Chapter 3: The Little Diviner Saves Her Clan

"The star that intruded in secret is in the east."

As I spoke, lightning struck in that direction.

Straight toward the Eastern Palace.

An unnatural sign in the heavens.

My clear voice rang out.

"The father of the baby in Her Highness's belly is not the Emperor."

A thunderclap split the sky.

The executioner's heavy blade fell from his hand.

More than a hundred Xies stared toward Father's head.

No one dared speak.

As though the smallest sound might remind the Emperor to carry on with the executions.

After the shock, Mother and my brothers all turned toward me.

The precious little sister they'd all cared for could really see?

Mother bit her lip.

A few months earlier, the widow's son at the end of the lane had mocked Little Wu for being blind and deliberately tripped me.

Mother had been so angry she'd run to the widow's door and scattered salt there.

Eldest Brother's eyes stirred too.

He'd carved characters into stones, teaching me to recognize them through games.

He rubbed the old knife scar on his fingertip and laughed in exasperation.

Second and Fourth Brothers had taught me as a blind child too.

They exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.

The Emperor left Consort Yu and came toward me.

"Is what you say true?"

I set aside my innocent expression and met him seriously.

In that moment, I no longer seemed five.

"I, Xie Guanyan, speak only the truth."

Just like Xie Yunli's words all those years ago.

"Would Your Highness like to hear the truth?"

"Search them, and you'll know those three physicians lied."

The Emperor looked at the strange sky and considered for a moment.

"Guards!"

Hidden compartments in the physicians' medicine chests yielded several things.

An old ginseng root sent as tribute from Goryeo.

A small box of tribute musk.

Some first-rate dendrobium.

The chief eunuch lowered his voice.

"These are all tribute medicines. They can only be found in the palace."

"The Grand Empress Dowager ordered this servant to take that ginseng to the Consort after her miscarriage."

Her teeth chattered.

The Emperor signaled for Second Brother's cangue to be removed.

"Xie Zhen. Examine her."

Second Brother had been an attending physician at the Imperial Medical Office.

He'd even cured the Grand Empress Dowager's asthma.

Without Consort Yu's miscarriage, why would he have been sent to the imperial prison?

He approached.

Suddenly, she struggled wildly.

Two eunuchs seized her wrists.

Only then could he take her pulse.

His expression grew grave.

A moment later, he dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty. It is a pregnancy pulse!"

Not a trace of joy crossed the ruler's face.

"Indeed?"

"I stake all one hundred and six lives of the Xie clan on it. I would not dare speak a single false word."

"Her Highness is more than three months pregnant."

The Emperor drew a guard's sword.

Its point pressed against Consort Yu's pale neck.

"Physician Xie says you are three months pregnant."

"But three months ago, I had not yet returned from the campaign."

"The Crown Prince was governing in my place."

"He was the only one who could enter the inner palace!"

With every sentence, the point sank a little deeper.

Drops of blood fell.

She sucked in breaths of pain.

"Xie Zhen is talking nonsense… misleading Your Majesty…"

"All three physicians said I wasn't pregnant…"

Before she'd finished, the three physicians held by the guards clenched their teeth.

A moment later, black blood spilled from their mouths.

One after another, they fell.

Their legs twitched weakly.

Then they stopped breathing.

Black clouds filled the sky.

Hatred rose in the Emperor's eyes.

His sword lowered slowly from the Consort's neck.

The blade split her crimson spring robe.

"Your Majesty…"

Ignoring the cuts in her skin, she seized the blade with both hands.

"It was the Crown Prince! He forced me!"

Hearing the commotion above, the executioner stared at the bright yellow dragon robe.

"Are we still beheading them or not?"

He muttered it to himself.

I lifted a short leg and kicked the heavy blade away.

Clang!

Its point dipped and drove into the ground right beside Eldest Brother's foot.

He scrambled back.

Then looked up at the culprit.

"If you want to kill your eldest brother, just say so!"

I blinked at him.

"I'm blind. Be a little patient with me."

"…"

"Pick me up."

I tried to raise my arms.

The cangue around my neck held me fast.

Eldest Brother helplessly tugged his chains to show he couldn't move either.

Request for a cuddle denied.