"Ah—" A shrill scream suddenly shattered the solemn tranquility of the entire imperial palace.
The young and beautiful Concubine Mei slumped to the ground. One hand clutched her belly while the other tightly grabbed the bright yellow robe of the man in front of her. Her lips, drained of color, quivered non - stop.
Glistening red blood trickled down along Concubine Mei's legs, indicating the omen of her miscarriage.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must avenge your servant!" Concubine Mei cried as she clung to the corner of the man's robe in front of her. Her face was deathly pale, and her tears flowed freely. She felt the blood gushing from between her legs. "My child..."
"Speak," Si Junlin looked down at her. Even his iron - willed heart was slightly stirred.
Having received his approval, Concubine Mei couldn't wait to struggle to her feet. She pointed at the dazed figure and said, "It's all Her Majesty the Queen. She pushed me. She must be jealous of my favor with Your Majesty, so she had the heart to harm the imperial heir. Poor my poor child."
The vast imperial garden was filled with cries. It was only when Su Wan'er sensed Si Junlin's icy gaze that she snapped out of her daze. She belatedly explained, "It wasn't me. I only came one step ahead of Your Majesty. By then, the concubine had already started to show symptoms... I don't know why she's saying this."
She still couldn't figure out why Concubine Mei had collapsed as soon as she arrived and even accused her of pushing.
But would Si Junlin believe her?
Su Wan'er looked up at him, but all she saw in his eyes was indifference. She even began to doubt whether Si Junlin really cared about Concubine Mei's miscarriage.
Si Junlin suddenly smiled. "Your Majesty the Queen means that the concubine is willing to sacrifice her own child just to frame you?"
Su Wan'er knew how absurd this sounded, but she still gritted her teeth and said yes. Even though she had been sitting on the position of the queen without the emperor's favor, she wouldn't stoop so low as to harm a favored pregnant concubine.
"Pass down the order. The Queen is unworthy of her position. From today on, she shall move to the Cold Palace... Take her away."
Someone grabbed her arms and quickly tried to drag her out. Unwillingly, Su Wan'er turned her head. Through the gaps, she saw Si Junlin gently helping Concubine Mei up, and Concubine Mei's pitiful and delicate appearance was even more prominent.
Concubine Mei must have planned to frame her! She must have thought it all through! Now she must be extremely proud.
"It really wasn't me!" Su Wan'er pushed away the person beside her. Anger suddenly welled up in her heart. She rushed in front of Si Junlin, grabbed him angrily and anxiously, and said, "Why don't you believe me? I really didn't harm her! I've never done such a dirty thing!"
Caught off guard, Si Junlin was thrown into her embrace. His eyes showed a strange look, and he didn't directly push her away.
"Protect the Emperor! Hurry! Her Majesty the Queen has gone mad!"
A group of eunuchs screamed and rushed forward to pull Su Wan'er away. During the scuffle, Su Wan'er didn't know what she had tripped over. She lost her balance. In mid - air, she flailed about in panic for a while, then pulled Si Junlin and fell straight backward.
With two thuds, huge splashes rose in the pond, and even the lotus leaves sank.
...
Su Wan'er always thought she could swim, until today.
She struggled to raise her head and flailed about in the water clumsily. The cold pond water choked her throat, and she coughed uncomfortably. The deep voice she made startled her.
Su Wan'er felt that Si Junlin was beside her, but the pond water seemed to have a great suction force, making it impossible for her to even turn around. In her sight, several bodyguards were running towards them. Su Wan'er opened her mouth, but choked on another mouthful of water. The words "Save me first" got stuck in her throat.
She really thought today was extremely strange. The hand that often held a sword didn't seem as strong as usual, and even the constantly rippling water surface seemed to reflect another outline.
A group of bodyguards came in front of Su Wan'er, carefully supported her back, and helped her onto the shore.
There was still someone in the river. Before Su Wan'er could see clearly, she was surrounded by eunuchs and maids. Even the usually solemn Empress Dowager had arrived. Su Wan'er's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to salute, she was stunned by the anxiety and concern on the empress dowager's face.
"Your Majesty, you must take good care of your body. All the people in the world are counting on you! By the way, where is that audacious Queen? I think she's gone mad. She even dared to attempt to assassinate the Emperor!"
The sharp scolding of Empress Dowager Jiang made Su Wan'er feel a bit familiar. Just as she was about to tremble and say that she was here, she saw a figure that should never have appeared in her sight climb out of the pond nimbly.
A red long - sleeved dress, with a phoenix - embroidered shawl over it, a long silk skirt with golden threads, and hair adorned with bright green beads was dripping water.
When their eyes met, both were shocked.
Su Wan'er closed her eyes and then opened them. She really saw herself standing in front of her.
"You..." Su Wan'er saw the other "herself" slowly frown. There was a bit of hostility in the eyes staring at her. Suddenly, she had a bold guess.
She looked down at herself. The bright yellow dragon robe, even though soaked in water, still had the golden threads shining brightly. Then she looked at the other "herself" ... Yes, one was the emperor and the other was the queen.
How could she have become Si Junlin? Su Wan'er covered her face in shock. Did it mean that the "Queen" in front of her was actually Si Junlin?
The "Queen" obviously also understood the connection. The veins on her neck bulged.
"How dare you!" the Empress Dowager shouted sternly and reached out her hand to slap "Su Wan'er". "You dared to be so disrespectful to the Emperor. Is this the upbringing of your Su family?"
Seeing the Empress Dowager's impending slap, Su Wan'er knew that Si Junlin must be confused, because she was too.
The most important thing was that it was her own face!
If this slap landed on her face, it would surely swell for half a day.
"Mother! Don't, don't," Su Wan'er quickly stopped her and showed a panicked smile. "We're all family."
This smile made the Empress Dowager even more worried. She attributed her son's abnormality to falling into the water. She angrily looked at everyone and said, "What are you still standing there for? The Queen attempted to assassinate the Emperor. Arrest her and throw her into prison. Charge her with the crime of treason!"
How the tables have turned.
Su Wan'er sighed. Catching a glimpse of the restraint and frustration in Si Junlin's eyes, as if he was about to explode and kill someone at any moment, she suddenly felt a bit guilty. She quickly stopped the bodyguards who were about to act.
"Mother has misunderstood," Su Wan'er racked her brains to imitate Si Junlin's usual tone of speaking. "Just now, an accident happened to Concubine Mei, and it was in a complete mess here. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into the Queen. That's why we both fell into the water. It's not her fault."
"Is that really the case?" the Empress Dowager glanced at "Su Wan'er" suspiciously. She disliked the way she was frowning even more. She snorted but still gave her son enough face. "I really don't want to hear such news. If the people of the world knew that the Queen attempted to rebel, they would surely laugh their heads off!"
Seeing that the Empress Dowager no longer pursued the matter, Su Wan'er quietly let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, she also keenly noticed that the looks of the people around had become strange.
They must be surprised... Su Wan'er twitched the corner of her mouth and glared at the chief eunuch Fang Xi by the way.
Fang Xi immediately lowered his head when he met her gaze and couldn't help but rub his hands in his sleeves.
This shift was really eventful! The relationship between the Emperor and the Queen had always been like water and fire. They couldn't wait to never see each other again. But today, the Emperor actually defended the Queen? This was really unprecedented! He always wondered why the couple was like enemies. It turned out it was all a pretense.
Fang Xi grinned, excited to be hiding such a secret.