Chapter 388: Forcing This Palace
This Empress was truly a wretched woman!
Ye Jiamei instinctively glanced at the Crown Prince. Even though she had little interaction with him, she was, after all, someone he had brought into the palace. If the Empress were to frame her and blame her for Consort Xi’s miscarriage, then wouldn’t the Crown Prince be implicated as well?
Naturally, the Crown Prince understood this logic. He had also noticed Ye Jiamei’s fleeting glance at him, but if he were to openly defend her now, it would only give the Empress more ammunition.
“If everyone who came into contact with Consort Xi is a suspect, then should Imperial Grandmother and Mother be investigated as well?”
If he couldn’t plead for her, he might as well throw the situation into further chaos.
“How dare you!”
Emperor Han Yuan, lying on the dragon bed, was so enraged that his veins bulged!
Not only had he lost his child, but now he had to watch his Empress and Crown Prince argue in front of him—it infuriated him even more.
Now that the Crown Prince had dragged the Empress Dowager into the matter, Emperor Han Yuan realized that the situation had spiraled out of control.
Sure enough, as soon as the Emperor spoke, the Crown Prince immediately dropped to his knees and pleaded for forgiveness.
Ye Jiamei hadn’t expected the Crown Prince’s method of exonerating her to involve dragging the Empress Dowager down with him.
Well… she supposed she should thank him?
“Son did not intend to contradict Mother, and I beg Father’s forgiveness. But Doctor Ye is a civilian physician, someone I personally went to great lengths to invite to treat Father. I understand Mother’s duty to manage the harem, but by insisting on investigating Doctor Ye, she is also casting doubt upon me.”
Hearing the Crown Prince’s words, the Empress’s face changed, and she hurriedly knelt to explain herself.
But Emperor Han Yuan, clearly fed up with her, waved his hand impatiently before she could speak, signaling her to remain silent.
“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. Though your wound is healing, it still requires time, and you must not let anger slow your recovery.”
Ye Jiamei, seeing the beads of sweat forming on the Emperor’s forehead, quickly reminded him, playing her role as a doctor while also subtly easing his anger toward the Crown Prince.
“Make arrangements. Have the Crown Prince’s men escort her out of the palace.”
Ye Jiamei blinked.
So, this Emperor wasn’t entirely foolish after all.
Suppressing the grin threatening to form on her lips, she quickly bowed to express her gratitude.
She had not expected things to take such a favorable turn!
Meanwhile, the Empress, still kneeling by the dragon bed, was in complete disbelief at how the situation had played out.
At this point, even if she wanted to make things difficult for Ye Jiamei, she no longer had the courage to speak up while the Emperor was already furious.
With everything arranged, Ye Jiamei finally stepped out of the Emperor’s chamber.
Even though she had yet to leave the palace, the air outside felt noticeably fresher—freeing.
To her surprise, before her departure, the Empress Dowager bestowed her with a generous reward, as did Emperor Han Yuan.
“Come, let’s get you out of here.”
Ye Jiamei was still basking in the joy of her unexpected fortune when a cold voice shattered her delight.
Startled, her smile immediately disappeared.
Turning around, she saw that the Crown Prince had appeared beside her without her even realizing it.
Watching him walk ahead, Ye Jiamei quickly scampered after him like a loyal lackey.
When they arrived at the palace gates, the Crown Prince’s carriage came to a stop, and she saw a carriage from his residence waiting outside.
She looked at him in confusion, clearly expecting him to say something.
“My men will personally escort you. You may leave now.”
Without further ado, the icy Crown Prince waved his hand, and his eunuchs silently lifted his palanquin and carried him away.
Ye Jiamei scoffed.
“Hmph, acting all high and mighty. Didn’t even have the decency to say ‘thank you’ after using me. And to think he’s supposed to be Shu’s husband! Hah, even if he becomes Emperor one day, I still wouldn’t care! If Shu’s uncle, Yu Zhengqing, is counting on him, I’d say he’s backing the wrong horse.”
Having vented her frustrations, she happily followed the Crown Prince’s men out of the palace.
Back in the Empress’s residence, the air was thick with rage. She had shattered an entire collection of rare antiques in her fury, her long fingernails snapping in the process. The pain only fueled her frustration further.
“She’s just a mere physician, and yet he protected her like that?! I have served by his side for over twenty years, and this is how I am treated! Is he trying to force me out?!”
Her personal maid turned pale and quickly gestured for her to lower her voice. Even though the room was filled with trusted servants, what she had just said was far too reckless.
“My Lady, you must not act on impulse. These words must never be spoken again.”
“Hah! The moment he named the Crown Prince, he made me and my son the laughingstocks of the entire empire. And now I am expected to remain silent?”
“My Lady, the Crown Prince has yet to solidify his power, and the Yu family was exiled even before he was named heir. Who knows what His Majesty’s true intentions are? You must remain patient. Besides, today was not a complete loss. While Consort Xi herself remains unharmed, her child is gone. And as for that lowly village doctor—if she cannot be dealt with inside the palace, then she can certainly be eliminated outside of it.”
The Empress’s eyes narrowed with murderous intent.
“Indeed. Killing her is no more difficult than crushing an ant. I am well aware of that.
What infuriates me is that I had planned to use this incident to bring the Crown Prince down with her. Yet despite all my efforts, he managed to overturn everything with just a few words.
His favoritism is blatant—how could I not be enraged?”
After venting her frustrations, the Empress finally felt a bit more composed.
Exhausted, she collapsed into a chair, allowing herself to be soothed by her attendant’s words.
“If His Majesty were truly impartial, would My Lady have suffered so much? You have long known his heart, have you not? If you wish, I can send someone to eliminate that woman immediately. Without such a physician in the world, who knows…”
The suggestion successfully diverted the Empress’s focus.
Her eyes gleamed with cold resolve.
“Send someone. The moment she leaves the capital, ensure she is killed—at any cost.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Ye Jiamei’s carriage had yet to reach her courtyard when it was suddenly ambushed.
“How dare you block the Crown Prince’s carriage? Do you have a death wish?”
“Oh, we knew it was the Crown Prince’s carriage. That’s exactly why we were waiting.”
A voice rang out from outside the carriage.
Inside, Ye Jiamei, who had been happily admiring her newly acquired treasures, froze.
The next moment, she flung the curtain aside and practically leapt from the carriage!
“Hold it! They’re with us!”
Seeing the coachman about to draw his sword, Ye Jiamei hastily called out to stop him!
