Chapter 1600: Chapter 1593: The Child is Not Qin Muyan’s

The Shunshun in her arms was startled awake and instantly burst into loud sobs, "Wah— Wah—"

"Shunshun be good, don’t cry, don’t be afraid..." Rong Yun hugged and comforted him gently.

She fell to the ground, and not a single person helped her up. Everyone looked at her with eyes full of hatred, as if she were a sinner through the ages, wishing they could hack her into pieces!

But what had she done wrong?

Rong Yun finally calmed Shunshun down. She struggled to her feet, bracing herself against the cold marble floor, and looked towards Qin Muyan on the dragon throne, "Qin Muyan, you believe me, I really have nothing with Mr. Nie! Shunshun... Shunshun is our child! He couldn’t possibly be someone else’s child!"

"Does the empress still intend to argue her case?" Old Your Highness pointed angrily at the old Doctor, "He has provided conclusive proof, empress, you became pregnant a month after the emperor left the village! And just after you discovered you were pregnant, this Mr. Nie died! Is it not because, empress, in your desire for favor, you deliberately resorted to underhanded tactics?

Once you were pregnant, Mr. Nie lost his value to you and naturally had to be killed to eliminate future troubles. After getting pregnant, you kept quiet and upon returning to the imperial palace, you then gave birth to the prince. With this... both the position of empress and Crown Prince are firmly within your grasp!"

Listening to him, Rong Yun shook her head vehemently, "I didn’t scheme these things! Qin Muyan loves me, I don’t need to scheme!"

Rong Yun looked at him with pitiable eyes, shaking her head desperately, hoping he would come down as usual, embrace her, and shield her from these people’s verbal attacks.

She was at a loss for words.

"Uncle Wang, listen to her explanation!" Qin Muyan rebuked sharply.

"Your Majesty..."

Old Your Highness stamped his foot anxiously, "What use is the empress’s explanation? Currently, there is both eyewitness and physical evidence! Moreover, Wei Lao San has personally admitted that the empress had Wei Mingze deceive him away to facilitate her meeting... with Mr. Nie!"

Old Your Highness couldn’t bear to embarrass Qin Muyan further. Everyone in the court knew how much Qin Muyan doted on the empress and the child in her arms.

But now this empress and the child...

Old Duke Li gave Wei Lao San a sharp look, and immediately Wei Lao San knelt on the ground, quivering as he said, "Yes... it’s true! The empress... when she met with Mr. Nie clandestinely, even sent my nephew away, Ah Ming... he was completely unaware!"

"Your Majesty, guardsman Wei has been unfailingly loyal, and even under severe torture, he did not utter a single bad word about the empress, which shows his loyalty to you," said Old Duke Li with a bow.

His words rang out clear and firm, seemingly to vouch for Wei Mingze’s loyalty, but in reality... completely negated the truthfulness of his testimony.

"He’s talking nonsense! The empress is loyal and chaste, she never had clandestine meetings with anyone!"

Outside the great hall, a man’s scream was heart-wrenching, as if his throat was about to be torn out.

Rong Yun turned her head sharply, and from a distance, she saw Wei Mingze, his body covered in blood, being pushed down to kneel outside the hall. He was always reserved and silent, but now he was like a trapped beast, crying out tearfully, "The empress is innocent! She never met with anyone privately! My uncle... he is lying!"

At that moment, Wei Mingze only wished his voice were louder, that the entire Great Wei could hear him.

Old Duke Li narrowed his eyes slightly, "Guardsman Wei, the emperor and all the ministers know of your loyalty; everyone is aware that you have been deceived."

"You’re spouting lies!"

Wei Mingze tried to speak again, but his mouth was already gagged.

The furious rage in his heart could no longer cry out for Rong Yun.

For the first time, he felt so helpless, watching Rong Yun’s frail figure from afar, tears of hatred streaming down his eyes.

"I haven’t had any clandestine meetings, why... why would you falsely accuse me!"

Even Rong Yun, who had a gentle temper, was now enraged. Clutching her child, she charged in front of Wei Mingze and the elderly Doctor, "I’ve treated you all so well. When I was pregnant, you even brought me chicken and duck to nourish my body. Why... why would you slander me like this!"

With eyes blurred by tears, Rong Yun had never imagined such slander would be cast upon her.

"We... we are just telling the truth!"

The expression on Wei Mingze’s face was one of great pain, but even with teeth clenched, he had to speak thus.

The elderly Doctor was even more direct, "The empress indeed had a private encounter with someone. Your pregnancy came about a month after the emperor’s departure. That time I happened to be passing by during a pulse diagnosis, I even heard noises from inside the room, it was you with a man... then afterwards, Mr. Nie’s corpse was carried out!"

He was the old Doctor from the village, accustomed to walking at night after many years of practicing medicine. It was he who saw Wei Mingze burying the body and brought people to find Mr. Nie’s body, taking it as evidence to be presented here in the ancestor hall.

"I didn’t! I was the one being bullied that time! I had no affair with him!"

The words of the elderly Doctor provoked great anger in Rong Yun.

Prime Minister Li narrowed his eyes and seized the opportunity, "Which time? It seems what the elderly Doctor says is true, empress, could it be that your chastity is indeed compromised?"

"No!" Rong Yun vigorously shook her head, feeling as if the sharp gaze of the old man in front of her was like a knife, peeling her away layer by layer.

"Jingjing..." Qin Muyan’s voice trembled slightly, "What are you talking about? What do you mean ’that time’?"

He could ignore the words of others, deny the physical evidence and testimonies, delude himself!

But these were words spoken by Rong Yun herself...

Rong Yun knew she should not have spoken, could not speak, but she couldn’t let the elderly Doctor slander her.

Qin Muyan couldn’t stay seated, he stood up abruptly from the dragon throne and rushed over to her, his steady and forceful hands grasping her shoulders, "Tell me, what happened that time... what’s going on?"

"I... I was bullied." Rong Yun didn’t dare to raise her head to look at him, the more Qin Muyan cared, the more frightened she became.

The events of that day played back in her mind, that man on top of her, tearing her dress, choking her throat, leaving her no escape...

"I didn’t provoke him! He bullied me! It was he who bullied me!"

Rong Yun broke down crying.

And her crying was undoubtedly telling everyone that she had been defiled, she had an improper relationship with Mr. Nie.

Qin Muyan was as if his soul had been ripped out, his complexion turned instantly pale as he staggered back two steps, the light in his eyes dimming and extinguishing bit by bit, his hope shattering.

"My aunt... my aunt managed to climb through the window just in time, I wasn’t... Qin Muyan, you have to believe me!"

Rong Yun held her child with one hand and reached for Qin Muyan’s sleeve with the other.

She thought she would catch Qin Muyan’s hand, but what she grasped was only the expanse of his wide sleeve.

The robe embroidered with golden dragon patterns was the most conspicuous bright yellow, the most luxurious silk.

But Qin Muyan just took a step back, and his sleeve slipped from her grasp.

"Qin Muyan, don’t you believe me?" Rong Yun’s eyes reddened, and she fell to the ground.

She reached out towards the man before her, "Qin Muyan, I truly was never touched by him, Shunshun is our child!"

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