Seeing Song Chaoyu carrying fruit candy and looking so gentle and beautiful, how could Song Yanjiao not be jealous?
Qi Feng did not notice Song Chaoyu's malice and naturally walked towards her.
"Qi Feng!"
Suddenly, Hai Sha looked as if facing a formidable enemy, shouted Qi Feng's name, and yanked his arm fiercely, "Don't go over there! She might poison you!"
They intended to frame Song Chaoyu.
However, Hai Sha's casual action "betrayed" her.
She clearly didn't understand how to treat a child. Such force and volume would not only startle Qi Feng but also cause his arm to make a "crack" sound, almost dislocating it from Hai Sha's pull!
"Waa—"
The pain in his arm made Qi Feng unable to hold back his tears, "It hurts! Mother, Qi Feng hurts so much! Qi Feng did something wrong, Qi Feng knows he was wrong! Mother, please don't hit Qi Feng anymore! Qi Feng knows he was wrong!"
A small child instinctively admitting fault, how could anyone not be alarmed?
"Let go of that child!"
Even Tiaohong couldn't stand it and stepped forward, pulling Hai Sha away from Qi Feng, "Pulling him like that, how much must it hurt him? As a mother, how can you not care about your own child at all!?"
"Qi Feng, come here, Auntie will take a look!"
Song Chaoyu could no longer bear it and waved to Qi Feng. Qi Feng indeed walked towards Song Chaoyu again.
Perhaps because she was about to become a mother, Song Chaoyu felt especially heartbroken for Qi Feng. She held the small child in her arms and carefully examined his arm, "How is it? Does it still hurt? Where does it hurt, you must tell me!"
Nestled in Song Chaoyu's embrace, Qi Feng felt secure.
He reached out and hugged Song Chaoyu's arm, shaking his head, "Qi Feng doesn't hurt."
Song Chaoyu squeezed the little fellow's arm and shoulder, and finding no signs of dislocation, she breathed a sigh of relief, "It's okay. It probably just hurt from being pulled, not dislocated."
Seeing Song Chaoyu's patience even with a child, everyone's expressions were varied.
After pacifying Qi Feng with fruit candy, Song Chaoyu frowned and looked up at Lord Qiu.
She sneered, "Lord Qiu, regardless of whether Qi Feng is the prince's child or not, is this how your Southern Kingdom treats a child?"
She then sternly said to Hai Sha, "I don't care if you want this child or not, whether you love or hate the prince. But how could you hit such a small child? What does he understand? Even if he really did something wrong, shouldn't you talk to him properly? Not only did you not, but you always resort to violence. Are you fit to be a mother, fit to serve by the prince's side!?"
Even the Emperor and Empress cast many condemnations towards Hai Sha.
But Lord Qiu quickly realized something was wrong!
Before Song Chaoyu could say anything more, he stepped forward, "Why is the Princess of Chang so angry? If Hai Sha has made a mistake, we will naturally punish her. But today's matter is not about Hai Sha and Qi Feng!"
He snorted, "Could it be that the Princess is afraid and wants to divert everyone's attention so that the blood-mixing test cannot proceed? If the Princess is afraid, why not tell His Majesty the truth, so that the Emperor does not have to guess endlessly and force the situation to such a point today."
Indeed, upon hearing this, the Emperor's brows furrowed again.
Even if the truth was not that important in the end, at least now, the Emperor was determined to know the truth.
Song Chaoyu looked up at the Emperor and Empress on the throne and sighed, "Father Emperor, Mother Empress. Must it be this way? Prince Chang is still lying in bed, and you insist on a blood-mixing test? If he wakes up and knows that Father Emperor and Mother Empress suspect him like this, how heartbroken would he be?"
Song Chaoyu truly felt sad. If the Emperor wanted to favor Mu Changxi, he would, but if not, he would suspect him like this. How could this not chill one's heart?
However, to Lord Hai and Mu Hansu, Song Chaoyu's reluctance was clearly a sign of fear.
Even Song Yanjiao's eyes showed a hint of smugness.
She pretended to "earnestly" persuade Song Chaoyu, "It's just a blood-mixing test. Things have come to this point, why is my sister still refusing? If your Prince Chang's manor is truly innocent, you wouldn't fear such a simple blood-mixing test. If you ask me, sister should quickly let them test it. That way, everyone's hearts won't be left hanging, and your lives won't be so unsettled, right?"
She even "reminded" Song Chaoyu, "Actually, sister doesn't need to be afraid. Even if it turns out that Qi Feng is indeed the child of your Prince Chang's manor, he is merely a concubine-born child. The one in your belly is the legitimate child of Prince Chang's manor, and your position as the main wife will still be secure."
But if it really came to that point, with the Emperor's wrath, who knew what he would do.
What was the point of her sitting in the position of the main wife?
Song Yanjiao merely wanted others to think that Song Chaoyu was still the jealous woman who couldn't tolerate Qi Feng.
Song Chaoyu scanned the surroundings, seeing everyone's expressions were indeed varied. The mockery from Mu Hansu and Song Yanjiao, the indifference from Lord Qiu and the Prince of Southern Kingdom, and the suspicion in the eyes of the Emperor and Empress above.
She feared that the blood-mixing test today was unavoidable.
But after today, how much of the father-son relationship between Mu Changxi and the Emperor would remain?
Song Chaoyu retracted her gaze, unwilling to say more, "Alright, since you want to test, let's get it over with clearly!"
She looked up and gave the Emperor a wry smile, "Your Majesty, please proceed with the test. However, the prince has not yet woken up, and I do not know how to explain this to him. Later... Your Majesty will probably have to personally explain today's events to the prince. The prince is a person of great loyalty and righteousness, and I do not know how he will feel upon hearing these matters. In any case, I will never speak of this again in the future, so I ask Father Emperor to be understanding."
These words, though seemingly meaningless, were also a reminder to the Emperor to cherish their father-son relationship.
Indeed, the Emperor's eyes showed a hint of sadness and hesitation.
But how could Prince Ning let go of this opportunity?
He hurried forward and cupped his fists again to the Emperor, "Father Emperor, your son believes that although we are all your children, we are also your subjects. Even if it is to show our loyalty to Father Emperor, what is such a trivial matter to be concerned about? As a man of seven feet, how can one be bound by such indecisiveness? As long as Father Emperor is willing, we sons are willing to lay down our lives for Father Emperor, so why would we care about a mere blood-mixing test?"
These words were merely comforting to the Emperor.
But he still made up his mind and nodded in Mu Changxi's direction, "Test! After the test, it will be an explanation to me, and an explanation to the Southern Kingdom. He is my Prince Chang, and also the Prince Chang of the Great Yue Dynasty! If he has truly done such a thing, then I absolutely cannot tolerate it!"
This outcome made Song Chaoyu close her eyes.
It also made the Consort, who was still kneeling in the hall, tremble.
They both knew that from today onwards, the father-son relationship between Mu Changxi and the Emperor would likely end here.
Even if Mu Changxi and the Consort had concealed something from the Emperor back then, it was merely for self-preservation.
Mu Changxi did not want to tell the Emperor the truth one day, but now the Emperor was using Mu Changxi as a "pawn" to give everyone an explanation, which meant he did not love Mu Changxi that much.
Some things, between father and son, would probably never be clarified, nor should they be clarified.
Song Chaoyu's closing of her eyes made Mu Hansu and Song Yanjiao inwardly rejoice, thinking that Song Chaoyu was either afraid or despairing.