Chapter 230 - 228: Humiliating the Princess, Beating the Empress Dowager, Feigning Pregnancy to Deceive the Monarch

Words : 1560 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Shen Yunxi regained her composure. Although she failed to get Shen Yinning punished, she did manage to steal her memorial text, so it wasn’t a total loss. If Empress Dowager Li and the Crown Prince saw her writing improve so dramatically, perhaps they might even praise her. Thinking this, she opened the wooden box and, with tears streaming like pear blossoms in the rain, said, "Grandmother Empress, this is the memorial text I wrote for the late Aunt Princess. As I wrote it, I couldn’t help but recall her graceful demeanor and radiant smiles—my grief was so overwhelming that I fainted several times while writing it." Empress Dowager Li accepted the paper. As her eyes fell on the large turtles drawn across the pages, the sorrowful expression on her face instantly vanished, replaced by an incredulous and thunderous rage. Shen Yunxi continued to ramble, "Although I wasn’t very familiar with Aunt Princess, I’ve always admired her noble virtues. It’s such a pity she left this world too early—I didn’t even get the chance to properly learn from her. But rest assured, Your Majesty, I will carry on Aunt Princess’s legacy, honor you, and serve you well—" "Shen Yunxi!" Empress Dowager Li interrupted her sternly. Shen Yunxi jumped in fright. She dared to glance at the Empress Dowager and found the elderly woman trembling, even her hands were unsteady. Evidently, Shen Yunxi thought that her memorial text was so moving that it deeply touched the old matriarch! She clutched her handkerchief and began sobbing, "Grandmother Empress, I know this memorial text is exceptional—truly a masterpiece that stirs the soul and provokes deep reflection! But since people cannot come back to life, you must control your sorrow and not harm your health due to these texts. Surely Aunt Princess’s spirit in heaven hopes that you will live long and prosper—" Before she could finish, Empress Dowager Li hurled the papers directly at her face. The sharp edge of the paper cut Shen Yunxi’s forehead. Instinctively, she caught one sheet and noticed a giant turtle drawn on it! The remaining papers scattered onto the floor of Huaguang Hall. Everyone stared in curiosity—all the pages were covered in turtles! For a moment, the entire Buddhist Hall was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Shen Yunxi’s face turned ghastly pale in an instant. She had clearly placed those drawn turtles into Shen Yinning’s box—how... how could they appear here instead?! Could it be that Shen Yinning had discovered her trick and secretly swapped the papers back?! She quickly turned to look at Shen Yinning. The latter stood beside Empress Dowager Li, smiling as she curled her lips. It was her, of course! "You wretched—!" Shen Yunxi, seething with rage, raised her hand to strike Shen Yinning. But Shen Yinning dodged, and Shen Yunxi ended up slapping Empress Dowager Li on the head! Even the phoenix-and-peony hairpin on the elderly woman’s intricate coiffure was knocked askew! Several strands of white hair fell down across her forehead, making her look utterly disheveled. Shen Yunxi was nearly scared out of her wits and instantly fell to her knees in terror, trembling as she pleaded, "Grandmother Empress, it wasn’t intentional—I didn’t mean to hit you, it was Shen Yinning! Shen Yinning intentionally tried to harm me!" "Zhaozhao tried to harm you?!" Empress Dowager Li’s face turned ashen with fury. "Then tell me, was it also Zhaozhao who caused you to submit such memorial texts?!" "No... Grandmother Empress... I... I...I don’t know why the papers have these turtles drawn on them..." Shen Yunxi’s body trembled as she desperately tried to explain, but her tongue was twisted, leaving her utterly incapable of making sense. Empress Dowager Li snarled, "You deliberately drew turtles all over the memorial texts to humiliate my late daughter, didn’t you?! Shen Yunxi, today you disrespected your elders, insulted my beloved daughter, referred to me as a ’wretched woman,’ and struck me with blatant disregard for proper conduct. I see your actions for what they are—rebellion! You’re deceitful, ungrateful, completely lawless, and lacking in virtue. This Crown Princess Consort title of yours—you shall not keep it!" "Grandmother Empress!!" Shen Yunxi screamed in despair, her voice cracking. Her entire life revolved around the Crown Prince—she could not bear being cast aside! Disregarding her grudge with Shen Yinning, she frantically knelt and began to kowtow to Empress Dowager Li. "Grandmother Empress, I would never dare to disrespect Aunt Princess or you! I don’t know what’s going on with those memorial texts—I am being framed! I was scolding Shen Yinning earlier, not you! It’s only because that wretched Shen Yinning dodged my slap that my hand accidentally hit your head! Please, Grandmother Empress, have mercy! Show leniency!" The young woman, her face smeared with tears and snot, trembled and presented such a pathetic tableau of incompetence that she looked entirely unfitting for her role as Crown Princess Consort. Seeing her like this, Lu Yu and Noble Consort Zhang couldn’t help but show traces of disgust on their faces. Shen Yinning suppressed the smile tugging at her lips. She had only planned for Shen Yunxi to reap the consequences of her own scheming, but her good cousin had delivered such a gratifying surprise! Quietly, she glanced at Lu Ying. The man’s brows furrowed lightly; he seemed to have no intention of intervening on Shen Yunxi’s behalf. Shen Yinning tilted her head slightly. This scoundrel—he claimed he adored Shen Yunxi, yet watching his beloved weep like this didn’t seem to stir him in the least? Unable to stop herself, she idly twirled her handkerchief in her fingers, recalling how the little palace maid had given her fresh Chinese toon seedling stir-fried eggs earlier that day. A bold idea emerged in her mind— Could it be that Lu Ying professed his love for Shen Yunxi merely as a ploy to anger her? Perhaps he misunderstood and thought her affections lay with Lu Shiyan or Cui Ji, and, out of pride, sought to provoke her by acting as though Shen Yunxi was his true concern. As she pondered this, Shen Yunxi suddenly clutched her forehead and fainted on the floor. "Consort!" Lianxin hurried to her side and held her up. "Consort, what has happened to you, Consort?!" Shen Yunxi, weak and barely conscious, opened her eyes just a sliver and muffled a few dry heaves. The expressions on everyone’s faces shifted in unison. Empress Dowager Li frowned and commanded, "Summon the Imperial Physician!" The accompanying physician with their party at Shengguo Temple was a middle-aged man named Fang, known for his conspicuous mustache. He quickly hurried over with his medicine chest, examined her pulse in front of everyone, then stroked his mustache and smiled. "Congratulations, Crown Prince. Congratulations, Your Majesty, and Empress Dowager. The Crown Princess Consort is already one month pregnant!" The Buddhist Hall descended into silence. After Imperial Physician Fang offered his congratulations, he realized the expressions of the Imperial Family present were uniformly solemn; no one seemed particularly delighted. Shen Yinning toyed with her handkerchief. The Emperor and Noble Consort Zhang despised Lu Ying, so naturally they were uninterested in Shen Yunxi or her potential child. Empress Dowager Li harbored disdain for Shen Yunxi and desperately hoped her own niece would give birth before Shen Yunxi, making a pregnancy from her entirely undesirable. As for Lu Ying... Lu Ying knew well that Shen Yunxi had been dosed with aroma compounds that rendered her infertile. Therefore, Shen Yunxi being pregnant was an impossibility. The implication was clear— Shen Yunxi must have bribed Imperial Physician Fang to feign pregnancy. There was no cause for him to feel any joy over this. Shen Yinning, reveling in the spectacle, cheerfully exclaimed, "Who would’ve expected the Consort to be pregnant? This must be a blessed occasion! My sincerest congratulations to the Crown Prince, to His Majesty, and the Empress Dowager!" Shen Yunxi leaned anxiously against Lianxin’s arms. She always intended to fake a pregnancy and had long since arranged for Imperial Physician Fang to cooperate. She had initially planned to announce her news after the sacrificial rituals ended, but today’s chaotic events had thrown everything into disarray. In her panic, she had resorted to using her trump card prematurely to preserve her position. Forcing a weak smile onto her pale face, she murmured, "Crown Prince, we’re going to have a child..." Lu Ying remained expressionless. A child from Shen Yunxi? She was more likely to give birth to a pillow. Noble Consort Zhang abruptly interjected, "Such a matter is too significant to overlook. Imperial Physician Fang, are you absolutely certain of your diagnosis? Your Majesty, I believe we should summon the abbot of Shengguo Temple to personally examine her. The abbot is highly versed in medicine and can surely tend to the Consort’s health optimally." Empress Dowager Li also doubted Shen Yunxi’s miraculous pregnancy timing. She declared resolutely, "I too think it’s wise to have the abbot take a look." Shen Yunxi’s heart leapt in terror, and she dug her nails fiercely into Lianxin’s arm. She wasn’t pregnant—if the abbot examined her pulse, her fraud would be exposed! If that happened, the disgrace of insulting a princess, attacking the Empress Dowager, faking a pregnancy, and deceiving the Emperor would accumulate against her. How could she possibly remain Crown Princess Consort then?!

Chapter 230 - 228: Humiliating the Princess, Beating the Empress Dowager, Feigning Pregnancy to Deceive the Monarch

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