Chapter 40: A Meticulous Plan!
Just when all the ministers who could hear the inner voice were scratching their heads in frustration, that childlike voice finally rang out again.
[Oops, this melon is a little too hot to eat!]
Yu Zhaoning clenched her little hands even tighter, but the gaps between her little fingers widened even more, and her bright black eyes darted around behind her.
[It turns out that old woman had been having an affair with Mu Yu's father for a long time!]
Several senior officials nearly choked on their own breath.
[By seniority, she's actually Mu Yu's stepmother! No wonder she's so loyal, still stubborn even on her deathbed!]
[So she was hoping to rise in status through her daughter, dreaming of a domineering emperor falling in love with her!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity, her version of the news is too outdated! The current emperor is me! A four-year-old baby!]
[She'll never have the chance to become royalty in her lifetime!]
Upon hearing these words, the expressions on the faces of Empress Dowager Yuanhua and her ministers were as varied as if they had been dyed.
I see!
No wonder this old woman dared to lie through her teeth in the imperial palace!
After all that, it turns out he came here to make a statement and, incidentally, to invest in his future!
What a grand strategy!
Yu Zhaoning clicked her tongue inwardly.
[But this juicy gossip is so-so, nothing special. The real bombshell is the last one!]
It's here!
Everyone's ears perked up instantly, straighter than a donkey's ears!
[This Mu Yu and that Prince Consort Cui!]
The little guy's voice was full of disdain.
[They've been secretly having an affair for ages! My imperial aunt's head is practically a green meadow!]
"cough!"
"Cough cough cough!"
In the Golden Palace, a deafening chorus of coughs suddenly erupted, one after another, without end.
Lin Xiang choked on his own saliva, his handsome face turning slightly red.
[The entire plan was devised by the two of them in consultation with a mysterious man in black. The jade pendant was given to them by the man in black, as was the potion that could create fake birthmarks!]
[Then those two villains teamed up to trick the naive imperial aunt into revealing many of her childhood memories, all to deceive their grandmother!]
[That fake birthmark, the prince consort himself drew it on for Mu Yu.]
[It's said that they practiced all night long to make the painting look realistic, while they were drawing...]
The heartfelt words abruptly cease here.
However, these unspoken words are more deadly than spoken ones!
One night!
While drawing! And...
The imagery is so vivid!
"Cough cough cough cough!"
This time, the table almost collapsed from coughing.
Yu Zhaoning curiously raised her little head and looked down at the group of ministers below who were coughing and staggering, as if they were about to die at any moment. She tilted her head.
"Grandmother, Prime Minister Lin, why have you both caught a cold? Is your throat sore?"
The civil and military officials hurriedly waved their hands, their faces turning red with suppressed rage.
"No! It's nothing! This humble servant just... just got a little choked by the wind!"
"Yes, yes, yes! The wind is quite noisy today!"
They were all screaming wildly in their hearts.
My lord! You are only four years old! How can you possibly be showing such things?
Please, just skip this! Please! Can't we just stop being curious?
Can't we eat some real melon? Eating everything will make you malnourished!
Just as everyone was exchanging glances, a clear, cold, and resolute voice broke the atmosphere.
Luan Xue, who had been kneeling on the ground like still water, raised her head.
A flame ignited in her eyes.
"His Majesty!"
She gazed at the small figure on the high platform, each word spoken with perfect clarity.
"Please help me!"
"This scar on my wrist is indeed a branding iron inflicted by the Mu family back then! Later, they couldn't bear to see me brought into the palace and enjoy wealth and luxury, so they tried every means to take away my identity and destroy everything I had!"
After saying that, she turned her head sharply and glared at Prince Consort Cui beside her.
"Cui Li! He is an accomplice of the Mu family! Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"
Prince Consort Cui felt a tremor in his heart as she looked at him, and subconsciously took a step back.
Mu Yu, on the other side, let out a cold snort, showing no fear whatsoever.
"What else is there to be clearly observed?"
She haughtily raised her chin and pointed to her fair neck.
"So what if the scars on your wrists are scars? The snowflake birthmark on my neck is the proof of my royal blood! Yours is deformed, while mine is the most authentic!"
When she mentioned birthmarks, the expressions of the officials below, who could hear her thoughts, became indescribable.
picture?
It really does look like it!
The prince consort spent all night painting it! How could it not look like him?
Yu Zhaoning raised her chubby little hand, looking serious like a little adult.
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
She paused, then uttered a few words in a childish voice.
"I will definitely stand up for you."
After saying that, she lowered her head again and began to communicate with the system in her mind.
[Hmph, they think this secret medicine from the Western Regions is foolproof, but it's just a paper tiger. Just wait and see how I handle it!]
[Just a bowl of hot ginger tea is enough to reveal its true form!]
[That's not all! All those messy marks I made elsewhere while practicing last night also showed up! Hehe!]
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Lin and the other ministers looked at Mu Yu with pity.
Girl, good luck to you.
After looking at the melon, Yu Zhaoning nodded in satisfaction, then quickly clapped her hands and spoke in a clear voice.
"Someone come here!"
"Bring a bowl of ginger tea to this Miss Muyu."
She blinked her big eyes, her face full of innocence.
"Look how long she's been kneeling, and it's so cold outside. The floor tiles are freezing; I hope she doesn't catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, a hint of smugness flashed in Mu Yu's eyes.
She glanced at Luan Xue defiantly, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Look!
Even this four-year-old emperor is on my side! What else do you have to struggle for?
Looking at her smug expression, Luan Xue slowly revealed a cold smile.
This time, it's different!
Soon, a palace servant brought over steaming hot ginger tea.
Mu Yu had no doubts, took the drink and drank it all in one gulp, even pretending to be extremely grateful.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
However, the words had barely left his mouth.
The delicate snowflake birthmark on her neck seemed to have been splashed with hot water; it began to melt rapidly, and the edges became blurred.
Finally, it turned into a bright red, shapeless mark!
"Ah! What's that?!"
"There are red marks on her face!"
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.
It's not just the neck!
Dark red marks of varying sizes began to appear on Mu Yu's face, back, earlobes, and even the back of her hands!
Mu Yu hadn't noticed at first, but then she heard a gasp from behind.
She subconsciously looked down and saw an ugly red spot on the back of her hand!
A piercing scream instantly echoed throughout the entire Golden Palace.
She touched her face in horror, nearly fainting on the spot.
"Your Majesty! What on earth did you give me to drink?!"
She pointed at Yu Zhaoning as if she were insane, and cried out loudly.
"If you want to protect Luan Xue, just issue an imperial decree! Why resort to such insidious methods to humiliate me!"
The people outside the palace, who were initially confused, were now stirred up again.
"Oh my god! What on earth is going on?"
"Could it be that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are really protecting that fake princess?"
Just as everyone was discussing this, a dignified voice rang out.
"Enough!"
Empress Dowager Yuanhua suddenly stood up, her phoenix eyes filled with power as she coldly stared at Mu Yu, who was in the prince's presence.
Now that she knew the truth, she naturally wouldn't let these people bully her daughter and granddaughter anymore!
"You keep saying that the birthmark on your neck is the real one."
Empress Dowager Yuan Hua's voice was icy.
"Then why did you turn into this horrible state just from drinking a bowl of ordinary ginger tea?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a member of the Imperial Medical Academy stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am unaware of something!"
He cleared his throat, and his voice carried throughout the hall.
"I once read in an ancient book that there is a secret medicine in the Western Regions that can be used to draw patterns on the skin using a special technique, disguising them as birthmarks. They are so realistic that they will not fall off for decades. However, this medicine has a fatal weakness: it will dissolve when it comes into contact with hot ginger!"
"Just a bowl of ginger tea will make it impossible to hide, revealing all the places where the medicine was applied!"
The imperial physician pointed at Mu Yu and said loudly.
"It's clear! The birthmark on this young lady who came to lodge a complaint with the Emperor is fake from the very beginning! She is not our Second Princess of Great Yu at all! She is slandering the real Princess Luanxue!"
After hearing this explanation, many people suddenly understood.
"It was fake after all!"
"My God! This person is incredibly cunning!"
Lin Xiang immediately stood up and spoke righteously.
"Your Majesty! These two have planned so meticulously, colluding with each other to confuse the bloodline of the Great Yu royal family. Their intentions are despicable! We beg Your Majesty to punish them severely!"
"Your Majesty, we beg you to punish them severely!"
"Your Majesty, we beseech you to purge the royal family and set the record straight!"
Soon, a large group of civil and military officials knelt down, their voices deafening.
Mu Yu was completely dumbfounded.
The prince consort Cui beside her collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way beneath him, his face ashen.