Forced Into the Palace: Becoming the Emperor's Favorite-Chapter 431: The Events of That Year

After saying these words, Feng Enhai withdrew to stand beside the Empress Dowager.

The person kneeling on the ground was desperately kowtowing.

Then, all at once, she revealed what had happened that year.

"Your Majesty, please spare us! We only did it because we were left with no choice."

With these words, she effectively nailed Imperial Concubine Yi to the matter of swapping the Prince.

She then continued to tearfully explain.

"Before entering the palace, Imperial Concubine Yi practiced martial arts improperly, and her body was entirely unsuitable for bearing an Heir. However, the old lady of the Liu Family at the time used a folk remedy, which allowed her to conceive."

"But the way of heaven cannot be reversed, and the child was stillborn at seven months."

"To ensure a healthy Prince with Liu Family blood, Imperial Concubine Yi arranged for her family to prepare a child outside. Once the child was born, a switch could be made. However, things went awry, and the Prince was not sent to the palace as planned, so we kept hiding it."

Swapping the Prince?

Imperial Concubine Yi and the Liu Family truly had daring audacity.

Suddenly, Dong Yuzhong remembered something and immediately whispered in the Emperor’s ear.

"Your Majesty, I recall that not long after Imperial Concubine Yi gave birth to the Third Prince, a young lady was born in the Liu Family. We once thought it was a double blessing, but now it seems they were prepared long ago."

No wonder she waited despite the stillbirth.

It was because, outside the palace, the true "Liu Family bloodline" had yet to be born.

If the Liu Family had a son, wouldn’t that mean the Third Prince was "someone else’s child"?

Thinking of this, he let out a cold snort, and the look in his eyes toward Imperial Concubine Yi was now more than just cold.

It was murderous!

Now, even daring to deceive the Imperial Family bloodline, this was indeed something the Liu Family would do!

"At that time, His Majesty took the Empress and Princess Consort Min (later Lin Guifei) on an eastern tour, leaving Imperial Concubine Yi as the only senior in the harem. If we claimed it was a Prince, naturally it was a Prince."

"Only, outwardly, we said that the Third Prince was unwell and needed rest, even closing the palace to prevent visits. Meanwhile, outside, we were searching for a suitable child to be raised by the Lady within the palace. Who knew that before finding a suitable child outside, Consort Qian went into labor."

"So, under instructions from the Imperial Concubine and the Liu Family’s old lady, we specially went, and at the moment of birth, knocked out Consort Qian. When she awoke, we gave her the dead infant, saying it was hers. The real Third Prince was raised in Imperial Concubine Yi’s palace."

After these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into silence.

Lin Wanyi frowned as she looked at Consort Qian, deeply pained for her.

A mother giving birth to a stillborn child.

What a blow that would be to her.

From that point on, there was no other solace.

Seeing the child each time was a form of torment.

And this torment was more unbearable than physical pain.

Unable to resist, she sighed a little.

Looking again at Imperial Concubine Yi, she felt that even if the concubine were to be executed a thousand times, it would be fitting.

She had played her calculus with such precision!

Usurping another’s son for so many years without a hint of guilt when facing Consort Qian.

Truly a heartless and cold-blooded person.

However, at a time like this, it wasn’t Lin Wanyi’s place to condemn.

The Emperor’s thunderous rage alone could bring disaster upon Imperial Concubine Yi and the entire Liu Family.

The Emperor’s eyes were bloodshot.

He had invested much effort into the Third Prince.

He entertained unique thoughts because the child possessed Liu Family blood.

Though, in the end, fatherly affection triumphed over all.

However, when he thought of these things, he resented Imperial Concubine Yi, he resented the Liu Family!

To carry out such an outrageous act right under his nose.

Who knew what else they might have done behind his back!

The Prince was still his own, but because of his mother’s different standing, his fate diverged drastically.

Not to mention the Emperor, even the Third Prince could not accept this.

A moment before, he was the cherished son of the Imperial Concubine, with the Liu Family as his backing; many of the court’s powerful ministers were loyal to him.

But now, he was the son of the powerless Consort Qian.

He could no longer compete with the Fifth Prince, not even the Second and Fourth Princes, whose mothers outranked his own.

How could he endure this situation?

It was as if luxury was easy to get used to, poverty hard to return to.

Accustomed to the reputation and treatment of being the child of the Imperial Concubine and the grandson of the Liu Family, how could he accept becoming merely a noble concubine’s son?

Suddenly, he threw himself at the feet of Imperial Concubine Yi.

Tearfully, he cried, "No, it’s not true, Mother! Tell them, I am your real son, not some noble concubine’s child! Her status is too lowly to be my mother!"

Consort Qian, born a palace maid, had her heart pierced when she heard this.

She burst into tears.

Lin Wanyi could only furrow her brows, handing her a handkerchief in silent solace.

The Third Prince would never know that his future was severed by these words.

As the saying goes, a son does not scorn his mother for her faults, nor a dog its master for poverty.

The Third Prince, misrecognizing his mother for years, was not his fault, but now, with the truth revealed, he was still so unrestrained, wasting years of royal learning.

Thus, the Emperor angrily ordered Dong Yuzhong, "The Third Prince is confused. Take him away carefully, and the others should leave as well."

"Understood."

With the Emperor’s command, the concubines, ministers, and nobles knew their time was up.

This was an Imperial secret, so openly disclosed, making them feel uneasy.

If it weren’t for their numbers, they might have been silenced.

Thus, they quickly departed, faster than when they came.

With guards stationed, even if Imperial Concubine Yi had ulterior motives, it was of no use.

Moreover, she had no idea of Lin Wanyi’s standing in the Emperor’s eyes.

Otherwise, given her current pregnant state, taking her hostage would have been advantageous?

But alas, what’s missed, is missed.

By the time Imperial Concubine Yi came to her senses, there were hardly any people left in the hall.

Lin Wanyi and the others were long gone.

Especially Consort Qian, she didn’t even realize how she was taken out.

Watching her being supported away, Lin Wanyi couldn’t help but sigh.

Considering her kindness to the Fourth Prince and Princess Ming Ruo, if the Third Prince had stayed by her side, it might have been beneficial.

At the very least, he wouldn’t be so eager for pomp and ambitious for grandeur.

Seeing everyone leave, the Emperor showed no mercy.

With a cold expression, he began recounting Imperial Concubine Yi’s many "crimes" over the years.