“Then please, Imperial Physician Gao, take my pulse again.” As she spoke, Jirong extended her hand. Gaoqi gritted his teeth and stepped forward to diagnose Jirong’s pulse. The pulse was the same as before—fast and slippery, with no abnormality. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he heard Jirong’s voice by his ear: “Since there’s nothing urgent, Imperial Physician Gao might as well examine it a bit longer.”
Seeing her say this, Gaoqi had no choice but to continue taking her pulse. After about half a cup of tea’s time, the pulse that had been consistently fast and slippery suddenly became steady and slow. Though it was fleeting, the sensation was very clear—it was not an illusion.
Gaoqi said with uncertain surprise, “How can this be?”
Li Jiancheng said in a sinister voice, “How can this be… Shouldn’t we be the ones asking you that question? Speak! Who instructed you to do this?”
No matter how slow-witted Gaoqi was, he could hear something was wrong. He hurriedly knelt down and said, “Your Highness, please see clearly—until today, this humble official truly did not know that Consort Ji’s pulse was abnormal. As for being instructed… that’s even more impossible to speak of!”
“Impossible to speak of?” Li Jiancheng sneered. “Then why don’t you tell us how you bought your residence? And where did the money to hire servants come from?”
“The residence was bought from a broker at a trading house for one hundred strings of cash. As for hiring servants, that was also money this humble official saved up.” The so-called broker was the person responsible for transactions between buyers and sellers.
Li Jiancheng laughed angrily, “I don’t know when a three-courtyard residence in Chang’an City was worth only one hundred strings of cash?”
“This humble official asked about that at the time. The broker said the seller was eager to dispose of it, so it was sold cheaply.” Before he finished speaking, Li Jiancheng said coldly, “Even if sold cheaply, it wouldn’t be so cheap as to be one-tenth of the original price. For a residence like this, if listed at five or six hundred strings of cash, there would be plenty of buyers.”
Gaoqi was questioned until he was covered in sweat, scratching at the fine brick joints, saying in panic, “This humble official could only buy this residence through the trading house. I know nothing else.”
“What a fine ‘know nothing else.’ Gaoqi, are you forcing this Crown Prince to use torture?” This sentence frightened Gaoqi out of his wits, and he hurriedly said, “Crown Prince, please forgive me! This humble official truly doesn’t know what crime I’ve committed to make Your Highness so angry!”
“You colluded with others, secretly administering drugs to Consort Ji, preventing her menstruation and changing her pulse. You then took advantage of this to claim Consort Ji was pregnant, intending to frame her with the crime of false pregnancy to gain favor.”
“No, no such thing!” Gaoqi hurriedly waved his hands in denial, saying frantically, “This humble official truly believed Consort Ji was pregnant. Besides… besides, this humble official has no grievances with Consort Ji—why would I harm her for no reason!”
“You naturally have no grievances, but the person behind you is different.” Under Gaoqi’s terrified and uncomprehending gaze, Li Jiancheng said expressionlessly, “You previously visited the Zheng residence several times—for what reason?”
Gaoqi hurriedly said, “Reporting to the Crown Prince, the Fifth Madam whom Marquis Zheng married at the end of last year has been feeling unwell since summer, so I was asked to treat her.” The Marquis Zheng he mentioned was Zheng Shi’s uncle, who had followed Li Yuan in conquering the world and achieved great merit. After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he was enfeoffed as Marquis Zheng.
“That Fifth Madam, being of courtesan origins, actually required you, an imperial physician, to enter the residence to treat her—what impressive airs she puts on.” Faced with Li Jiancheng’s sarcastic words, Gaoqi said helplessly, “Marquis Zheng sent someone to request it, and this humble official could not refuse.”
Li Jiancheng scoffed, “Could it be that merely because you treated the Fifth Madam’s condition, Zheng An offered up that residence with both hands?”
Gaoqi said in surprise, “What does Your Highness mean?”
“I’ve already investigated. That residence was originally Zheng An’s property. If you hadn’t secretly done unspeakable deeds for him, why would he sell it to you so cheaply?”
Gaoqi hurriedly denied, “This humble official only treated the Fifth Madam’s condition. Apart from that, there was nothing else. Please, Your Highness, see clearly!”
“You truly won’t shed tears until you see the coffin!” Li Jiancheng coldly uttered these words, then shouted, “Drag him down and beat him until he confesses!”
Faced with the guards rushing forward, Gaoqi was terrified and hurriedly said, “This humble official is a court official—Your Highness cannot treat me this way!”
“You, as a court official, listened to others’ instigation and framed the Crown Prince’s consort. This crime alone is enough to take your life, let alone mere beating!” Having said this, he waved his sleeve grandly, “Drag him down!”
Two guards, ignoring Gaoqi’s struggles, forcibly dragged him away. At the same time, Li Jiancheng ordered someone to summon Zheng Shi.
As soon as Zheng Shi stepped into Changchun Pavilion, she saw Gaoqi, the current imperial physician, being pressed to the ground and subjected to beating. She was immediately shocked and puzzled. After seeing Li Jiancheng, she asked in confusion, “For what reason is Your Highness beating Imperial Physician Gao?”
“Gaoqi was instructed by someone to drug Consort Ji, falsely claiming she was pregnant, intending to frame her.” Hearing this, Zheng Shi’s eyelids twitched violently. She stared at Jirong in disbelief and after a long while said tremblingly, “Falsely claiming… meaning Consort Ji is not pregnant? This… how is this possible?”
Li Jiancheng smiled coldly, “Shouldn’t the Princess Consort be the most clear about this matter?”
“Me?” Zheng Shi looked at Li Jiancheng in confusion, and the next moment her eyes showed terror, “Does Your Highness think I conspired with Imperial Physician Gao to frame Consort Ji?”
Li Jiancheng said coldly, “The Crown Princess is somewhat more honest than that Gaoqi—she answered immediately when asked.”
“No!” Zheng Shi said urgently, “I’ve only met Imperial Physician Gao once—how could I possibly conspire with him? Besides, I regard Consort Ji as my own sister—how could I harm her?”
“For such matters, there’s no need for you to act personally—Zheng An naturally handles it.” Li Jiancheng’s words made Zheng Shi both panicked and anxious, “What is Your Highness saying? I never did such a thing, and my uncle is completely unrelated to this.”
“Unfortunately, the evidence I’ve found doesn’t say so.” Upon learning that the residence Gaoqi bought was related to the Zheng family, Zheng Shi didn’t know how to respond. Liuye beside her said, “Your Highness, my young lady has always been kind to others and never harbored ill intentions. This matter certainly has nothing to do with her—clearly someone is deliberately framing her. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Highness.”
Liyu not to be outdone said, “According to you, is my mistress falsely accusing the Crown Princess?”
Liuye said coldly, “Whether it’s false accusation or not, you know best yourselves. Do I need to say it?”
“You!” Liyu was so angry she couldn’t speak. The next moment, she knelt before Li Jiancheng, choking up, “Please, Your Highness, seek justice for my mistress!”
Li Jiancheng said nothing, only staring coldly at Zheng Shi. This cold gaze, like winter ice, made her heart grow colder and colder. She said tremblingly, “Does Your Highness truly believe I did this?”
Li Jiancheng said indifferently, “I naturally hoped not, but unfortunately… you have disappointed me.”
These words were like a bolt from the blue for Zheng Shi. Her vision darkened, and her feet unconsciously stepped backward until Liuye supported her, barely managing to steady herself. She said bitterly, “The one who should truly be disappointed is not Your Highness, but me.”