Chapter 112:

The eldest son of the Yue family was named Yue Feng, nineteen years old and not yet married.

These people arrived at the Yue residence and without explanation, took him straight to the palace. However, Yue Feng was not a person easily flustered. He reasoned that there must be a reason he was connected to the palace—most likely related to his two cousins currently residing within the palace. Otherwise, why would palace people come for him?

Although Yue Feng sensed something ominous from their actions, he still managed to maintain his composure.

Those sent here at this moment certainly wouldn’t be easily tricked into revealing anything.

Upon arriving at the Chunchun Pavilion,

he knelt and greeted the emperor with neither excessive humility nor arrogance.

Gazing at the young man kneeling below, Emperor Jingt examined him carefully. Yue Feng wasn’t particularly tall, but his complexion was as smooth as jade—not quite on par with Fu Jinyu’s, but nearly so. He was indeed a handsome man. If Layue had feelings for him, Emperor Jingt found it hard to believe.

Glancing at Shen Layue, he noticed her expression showed a hint of delight upon seeing Yue Feng, which stirred irritation within him. Still, he kept his face impassive.

This girl is truly like this. But if there were really anything going on, how could she act so recklessly?

The other concubines, seeing the refined and elegant Yue Feng, became even more convinced of Chen Yulan’s accusations.

Falling for such a man wasn’t strange at all.

“Yue Feng,” the emperor asked mockingly, “Chen Yulan claims you and Shen Layue have an affair. What do you say?”

Whether there was truly an affair or not, the sight of Yue Feng’s extraordinary appearance ignited a flicker of jealousy in Emperor Jing, causing his tone to instinctively turn sharp.

Yue Feng stared blankly at the emperor, as if he hadn’t processed what was said.

Chen Yulan quickly interjected. At this point, she no longer cared about anything else, only hoping to bring Shen Layue down with her: “Cousin, I’ve already told the emperor everything. You and Shen Layue are in a secret relationship, and because of her, you haven’t married despite being nineteen.”

Yue Feng looked at Chen Yulan in disbelief. He had never liked this cousin, finding her intentions questionable. He never imagined she would stoop so low to frame his cousin Layue.

“I swear I didn’t.”

At this moment, Concubine Qi spoke softly: “If you truly were in a secret relationship, you wouldn’t admit it for her sake, just as you’ve refused to marry for her.”

Nods of agreement spread among the crowd. Indeed, that logic made sense.

Layue looked at Chen Yulan and Concubine Qi, realizing they were determined to destroy her.

She sneered coldly: “Why must you go to such lengths to frame me?”

Concubine Qi stared back at Layue: “Princess Chun, you’re mistaken. How could it be called framing? I’m merely acting for the emperor’s sake.”

Her words sounded noble indeed.

The emperor also looked at Layue. As she studied the emperor’s expression, she caught a glimpse of trust in his eyes.

For some reason, tears streamed down her face. He actually believed her?

Indeed, the emperor did believe her. Perhaps he had had some doubts before, but now, under his trusting gaze, Layue felt a warmth she hadn’t expected.

Seeing Shen Layue cry, others assumed it was embarrassment at being exposed. But then she laughed—loudly and heartily.

Even the emperor was puzzled now.

Looking at the emperor, she said, “Your Majesty, I could never have an affair with my cousin. This is all Chen Yulan’s malicious framing. Could she still want someone to die with her after she herself dies? In the past, I forgave your repeated attempts to harm me for the sake of my aunt. I never expected you to remain unrepentant today.”

Chen Yulan, scolded by Layue and disregarding the emperor’s presence, retorted, “You’re just too ashamed to admit it.”

Seeing her so confident, the emperor remained silent, watching her.

Layue smiled, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief.

She gave a charming smile and turned to Yue Feng: “Cousin, it seems we’ll both die unless the truth comes out.”

Yue Feng’s eyes widened, staring at Shen Layue in disbelief.

The others naturally didn’t understand the exchange between them. After a while, Yue Feng suddenly laughed.

Muttering, “So you already knew.”

Then he raised his head: “Your Majesty, I could never have an affair with my cousin, nor could I marry.”

This statement puzzled everyone. Some immediately suspected him of being homosexual.

Could this young master Yue be willing to ruin his reputation for Shen Layue?

But even then, it might not help.

Unexpectedly, Yue Feng raised his head and with one motion, let down his long hair, causing shock among everyone present.

“I am a woman myself. How could I possibly have an affair with my cousin or marry anyone?”

Even the emperor was stunned by this revelation, while Layue continued to laugh heartily.

It turned out there was no affair, no homosexuality. Yue Feng was, in fact, a woman all along.

If Yue Feng had been the daughter of an official, she might have been charged with deceiving the emperor. But being the daughter of a merchant, no one could really accuse her of anything.

Chen Yulan stared at Yue Feng kneeling there, speechless for a long time. She had thought she had devised a perfect plan to bring down Shen Layue, wondering why she hadn’t thought of it sooner.

But who could have guessed everything would fall apart like this?

Seeing that Shen Layue seemed to have known about Yue Feng’s true gender all along, Chen Yulan became hysterical: “Why? Why does everyone favor her? What makes her better than me? You told her you were a woman but never told me. Everyone treats her like a treasure. What’s so special about her? What makes her better than me?”

The emperor seemed disgusted even to look at her. With a glance, Lai Xi quickly moved to cover her mouth, and several people dragged her away.

Layue knew Chen Yulan was doomed, but she had no time to dwell on her fate now. Thinking back to how she had been framed, Layue felt a chill in her heart.

Indeed, she had been too merciful. She had known what kind of person her cousin was. If she had dealt with her earlier, she wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament, nor would her cousin have been forced to reveal her true identity.

If she hadn’t known that “Cousin” was actually a woman, she and her cousin might have both fallen victim.

The Yue and Shen families would also have suffered.

Truly despicable.

Perhaps with all this finally resolved, Layue both blamed herself for her earlier mercy and felt relieved that everything had turned out well.

As the tension eased, her body weakened, and she collapsed.

Madam Zhou, standing beside Layue, rushed forward and caught her.

Seeing this, the emperor immediately rose from his seat.

“Quickly summon the physician—”

He then rushed down from his position.

…

When Layue regained consciousness, she found herself in the Tingyu Pavilion.

Confused, she looked around and realized the emperor was there too, belatedly recalling what had happened.

Layue pouted slightly, feeling wronged.

Seeing her awake, the emperor quickly sat by her bedside: “How are you feeling, Yue’er? The physician has already examined you. He said you fainted from excessive worry but there’s no serious problem.”

Hearing that her child was safe, Yue nodded with relief.

“Where is my cousin?”

The emperor coughed slightly: “She’s waiting outside. If you wish to see her later, I will allow her to come in.”

The emperor never imagined that the eldest son of the Yue family was actually a woman—an absurd situation beyond imagination.

Seeing her silent, he added: “You’ve been wronged.”

Yue nodded and leaned against him, still remembering his trusting gaze.

“At that moment, seeing your trusting eyes, I felt that I hadn’t been wronged at all. Chen Yulan wanted to frame me, but she chose the worst possible person.”

Actually, in others’ eyes, Yue Feng was the most suitable suspect.

After Shen Layue fainted, the emperor had already ordered an examination of Yue Feng’s body. Regarding the matter of her disguising herself as a man, he had already inquired thoroughly. It turned out that when Yue Feng’s grandfather was critically ill, he longed for a grandson. Therefore, her father dared to dress his daughter as a son.

This act of celebration actually helped the old man recover.

From then on, he showered Yue Feng with all his love and affection.

When Yue Feng was eight and the old man passed away, her father intended to reveal her true identity. However, Yue Feng had already become accustomed to living as a boy and continued this way. Without Chen Yulan’s false accusation, no one might have discovered Yue Feng’s true gender for a long time.

The emperor hadn’t always been confident in trusting Layue, but that final moment of trust was enough for Layue to cherish deeply.

“Didn’t you always say I’m the best man in the world? If I’m truly the best man in the world, then naturally I believe you wouldn’t fall for anyone else.”

Seeing him like this, Layue finally smiled.

“Actually, I discovered my cousin wasn’t a boy when my mother passed away.”

“Oh? Why?” The emperor was genuinely curious.

He himself hadn’t noticed that Yue Feng had no earlobes, a flat figure, and despite having a beautiful face, couldn’t rival Fu Jinyu. Her speech, behavior, and walk showed no sign of being feminine.

“Because she looked so much like my mother, especially in profile. That day, we were both in the mourning hall. Looking at her profile, I felt that if she were a woman, she would resemble my mother very much. You know, I was less than ten years old then. Thinking she resembled my mother, I followed her. Perhaps it was a great coincidence, but I overheard her conversation with my aunt. From then on, I knew she was my cousin sister, not my cousin brother. Since she was my cousin sister and looked so much like my mother, I naturally liked spending time with her. I never expected my cousin would use this matter to harm me.”

Mentioning Chen Yulan, the emperor snorted coldly: “Such a wicked woman deserves to be punished. Chen Yulan and Lian Xiuyun have already been dealt with.”

Layue simply nodded in acknowledgment, saying nothing more.

“After today’s events, the news of my cousin being a woman will inevitably spread. Your Majesty, may I speak with my cousin alone for a moment?”

“Of course.”