Chapter 325 They're all dead.

"The newborn prince looked fair and clean, and was very lovable, but he did not have an anus."

Erfeng said in a low voice, a sigh escaping his lips.

Li Nanke blinked before realizing the meaning behind his words.

Without an anus, it means that the food you eat cannot be excreted.

In other words, you can eat, but you can't defecate!

"What did the imperial physicians say?"

Erfeng shook his head.

"All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy went there, and after the consultation, they all said there was nothing they could do."

The prince brought Master Guiliu to the palace to examine the prince, who said the illness stemmed from damage sustained in the womb, indicating the prince had not developed properly.

Did you suffer damage in the womb?

Li Nanke's heart stirred slightly, and he looked up at Shen Cong.

"Could it be related to the poisoning that Consort Shu suffered when she first became pregnant?"

When the two princesses were choosing their study companions, Consort Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, but she was poisoned.

Li Nanke fed her the antidote pills from Gui Liu, which saved her life.

"Could it be that although the poison has been neutralized, it has still harmed the prince?"

Shen Cong neither agreed nor disagreed with her words.

"My brother also thinks so, so he is very angry and has ordered a thorough investigation into Consort Shu's poisoning."

Li Nanke chuckled to himself.

If even she could guess that the matter was related to Empress Xue, how could the emperor not know?

If they truly wanted to stand up for Consort Shu, they would have ordered an investigation and severe punishment when the incident occurred.

More than half a year has passed, and now that there are problems with the little prince born to Consort Shu, an investigation has been launched again.

In half a year, Empress Xue must have wiped away all the evidence without a trace, right?

She noticed a hint of disapproval in Shen Cong's words, as if he didn't agree with it.

"Does Ninth Brother have other ideas?"

Shen Cong lowered his eyes slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I'm wondering if this matter is related to the Gu poison in my brother's body?"

Why would Ninth Brother think that way?

Shen Cong said, "My brother has been on the throne for six years. In the first few years, some of his concubines were pregnant, but they all miscarried."

Before Consort Shu became pregnant, no concubine in the palace had conceived or been born for more than two years.

Li Nanke: "If that's really the case, wouldn't the child in Consort Wang's womb also...?"

Shen Cong didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Li Nanke felt heavy-hearted.

The Wang family and Consort Wang were filled with anticipation for the child in her womb. If they had known that the child could not possibly be healthy, they would have been extremely disappointed.

However, the fact that the emperor was poisoned by Gu was a secret in the court, and almost no one knew about it.

She couldn't reveal this to Wang Tongyun, lest it bring trouble to the Wang family...

Seemingly sensing her worry, Shen Cong said, "It's still four months until Consort Wang gives birth. It's too early to draw conclusions now. Let's wait and see."

Li Nanke nodded.

That's all we can do for now.

Despite the best efforts of the imperial physicians, they were ultimately unable to save the little prince born to Consort Shu.

The young prince lived for only seven days before closing his eyes forever.

Consort Shu was heartbroken and fainted several times from crying, eventually falling so ill that she could no longer get out of bed.

She had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to the little prince, which damaged her health. She was bedridden for a month and eventually passed away.

The emperor ordered that Consort Shu be given a grand funeral. Only after Consort Shu's funeral did Princess Zhaoning and Princess Zhaokang return to their studies.

Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun had arranged to meet Princess Zhaokang at the entrance of Jingxing Courtyard early in the morning.

Losing one's mother at a young age is one of the most heartbreaking things in the world.

Both of them were very worried about Princess Zhaokang's condition.

It was almost 7:45 AM when the palace carriage arrived at the gate.

The two eagerly stepped forward, only to find that it was Princess Zhaoning and Shen Xu who stepped out of the carriage.

Princess Zhaokang was not present.

Li Nanke frowned slightly, pulled Wang Tongyun back a step, and bowed.

"Greetings, Your Highness, and Your Highness."

Princess Zhaoning pursed her lips and snorted coldly as she watched the two retreat quickly.

My immediate instinct was to start yelling.

But Shen Xu grabbed her and shook his head at her.

"Have you forgotten what Mother Empress told us?"

Princess Zhaoning, seemingly remembering something, huffed and puffed as she strode past Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun with her chin held high.

Shen Xu pursed his lips and shook his head helplessly.

Then he nodded gently to Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun.

"Are you waiting for Princess Zhaokang? She had to go to offer incense to Consort Shu first, so she left the palace late and is in the carriage behind."

Li Nanke: "Thank you for informing me, Your Highness."

Shen Xu smiled slightly, turned around and went inside first.

After his figure disappeared behind the screen wall, Wang Tongyun pouted.

He whispered, "Empress Xue has been having a hard time lately. I heard that His Majesty has reprimanded her several times and even found a reason to strip her of her power to manage the six palaces, handing it over to my aunt."

Empress Xue must have given specific instructions, otherwise, given Princess Zhaoning's temperament, she would have already started making a scene.

Li Nanke understood.

The young prince died, Consort Shu died, and the emperor was heartbroken. He needed an outlet to vent his emotions.

With the Duke of Xue's mansion in power, although he couldn't depose the empress, it didn't stop him from finding an excuse to punish her.

No wonder even Shen Xu became gentle.

Another carriage stopped at the gate; Princess Zhaokang had arrived.

In just one month, Princess Zhaokang lost a lot of weight, and her face became much thinner.

He got off the carriage and stared blankly at the two of them, then entered the door in a daze.

The personal maid whispered to Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun, crying, "His Majesty wants our princess to move to another concubine's palace."

Our princess refuses, spending every day on the Empress's bedside and crying all night long. How can the princess's body withstand this?

We beg the County Princess and Miss Wang Si to persuade our princess.

The palace maid earnestly pleaded with Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun.

The two readily agreed.

Li Nanke knew in his heart that the death of his loved ones, especially his loving parents, would be a sorrow he would never be able to let go of for the rest of his life.

Any words of comfort are inadequate.

It will surge into my heart at countless different moments, and may turn into a storm at any time.

All they could do was to accompany Princess Zhaokang with all their heart.

Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun prepared various arguments, hoping to guide Princess Zhaokang to speak first.

Before she could even speak, Princess Zhaokang suddenly said, "Ke'er, you said my mother and younger brother are both gone. Shouldn't I avenge them?"

She stared blankly at Li Nanke, her pale face devoid of color, her eyes bloodshot, and dark circles under her eyes.

Li Nanke was startled, but before she could speak, Wang Tongyun spoke first.

Nodding vigorously in agreement.

"Of course, if anyone dares to harm my mother and my sister, I will definitely kill them!"

Li Nanke nudged Wang Tongyun lightly with her elbow and gave her a sly glare.

Wang Tongyun stuck out her tongue, looking annoyed, indicating that she really couldn't control herself.

Li Nanke grasped Princess Zhaokang's cold little hand, applying slight pressure to make her look at him.

"Princess, what do you want to do?"