Prime Minister Wen, unable to stand steadily, asked from afar, "Regent's Consort, how is His Majesty's condition?"
Lu Qing Wan injected the last dose of the medicinal fluid into Emperor Jing You's body and turned back leisurely, "Everyone, please remain calm. Give His Majesty a moment to recover, and he will be able to speak."
As she spoke, her eyes, clearly enjoying the show and stirring up trouble, swept over Feng Qing Heng and Duke Pei, "I apologize for disappointing you all. His Majesty did not die, and my Prince has returned hale and hearty! Oh my, this is quite a troublesome situation!"
Her affected expression and tone made everyone in Wei Yang Palace twitch at the corners of their mouths. *You're not the one who was framed, why are you troubled? Can't your gloating expression be any more obvious?*
Feng Xi Wu watched with amusement as his little consort, beaming with pride and no attempt to conceal it, playfully ruffled her hair. He said indulgently, "My consort is indeed worthy of being called the foremost divine doctor in Shang Jing. Truly remarkable!"
"Naturally!" Lu Qing Wan proudly lifted her head, her hair still under Feng Xi Wu's large hand, and met the gaze of Consort Dowager Wen. "Consort Dowager Wen seems to have many doubts about my Prince's identity. I wonder, between you and His Majesty, who is more certain whether my Prince is real or fake?"
Consort Dowager Wen had panicked the moment Tang Xiao announced that Emperor Jing You had woken up. Upon hearing Lu Qing Wan's words, she still tried to argue, "This palace will never mistake its own son. If I truly made a mistake, then it must have been intentional harm by someone with ill intentions..." Although she claimed she wouldn't mistake him, she was already preparing an escape route for herself.
Lu Qing Wan scoffed, "I thought the Consort Dowager had such confidence in her ability to recognize her own son. It turns out she's just a fence-sitter, swayed by the wind!"
"Lu Qing Wan, you..." Before Consort Dowager Wen could finish her aged and bossy pronouncement, Emperor Jing You's weak yet furious voice rang out, "Enough! Consort Dowager Wen, Wen Ya Yi, for years you have acted like an elder and ordered Xi Wu around in front of me. Both I and Xi Wu, out of consideration for Mother's wishes, have tolerated you as much as we could. But you still insist on meddling in state affairs! I can no longer tolerate you!"
Emperor Jing You's words clearly indicated his displeasure, and Consort Dowager Wen immediately panicked. "Ayan! No, Your Majesty, you misunderstand this palace. This palace never intended to meddle in state affairs, it was all for you! They said someone was going to impersonate that wicked Feng Xi Wu to harm you, so this palace came to the palace. You are my sister's only bloodline, this palace was only trying to save you..."
Consort Dowager Wen initially used Emperor Jing You's childhood name, attempting to evoke their scarce familial affection. Facing Emperor Jing You's sharp gaze, she immediately changed her address, yet still pleaded earnestly. But how could Emperor Jing You be deceived by her few words?
Upon hearing her, he revealed only disgust, "Enough! I am not Mother, and I will not be swayed by your sugar-coated bullets again! You clearly feel that neither I nor Xi Wu indulge you as much as Mother did, and you are dissatisfied. Therefore, you wish to replace me, the Emperor, and remove my troublesome son Xi Wu, replacing him with someone obedient whom you can control. This time, I will not continue to indulge you!"
Forcefully interrupting Consort Dowager Wen's sophistry, Emperor Jing You decisively issued an order, "Effective immediately, I depose Consort Dowager Wen from her imperial consort rank and demote her to commoner status. After thoroughly investigating her actions in causing chaos in the court, she will be sent to the imperial mausoleum to reflect before the tombs of the late Emperor and Empress Dowager, and shall not leave the imperial mausoleum until death."
"Your Majesty, no!" Duke Hua, seeing his maternal uncle bring Consort Dowager Wen and the imperial guards to arrest Feng Xi Wu, had thought his moment had finally arrived. Without Feng Xi Wu suppressing him, his Duke Hua Manor would finally have a place in the court. He never imagined that Emperor Jing You would wake up and deal with the prime witness, Consort Dowager Wen, without even questioning the authenticity of Feng Xi Wu's identity. How could this be tolerated?
The thought that Feng Xi Wu was safe and sound meant his Duke Hua Manor would never have a chance to rise. Duke Hua, who had been timid for most of his life, finally dared to be brave once. Facing Emperor Jing You's terrifying gaze, he trembled but spoke with difficulty. "Your Majesty, Consort Dowager Wen and the Regent may have some conflict, but even a tiger does not eat its cubs! If this person had not truly revealed some flaw, would Consort Dowager Wen have mistaken a deer for a horse? The Regent's identity is special; if he were truly impersonated, it would be a devastating disaster for the court and the nation! Therefore, this subject implores Your Majesty to confirm, is this indeed the Regent before you?"
Duke Hua had not known about Prince Guang Chang's plan before. He actually somewhat believed the words of Consort Dowager Wen and Feng Qing Heng. After all, Feng Xi Wu had been disabled for three years, and then he suddenly stood up without any prior warning. Duke Hua, for one, did not believe it. After he finished speaking, Duke Pei and Marquis Ning also stepped forward. "Yes, Your Majesty, the Regent's legs were disabled for three years, and now they are no different from a normal person's. This is not normal at all!"
Other officials also stepped forward to question the authenticity of Feng Xi Wu's identity, using the same reasons that Consort Dowager Wen, Feng Qing Heng, and Duke Pei had used to persuade them before. The more people questioned Feng Xi Wu's identity, the more confident Feng Qing Heng became. He knew that the Feng Xi Wu before him was real, but so what? Since Feng Xi Wu and Lu Qing Wan were playing the game of "crossing the sea under camouflage," why couldn't he play the part of "real versus fake Monkey King"? As long as he proved that the Feng Xi Wu before them was fake, and had his father take away his military power, then find a way to kill him. At that time, who would know whether he was real or fake?
However, before his wishful thinking could fully form, Emperor Jing You poured a bucket of cold water on him. "Xi Wu's legs were healed two months ago. For the past two months, he claimed to be bedridden, but in reality, he was fighting on the northern frontier for me. That is why the battles in the north were so smooth. Even when he provoked that fool Ding Kun to start a rebellion in the northwest, it was he who quelled the unrest for me."
Silence. A deathly silence. The officials were stunned by Emperor Jing You's sudden outburst. "Who else doubts the Regent's identity?" The officials shook their heads in unison. "No, no longer." It was not that Emperor Jing You's words proved Feng Xi Wu's identity was unquestionable, but rather they were once again forced to recognize Emperor Jing You's absolute trust in Feng Xi Wu. Emperor Jing You extended his hand. "Help me up." Feng Xi Wu personally stepped forward and helped Emperor Jing You up. The latter's complexion had slightly improved. "Since you have no questions, it is time for me to ask you questions? Today, I only summoned the Regent's Consort and the Prince Chen's couple to the palace, intending for the Regent's Consort to preside over the ceremony of the Prince Chen's Manor being entered into the royal genealogy. What is your intention in coming to the palace unsummoned?"
"This..." Duke Pei was speechless. He had known long ago that Emperor Jing You would die from the poisoned needle, and he had come to condemn Lu Qing Wan. But how could he say that now? As he was contemplating an excuse, Emperor Jing You uttered a suffocating question. He said, "I vomited blood for less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, and you all arrived? My dear ministers, are you perhaps able to foretell the future?"