Chapter 572 The Child is Gone

Upon hearing the sound, Doctor Liu hurried in and prayed silently in his heart, hoping for a turn for the better.

He quickly walked to the bedside and saw that Concubine An was pale, her hands were tightly grasping the quilt, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. It was obvious that she was experiencing great pain.

Doctor Liu immediately took her pulse, frowned, and couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

"Empress Defei, Noble Lady An's pulse is very weak. I'm afraid there's no hope for this child."

Doctor Liu's voice was low and heavy, and every word seemed to hit people's hearts.

Upon hearing this, a hint of determination flashed in Defei's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by endless worry. She held An Guiren's hand tightly, trying to give her strength.

"Ruxia, you must be strong, even if it's for the child. This child hasn't had time to see the world yet, and the emperor is still waiting outside, Ruxia..."

An Guiren was in so much pain that she could hardly speak. She could only nod vigorously, her eyes filled with fear of the unknown and desire for life.

At this moment, the anxious voice of Emperor Tianyuan was heard from outside the door.

"How's it going in there? Are Concubine An and the child all right?"

Doctor Liu looked at Concubine An lying on the bed and finally shook his head.

"Empress Defei, please order someone to clean up after Noble Lady An later and persuade her to mourn."

Lady An, who was lying on the bed in pain and sweating profusely, cried out in sorrow.

"No………"

Then he fainted.

Defei hurriedly supported her and shouted anxiously.

“Ruxia, Ruxia…”

Concubine De ordered Fuling and Nanny He to clean up Concubine An.

In the palace, many people came to visit Concubine An after learning that she had fallen into the water.

He walked up to Emperor Tianyuan with a sad face and slowly knelt down.

"I am guilty of not taking good care of Noble Lady An, which has caused harm to the royal heir. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Tianyuan looked very sad when he heard this. He had come to have dinner with Concubine An two days ago, and he had heard Imperial Physician Liu say that the child was healthy. How could the child suddenly be gone?

Concubine De looked up at Emperor Tianyuan's sad expression and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept punishment for my inadequate care of the dragon fetus. If I cannot repay you, whether it means deprivation of your position or house arrest, I have absolutely no complaints. However, the Empress knew that Concubine An was pregnant, but it was just a few words of argument. The nanny nearby slapped Concubine An in the face. The reason Concubine An fell into the pond was because the nanny hit her and she fell into the pond."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Tianyuan looked towards the Queen.

"Queen, do you have anything to say?"

Originally thinking it was just a minor punishment, she had not expected it to cause such a big disturbance. The queen suddenly realized that she had lost too much in this harem struggle - reputation, dignity, and even the emperor's trust. She knelt down hurriedly to apologize.

"Your Majesty, I was impulsive in this matter and should not have punished Lady An. However, Your Majesty, there must be a hidden reason behind this. I was just passing by the Imperial Garden and I tried to avoid Concubine De and Lady An when I saw them.

But Concubine De stopped me and started mocking me, saying that the Crown Prince deserved what he had done. Her words were extremely harsh, and she showed no respect for the Empress that a concubine should have. I was so angry that I scolded Concubine De. But who would have thought that Noble Lady An, a mere noble, would not take me seriously at all. Not only did she mock and ridicule me, she also made irresponsible remarks about state affairs, saying that the Crown Prince was unworthy of his position. I was so furious that I asked Madam Su to give me a small punishment and a big warning.

Nanny Su knelt behind the queen.

"Your Majesty, Concubine An relied on her pregnancy to disrespect the Empress, violating palace rules. I, following the Empress' orders, punished her. I knew the strength of my hand was accurate. I thought about it for a long time today. I only struck Concubine An in the face. I'm afraid that Concubine De and Concubine An deliberately threw her into the pond to wrongly accuse the Empress, causing damage to the concubine."

Upon hearing this, Concubine De raised her hand and pointed at Nanny Su angrily.

"How dare you, a wicked slave! You pushed Lady An into the water, causing the dragon fetus in her belly to be in danger. Now she lies there, her life or death uncertain. How dare you slander her like this? You are so vicious! How could there be such a cruel and ruthless person in this palace?"

Mei Fei, who was standing by, glanced at the inner room and spoke with sympathy.

"Since ancient times, even ordinary families have always prioritized having children, let alone the royal family. Which woman in the palace wouldn't be favored when she's pregnant? And who wouldn't feel a bit proud when they're favored? Even if Noble Lady An's words were truly offensive, we should be tolerant and understanding. It wouldn't be too late to punish her after she gives birth."

The Queen looked at the Emperor and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have been managing the harem for many years. I have always been harmonious with the sisters in the palace and have never criticized any concubine. Why do I want to punish Concubine An now? If they had not slandered the Crown Prince, I would not..."

The bracelet in Emperor Tianyuan's hand slammed down on the table.

"Isn't the Crown Prince unworthy of his position? Queen, as the Queen, not only did you fail to take good care of the dragon fetus, but now the dragon fetus has been lost in your hands. You have greatly disappointed me."

Defei looked at the queen and spoke angrily.

"Even if I did do something wrong, Your Majesty, please punish me. Noble Lady An only spoke up for me after seeing you, Your Majesty, hit me. Why did you make such a fuss?"

Ning Shuang also spoke up when she saw this.

"Alas, the Empress Dowager specifically ordered me to come visit Noble Lady An today. Now that things have become like this, I don't know how to explain it to the Empress Dowager when I get back."

Upon seeing this, Emperor Tianyuan looked at Ning Shuang.

"Princess Wen'an is also in the Imperial Garden today? I saw you when I arrived."

Ning Shuang hurriedly replied after hearing this.

"In reply to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager was very concerned about Concubine An's pregnancy, so she asked me to come over often. Ning Shuang knew that Concubine An would take a walk with Concubine De in the Imperial Garden every day to digest her food, so she thought she'd go there today to see if she could run into them. Unexpectedly, she saw Nanny Su fighting Concubine An. The situation at the time was truly terrifying, and even now, she's terrified by the aftermath."