Ye Qianmei was shocked. Her small hands clenched into fists instantly as she struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free from Shen Lixue's grip. Her beautiful eyes blazed with anger as she shouted angrily, "Shen Lixue, what are you doing?"
"Ye Qianmei, if you have nothing to hide, why don't you dare let the imperial physician examine your palms?" When Ye Qianmei bent down to pick the purple jade beads, the sunlight shone directly on her palms. Her palms were very delicate, as if they had been coated with some kind of medicinal powder. This was why Shen Lixue had stopped her from touching the purple jade beads.
He had the imperial physician examine her palms to verify his suspicions, but he didn't expect her to react so strongly.
"Men and women should not touch each other." Ye Qianmei's eyes flickered as she casually made up an excuse.
Shen Lixue coldly looked at Ye Qianmei: "Imperial physicians are doctors. In their eyes, there are only patients, not men and women. Besides, it's just looking at your palm. They're not going to do anything intimate. Princess Ye's vehement opposition will only make people think you have something to hide."
Everyone found Shen Lixue's words polite, but their puzzled gazes turned to Ye Qianmei. The Emperor's imposing gaze seemed to fall upon her as well, causing Ye Qianmei to panic. She feigned composure and said, "I... what could I possibly be guilty of? Shen Lixue, don't falsely accuse me. Consort Li and I are..."
“Princess Qianmei’s hands have a musky scent.”
The imperial physician suddenly spoke, his light words striking like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned and unable to move for a long time.
Ye Qianmei has musk on her hands? She's the one who harmed Consort Li's child! To cover up her crimes, she cried wolf and framed Princess Anjun. She's utterly despicable and shameless.
Ye Qianmei was extremely anxious, her face flushing red and then turning pale. Her secret had been exposed, but she absolutely could not admit it: "Imperial Physician, what benefits did Shen Lixue give you to frame me? Consort Li and I are good friends, how could I possibly harm her child?"
"I do not know why Princess Qianmei plotted against Consort Li, but I did smell a faint scent of musk emanating from between the princess's fingers. The scent was faint and the amount was small, but if you smelled it for a long time, it would be enough to kill a fetus!"
The imperial physicians often mingled among the herbs and were very sensitive to their scents. They could identify the herbs from even the faintest aroma, without necessarily having to pry open Ye Qianmei's hands for a thorough examination: "If the princess suspects me, she may order the imperial physicians to examine me more carefully."
The imperial physician's gaze was sincere, his heart open and honest, and he was in front of the emperor and many other imperial physicians, so he certainly wouldn't lie.
Consort Li's anger flared up, her sharp gaze suddenly shooting towards Ye Qianmei, gritting her teeth: "I considered you a confidante and stood up for you, yet you actually harmed my child for your own selfish desires, you are truly worse than a beast."
Her child was only a little over a month old. She, as the mother, had just discovered his existence and hadn't even had time to do anything for him when he disappeared. He died so unjustly!
Ye Qianmei rubbed her forehead vigorously, forcing herself to calm down: "Consort Li, my seat is three or four meters away from yours. The musk scent on my palm is extremely faint. By the time it reaches you through more than ten people, it won't have much of a harm. Besides, you are pregnant and it was just announced. I haven't left the banquet hall at all. How could I have gotten musk to harm your child?"
"What if Princess Ye's musk was brought into the banquet hall from the beginning?" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her dark eyes filled with icy coldness.
Ye Qianmei glared at Shen Lixue resentfully: "Why did I bring musk to the banquet hall for no reason?"
"Because Consort Li wasn't the only pregnant woman in the banquet hall. When I returned to the capital yesterday at noon, I found out I was pregnant, and most of the people on the street knew. You were dining at the restaurant across the street, so you must have known too." Ye Qianmei's musk wasn't meant for Consort Li, but for Shen Lixue. Consort Li was nearby and was affected.
"I have no grudge against you, why would I harm your child?" Ye Qianmei's eyes flickered as she stubbornly tried to argue. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shen Lixue only grabbed her wrist, not her hand. She could no longer pin the musk incident on Shen Lixue.
Killing Consort Li's unborn child is a heinous crime. Now that she has lost the support of the Western Liang Kingdom, the Emperor will surely behead her in a fit of rage. She is only a teenager, in the prime of her youth. She doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to die! How can she escape punishment?
No enmity or grudge?
Consort Shu, the beheading of the Sixth Prince, and the extermination of the entire Mu family were all thanks to Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng. Others may not know the details, but Ye Qianmei certainly does. The enmity between Shen Lixue and her is immense.
"Ye Qianmei, you killed my child! I'll kill you!" Consort Li's beautiful eyes blazed with fury as she thought of her unjustly killed children. She lunged at Ye Qianmei, but due to excessive blood loss and weakness, she couldn't reach Ye Qianmei after getting off the bed. Instead, she fell to the ground with a thud, her whole body aching from the fall. Her brows were furrowed as she fainted.
"Your Majesty... Consort Li..." The palace maids rushed forward and lifted Consort Li up with their hands and feet.
"Send Consort Li back to the palace... Imperial Physician, quickly prescribe medicine..." The Empress remained calm and composed, giving orderly instructions. Consort Li had suffered a miscarriage and lost too much blood; she urgently needed medicine and rest. Sending her back to the palace was the best course of action.
The palace maids carried away Consort Li, removed the blood-stained clothes from the table, cleared the table, and quickly cleaned up the bloodstains in the banquet hall.
The mocking and accusing gazes of the crowd all fell on Ye Qianmei. They didn't know what grudges Shen Lixue had with her. After Consort Li's miscarriage, she couldn't wait to pin the blame on Shen Lixue, which showed that there were many conflicts between her and Shen Lixue. If the musk on her palm was prepared to harm Shen Lixue, it would make perfect sense.
"Ye Qianmei, do you know your crime?" The emperor's gaze was sharp, his presence imposing even without anger.
Unable to withstand his cold gaze, Ye Qianmei's legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud, her slender body trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, Qianmei did not harm Consort Li. Qianmei doesn't even know where the musk on her hand came from."
"Your hands are your own body, do you think someone would secretly apply it without your knowledge?" The emperor's gaze was icy, clearly not believing Ye Qianmei's lies.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! Qianmei really didn't bring any musk." Ye Qianmei knelt on the ground, her head pounding loudly.
The emperor remained unmoved and said sternly, "Guards, drag Ye Qianmei out and execute her."
The Duke of Mu's mansion in Xiliang has been destroyed, and Consort Shu and the Sixth Prince have been beheaded. The Emperor of Xiliang no longer acknowledges Ye Qianmei as his daughter. Even if she marries Dongfang Zhan, she can no longer provide him with any assistance. The Emperor also does not want her to be Dongfang Zhan's principal wife. Consort Li's miscarriage is a good opportunity to get rid of her.
"Yes!" Two guards entered the banquet, grabbed Ye Qianmei's arms on either side, and dragged her out.
Ye Qianmei struggled desperately, not wanting to be dragged away. Her long fingernails scratched deep marks on the bluestone floor, and her shrill screams echoed throughout the banquet hall: "Your Majesty, spare me, spare me! Qianmei didn't harm Consort Li, she really didn't..."
She was still young, she didn't want to die, she really didn't want to die! Her pleading gaze turned to Dongfang Zhan, who sat quietly, elegantly sipping his wine, his deep eyes fixed on one spot, seemingly unaware of her plea for help.
The ministers and their families looked at her with pity, but no sympathy. Those who are ruthless in harming others will not have a good end. Moreover, she had killed a member of the royal family. The emperor would never let her go.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow and looked at Dongfang Zhan, who was leisurely sipping his wine. He was really calm. Ye Qianmei was about to be killed. Wasn't he going to save her?
Just then, a familiar male voice suddenly rang out: "What's that smell?"
Shen Lixue turned her head to look. Qin Junhao was holding a wine pot in one hand and a wine cup in the other, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he had smelled something bad.
The cannon had been recovered, and there was no direct evidence that Qin Junhao had stolen it. So Emperor Qingyan did not expose the truth and treated Qin Junhao as usual. He also sent him an invitation to the cannon's victory celebration banquet, but he had long been wary of him.
Does it have a smell?
The ministers and their families frowned, took a few deep breaths, but couldn't detect anything different in the air.
The imperial physicians attending the banquet frowned, sniffed carefully for a moment, exchanged glances, and revealed the answer: "Your Majesty, there is a scent of musk in the air."
Everyone was shocked. There was musk in the air? What was going on?
The imperial physician took a deep breath and followed the fragrance slowly forward, passing through the crowd, until he arrived at a small corner of the room. On a carved round table in the corner sat a golden incense burner, from which waves of fragrance wafted and spread rapidly in the air. "Your Majesty," he said, "the musk is coming from the incense burner."
Ye Qianmei's eyes lit up, and she struggled desperately, crying out in alarm, "Your Majesty, that incense burner was very close to Qianmei, the musk scent must have lingered on Qianmei's hands... Qianmei is innocent, innocent..."
Shen Lixue raised her lips and sneered. The corner where the incense was burning was two or three meters away from Ye Qianmei, which was indeed very close. However, the musk scent on Ye Qianmei's hands was very strong, but there was not much on her body. If the musk scent was really caused by the incense, the scent should be spread throughout her body, not just concentrated on her hands.
Dongfang Zhan's decision not to save Ye Qianmei earlier was not because he wanted to abandon her, but rather a feint to get Qin Junhao to intervene.