I insist

Chapter 364: Caught in the Act

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? It's clearly the Seventh Prince who was having an affair with Song Miqiu."

Upon seeing Consort Li at this moment, the Emperor was furious that the child was making excuses. Since that was the case, he decided to expose her true colors.

"Guards, bring this bastard up here and let these two adulterers have a good look at him."

Consort Li sat quietly to the side, waiting to watch the show, unaware that she was about to face a terrible disaster.

At this moment, a fair-skinned man wrapped only in a sheet was brought up.

The civil and military officials below were all whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"Who dares to cuckold the Emperor? They must have a death wish."

"Is it that he doesn't want to live or is it Consort Li? I could tell when this woman entered the palace."

"Let's see how the Emperor deals with them."

After the pretty boy was pulled up, he followed the instructions the Seventh Prince had given him, staring intently at Consort Li with a tearful expression.

"Your Majesty, please save me! I don't want to die!"

Consort Li panicked at this moment, holding a fan in her hand and waving it around incessantly, feeling extremely nervous.

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't know you at all. I am the emperor's concubine."

The Emperor watched Consort Li closely, waiting to see what tricks she would pull.

"Speak! What is your relationship with Consort Li?"

The pretty boy didn't back down at all. He gripped the bed sheet tightly with one hand to prevent himself from exposing any parts he shouldn't have, while waving his other hand eagerly at Consort Li.

"Consort Li, didn't you promise me that you would be with me for life? You also said that even if the Emperor found out, you would stand by my side. Does that mean all of that is no longer true?"

With that expression and the faint hint of tears, anyone who didn't know better would think he had suffered a great injustice.

The emperor kept a dark expression on his face, which is why someone died in front of everyone.

Consort Li then realized that she had been framed and immediately knelt down before the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation. It's not like that. Think about it, if I were cheating on someone, why would I tell you to search the tent?"

Clinging tightly to the emperor's robes, she argued for herself, and at this moment, she didn't even try to drag Song Miqiu down with her.

"Your Majesty, it is the Seventh Prince who is having an affair with Song Miqiu. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth."

The Emperor kicked Consort Li aside, saying, "She's spouting utter nonsense."

Consort Li gritted her teeth, determined to fight Song Miqiu. "Your Majesty, please accompany me to check their residences. If they have no affair, I am willing to accept punishment."

"Since you say so, then I will convince you."

The Emperor reluctantly agreed to Consort Li's request, while the other side was unwilling to believe that their concubine had betrayed them.

All of this was observed by Song Miqiu and the Seventh Prince from a distance. They exchanged a glance, realizing that they also needed to act quickly.

So the two split up and ran towards their respective residences.

The Emperor, accompanied by his Imperial Guards and a large entourage, arrived at Song Miqiu's tent.

Consort Li pointed fiercely inside and accused the Emperor, "Your Majesty, that vile woman Song Miqiu seduced the Seventh Prince! Go and arrest her immediately!"

The Emperor glanced coldly at Consort Li and gestured to the Imperial Guards to open the tent and investigate.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the tent was opened, and people peered inside through the crack.

It was completely dark inside, and there was nothing wrong with it.

The quick-thinking eunuch lit the candle before the emperor could, and only then could he see what was inside the tent.

The tent was empty; there was no sign of the Seventh Prince. The Emperor glared at Consort Li.

Consort Li, unwilling to give up, looked towards the bed and pointed to the bulging blankets.

"Your Majesty, that vile woman is right there. I'll go and bring her over to you."

Consort Li strode forward, looking confident of victory, and suddenly yanked off the covers.

The blanket was pulled back, but only Song Miqiu was lying on the bed.

Moreover, Song Miqiu's face was pale, and the color of his lips was not the usual one; he looked as if he had suffered a serious illness and was very haggard.

Song Miqiu opened her eyes weakly and looked terrified when she saw the emperor.

He then struggled to get out of bed and knelt down to pay his respects to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, I caught a cold and was afraid of infecting you, so I did not attend the ceremony. I am guilty and beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

At this moment, the emperor truly believed that Song Miqiu had been lying there completely unaware of what was happening outside, and he even felt a little guilty upon seeing Song Miqiu in this state.

"I won't blame you. Just lie down and recover."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

How could Consort Li let it go? She rushed straight to Song Miqiu's side without a care and threw all the quilts on the bed onto the floor.

"Tell me quickly where the Seventh Prince is. Where exactly did you hide him?"

Song Miqiu pretended to be completely confused, clutching her chest and coughing incessantly.

"Cough cough cough, Your Highness Consort Li, I don't understand what you're saying."

The Emperor finally couldn't stand it anymore and walked up to Consort Li, squeezing her shoulders tightly.

"Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"

When Consort Li saw the Emperor like this for the first time, she was so frightened that she dared not make a sound.

Just then, the Seventh Prince's voice came from outside.

"Father, I heard you were looking for me?"

Now that everyone was gathered, the Emperor was eager to hear what the Seventh Prince had to say.

"Come in."

The seventh prince then entered.

"Did the Imperial Guards just ask me where I was this evening and what happened?"

The emperor was unsure how to begin, but the imperial guards, noticing his hesitation, immediately stepped forward to explain.

"Your Majesty, I have found out that the Seventh Prince has been staying in the tent since the banquet ended."

The Emperor sighed deeply and helped the Seventh Prince to his feet.

"It's all a misunderstanding; you don't need to know what happened."

Consort Li was dumbfounded. How did things turn out this way? Song Miqiu had clearly already been tied up.

No! It can't end like this.

They crawled and knelt to the emperor's side.

"The Emperor must have been in cahoots with them all along; it's impossible for it to be like this."

The Emperor doesn't even want to see Consort Li now.

"Guards, lock this madwoman up for me."

After speaking, he left.

Since it was nighttime, nothing was done; they simply followed the Emperor's orders and spoiled the pretty boy and Consort Li.

The sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was held as scheduled the following day.

The ministers dared not speak, each watching the emperor's expression.

The sacrificial ceremony to Heaven had finally come to an end. When the Emperor saw that several ministers were still standing in the same spot, he knew what they were up to.

"Speak up if you have anything to say."

The minister stepped forward and bowed with both hands, "Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with Consort Li?"

Even being an emperor doesn't mean you can make all the decisions yourself; many things are beyond your control.

"Does the Emperor need to consult your opinions on how to deal with real concubines?"

The emperor had been tolerating them for quite some time; ever since the day he ascended the throne, it had been as if he were being controlled by others.

For decades, I haven't been able to make decisions about anything on my own.