The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

Chapter 476

After some questioning, the young maidservant turned pale and trembled with fear. She finally confessed that Li Yanran had instructed her to collude with the old doctor to fabricate evidence and frame Dongfang Mingzhu. Upon learning the truth, Dongfang Mingzhu was overjoyed and went to find Jing Chu again with the evidence.

When Jing Chu saw this new evidence, his face turned so dark it seemed like water could drip from it. He never expected that Li Yanran would be so scheming and ruthless.

Upon learning of the maid's arrest, Li Yanran inwardly cursed, but she feigned composure, intending to offer another excuse as before. However, this time, Jing Chu was utterly disillusioned with her and no longer believed a word she uttered. Faced with irrefutable evidence, Li Yanran was speechless, forced to lower her head and tremble.

Jing Chu glared angrily and shouted, "As a member of the Prince's Mansion, you have a wicked heart and have repeatedly framed others. Today's matter cannot be let off lightly. For the sake of the child in your womb, I punish you by confining you to your quarters for three months to reflect on your actions. If you dare to harbor any more ill intentions, I will not let you off lightly!" After saying that, he ordered his men to take Li Yanran away.

Seeing Li Yanran's distraught state, Dongfang Mingzhu felt immense satisfaction; she had finally won this battle. However, she also understood that she still needed to be cautious in the days to come, because given Li Yanran's temperament, she would never give up easily.

During her confinement, Li Yanran appeared outwardly well-behaved and obedient, spending her days either admiring flowers in the courtyard or reading in her room, seemingly living a peaceful and idyllic life. However, in reality, she was frantically plotting revenge. She bribed the guards and, under the cover of night, secretly sent messages, contacting her influence outside the palace.

At the same time, Dongfang Mingzhu did not let her guard down in the slightest. Knowing Li Yanran's character well, she knew that Li Yanran would not give up so easily, so she ordered Juhua to strengthen surveillance throughout the mansion and not let go of any suspicious places.

One day, Jing Chu went out to handle some business and wouldn't be back for a while. Li Yanran felt her opportunity had come. She secretly colluded with forces outside the palace, instructing them to sneak into the residence under cover of night, intending to create chaos and then take advantage of the confusion to attack Dongfang Mingzhu.

However, Dongfang Mingzhu was prepared. She directed her guards to set up an ambush beforehand. When Li Yanran's forces from outside the palace infiltrated the residence, they were instantly surrounded. After a fierce battle, the infiltrators were all captured, none escaping. Upon learning of the plan's failure, Li Yanran was frantic, pacing back and forth in her room like a trapped wild animal.

Just then, Jing Chu returned. Upon learning of this, he was utterly disappointed in Li Yanran, his anger becoming uncontrollable. He decided to expel her from the manor and never see her again. Hearing this, Li Yanran turned pale with fright and desperately begged, even kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly. But Jing Chu's mind was made up; he remained unmoved. In the end, Li Yanran could only slink away from the manor, her figure appearing particularly desolate in the afterglow of the setting sun.

After this battle, Dongfang Mingzhu's position in the Prince's mansion became even more secure. She also deeply understood that in this mansion full of scheming and intrigue, only by being strong enough could she protect herself and the child in her womb.

However, the matter did not end there. Filled with resentment after being expelled from the Prince's residence, Li Yanran vowed revenge against Dongfang Mingzhu and Jing Chu. Therefore, she allied herself with Jing Chu's political enemy. Hearing of this, the enemy saw an opportunity and instructed Li Yanran to infiltrate the Prince's residence again, waiting for the right moment to strike, hoping to find incriminating evidence against Jing Chu and bring him down.

Disguised and familiar with the Prince's residence, Li Yanran successfully infiltrated the compound. She secretly poisoned the water supply, intending to slowly poison everyone inside, create chaos, and then profit from the chaos.

At first, some people in the manor only felt unwell, occasionally experiencing dizziness and weakness, but they didn't pay much attention, attributing it to overwork. However, as time went on, the symptoms worsened, many people became bedridden, and some even fell into a coma. Dongfang Mingzhu sensed something was wrong and felt a growing unease, so she quickly summoned the manor's physician for treatment.

After a thorough examination, the physician's expression turned grave. He reported to Dongfang Mingzhu, "Consort, everyone in the household has been poisoned with a slow-acting poison. This poison is mild and not easily detected at first, but over time it will gradually erode the body and endanger lives." Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingzhu was shocked. Her first suspect was Li Yanran.

She immediately ordered a thorough search of the mansion, leaving no corner unchecked. Soon, they found Li Yanran in disguise in a secluded spot. Caught red-handed, Li Yanran remained defiant, saying fiercely, "What can you do to me? I have my master backing me up; even Jing Chu wouldn't dare do anything to me!" Dongfang Mingzhu looked at her and sneered, "Hmph, regardless of how His Highness will deal with you, for your heinous act of poisoning, I won't let you off easily." With that, she ordered Li Yanran imprisoned and immediately summoned the mansion's physicians, instructing them to work day and night to develop an antidote as quickly as possible.

The physicians worked day and night, consulting various medical books and trying different medicinal herbs. Finally, after several days and nights of effort, they developed an antidote. After taking the antidote, everyone in the manor gradually recovered.

Upon his return, Jing Chu was enraged upon learning of the incident. He was already utterly disappointed by Li Yanran's previous misdeeds, and now that she had colluded with political enemies to poison everyone in the Prince's residence, her crime was unforgivable. Ignoring the threats from the forces behind Li Yanran, Jing Chu handed her over to the authorities for severe punishment. Meanwhile, he began secretly plotting a counterattack against her political enemies.

When Jing Chu's political enemies learned that Li Yanran had been severely punished, they were enraged and decided to stop acting in secret and openly oppose Jing Chu. They targeted Jing Chu at every turn in the court, impeaching him for lax household management, which led to the poisoning incident in the Prince's Mansion and had a terrible impact, and demanding that the emperor severely punish Jing Chu.

Jing Chu was fearless. He argued his case forcefully in court, exposing his political enemies' conspiracy to collude with Li Yanran to poison everyone in the Prince's mansion. The two sides went back and forth, neither willing to give in, and for a time they were deadlocked.

Upon learning of this, Dongfang Mingzhu knew she couldn't sit idly by. She used her connections among the people to investigate her political enemies' crimes. After much effort, she finally gathered evidence of their corruption, bribery, and oppression of the people.

After gathering all the evidence, Jingchu suddenly launched an attack in court, revealing the crimes of his political enemies one by one. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. Faced with irrefutable evidence, the political enemies were speechless and fell from power one after another.

After this turmoil, Jingchu's position in the court became even more secure. Dongfang Mingzhu, through her wisdom and decisiveness, also became one of Jingchu's most trusted confidantes. The Prince's residence finally returned to its former tranquility, and Dongfang Mingzhu focused on her pregnancy, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her new life.

However, the peaceful days didn't last long. Just as Dongfang Mingzhu was about to give birth, a mysterious old woman suddenly appeared at the Prince's residence. She claimed to be a retired matron from the Imperial Hospital, possessing superb medical skills, and had come to assist the concubine upon hearing of her impending delivery. Seeing her professional demeanor and her knowledgeable explanations of childbirth, Jingchu and Dongfang Mingzhu allowed her to stay and help in the delivery room.

The delivery was incredibly difficult; Dongfang Mingzhu was pale with pain, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. The baby was taking forever to be born, and everyone was extremely anxious. Just then, the old woman suddenly acted strangely and secretly tampered with the medicine. Fortunately, Juhua, who had been watching the old woman closely, noticed her actions and shouted, "Oh no! She's up to something!" Only then did everyone realize what was happening.

Jing Chu immediately ordered his men to arrest and interrogate the old woman. It turned out that she was sent by the remnants of his political enemies, who wanted to harm Dongfang Mingzhu and her child at a crucial moment in order to take revenge on Jing Chu.

After a harrowing rescue, Dongfang Mingzhu successfully gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Jing Chu looked at his newborn son, his heart filled with mixed emotions of joy and anger. He was joyful that his lineage was intact, giving the Prince's Mansion new hope; yet he was furious that his political enemies were so ruthless, attempting sabotage at this critical juncture. He vowed to thoroughly investigate and wipe out the remaining forces of his political enemies.

Despite her weakened state after childbirth, Dongfang Mingzhu's face was filled with tenderness as she looked at the child in her arms. She knew that this child was not only the fruit of her and Jingchu's love, but also the future hope of the Prince's Mansion.

Under Jing Chu's investigation, the mastermind behind his political enemies was quickly uncovered. He launched another attack in court, exposing the mastermind's crimes to the public. The emperor was furious and issued an edict to severely punish the mastermind and his cronies.

Following this incident, the Prince's Mansion became even more heavily guarded. While recuperating, Dongfang Mingzhu also devoted herself to educating her child. The child grew up day by day, becoming intelligent and charming, and was very lovable.

As their child grew older, Jingchu began to worry about his education. One day, he heard that a renowned physician, skilled in medicine and erudite, had come to the capital. Jingchu sent someone to invite him to the palace, hoping he could teach his child some medical knowledge. The physician, upon seeing the child, was greatly impressed, praising his extraordinary talent and promising future as a medical prodigy. However, shortly after the child began studying with the physician, a rare plague suddenly broke out in the capital. Many people fell ill and were bedridden, their condition critical. Jingchu and Dongfang Mingzhu decided to send their child with the physician to help the people. Although young, the child, with his intelligence and medical skills, played a significant role in the rescue efforts. They developed an effective prescription and brought the epidemic under control. This achievement made the child famous, and the palace gained the people's love and respect for their good deeds. Dongfang Mingzhu was filled with pride seeing her child's promising future, and Jingchu was also full of hope for his child's future. The family continued to live a happy and meaningful life at the palace.