princess took a half - step back and almost fell. It was the maid beside her who quickly supported her.
Her hand under her sleeve was tightly clenched into a fist. She didn't even notice that her fingernails had broken in her palm.
She also realized that the mansion doctor must have been in cahoots with Concubine Song long ago.
Today's incident was a joint plan by them to frame her!
The princess looked at the mansion doctor with a look that could have pierced him through.
His life, and even the lives of his whole family, were in her hands. How dare he betray her!
At this time, Concubine Song spoke up. "Since the princess doubts that my pregnancy is fake, Your Highness might as well find a trustworthy doctor to check if I had a miscarriage or if it was the edelweiss and green ling flower that caused the fake pregnancy..."
Saying this, she let out a bitter smile. "In this way, the princess won't suspect that I colluded with the mansion doctor to deliberately frame her."
She had just lost her child, and voluntarily suggesting to find a doctor to take her pulse again was like stabbing herself in the heart. But her words also dispelled the prince's doubts about her.
But a strange sense of panic welled up in the princess's heart. It was like a tide gradually spreading in her heart until it was about to swallow her up.
This bitch dared to mention it on her own initiative, which only meant that she was not afraid of being investigated!
The prince waved his hand. "Go and invite all the famous doctors in Hongzhou City. Invite as many as you can!"
Soon, five doctors were invited. Their medical skills were well - known in Hongzhou City.
But after all five of them took Concubine Song's pulse, they all gave the same answer.
"The concubine's pulse is weak, deep, and thready, and she is deficient in both qi and blood. It is definitely the pulse of a miscarriage."
The princess asked in disbelief. "What! How could she have had a miscarriage? Isn't it the fake pregnancy caused by taking edelweiss and green ling flower?!"
The doctor shook his head. Being questioned about his professional skills, he was a bit unhappy. "If the slippery pulse is caused by taking medicine, the pulse will definitely be disordered after a miscarriage. But the concubine's pulse is only weak, without any sign of disorder. It should not be caused by medicine, but by eating a large amount of blood - activating things, which led to the miscarriage."
"We have been practicing medicine for many years, and we can tell the difference."
The princess's face turned pale and green. In a flash, she realized that this might have been a trap aimed at her from the very beginning!
No wonder Concubine Song had changed so much after she came out. In the past, she had always been cautious, but now she had repeatedly openly competed with her for the prince's favor...
She had planned from the very beginning to ruin her!
It was just that it was too late for her to realize it now.
After this incident, her image in the prince's and everyone's hearts would completely collapse.
It was all over!
The princess's mind was now blank. There was a buzzing in her ears, and she couldn't hear the outside world clearly.
She couldn't help but nervously glance at the prince, still holding a glimmer of hope in her heart. She wondered how the prince would dispose of her?
While the princess was thinking in a state of extreme confusion, the prince had already waved his hand to let the doctors leave.
The head of the Song family knelt down, lifting his robe. "Your Highness, Concubine Song has been gentle - natured since childhood. Even when she is wronged, she mostly endures it. She has never thought of harming others, but others have repeatedly refused to let her go. I'm incompetent and can't personally seek justice for the only bloodline left by my elder brother. Your Highness is Concubine Song's husband and the only person she can rely on. Please, Your Highness, make the decision for Concubine Song and severely punish those who harmed her!"
The head of the Gu family quickly followed. "Your Highness, Mi'er has served Your Highness for six years, managed the prince's mansion for you, and given birth to children. Even if she has no merits, she has put in a lot of hard work. Your Highness knows her character best. How could she do such a cruel thing? It must be someone deliberately slandering her!"
The head of the Gu family could tell that this was true from his daughter's distraught appearance, but this matter must not be admitted. They must deny it to the end!