Jingyang Wang pondered for a long time, then slowly looked up at Nangong Lie and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, if I've guessed correctly, Mother's imperial decree might be a forgery."
"A forgery?" Nangong Lie's brows furrowed deeply.
"Yes," Jingyang Wang nodded with certainty. "On my way back to the capital, I incidentally learned that Mother wrote a secret letter before her death, instructing me to keep it safe. After returning to Nan Zhao, I carried it with me. It was only two days ago that I inadvertently misplaced it, and I only remembered it today."
"Bring it here, let me see," Nangong Lie said urgently.
Nangong Lie ordered a letter to be brought, and upon opening it, his handsome brows tightened even more. "The Empress's handwriting, it truly resembles the Empress's handwriting very much."
"Your Highness, if this imperial decree is fake, doesn't that imply that Your Highness's consort has ulterior motives?"
Jingyang Wang's words caused Nangong Lie's expression to abruptly stiffen. "I shall first order an investigation into the Empress's widowhood. If this widowhood is a fake, then the Empress's orphaned heir must also be a fake."
Nangong Lie's words caused Concubine Yun's heart to lurch.
This Nangong Lie actually trusted the Empress so much, he even doubted his own only eldest imperial grandson!
A complex glint flashed in Jingyang Wang's eyes, and he couldn't help but clench his fist, his fingertips turning faintly white.
"I shall immediately draft an imperial edict to summon the court officials to discuss this matter."
After Nangong Lie spoke, he got up and left.
Concubine Yun watched Nangong Lie's receding figure, her eyes suddenly reddening.
"Imperial Aunt, please don't cry. Imperial Aunt's child is innocent," Jing Yan comforted her.
"Yan'er, do you think the Empress is truly fake?"
"Your Highness, I wish she were fake too."
At the same time, in the Empress's sleeping quarters.
"His Majesty arrives—"
With a loud announcement, Nangong Lie strode in.
Shen Wan Ning, lying on the bed, saw the person who entered and a strange curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
Nangong Lie looked at Shen Wan Ning, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Empress, you have once again acted without authorization, spreading rumors to slander my legitimate wife?"
"Your Majesty, this concubine is wronged!" Shen Wan Ning weakly cried out her innocence.
"Wronged? Then tell me, how did you know the Empress's identity? And why were you so certain she would be captured within Bei Li's borders?" Nangong Lie pressed closer to Shen Wan Ning, his eyes filled with ferocity.
"Your Majesty, this concubine..." Shen Wan Ning opened her mouth, hesitating.
"Speak! From where did you obtain this secret?" Nangong Lie's tone was incredibly icy.
Shen Wan Ning gritted her teeth. "This concubine does not know who told this concubine this secret. This concubine merely heard it from someone, and that person also told this concubine that the Empress might be an imposter."
"Nonsense!" Nangong Lie was furious. "Whether the Empress is real or fake is not for you to question! The Empress is the head of the Six Palaces, and I will absolutely not allow anyone to defile her! Guards, confine the Empress to Feng Luan Palace and do not allow her to step outside of Feng Luan Palace even half a step."
"Your Majesty..." Shen Wan Ning looked at the furious Nangong Lie in astonishment, her eyes instantly becoming tearful. "Your Majesty, you do not believe this concubine?"
"Where is the evidence?"
Shen Wan Ning's tears flowed like a spring. "Your Majesty, you would rather believe a woman of no consequence than believe this concubine?"
"Guards, escort the Empress to the Buddhist hall to reflect on her mistakes."
Nangong Lie waved his hand, and immediately eunuchs stepped forward to support Shen Wan Ning and lead her out of Feng Luan Palace.
"Your Majesty, you..." Shen Wan Ning struggled, wanting to retort, but she was no match for the eunuchs' strength and was dragged out.
After Shen Wan Ning was dragged away, Nangong Lie's expression remained ashen. He looked at Jing Yan, who was kneeling below, and said coldly, "I command you to immediately set off for Bei Li and ascertain what kind of demon this man, the Grand Tutor Xia Liang, beside Shen Wan Ning, truly is."
After giving this command, Nangong Lie turned to Jing Yan again. "Remember, this trip to Bei Li, you are to obey the Empress's every command, and leave all matters to the Empress to handle."
Jing Yan looked at Nangong Lie with dark eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He dared not disobey his words. "Your humble servant obeys your decree."
"Your Majesty, you must not..."
However, Nangong Lie had already flicked his sleeve and left, giving Concubine Yun no chance to speak.
A strong sense of indignation flashed in Concubine Yun's eyes. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, growling, "Nangong Lie, you are so heartless!"
The matter of the Nan Zhao Empress did not stir up much of a storm in Nan Zhao. After all, the Nan Zhao Empress had been missing for many years, and almost everyone had forgotten her existence, except for a few royal family members.
Three months later, the Northern Li Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, please wake up!"
Su Ziyan's anxious voice rang out. Opening her eyes, she saw that Chu Ting Yi was still unconscious.
Her heart was filled with worry, as Chu Ting Yi had been ill for over a month and still refused to wake up.
"Princess, how is His Majesty?" Nangong Chen entered with a bowl of medicine and asked.
Su Ziyan shook her head. "He has not yet regained consciousness. The imperial physicians take turns caring for him every day, but the effect is not good."
Nangong Chen put down the medicine bowl and sighed, saying, "Father's condition has persisted for over a month without any improvement."
"Father is blessed by heaven and will surely recover his health." Su Ziyan looked at Nangong Chen with determination. "Chen'er, don't worry, Father will be alright."
Nangong Chen smiled and nodded. "Mm, Mother is right, Father will definitely get better."
Su Ziyan suddenly stood up, her gaze fixed on Nangong Chen. "Chen'er, Mother suddenly feels unbearable pain in her stomach."
Nangong Chen immediately stepped forward to help Su Ziyan sit on the couch, his face filled with concern. "Mother, please bear with it for a moment, I will go and summon an imperial physician at once."
After Nangong Chen's retreating figure disappeared from sight, a sinister curve appeared at the corner of Su Ziyan's lips.
A moment later, Nangong Chen led the imperial physicians to Su Ziyan's chambers. After the imperial physicians examined her, they said with joy, "Congratulations, Noble Consort, Your Ladyship is pregnant."
Nangong Chen was stunned on the spot. After a long period of stupefaction, he asked, "Mother, have you truly conceived an imperial heir?"
"Yes, I am with child. Chen'er, this child is not only a crystallization of the love between the Emperor and me, but also the hope of our Nan Zhao Kingdom."
Hearing Su Ziyan's words, Nangong Chen felt both joy and sorrow.
He was joyful because his mother now had their treasure, but sad because with the child, his mother would inevitably no longer be able to be with them.
"Mother, please rest. I will come to visit you later."
Su Ziyan smiled gently. "Chen'er, please go slowly."
"We respectfully see off the Crown Prince."
Su Ziyan watched Nangong Chen's retreating back, her eyes slightly lowered, concealing the depth within them.
As night fell and the lanterns were lit.
Nangong Chen sat by the table, drinking alone, feeling dejected. His mother had an imperial sibling, but she would not be by his side.
How was he to face the imperial sibling in his mother's womb?