Feng Xian then went to the Eastern Palace, telling Food Service Supervisor Qin that Laifeng Pavilion had discovered medicine added to their green salt, but they didn’t yet know who had added it. Second Prince was thoroughly investigating the source of Qinghua Pavilion’s seasonings and having Royal Kitchen palace women work through the night to identify any abnormalities. To ensure the Crown Prince’s safety, Second Prince suggested the Eastern Palace also conduct such a thorough investigation immediately.

Upon hearing this, Food Service Supervisor Qin didn’t dare delay and immediately summoned relevant Eastern Palace palace women to test the seasonings, reporting this matter to Eastern Palace Chief Eunuch Wang Muze according to regulations.

“In this way, if Physician Zhou has always been colluding with Wang Muze, when Wang Muze sees this matter exposed, he will certainly take action,” Feng Xian explained to Zhao Ai and Zhenzhen. “He will go find, or send people to find, Physician Zhou to discuss how to respond… Of course, if he suspects Physician Zhou can no longer escape, he might kill him to silence him in order to protect himself.”

Zhao Ai understood and immediately contacted Yin Qi, asking him to take Imperial Guard in plain clothes and rush to Zhou Zhiqi’s residence overnight.

The next day, as soon as the palace gates opened, Yin Qi entered and told Zhao Ai about Zhou Zhiqi’s situation: “During the night, two people indeed infiltrated the Zhou residence and whispered with Zhou Zhiqi for a moment. Then we suddenly heard Zhou Zhiqi scream, so we immediately rushed in. Those two men were holding daggers and stabbing Zhou Zhiqi. Upon seeing us, they turned and ran. We chased them for a while and caught them, but when we returned to check on Zhou Zhiqi, we discovered he had taken a blade and killed himself.”

Zhao Ai asked: “Where are those two men now?”

Yin Qi replied: “Imprisoned at the Imperial Guard Bureau, awaiting disposition… From their appearance, they’re two eunuchs.”

Zhao Ai sent someone to invite Feng Jing’s parents to the palace, having them accompany him to Funing Palace for an imperial audience after the Emperor finished morning court, while also inviting Consort Li to bring Zhenzhen along.

He also sent someone to the Eastern Palace, inviting the Crown Prince to go to Funing Palace together. But when the Crown Prince was dressed and ready to leave, Wang Muze knelt before him and grabbed hold of him.

“Your Highness, this old minister can no longer continue serving Your Highness or watch Your Highness ascend the great throne to become a wise ruler… Please accept this old minister’s final bow.” Wang Muze said with tears streaming down his face, solemnly performing the deepest ritual bow to the Crown Prince.

Zhao Xi helped him up with both hands, frowning as he asked the reason. Wang Muze told the truth: “This minister deserves death ten thousand times over for deceiving Your Highness… Consort Li never switched babies back then, and Feng Jing is not Consort Li’s daughter.”

Zhao Xi was stunned, then flew into a great rage, flinging his sleeves and pushing Wang Muze to the ground: “Why did you tell such an enormous lie?”

Half an hour later, Zhao Xi finally arrived at Funing Palace with heavy steps, his demeanor quite desolate. Seeing everyone gathered, Zhao Ai had Yin Qi describe the events at the Zhou residence the previous night before everyone, bringing in the two eunuchs who admitted they were acting under Wang Muze’s orders. The Emperor asked in surprise why this was so. At Zhao Ai’s signal, Zhenzhen stepped forward and explained the whole sequence of events regarding the green salt at Laifeng Pavilion. The Emperor understood most of it and lowered his eyes without speaking.

“Zhou Zhiqi secretly harmed Consort Li for years, clearly acting under Wang Muze’s orders, but this was Wang Muze’s personal action, unrelated to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was also deceived by him and knew nothing.” Zhao Ai then explained, before revealing how Wang Muze had deceived the Crown Prince with lies about Feng Jing’s background.

“Palace woman Wu Zhenzhen discovered that when Consort Li’s son and Feng Jing were born, the inner treasury had not yet begun using bamboo woven containers for gifts, thus deducing that Wang Muze’s words were false. I had people carefully investigate where the serving maids who left the prince’s residence after Consort Li gave birth had gone, finding two of them who have been brought to Lin’an. If Your Majesty deems it necessary, they can enter the palace to testify at any time. These are their testimonies.” Zhao Ai presented the testimonies to the Emperor and explained to everyone: “They all say that Consort Li indeed gave birth to a little prince back then, who sadly died the day he was born. They worried about being held responsible for inadequately serving their mistress, so they voluntarily requested to resign and return to their hometowns. It wasn’t as Wang Muze claimed – that they fled because they witnessed the baby-switching and Consort Li wanted to silence them.”

“This subject and his wife indeed gave birth to a daughter back then.” Feng Jing’s father, Feng Shuo, immediately stepped forward, bowing as he presented a scroll to the Emperor. “This is the birth record written by National Physician Zhang on the day our daughter Feng Jing was born, clearly stating our daughter’s name, parents’ names, birth date and time, birthplace, as well as length, weight, and physical characteristics, including a red birthmark hidden in the hair at the back of her head that ordinary people cannot see. If necessary, female officials can verify this.”

“National Physician Zhang…” the Emperor mused thoughtfully. “Yunqiao?”

“Yes, Grand Physician Zhang Yunqiao.” Feng Shuo confirmed, explaining: “At that time, the Qi family was searching for him everywhere, so he took refuge in this subject’s residence. When my wife went into labor, he provided careful medical attention and wrote this document after our daughter was born.”

Ordinary birth records were written in small regular script, but this one was written in wild cursive, like galloping snakes and ancient vines, flowing clouds and trailing silk.

The Emperor looked closely and smiled faintly: “This is indeed his handwriting.”

He showed the document to everyone, looking pointedly at Zhao Xi as he said: “Yunqiao would never forge anything.”

Zhao Xi looked at the document and silently lowered his head.

“There’s also the matter of the untimely gift exchange that should be explained,” Zhao Ai then said to Feng Shuo.

“Let me explain this,” Consort Li suddenly spoke, looking at the Zhao brothers and calmly recounting the past: “That child – I had an extremely difficult pregnancy with constant symptoms throughout. Near delivery, I also contracted yang-type typhoid fever. The two physicians treating me didn’t dare give me typhoid medicine for fear of harming the fetus. So before giving birth, I suffered the double torment of labor and typhoid fever – indescribable agony. During labor that day, I fainted several times. National Physician Zhang learned of this and prepared medicine for me at the Feng residence, having the Feng family send it to the prince’s residence. But my attending physicians were appointed by the Late Emperor. If I disregarded their treatment plan and used someone else’s medicine, word would reach the palace and the Late Emperor would certainly be displeased. So my brother-in-law sent people to consult with my mother who was caring for me at the prince’s residence. They decided to hide the medicine in gift boxes using the mutual gift exchange as cover. Due to my urgent condition, we couldn’t wait until dawn, so despite great difficulty, it was sent into the residence late at night. Sadly, by then my child had already died…” Here she couldn’t suppress her sobbing and wiped tears from her eyes before struggling to continue: “National Physician Zhang’s medicine was very effective. After taking it, my typhoid symptoms quickly improved.”

At this point, Feng Shuo added: “National Physician Zhang said that near delivery, typhoid medicine would no longer affect the fetus, so treatment should definitely target the symptoms. The medicine he gave Consort Li was double the normal dosage.”

The Emperor nodded: “Such boldness was his style.”

“That’s the truth. Wang Muze knew that elder brother’s concern would cloud his judgment, and since he normally had no contact with Consort Li’s family, he wouldn’t thoroughly investigate every detail to verify the truth. So he dared to frame Consort Li this way. I had no such concerns – to restore Consort Li’s innocence, I would investigate to the end.” After Zhao Ai finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the Emperor. “This subject dares not hope Your Majesty will forgive my unauthorized actions, but as long as this matter is clarified, I willingly accept punishment.”

The Emperor sighed and dismissed everyone, keeping only the Crown Prince in the hall. When no one else was around, the Emperor asked the Crown Prince: “Do you understand now? Do you still believe Wang Muze’s one-sided words?”

Zhao Xi knelt before his father: “Before coming to Funing Palace, Wang Muze had already told this subject the truth, admitting he had lied… This subject was foolish, believing false rumors. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely.”

The Emperor pressed further: “How did Wang Muze explain his motives to you?”

Zhao Xi remained silent, not answering immediately.

The Emperor then deduced: “He must have told you that he served Empress Anshu for many years and couldn’t stand Consort Li’s seductive ways that bewitched me. Even when Empress Anshu was bedridden with illness, I still spent every night in Consort Li’s room, unable to care for your mother, causing her to die of melancholy. Later, seeing you seduced by Consort Li’s niece, he was determined to prevent Feng Jing from becoming Crown Princess, or even future Empress, even at the cost of his life.”

Zhao Xi prostrated himself without saying a word, seemingly acknowledging this.

“Fine. Since you’re so concerned about this, let me tell you how Consort Li gained my ‘exclusive favor’ back then.” The Emperor’s gaze fell on the light and shadows cast by the window lattices on the palace floor, sadly recalling the past: “At that time, Grand Preceptor Qi Shu monopolized power, extensively purging dissidents at court, covering the sky with one hand. Even the Late Emperor had to give him some consideration. I was young and impetuous, confronting him several times. He also viewed me as a great enemy and repeatedly tried to frame me. Fortunately, I had good teachers and helpful friends. I served the Late Emperor cautiously and carefully, so he couldn’t catch me making mistakes and didn’t succeed. Later, when your mother became seriously ill, he had another idea. He selected daughters of his faction to recommend to the Late Emperor, wanting me to accept them. How could I possibly allow people he planted around me? So I deliberately spent every night in Li Shi’s room and let everyone know she was the woman I favored – I had no time for others.”

Zhao Xi continued prostrating himself, his expression unreadable.

The Emperor continued: “Why did I choose her? Because she was someone the Empress Dowager gave me, originally the Empress Dowager’s serving maid who was deeply favored and trusted by the imperial couple. When I showed love for her, the Emperor and Empress Dowager weren’t displeased but felt quite gratified. Qi Shu also had nothing to say and didn’t dare use her to attack me for indulging in feminine beauty. After your mother died, when Qi Shu recommended candidates for my new principal wife, I still expressed my exclusive devotion to Li Shi, saying that for her sake, I decided not to remarry for the time being. The Empress Dowager was very happy seeing my attitude and spoke to the Late Emperor, allowing me to temporarily not take a new wife.”

“But in fact, I couldn’t speak of love for her.” The Emperor sighed. “In my lifetime, the woman I loved most was your mother. My three sons were all born to her, while Consort Li… though I stayed in her room every night back then, my heart was troubled by state affairs and I worried about your mother. Often we would sit together all night without speaking. The times I was truly intimate with her could be counted on one hand.”

Zhao Xi’s shoulders moved slightly, then he slowly raised his head, looking at his father with some surprise.

“But she truly could be called gentle and virtuous. No matter how I treated her, she never complained. Even when hurt inside, she still tried to cooperate with my performance, silently playing the role of the favored consort, constantly bearing attention and criticism from family and court, including your resentment.”

Zhao Xi prostrated himself again, two tears falling: “This subject knows his error. For years I believed false rumors, harming others and myself. Please punish me, Father.”

The Emperor shook his head and personally helped his son up: “You believed false rumors, but I was also wrong. I always felt these inner chamber matters were too unseemly to mention, especially difficult to discuss with my own son. I never expected Wang Muze to repeatedly use this to frame Consort Li and deceive you. This is intolerable – I want to severely punish him, not you.”

The Emperor immediately called for the Chief Eunuch to enter and ordered him to have the Imperial Guard arrest Wang Muze. But Zhao Xi knelt again upon hearing this: “Father, I already let him leave the palace… Please, considering he served me devotedly for over twenty years, give him a way to live.”

However, the result was surprising. Wang Muze didn’t flee the palace to save his life as Zhao Xi hoped, but instead escaped to the back garden. When palace servants found him, he had hanged himself from a tree with white silk and had been dead for some time.

The Emperor ordered a thorough investigation of Wang Muze’s accomplices. Many Eastern Palace eunuchs were implicated, and many physicians at the Hanlin Medical Academy who had private relationships with Wang Muze or Zhou Zhiqi were also demoted. Han Suwen was originally also on the list for punishment, but fortunately Zhenzhen asked Consort Li to speak to His Majesty, saying that Han Suwen’s duty was to prepare medicines for all physicians, not serving Zhou Zhiqi alone. He couldn’t be determined to be Zhou Zhiqi’s accomplice just because he had prepared green salt. He knew nothing of Zhou Zhiqi’s actions and had openly told Zhenzhen about the green salt details, inadvertently exposing Zhou Zhiqi’s evil deeds. He shouldn’t be held responsible.

The Emperor agreed and stopped pursuing Han Suwen’s culpability, allowing him to continue at the Hanlin Medical Academy.

With Feng Jing’s background matter resolved, Zhao Xi no longer had any psychological burden. The Emperor then discussed with Consort Li about having the Crown Prince take Feng Jing as a concubine, so the two lovers could be together forever. Consort Li smiled and said: “I previously didn’t want Feng Jing to become Crown Princess because I knew the Crown Prince resented me. I worried that if Feng Jing married into the Eastern Palace, over time they would inevitably develop conflicts because of me and gradually become resentful spouses. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, since they love each other and Your Majesty is willing to let Feng Jing serve the Crown Prince, I naturally have no reason to continue opposing.”

So the Emperor and Consort Li summoned Feng Jing and informed her of this matter, but unexpectedly Feng Jing immediately bowed down, prostrating herself and begging His Majesty to withdraw the order.

The Emperor asked in surprise if she no longer loved the Crown Prince. Feng Jing shook her head: “My feelings for the Crown Prince have never changed. Even when he abandoned me, I never resented him. I’m grateful Your Majesty investigated the truth, so when the Crown Prince and I think of each other again, we remember the beautiful image from our first meeting. But now the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are deeply in love like mandarin ducks, and I’ve also found what I want to do at the Royal Kitchen. So please allow us to maintain the current situation. Rather than entering the Eastern Palace and facing the possibility of becoming hideous in the competition for favor among wives and concubines, I prefer to find long-term peace in my work, while the Crown Prince can cherish the person before him and not hurt the Crown Princess who loves him because of me.”

The Emperor and Consort Li looked at each other, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Feng Jing raised her hands to her forehead and bowed solemnly again: “Please grant this request, Your Majesty, and let him and me continue to remain perfect in each other’s memories.”