MY PRINCE HUSBAND HAS SEVEN WIVES AND I AM HIS FAVOURITE!
Chapter 90: Please have mercy

Chapter 90: Please have mercy

Pain.

It was all Hua Jing could feel now.

The lack of air, the freezing water, the burning pain in her throat—it was an endless cycle of torture.

She wanted to scream, fight, curse, but she couldn’t. Not yet.

Not when she had to survive.

Not when she had to get out of here.

Her body shook uncontrollably as she was yanked out of the water again, her wet hair clinging to her face, her lips trembling violently.

She gasped, coughed, choked, her chest rising and falling erratically.

The iron grip on her arms forced her upright, yet her legs barely held her weight.

A voice—cold, dangerous, merciless—cut through the damp air.

"Who ordered you to poison the Crown Prince?"

The Emperor.

Seated on his regal throne, golden robes draped over his broad frame, his gaze burned with unrelenting fury.

The imperial guards stood in perfect formation around the chamber, their faces void of emotion, their hands tight around their swords.

Behind them, noble officials and court dignitaries watched the scene with rapt attention, their expressions a mix of curiosity and condemnation.

And standing at the very back, their expressions smug, their eyes gleaming with satisfaction—

The First Consort, the Third Consort, the Fourth Consort, and the Sixth Consort.

They were watching her suffer.

They were enjoying it.

Hua Jing’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

The First Consort’s lips curled in amusement as she took a graceful step forward.

"Seventh Consort, there’s no use denying it. The evidence has already been found in your chambers. The Prince’s life is at stake, and you are the only one with the motive."

Hua Jing’s chest heaved, her wet clothes sticking to her skin.

She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Motive? What motive?!

She had only just entered the palace!

She barely knew the poisonous schemes of this place, yet they wanted to pin a crime on her so desperately.

Her gaze locked onto the First Consort’s smug face, and at that moment—

She swore that if she got out of this alive, she would drag this woman through hell.

But right now, she had to survive.

She exhaled, then lifted her head, her voice hoarse but unwavering.

"I did not poison the Prince."

Silence.

The Emperor’s glare sharpened.

"Then explain this."

A servant stepped forward, presenting a neatly wrapped cloth covered in silken embroidery.

The Fourth Consort smirked.

"This was found in your chambers. The same cloth you gave to the Prince. The poison on it matches the traces in his system."

Hua Jing’s blood ran cold.

This—

This was planted.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs as she stared at the fabric.

She had never given Zhao Yan any cloth.

The First Consort’s smirk widened as she took slow, deliberate steps toward Hua Jing.

"Seventh Consort," she said softly, mockingly, "Do you still wish to lie?"

Hua Jing’s breath trembled.

Then, she smiled.

A slow, sharp, dangerous smile.

"If I gave him this cloth," she said, voice laced with venom, "why was it found in my chambers?"

The First Consort’s expression stiffened for a brief second.

It was quick—but Hua Jing saw it.

The consort had expected her to plead, to beg, to break down.

But Hua Jing was not going to break.

The Fourth Consort, annoyed by her defiance, snapped, "You’re trying to twist words! It was in your room—so it belongs to you!"

Hua Jing exhaled, shaking her head.

"You’re all incredibly stupid."

A collective gasp filled the chamber.

The First Consort’s eyes darkened dangerously.

"How dare you—"

"If I truly wanted to poison the Prince," Hua Jing cut her off sharply, "why would I leave the evidence in my own room like an idiot? Wouldn’t I have destroyed it?"

Murmurs erupted among the officials.

The Emperor’s gaze flickered slightly, uncertainty flashing across his face.

The First Consort gritted her teeth.

She needed to regain control.

Her lips parted to speak—

But suddenly—

"Your Majesty! Please have mercy!"

A desperate voice cut through the air.

All heads turned.

From the shadows of the chamber, a disheveled figure stumbled forward, falling to her knees.

The Second Consort.

She bowed deeply, forehead pressed against the cold ground.

"Your Majesty, the Seventh Consort was not the one who did this. Please have mercy!"

Gasps filled the room.

The First Consort’s expression turned deadly.

The other consorts exchanged knowing looks, before fixing their glares on the Second Consort.

The Fourth Consort’s lips curled.

"Why are you defending her so desperately, Second Consort?" she sneered. "Unless—you were involved in the treason as well?"

A deadly silence fell.

The Second Consort’s face paled.

"That’s—That’s not true! I only—"

The Sixth Consort scoffed.

"How suspicious."

The noblemen and dignitaries began whispering.

The Emperor’s gaze hardened.

He turned toward the Second Consort.

"If you have proof of her innocence, present it now."

Before the Second Consort could speak—

Another voice interrupted.

"Your Majesty, the Prince was not poisoned."

Everyone froze.

The Imperial Physician had entered, his old face grim.

The Emperor’s head snapped toward him.

"What did you just say?"

The physician bowed.

"The Prince was not poisoned. I examined him thoroughly. His condition is critical, but there is no poison in his system."

Chaos erupted.

The officials began murmuring in confusion.

The consorts exchanged shocked glances.

The First Consort’s fists clenched.

The Emperor stood abruptly, his voice shaking.

"If he wasn’t poisoned—why hasn’t he woken up?"

The physician hesitated.

"That—I do not know, Your Majesty. But if the Seventh Consort was accused based on poison—then the accusation is false."

The emperor looked at the seventh consort who was cose to collapsing from all the torture she had received from them.

Her breath was coming out in low- whisps and she looked like she was going to die at any moment!

If she was not the one who poisoned the prince, then what in the hell happened that made him collapse in such a bizarre way?

A long, heavy silence filled the chamber.

Then—

A voice echoed from the doorway.

"What is happening here?"