The Empress Dowager also reacted, naturally protecting her own daughter. It wasn't out of partiality, but because the matter was truly of great importance. If the Empress were to discover that Ru Yin was pregnant, she would likely not escape punishment, and even she, as the mother, would never be able to hold her head high again.
"Empress?" The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Mu Qingyao. The two words were drawn out.
Mu Qingyao was not afraid of her, responding coldly. Since Mu Qingyao had framed Mu Qingxiang and Mu Qingzhu, their war had officially begun. How could she be afraid of her?
The hall was tense. Eunuch Li didn't dare to breathe, looking from one to the other.
Just as the two were engaging in a silent battle with their eyes, the Princess, standing not far from Mu Qingyao, suddenly changed her expression and rushed forward with lightning speed. Her eyes were red with desperation, and she wanted to choke Mu Qingyao.
Unfortunately, although Mu Qingyao's martial arts were not high, she could still handle the person before her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let Mo Chou go out.
With a slight shift of her body, she turned gracefully, her steps a little unsteady as she slipped away. Then, with a sudden turn, she raised her hand and slapped across the face. A resounding crack was heard. Princess Ru Yin was slapped across the face, the blow delivered with full force.
Ru Yin's ears buzzed, her cheek instantly swelled, and the pain was unbearable. Tears streamed down her face.
"Mother, she hit me."
The Empress Dowager remained silent, her eyes fixed on Mu Qingyao with a murderous glint.
This woman was clearly emboldened. She had grasped their weakness. If this matter involving Ru Yin were to spread, the royal family's reputation would be completely ruined, and then, not others, but the Emperor himself would not spare her.
"Silence."
"What exactly does the Empress want? I have already said that the Princess is absolutely pure and innocent. Don't forget that the Emperor has just betrothed the Princess to Han Qingyu, the son of Grand Scholar Han."
Mu Qingyao completely ignored the Empress Dowager's ashen face. She calmly clapped her hands, slowly turned back, and sat down in her previous position, saying word by word:
"Empress Dowager, it is not that Qingyao likes to pick fault, but this Princess is indeed lacking in upbringing. I am the dignified Empress, yet she dared to attack me. If Mo Chou were here just now, it would not have been a slap, but the severing of her hand."
With words as cold as water, the Empress Dowager was rendered speechless. Her own daughter was unfilial, having secretly conceived. Otherwise, her mother would not be subjected to such scolding.
By openly calling the Princess ill-bred, she was implicitly criticizing her as a mother for being unable to teach her own daughter.
After reprimanding the Princess, Mu Qingyao spoke again:
"As the mistress of the harem, I must severely punish those servants who spread gossip. However, to punish those servants, the Princess's innocence must be proven. Whether the Princess is innocent or not can be determined by a royal physician's pulse diagnosis. Why is the Empress Dowager obstructing this at every turn?"
The Empress Dowager could only gasp, unable to utter a single word.
This woman clearly confirmed the Princess's pregnancy. What should be done now? The Empress Dowager mused, but before she could finalize her thoughts, she heard a eunuch's voice from the hall entrance: "The Emperor has arrived."
A tall figure in imperial yellow entered.
Mu Qingyao saw the Emperor arrive and rose to pay her respects: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise." Murong Liu Zun's brows twitched. His piercing gaze quickly swept across the hall, and he sensed that the atmosphere within was somewhat strange.
Princess Ru Yin clutched her face, her eyes red. The Empress Dowager on her high seat was furious, her eyes bloodshot, her breathing heavy, as if she could barely speak coherently.
A fleeting cold light flashed in Murong Liu Zun's eyes. He then spoke plainly, "What is going on here?"
As his deep voice sounded, Princess Murong Ru Yin suppressed her nervousness and spoke first, "Imperial Brother, you must deliver justice for your sister. The Empress hit me, and not only that, she also lectured Mother."
"Hmm?"
Murong Liu Zun's pupils turned cold, a hint of a chilling smile playing on his lips. He looked directly at Mu Qingyao. He had come because he received a message from Yao'er, but he didn't know why the Princess was hit and the Empress Dowager angered.
"Princess, you have such a good memory. A princess of the imperial family assaulting her superior, can I not reprimand you?"
Mu Qingyao questioned in a deep, stern voice. Seeing her overbearing demeanor, Murong Ru Yin felt a flicker of timidity. In the past, she would have resisted, but today was different. She had not forgotten the reason for the Empress's arrival.
The Empress Dowager on her high seat, fearing that the Emperor would learn of Murong Ru Yin's situation, unusually did not scold the Empress but spoke cordially.
"My son, why do you have time to visit?"
"It was I who asked the Emperor to come. If the Emperor did not come, I fear I, as the Empress, would not be capable of handling this matter properly, and how could I punish the unruly servants in the palace?"
"What happened?" The Emperor's voice was cold, his refined features instantly clouded with thunderous rage, as if he felt pity for Qingyao.
His dark pupils emanated a chilling aura, directed at Murong Ru Yin, frightening the Princess into silence.
Mu Qingyao calmly and plainly reported the situation.
"Your Majesty, there are rumors in the palace that the Princess is pregnant. This is a matter of misconduct within the harem. To prove the Princess's innocence, I summoned a royal physician to diagnose her pulse, but the Princess refused to cooperate. How can her innocence be proven this way?"
After speaking, Mu Qingyao's righteous expression was overlaid with a layer of frost, and she looked coldly at Murong Ru Yin.
Murong Ru Yin's eyes were dark, and she dared not look directly at the Emperor, lowering her head to gaze at the polished marble floor, as if wishing she could bore a hole through it.
Murong Liu Zun's gaze was cold and murderous. Seeing Ru Yin like this, he could generally infer that she was indeed pregnant.
No wonder she had refused the arranged marriage that day. Such a scandal within the imperial family was truly an astounding affair, both infuriating and detestable.
The Emperor's expression instantly became turbulent and extremely displeased. He never expected a princess of the imperial family to commit such a heinous act.
"Guards, summon the royal physician."
At the Emperor's command, the Empress Dowager and the Princess turned ashen. Murong Ru Yin fell to her knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing: "Imperial Brother, Imperial Brother, Ru Yin was wrong. Please spare Ru Yin's life."
Upon hearing the Princess admit her guilt, Mu Qingyao coolly stepped aside. The rest was the Emperor's business; this was an internal family matter of the imperial clan.
Outside the hall, eunuchs and a royal physician entered. Mu Qingyao waved her hand and ordered sternly, "All of you, leave."
"Yes, Empress," those people retreated. Not knowing what had happened, everyone in the hall wore grim expressions.
Murong Liu Zun glared coldly at the Princess: "Speak, with whom did you commit this shameful act?"
The kneeling Princess remained silent. That person had told her not to reveal him. If she dared to mention him, she would likely face dire consequences.