Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 75 The Capital Undergoes a Tremend! Consort Rou's Fake Pregnancy Exposed, the Tyrant Begins to Secretly Investigate Old Cases

The capital city, a side hall of Huayang Palace.

Liu Ruyan, who had only been reinstated a few months ago, broke her eighth medicine bowl.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Her eyes were bloodshot as she pointed at the kneeling imperial physician: "You can't even save a pregnancy?! What use are you to me?!"

The imperial physician trembled, "Your Majesty, please calm down... This... this fetus's pulse was already unstable, and Your Majesty has been overly worried lately..."

"Shut up!"

Liu Ruyan's chest heaved violently.

fake.

all fake.

Two months ago, she bribed the imperial physician to pretend to be pregnant, hoping to use the emperor's child to turn her fortunes around and regain his favor.

But Nangong Ye only came to see it once.

Cold and indifferent.

He didn't even touch her.

After that, he never came back.

As my pregnancy progresses, my fake belly will soon be impossible to hide.

She had no choice but to bribe the imperial physician again, falsely claiming that the fetus had died in the womb.

But unfortunately—

"Consort Liu."

Suddenly, Xuan Ying's cold voice came from outside the hall.

Liu Ruyan's expression changed drastically.

Why is Xuan Ying here?

He is Nangong Ye's shadow.

He never appeared in the harem.

"Lord Xuan Ying..." she said, forcing herself to remain calm. "What is it?"

Xuan Ying pushed open the door and entered.

Two old women followed behind him.

They were all unfamiliar faces.

Sharp eyes.

"By order of His Majesty," Xuan Ying said in a flat voice, "Consort Liu was pregnant with the Emperor's child, but the fetus died in the womb. To find out the cause, I have ordered an old palace maid to examine her."

A medical examination?!

Liu Ruyan's legs went weak.

"How dare you!" she screamed. "I am a concubine! How dare you—"

Before he could finish speaking...

Two old women had already stepped forward.

They supported her from both sides.

They were dragged into the inner room.

"Let me go! Let me go—" Liu Ruyan struggled.

But it didn't work.

Half an incense stick later.

The old woman came out.

He shook his head at Xuan Ying.

Xuan Ying's eyes turned cold.

He turned and left.

---

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Nangong Ye sat on the dragon throne.

Listening to Xuan Ying's report.

His face was expressionless.

"...The two matrons confirmed that Consort Liu showed no signs of pregnancy. The cotton padding under her abdomen has been removed. The imperial physician confessed that he received five hundred taels from the Liu family and lied about being pregnant."

Nangong Ye smiled.

His smile was chilling.

"Okay, very good."

He stood up.

They walked outside the hall.

Looking in the direction of Huayang Palace.

"deliver an imperial order."

"Liu deceived the emperor and feigned pregnancy to gain favor. She was stripped of her rank as a concubine and demoted to a low-ranking woman. She was confined to Huayang Palace and forbidden to leave without an imperial edict."

"The imperial physician involved in the case shall be executed."

"The Liu family who presented this imperial physician were exiled three thousand li away."

Xuan Ying lowered his head: "Yes."

The imperial decree quickly spread throughout the palace.

Liu Ruyan listened.

She fainted on the spot.

---

The news reached Jiangnan.

Five days later.

Qihuang Garden.

Ye Huang looked at the secret letter that Xiao Lu Zi had sent.

Laughed.

"A fake pregnancy to win favor... Liu Ruyan is really getting worse as she gets older."

Jinshu curled her lip: "She's just desperate. His Majesty hasn't touched her for months, and the Liu family is pressuring her..."

Ye Huang put down the letter.

I walked to the window.

Nangong Ye's move.

ruthless.

But it was also expected.

He was inherently suspicious.

The Liu family has encountered a series of misfortunes.

At this time, Liu Ruyan was "pregnant," so it would be strange if he didn't suspect anything.

"Miss," Mo Shisan entered, "there's other news from the capital."

"explain."

"His Majesty has recently been investigating the witchcraft case from years ago."

Ye Huang turned around.

His gaze narrowed slightly.

"How do I check?"

"He summoned several eunuchs and palace maids who had handled the matter back then."

They even had the Ministry of Justice retrieve the case files.

Mo Shisan lowered his voice.

"Most importantly... he summoned Master Shen three times."

"My dad?"

"Yes. But Master Shen has been claiming illness and refusing to see anyone."

Ye Huang remained silent.

Nangong Ye began to have doubts.

The Liu family has been plagued by a series of misfortunes.

Consort Rou's false pregnancy was exposed.

He would naturally think—

The witchcraft case from back then.

Is there a problem with that too?

"Not enough." After a long while, Ye Huang finally spoke.

"What's not enough?"

"He didn't doubt enough."

Ye Huang's voice was icy.

"What's the use of just having doubts? I want him to feel pain."

He needs to know that the wife he personally ruined, the house he confiscated, and the child he almost killed—all were innocent.

She looked at Mo Shisan.

"Are the people from Tingfenglou in the capital any good?"

"able."

"Alright." Ye Huang walked to the desk, picked up her brush, and wrote a line of words.

He handed it to Mo Shisan.

"Find a way to 'leak' these to Xuan Ying."

Mo Shisan took the paper.

I glanced at it.

My heart skipped a beat.

It says:

The witchcraft doll acupuncture technique: the ghost needle piercing of Xiling, no one in Jiangnan knows it.

The paper used for the secret letter was bamboo-patterned paper from Sichuan, not the jade-plate Xuan paper commonly used by the Shen family.

Key witness: Wang Fu, a former eunuch in the Cold Palace, received 3,000 taels of silver from the Liu family before the case was exposed.

Source of physical evidence: A palace maid from Consort Rou's palace "inadvertently" revealed that the evidence was purchased by the Liu family from a merchant in Xiling.

Mo Shisan looked up: "Miss, this..."

"Do as instructed." Ye Huang's voice was calm. "Remember, it must be 'casual.' Make Xuan Ying think that he found it himself."

"Understood!"

---

Beijing.

late at night.

Xuanxiang looked the same as usual.

Inspecting the palace.

When passing by the former site of the Cold Palace.

Suddenly, they heard two night watch eunuchs chatting idly.

"Hey, you mean that thing from back then... was it really that weird?"

"Who knows? But I've heard that the needlework used on those witchcraft dolls isn't from our Central Plains..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

The two eunuchs looked around.

They left in a hurry.

Xuan Ying stopped in place.

Sharp eyes.

Acupuncture techniques?

He turned around.

I went to the Ministry of Justice's archives.

The evidence records from the witchcraft case from that year were retrieved.

really.

The record states: The doll's needlework technique is peculiar, seemingly from an exotic region.

A foreign land?

Xuan Ying continued flipping through the pages.

Another old confession was found.

She was a palace maid in Consort Rou's palace back then.

There was a line of small characters above, crossed out with a vermilion brush, but it was still legible:

"This servant saw that the eldest son of the Liu family once gave silver to a merchant from Xiling in exchange for something that resembled a human figure..."

Xuan Ying closed the file.

His face was gloomy.

---

the next day.

Nangong Ye was reviewing memorials.

Xuan Ying appeared silently.

"His Majesty."

"explain."

"Last night, I...discovered some information."

Xuan Ying will report everything he discovers.

Nangong Ye's hand holding the pen.

It gets tighter and tighter.

The pen clicked.

broken.

Vermilion splattered onto the memorial.

Like blood.

"So," his voice was hoarse, "that child back then... might have come from Xiling? Bought by the Liu family?"

"Insufficient evidence," Xuan Ying said, bowing her head. "But there are many suspicious points."

Nangong Ye fell silent.

for a long time.

He asked, "Shen Anbang... is he still not going to see me?"

"Yes. Lord Shen has claimed illness and is staying home, refusing to see any visitors."

Nangong Ye waved.

Xuan Ying withdrew.

He was the only one left in the hall.

He walked to the window.

Looking towards the direction of the Cold Palace.

It's been several months.

He dreamed of her every night.

I dreamt that she said, "Nangong Ye, I hate you."

He used to think...

Let them hate if they want.

He was the emperor.

I am not afraid of being hated.

But now...

If she is innocent.

If the Shen family is innocent.

Then he...

"Qingci..." he murmured, "You really... hate me to death, don't you?"

outside the window.

The autumn wind is bleak.

---

Jiangnan.

Ye Huang received a report from Mo Shisan.

"Miss, the news has already leaked out. Xuan Ying should have already reported it to His Majesty."

"Mm," Ye Huang responded.

Continue teaching Bao'er to recognize characters.

"Mommy," Bao'er suddenly looked up, "Is that bad uncle... very sad?"

Ye Huang paused.

"How did Bao'er know?"

"That's what the little bird said." Bao'er pointed north. "The little bird in the capital said that there's a person who stands by the window every day, never speaks, and is very sad."

Ye Huang remained silent.

She knew Nangong Ye would be upset.

But this is not enough.

"Bao'er." She put down her book. "Some mistakes can't be made up for by being sad."

"What should we do then?"

"There will be a price to pay," Ye Huang said softly. "A very high price."

Bao'er seemed to understand, but not quite.

Ye Huang picked him up.

Looking north.

Nangong Ye.

You're just having doubts right now.

I'm just a little sad.

just wait.

The day you find out the whole truth.

Waiting until the day you see Bao'er.

That is—

The pain begins.

---

[Next Chapter Preview: Battle Report from the Northern Border Arrives! Xiao Jue's Life Hangs in the Balance! Ye Huang Holds Intelligence, Should She Save Him?]