The third prince slumped onto the floor once the emperor was out of eyeshot. A smile tugged at his lips. The day the truth was discovered would be the day he was released.

The prison suddenly seemed a little brighter. He fell asleep lying on the floor.

The honored consort had planted an informant at the emperor’s side. The young eunuch recognized the gravity of the news. He snuck to her palace while the others weren’t paying attention and told her what had happened in the prison. The consort broke into cold sweat in reaction.

“What should we do, Consort Zhen?” asked the consort’s personal maid.

The honored consort took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn’t expect her secret to be exposed. She felt an intense resentment for the one responsible. She, however, didn’t have time to think about getting back at whoever it was; her top priority was to survive the storm. “The emperor’s going to do a paternity test through blood[1]. The emperor is a careful and mistrustful man. He won’t sit idle and...