After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Qin Feng's piercing cries for justice echoed within the Golden Palace, startling several birds that were foraging for food on the jade steps.

The entire court was silent as a cicada in winter, except for a few yellowed letters that were crumpled and deformed in the emperor's hands.

The rumors about the relationship between Qin Feng and Qin Lie are actually not a secret.

However, due to the power and influence of the two families, no one dared to make it a topic of conversation.

Today, this matter has been brought to the forefront for the first time.

Xiao Jingchen lowered his head, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He knew the time was right.

So he straightened his robes, stepped out from the ranks of princes, and knelt properly on the ground.

"Father, this matter concerns the fate of our Great Yong Dynasty and involves the threat of spies from the Northern Barbarians. We cannot afford to make any mistakes."

He raised his head, his face full of concern for the country and its people.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately summon General Qin Lie to the palace. Whether he is right or wrong, a blood test will be conducted in public to determine the truth!"

At the head of the military ranks, Xiao Mingyue coolly lifted her eyelids.

Sparrow's prediction yesterday was correct; this scene will indeed unfold.

"What the Third Prince said makes absolutely no sense."

Xiao Mingyue's voice was not loud, but it drowned out the whispers in the hall.

"Qin Lie has guarded the border for many years, suffering from numerous injuries and illnesses. Today, he happened to be unwell and took leave. You, based solely on the words of a madwoman, want to drag this meritorious official of the state to the palace for a blood test? Wouldn't that discourage the soldiers of the entire nation?"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Xiao Jingchen's eyes, but his expression became even more respectful.

"Aunt, you are mistaken. It is precisely because General Qin has made great contributions that he should be cleared of suspicion in public."

"Is my aunt's constant obstruction because... she already knew the inside story and is intentionally protecting her?"

These words were extremely hurtful, directly linking the Princess's residence to treason and collusion with the enemy.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Xiao Chengyu's gaze shifted back and forth between Xiao Mingyue and Xiao Jingchen.

He was already suspicious, and now that he heard it involved the Northern Barbarians, he was even more inclined to believe it was true rather than not.

"Granted." The emperor coldly uttered two words. "Summon Qin Lie to the palace."

Before long, Qin Lie was led into the Golden Palace by two Imperial Guards.

He listened to his mother's advice and pretended to be ill to avoid attending the morning court session, but unexpectedly, he was still summoned by an imperial edict.

He strode forward, lifted his robe, and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your subject Qin Lie pays his respects to Your Majesty."

The emperor didn't wake him, but instead gave Zhou Lianhai, who was serving him, a wink.

Zhou Lianhai understood and immediately ordered a young eunuch to bring over a white porcelain bowl filled with clear water, and also to present a silver chisel.

"General Qin, Earl of Weiyuan, please." Zhou Lianhai said in a shrill voice.

Qin Lie turned to look at Xiao Mingyue, completely bewildered.

Xiao Mingyue nodded slightly. "Lie'er, today the Emperor wants you and the Earl of Weiyuan to undergo a blood test to prove your kinship. Just comply with them."

She deliberately asked Qin Lie to take the day off today because she didn't want him to hear the part about the Northern Di's origins.

Qin Lie, however, had no objection to proving Qin Feng's identity.

It's because Qin Feng doesn't acknowledge him; he's long wanted to disgust that old bastard.

Without hesitation, Qin Lie picked up the silver chisel and pricked his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of blood that fell into the bowl.

Qin Feng was now in a difficult situation, and under everyone's watchful eyes, he dripped a drop of blood into the container with trembling hands.

All eyes in the hall instantly focused on the white porcelain bowl.

Two drops of blood, enveloped in clear water, slowly approached each other, their edges gradually dissolving until they finally met at the bottom of the water and completely merged into one.

"It melted! It really melted!" someone exclaimed.

An uproar erupted in the imperial court, with officials whispering among themselves and exchanging bewildered glances.

The emperor's face instantly turned ashen, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Xiao Jingchen lowered his head and bit his lip, barely managing to suppress the wild joy on his lips.

Standing at the end of the princes' ranks, Xiao Jingyu, or rather Helian Shuo, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, trying to suppress his wildly beating heart.

If the Emperor of Dayong were to order his execution on the spot, how could he protect his cousin?

"What a fine Marquis of Weiyuan! What a fine Princess's residence!"

The emperor slammed his hand on the dragon-shaped desk, causing the water in the brush washer to splash out.

"Where are the Imperial Guards! Who will capture this traitor who colluded with the enemy...?"

"Wait!"

Xiao Mingyue suddenly let out a sneer, which sounded particularly jarring in the tense atmosphere of the hall.

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping contemptuously over the porcelain bowl.

"Your Majesty, blood-drop kinship testing is nothing but a trick used by charlatans in the countryside; how can it be used as irrefutable evidence for conviction?"

She stepped forward, cupped her hands, and said, "I have a way to prove that this blood test is invalid."

The emperor frowned, but seeing Xiao Mingyue's unwavering resolve, he finally waved his hand: "Then please have the Princess verify it!"

Xiao Mingyue turned to Zhou Lianhai: "Summon the Princess of Shaoning to the palace."

But Ji Qianshang is no longer in the capital, and Shen Jingque, Ji Qianshang's disciple, is already well-known.

It would be more convincing if she were to take the action.

The palace doors were pushed open again.

Shen Jingque stepped lightly across the threshold, and with a dignified and solemn demeanor, she performed a grand salute.

"Your mother said, can you prove that this blood test result is fake?"

The emperor looked at the smiling young girl in front of him and softened his tone slightly.

"Your Majesty, that's right." Shen Jingque stood up, turned to Zhou Lianhai, and said, "Please trouble you, Eunuch, to prepare two more bowls of water."

The water has been served.

Shen Jingque walked up to Xiao Jingchen and curtsied with a smile: "Third Prince, please forgive me."

Before Xiao Jingchen could react, Shen Jingque grabbed his wrist and stabbed his fingertip with a silver chisel without any hesitation.

Xiao Jingchen was in pain and about to lash out when Shen Jingque squeezed his blood into the first bowl.

Then, she turned around and pulled over the old eunuch Zhou Lianhai who was carrying water, and did the same thing, dripping a drop of blood into the water as well.

In the blink of an eye, their blood mingled rapidly in the water, becoming indistinguishable.

"This...how is this possible!" Xiao Jingchen stared wide-eyed at the bowl of water, his face drained of all color.

Shen Jingque took a half step back, covering her mouth and feigning surprise.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, could you be Eunuch Zhou's biological son?"

Upon hearing this, the court fell silent for a moment, then someone couldn't help but let out a very soft chuckle, followed by a chorus of coughs.

The courtiers were so trying not to laugh that their shoulders were shaking.

Zhou Lianhai was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please understand! This servant was castrated before entering the palace, there is absolutely no way!"

The emperor's face was ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly; he found it utterly absurd.

Shen Jingque then slowly walked to the second bowl and dripped Qin Feng and Qin Lie's blood into it.

This time, the two drops of blood seemed to have taken root in the water, clearly separated, and no matter how the water rippled, they just wouldn't mix.

"Your Majesty, please look." Shen Jingque pointed to the two bowls. "In the first bowl, I applied alum beforehand, so any blood dropped into it will mix. In the second bowl, I applied clear oil, so any blood dropped into it will not mix."

"As my mother said, this blood test for kinship is just a folk trick and is utter nonsense."

Xiao Jingchen's face had turned a deep purplish-red. He gritted his teeth and stared at Shen Jingque, wishing he could devour her alive.

"Even if blood tests are unreliable, how do you explain Liu's testimony and the tokens of kinship?"

Xiao Jingchen gritted his teeth and argued, "It is an indisputable fact that the Earl of Weiyuan had an affair with that Northern Di woman and fathered a child!"

Shen Jingque turned around and gently shook her head.

"I don't know why Liu would say such a thing, but when I was drawing blood just now, I also took the pulse of the Earl of Weiyuan."

She turned her head and looked at Marquis Weiyuan with a face full of regret, then said something surprising.

"The Earl of Weiyuan could never have children; he was born infertile."

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the main hall.

Xiao Jingchen was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously retorted.

"Don't speak nonsense! Lady Liu, the wife of the Marquis of Weiyuan, clearly had several pregnancies in her younger years, but unfortunately, she miscarried!"

"If it doesn't hatch, the seed is rotten."

Shen Jingque sneered, her gaze sweeping over Qin Feng, who was kneeling on the ground with a livid face.

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, let the Imperial Medical Academy examine your pulse on the spot and you will know."

The emperor immediately summoned the imperial physician.

The Imperial Physician was carrying a medicine box and stumbling in, kneeling beside Qin Feng and placing his fingers on his wrist.

Time passed slowly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on the imperial physician's forehead.

He switched hands, cut for a while longer, and finally kowtowed in response.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Weiyuan's meridians are depleted, and his vital essence is inherently corrupt. With such a condition, he absolutely cannot have offspring!"

The entire room fell silent.

Helian Shuo stood in the crowd, his pupils trembling violently.

My mind was filled with the thought, "This is impossible."

My aunt clearly gave birth to a baby!

If Qin Feng cannot have children, then whose child is Qin Lie?

His gaze shifted between the eldest princess and Shen Jingque.

He had never heard of such a miraculous method that could instantly render someone infertile.

Just how many secrets does the Princess's residence still hold?

A tremendous panic gripped his heart.

At this moment, Qin Feng felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, feeling the unusual pity in the eyes of his colleagues around him.

If he admits it today, he will be ridiculed by everyone in the future.

But if they don't acknowledge it...

That's the crime of treason, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

That's it!

He gritted his teeth, lay on the ground, and wailed loudly.

"Your Majesty! I truly... truly am impotent!"

Qin Feng cried as he lowered his head, his face flushed red.

"In fact, Lady Liu was never pregnant! It was only to save face for men that I fabricated this lie, allowing others to slander my wife and divert attention."

"I... am utterly incapable of fathering any illegitimate child with a woman from the Northern Barbarian tribes!"