Chapter 59 (None)

Cuiwei Pavilion.

Duan Meiren suffered greatly during childbirth. After being moved back to her bedroom from the delivery room, she was still weak and unable to move while lying in bed.

Upon hearing the news of the Fourth Prince's death, Consort Duan fainted on the spot.

Bai Qin and Zhi Zi had been serving her day and night, and were already exhausted. When they saw Duan Meiren faint, they were momentarily stunned. When they came to their senses, they rushed over and pinched Duan Meiren's philtrum, crying out in a shrill voice, "Meiren, Meiren! Go and fetch the imperial physician! Go and fetch the imperial physician!"

The palace maids waiting outside hurried away, and Consort Duan, though momentarily breathless, slowly awoke. Thinking of her son, whom she had given birth to with such difficulty, she burst into tears, crying out, "My son! My Fourth Prince!"

Bai Qin tearfully advised, "A beautiful woman has just given birth; she mustn't cry during her postpartum period, lest she hurt her eyes."

Consort Duan wouldn't listen to anything. She cried her heart out and struggled to get up. "No, I have to go see him. My son was a prince. He was protected by the Emperor and the heavens. How could he be gone!"

"My beauty, you are still weak, please don't move!" Bai Qin and Zhi Zi hurriedly advised.

Duan Meiren struggled to sit up, but her vision blurred. She fell back down. Lying there, she wept and pounded the bed, crying, "My son! My son!"

"My beauty, the Fourth Prince has already passed away. Please don't harm your health!" Bai Qinzhi said, tears streaming down her face, as she tried to comfort and persuade her.

"It's all her! It's all her! It really is her!" Duan Meiren suddenly remembered some words she vaguely heard while lying in the delivery room, her eyes widened, and she screamed.

“My son was perfectly fine, but she gave birth to him first, stole his luck, and now she even took his life!”

Bai Qin and Zhi Zi were stunned. They exchanged a glance and anxiously advised, "My lady, please keep your voice down! These are just old women gossiping. Don't believe them, or you might be..."

The two women were attending to Consort Duan during her childbirth when they overheard these words being spoken outside the delivery room. By the time Bai Qin went out to see who was gossiping, the person had already left.

At that time, Cuiwei Pavilion was crowded with people. Bai Qin was busy and tired and had no time to pay attention to them. He turned around and went back to his room to serve Duan Meiren.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, Jiang Ling's son was a prince, and his rank was higher than that of Consort Duan.

Words can be dangerous; they might even lead to your death.

"Slap!" Duan Meiren raised her hand and slapped Bai Qin, who was standing nearby, across the face.

"You vile woman! I am the legitimate daughter of a noble family, how could I possibly be afraid of her! She's always trying to compete with me, bah! How can she possibly be better than me? She doesn't even deserve to be my daughter! She killed my son, and I will seek revenge!"

Duan Meiren appeared frantic, waving her arms and shouting, "Go and fetch the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor! That vile woman ruined me! I won't let her get away with this!"

Bai Qin sat on the footstool, covering her face. It took her a long time to catch her breath. Although she felt resentful, she dared not say anything. She got up and asked the palace maid to go to the Chuigong Hall.

A palace maid who had gone to fetch the imperial physicians entered from outside. Zhi Zi hurried forward and heard her say, "Imperial Physician Zheng and Imperial Physician Wu have gone to check Consort Jiang's pulse. Sister Zhi Zi, should we send someone to the Imperial Hospital to fetch other imperial physicians?"

Zhi Zi thought that Duan Meiren had at least woken up. While she hesitated, Duan Meiren was already furious, angrily shouting, "You bitch, she did this on purpose..."

The palace maid shrank back in fright, and Zhi Zi quickly pushed her out, saying, "Don't make a sound, go and keep watch."

Bai Qin stood there listlessly, offering only half-hearted words of advice. Zhi Zi bit her lip; she was also exhausted, and seeing Bai Qin being beaten, she dared not offer any more words of advice.

Not long after, Huang Liang arrived at Cuiwei Pavilion to arrest Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan. Through the wall, Duan Meiren's shrill shouts could be faintly heard. Huang Liang stopped to listen for a few words, then went to Fanying Pavilion without saying a word.

The delivery room, stained with blood, was considered an unclean place. After a woman gave birth, men would not enter her room until a month had passed.

Emperor Yuanming, remembering his deceased fourth prince, finally arrived at Cuiwei Pavilion. Standing in the side room, he heard Consort Duan's hoarse sobs from the inner bedroom, and his heart was heavy.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty must avenge me and avenge the Fourth Prince!" Consort Duan cried, clutching her chest. "The Fourth Prince was murdered by Consort Jiang using magic!"

Emperor Yuanming was startled, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

“Consort Jiang has been jealous of me ever since I entered the palace. I was pregnant first, and then Consort Jiang became pregnant. From that time on, Consort Jiang has been keeping an eye on me!”

Duan Meiren thought of her lost son, while Jiang Ling and her son were safe and sound. Her pain was overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred, and she gritted her teeth in hatred, losing all reason.

“I was pregnant before Consort Jiang. When she saw that I was about to give birth, she rushed to go into labor at the same time as me and gave birth before me. Poor Fourth Prince, his luck was stolen just like that, and she even took his life.”

"Shut up!" Emperor Yuanming's face darkened, and he roared, "I'm letting it slide because you just gave birth and the Fourth Prince is gone, and you're so heartbroken. But Confucius said, 'Do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, or supernatural beings.' If you spout nonsense again, I will not forgive you!"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty must do justice for me!"

Consort Duan never expected that Emperor Yuanming would be so biased towards Jiang Ling, even disregarding his own son. Her heart ached terribly, and her resentment and anger made her cry until she could hardly breathe.

"Your Majesty, I know you favor Consort Jiang. I dare not compete with her, nor dare I speak ill of her in the slightest. But Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is your own flesh and blood. Poor Fourth Prince, if Your Majesty does not uphold justice for him, how can he leave in peace!"

Consort Duan cried out in anguish, but Emperor Yuanming was enraged and shouted, "I think you've lost your mind! If you continue to spout nonsense, I will not forgive you!"

"Your Majesty, if I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I die a horrible death!"

Consort Duan pointed to the heavens and swore an oath, shouting excitedly, "Imperial Physician Zheng and Imperial Physician Wu are Jiang Consort's accomplices! They treated the Fourth Prince, but who knew they would poison him! Fearing exposure, they hastily fled to Fanying Pavilion to hide. If Consort Jiang didn't have something to hide, why wouldn't she allow the wet nurse to feed the child! Let alone the palace, even in the capital, no respectable family would allow the mistress to feed her own children! Before the delivery, I heard that Fanying Pavilion made a huge fuss, steaming and boiling cloths, and sweeping repeatedly. The midwife was subjected to all sorts of strange things, even having her nails cut! She's just playing tricks, with ill intentions!"

Emperor Yuanming was aware of the commotion Jiang Ling had made at Fanying Pavilion. She had said at the time that it was for the sake of purity.

"Sigh, this is all the protection we have in this wretched place."

"You don't know anything! What can your eyes see? It's full of filth! You can't even get your hands clean after just a few rubs in the water!"

Emperor Yuanming recalled Jiang Ling's words and his head began to ache. He thought that Consort Duan was unreasonable and immediately lost his patience.

"Guards, take Jiang Cuiwei Pavilion under inspection! If Consort Duan continues her misbehavior, send her to the Imperial Temple for quiet contemplation and self-cultivation!"

Duan Meiren stared wide-eyed, red and swollen from crying, her vision blurred. She stood there like a stone, her anger nowhere to be found, only pain remained, clinging to her, her limbs and bones feeling icy cold.

Emperor Yuanming left Cuiwei Pavilion with a gloomy expression. A gust of cold wind made him a little more awake. He paused slightly and asked, "Where is Huang Liang? Where are Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan?"

Zhang Shan, who was attending to the emperor, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Huang Daban has been ordered by Your Majesty to arrest the two men. I will send someone to inquire about it immediately."

Emperor Yuanming grew impatient and turned to walk towards Fanying Pavilion. Just then, Huang Liang happened to walk from one end of the alley and stood at a distance, bowing in greeting.

"Has your mission been completed properly?" Emperor Yuanming asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, this servant is handling it." Huang Liang bowed and reported back on the matter of going to find Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan.

When Emperor Yuanming heard that the two had indeed gone to find Jiang Ling, his heart sank slightly, and he strode towards Fanying Pavilion.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived." Zishan, who was guarding the door, heard the commotion outside and hurriedly went inside to report.

Jiang Ling frowned, and Wen Juan, growing anxious, quickly dismissed Zi Shan and whispered, "Your Majesty, those rumors, though baseless, are impossible to explain clearly. People prefer to believe them rather than dismiss them!"

"Now that the news has already spread, what can I do?" Jiang Ling said calmly.

"Then Zheng and Wu..." Wen Juan hesitated, but Jiang Ling raised his hand to interrupt her, saying decisively, "They are innocent, don't say anything more!"

Jiang Ling made up her mind; since she had already promised to help them, she would not go back on her word.

Wen Juan said nothing more. At this moment, Emperor Yuanming had already entered the room. He stood in the main room and saw that the curtain was half rolled up and Jiang Ling was leaning against the couch in the side room. He was taken aback.

"Why did you get out of bed?" Emperor Yuanming asked.

"I was able to walk around slowly for a while, so I got out of bed," Jiang Ling replied, lifting the covers as if to get out of bed to pay her respects.

"Please lie down, there's no need for formalities." Emperor Yuanming raised his hand to stop them, and had a chair brought outside the door. He sat down and said, "All of you, leave!"

Wen Juan glanced at Jiang Ling secretly, then picked up the Third Prince from the cradle, placed him in Jiang Ling's arms, and bowed her head as she left.

"Where are the wet nurses? You just gave birth, why are you taking care of everything yourself?" Emperor Yuanming said displeased.

"I'm fine," Jiang Ling replied, finding the exchange between the two through the curtain particularly comical.

"These brain-dead men actually said that the delivery room is filthy and ominous, and that there will be bloodshed. It's laughable; they've even forgotten where they came from. The most ominous ones are them, because they came out of here!"

However, Jiang Ling thought for a moment and said, "It's better not to come in. They are indeed too dirty, and coming in will only make things worse."

Jiang Ling's words left Emperor Yuanming speechless, unsure whether to sit or stand. He shifted in his chair, coughed awkwardly, and said, "I heard that Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan came to examine your pulse. Their medical skills are inadequate; they caused the death of the Fourth Prince. You must not listen to their diagnosis! Where are they now? I will seize them, cut off their heads, and make them pay for the Fourth Prince's life."

Jiang Ling gently placed the Third Prince beside her and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have a question. In the entire Great Yin Dynasty, who can save the Fourth Prince's life?"

"What do you mean by this? Are you going to defy me for the sake of these two quack doctors?" Emperor Yuanming said unhappily.

"Your Majesty, I dare not contradict you. I simply do not understand why Your Majesty would order the two of them to be buried alive with the Fourth Prince. I believe that such a practice would be contrary to the natural order. I beg Your Majesty to spare their lives, as a way of accumulating good karma for my son. If it is because of their lack of medical skills, I would like to know, given the Fourth Prince's condition at the time, which renowned physician in the world could have saved him? After all, such a skilled doctor..."

She paused here, then laughed self-deprecatingly: "Forget it, if there really is such a skilled doctor, it's better to remain anonymous. A person only has one head, and you can't cut it off many times."

Emperor Yuanming was unable to answer for a moment, and said in frustration, "You sharp tongue, don't think that just because I treat you well and indulge you in every way, you can do whatever you want because of my favor!"

At this moment, the Third Prince was awakened by Emperor Yuanming's voice and began to whimper. Jiang Ling quickly held him in her arms and gently coaxed him.

Emperor Yuanming could only watch helplessly, and although he was angry, he remained silent.

The third prince kept whimpering. Jiang Ling saw that he seemed to be hungry, so she turned her back, unbuttoned her clothes, and began to breastfeed him.

Emperor Yuanming was left completely isolated, staring intently at the mother and son in the next room.

Jiang Ling appeared no different from usual, though childbirth had taken its toll, leaving her pale and haggard. She looked down at the infant Third Prince with tenderness in her eyes.

Having never seen such a sight before, Emperor Yuanming was somewhat dazed and couldn't help but stand up and walk into the room.

Jiang Ling suddenly raised his eyes, put his hand in front of him, and said, "Your Majesty, please leave. This is against the rules."

Emperor Yuanming glared at her and said resolutely, "I insist on staying. I am the rule!"

Jiang Ling chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

She was determined to save their lives!