Legend of Zhen Huan: Zhen Huan is reborn

197 Blood Test (Part )

Liu Zhu led Hong Zhou into the hall. Not only that, she also carefully brought Long Yue, Hong Mian and Ling Xi with her.

Followed by two wet nurses on both sides, Hongzhou and Longyue stood side by side. This scene made people sigh that Zhen Huan had a large family around her.

"Your Majesty, I have thought it over again and again. If I only examine the Seventh Prince, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince everyone. If someone uses this as an excuse to cause trouble in the future, my concubine may be accused without reason again. So I have the guts to bring all the princes and princesses here to prove my innocence." Liu Zhu reported.

Zhen Huan nodded in agreement: "Liu Zhu's words make sense. I really don't want to be innocently implicated and framed by others."

When Yinzhen saw the scene, all his doubts disappeared. However, considering Yixiu's face, he had to agree reluctantly.

"Since it has been arranged this way, let's act according to the plan," Yinzhen said.

Jianqiu and Huichun then presented four bowls of water. At this time, Qi Yuebin suddenly said, "The emperor's body is noble and should not be damaged. It is better to let Doctor Wen take the test on his behalf."

"What the Imperial Concubine said is absolutely right. How can the Emperor's body be put in danger so easily?" Feng Ruozhao also echoed.

So Wen Shichu followed the order and first dripped a drop of his own blood into each of the four bowls. Then, Hongzhou, Hongmian, Longyue and Lingxi stepped forward one after another and dripped their blood to prove their innocence.

Su Peisheng held the white jade bowl carefully and shook it gently. The clear well water in the bowl seemed to be given life.

As the waves fluctuated, eight blood beads as bright as corals slowly approached each other, and finally merged into one as if pulled by an invisible thread. This scene shocked everyone present.

Yinzhen's face turned pale in an instant, veins popped out on his forehead, and he slammed the armrest of the throne with his palm, making a deafening sound.

Wen Shichu's eyes lost focus instantly. He staggered back a few steps, shook his head repeatedly, and muttered to himself: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" His voice was full of disbelief.

There was a flash of satisfaction in Mei Yue's eyes, and the red color seemed to be dripping with blood.

Yixiu took the opportunity to shout loudly: "You are so bold, Zhen, the evidence is irrefutable, why don't you kneel down and confess your guilt!"

Zhen Huan was stunned by this sudden change. She widened her eyes in disbelief, and her eyes met Liu Zhu's equally shocked gaze. Both of them were filled with turmoil.

Zhen Huan felt cold all over, trembling but still trying to remain calm: "I am innocent, what have I done wrong? Why should I kneel?"

Yixiu's voice was cold and powerful, like ice in winter: "Blood is thicker than water, those whose blood is mixed are relatives! What else can you quibble about!"

She immediately gave the order, "Come here! Strip her of her imperial concubine's attire immediately and banish her to the cold palace! Take that evildoer with her! As for Wen Shichu...beat him to death in front of the palace!"

Zhen Huan was furious when she heard this. She looked around, her eyes burning with anger, as if she wanted to burn all this injustice to ashes: "Let's see who dares!"

Although her voice was trembling, it carried unquestionable majesty and determination.

Yinzhen's eyes were as deep as blood, filled with disbelief.

He walked down the stairs slowly, holding Zhen Huan's chin with his fingers, and said in a low and complicated voice: "I have always been kind to you, why... do you treat me like this!"

Zhen Huan felt mixed emotions as she felt the warmth on her chin, the hidden pain in Yinzhen's eyes, and the gentle yet heavy force in his hands.

"Your Majesty, there must be something fishy about this matter. I really have not done anything to let you down. I implore Your Majesty to look closely and investigate this matter strictly." Zhen Huan said with a firm gaze, looking directly at Yinzhen.

A trace of bitterness flashed across Yinzhen's eyes: "Hanhuan, can I... still trust you?"

Zhen Huan said firmly: "Huan Huan will never do anything to betray Si Lang in this life."

Yinzhen's hands dropped weakly, he turned around, and his back looked extremely lonely.

Seeing this, Zhen Huan's heart tightened. She quickly walked to the white jade bowl and resolutely cut her fingertip. Blood dripped into the bowl and instantly merged with the previous drops of blood.

Afterwards, she signaled to Su Peisheng to do the same. Although Su Peisheng was surprised and doubtful, he did so anyway. The result was equally shocking - the blood of the four people actually mixed together.

Su Peisheng was horrified and immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I am already a virgin, how could I be related to the Seventh Prince, Doctor Wen, or even Concubine Xi? This water must be problematic!"

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen slowly turned around, swept his sharp eyes across the blood drops in the bowl, and then turned to Yixiu. His eyes were extremely cold, as if he could see through all conspiracies.

"I understand." He smiled gently, but that smile hid endless coldness and determination, "I know what is going on."

Wen Shichu reacted quickly, lightly touched the water with his fingertips, and then tasted it with his tongue, and immediately asserted: "This water has a sour taste, which is obviously caused by the addition of alum. Ancient medical books have long recorded that alum in water can dissolve even non-relatives; on the contrary, if a little bit of clear oil is added, even close relatives will find it difficult to dissolve."

"Silang, my innocence is now clear as day." Zhen Huan's eyes sparkled with tears as she knelt on the ground. "This man actually used such despicable means to frame me. His evil heart is obvious."

Yinzhen slowly turned around, his eyes like torches, staring directly at the queen, his tone cold: "Just now, in order to seek justice, the queen personally prepared water, is this true?"

Yixiu's body trembled slightly, her face turned slightly pale, and she managed to remain calm: "The water I prepared is absolutely flawless."

"Oh?" Yinzhen said without any warmth in his tone, "I remember that the queen is an extraordinary doctor."

Yixiu said earnestly: "If I carry out this plan, it will be exposed if I am not careful. Wouldn't that be humiliating myself? How foolish!"

"You can't get a tiger cub without diving into the tiger's den," Feng Ruozhao responded with a sneer. "Although this plan is risky, the chances of success are quite high. Once it succeeds, the Seventh Prince will be mistaken for the son of Imperial Doctor Wen. Who will verify it again? Even if it is verified again, the Queen has a thorough plan, and Imperial Concubine Xi will not be able to escape injustice."

Yixiu raised her head, her eyes full of resentment: "I am innocent! As the queen, why do you have to do such a despicable thing and frame Concubine Xi?"

Qi Yuebin seemed to be awakened from her deep thoughts, with a trace of compassion in her eyes: "Indeed, you are already the queen, what else do you want?"

"If it weren't for my cleverness, even if Hongzhou was the emperor's blood, he would still be wrongly accused!" Zhen Huan looked at Yixiu with a firm gaze, "I have always respected you and treated you with great courtesy, but I don't know how I have offended the queen that you want to put me to death?"

Feng Ruozhao raised her jade finger and pointed at the young child in the nurse's arms. A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She said to the queen, "It's because Concubine Xi not only has a son, but also a son. On the other hand, the queen only has the third prince as her adopted son. You yourself once said that the emperor has high hopes for the seventh prince. If the third prince is not destined to be the crown prince, where will your future honor as the queen dowager be placed?"

After saying this, she gently brushed the child's swaddling clothes with her fingertips and sighed, "Poor Third Prince, he has been favored by the Emperor since he was young, but this also makes you, the Empress, feel uneasy."

"How dare you!" Yi Xiu's brows were swirling with anger, and her voice was as cold as ice in winter. "As the mistress of the six palaces, I treat the concubines' children as my own. No matter who the future crown prince is, I am the legitimate mother and empress dowager!"

"Oh?" Ye Lan'yi interrupted at the right time, with a warm smile on her bright and charming face. She slowly approached Yixiu and whispered softly, "Then would your Majesty be willing to swear to ensure that the Third Prince will never become the Crown Prince? After all, the Third Prince is not particularly talented." There was a gleam in her eyes, as if she was smiling.

Yixiu's expression remained unchanged, her eyes as sharp as an eagle as she stared straight at Ye Lanyi, and Ye Lanyi did not back down either, returning her firm gaze.

At this time, Zhen Huan slowly stood up. Su Peisheng had prepared clean water. The silver needle accurately pierced Hongzhou's fingertip again, and a drop of bright red blood fell into the water.

The two drops of blood were far apart. Zhen Huan presented the bowl to Yinzhen and said softly, "Your Majesty has witnessed it with your own eyes. Your doubts should be dispelled."

Seeing this, Yinzhen gently helped Zhen Huan up, his eyes full of apology: "Huanhuan, it's my fault. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Zhen Huan smiled slightly, with a gleam of understanding in her eyes, but she still insisted: "Huan Huan understands it in her heart, but in order to calm the public opinion, we need to ask Si Lang to drop blood to test the relationship so as to set the record straight."

Yinzhen sighed helplessly, and according to Zhen Huan's instructions, he pierced his fingertips. A drop of blood dripped into the bowl and quickly merged with Hongzhou's blood, just like the reunion of relatives, with no gap between them anymore.

Seeing this, Zhen Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "My innocence does not need to be further explained."

Afterwards, Zhen Huan ordered her maid to take the children away and comfort them. At the same time, she gently raised the porcelain bowl in her hand, and the bowl drew an arc in the air and finally fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Immediately afterwards, with a scream of "Ouch", Mei Yue was unable to dodge and was scratched on the forehead by the fragments. Blood flowed down between her fingers and her face turned pale in an instant.

Zhen Huan pointed at Mei Yue and the others with a sharp gaze, and said in a cold tone: "Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with these villains who dare to frame concubines and disrupt the palace?"

Li Ying was already trembling with fear, and although Mei Yue was seriously injured, she still held her head up stubbornly and refuted: "Even if the Seventh Prince and his children are indeed the emperor's biological children, the three of us witnessed the affair between Concubine Xi and Doctor Wen with our own eyes. Can the emperor just turn a blind eye to it?"

Feiwen's face turned from pale to ashen. She kowtowed frantically, her voice filled with despair: "I really didn't lie! Everything I said is true! If the emperor doesn't believe me, he should listen to the testimony of the old servant of the Zhen Mansion, Ying'er. She wouldn't have heard it wrong, right?"

Her eyes caught sight of Yu'er in panic, and she screamed wildly as if she had grabbed the last straw.

Mei Yue glanced at Ying'er indifferently, motioning her to come forward and answer. She had a glimmer of hope in her heart, but she did not expect that Ying'er's words would push her into the abyss of despair.

"Miss, please forgive my incompetence! I dare not disobey the order of Noble Lady Mei. If I don't come, Chen Si will put me to death." After saying that, she slowly rolled up her sleeves, revealing the mottled scars on her arms.

Some of them had already formed scabs, while others were still oozing blood mixed with pus, which was shocking to see.

"Miss, Miss!" She cried, kneeling in front of Yinzhen, kowtowed repeatedly, sobbing, "Your Majesty, please understand, although Miss and Lord Wen are old acquaintances, there is absolutely no private relationship between them!"

Zhen Huan, with tears in her eyes, gently helped Ying'er up and said softly, "I don't blame you. These years have not been easy for you either."

She turned to look at Yinzhen, her tone calm but firm: "It is an indisputable fact that Concubine Mei instigated Ying'er, Feiwen and Xiahe to frame me. However, if there was no stronger hand behind her, how could she have such courage and such a thorough plan?"

Feng Ruozhao echoed, "What Concubine Xi said makes sense. If this man is not brought to justice, there will be no peace in the palace."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Yixiu meaningfully and continued, "I hope the emperor will make a decision quickly."

Zhen Huan looked at Mei Yue with a stern gaze: "If you are willing to reveal the mastermind behind this, I may be able to spare your life. The decision between life and death is entirely up to you."

Mei Yue's heart was shaken, and the desire to survive instantly occupied all her thoughts. After pondering for a moment, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes, and she declared loudly: "No! No one instructed me, Concubine Xi, all this is due to the hatred I have for you in my heart!"

"Oh? Just because of that painting?" Zhen Huan's tone was filled with disdain.

"It's more than that. You took away the favor that should have belonged to me, and even caused me to lose my own flesh and blood. All of this was caused by you, but the emperor turned a blind eye!" Mei Yue's words were full of resentment. Her eyes inadvertently swept across the queen and finally fixed on Zhen Huan. "All of this was done by me alone."

"It is a blessing to have sisters to rely on in the palace." Yixiu interrupted at the right time, with a bit of emotion in her voice, "Seeing the deep affection between Concubine Xi and the sisters, I can't help but think of the days when my sister and I served the emperor together. With relatives by my side, we not only share the joys and sorrows, but also have a rare trust."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen nodded slightly, and his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, as if he was lost in distant memories.

"Your Majesty," Yixiu said in a mournful tone, looking up at Yinzhen, "If my sister were still alive, she would definitely understand my innocence. She knows very well that I would never do such a thing."

Yinzhen stared at Yixiu for a moment, and said with a hint of disappointment: "I wish Chunyuan didn't have a sister like you."

Yixiu's expression suddenly changed, and she called out anxiously: "Your Majesty..."

Yinzhen slowly said, "I want to know what's in the water..."

Before she finished speaking, Huichun had already fallen to her knees, sobbing: "It was my fault that I accidentally got alum on my body when I was preparing water for you. It was not intentional."

Yinzhen nodded again and said, "Queen, Huichun is old and has acted recklessly. It is not appropriate for her to stay with you any longer. She should go to the Ministry of Punishment."

Yixiu bowed her head and agreed: "Yes."