Chapter 155 A Lineage of Succession

"Imperial Physician, how is Consort Kang?"

Palace servants were coming and going in Xianfu Palace. Consort Jing stood in the center of the outer hall, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, reaching out to shield Hongzhao and Hongzhou behind her, and spoke loudly to the imperial physician who was treating Consort Kang inside.

After receiving no response for a long time, she turned to look at Zhou Qi behind her, who was applying medicine to Hong Zhou, her brow furrowed with worry.

If Consort Kang couldn't save this child... wouldn't the Emperor take his anger out on the two children? Even if he wouldn't now, Consort Jing had been by the Emperor's side for quite some time, and she had seen firsthand how suspicious and inquisitive the Emperor was, just like the crimes the late Emperor had listed for the deposed Crown Prince. At this moment, her heart was pounding wildly.

She was already in a state of unease when the nanny beside Consort Kang suddenly spoke up in a loud voice, which startled her.

"Why is our young mistress so unlucky? She was so fortunate to be pregnant with the emperor's child. Why did she have to attract the attention of others and suffer like this?" She cried and wailed, raising her voice as if she wanted everyone to hear.

The palace servants, coming and going, kept their mouths down, their noses down, as if they had no ears and none of them dared to raise their heads.

"How dare you!" Consort Jing shouted sternly, a rare occurrence for her. "Where did this ill-mannered old woman come from? Slap her!"

Before the words were finished, a deep and authoritative voice rang out from afar—"What's going on? Tell me too."

But before he could see the person, he heard the voice and was about to walk towards the door when he saw a chubby, brown figure who was even more agile and glided to the emperor in two steps at a time, and began to wail.

"Your Majesty, please do justice for our young lady! The imperial physician said that the pregnancy is stable and that moving around more would help with childbirth, so our young lady has been strolling in the Imperial Garden every day, but today this has happened!"

Yinzhen paused as he was about to step into the house, blocked by the old woman. His expression was far from pleasant as he impatiently looked down at the person at his feet, who was standing with her mouth wide open and her voice booming.

The old woman pounded her chest, looking heartbroken, while continuing to say, "It's all my fault! If I had taken the young master to different places every day, those with ulterior motives wouldn't have had the chance to take advantage of him, and the young master wouldn't have suffered like this!"

The more he spoke, the clearer the implication became. Su Peisheng, who was following behind, glanced curiously at the old woman kneeling in front of him. His gaze shifted between the Crown Prince, who showed no sign of panic, and the Emperor, who looked like he was about to explode in anger. Then, unable to bear watching any longer, he closed his eyes.

Why are all the people around Consort Kang so reckless? Do they think that Consort Kang's pregnancy with the dragon's offspring will save their lives? Judging from the current situation, let alone whether the child can be born, it would be difficult enough for Consort Kang herself to survive, let alone these people who are all courting death one after another.

As expected, the Emperor ignored him completely, beckoning to the back of the room without even raising his eyes. Several guards in yellow jackets stepped forward, grabbed the old woman, and dragged her away. Two guards pulled her while one gagged her, their movements as smooth as flowing water, and the room was instantly restored to silence.

Yinzhen dusted off his robe, walked up to Consort Jing, gestured for her to stand up, and then stopped directly in front of Hongzhao without stopping.

He bent down and helped Hongzhao stand up, looking at the little prince who was usually so neat and tidy. Now, fine beads of sweat hadn't dried on his forehead, and dirt from who-knows-where was still sticking to his cheeks. Even one of the little bells at the end of his hair was missing. He felt a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain welling up in his heart.

He didn't know how they connected, but a memory popped into his mind of the fire in the Cold Palace a few years ago, before Hongzhao was made crown prince. There was a little dust on her fair face, and she was lying there quietly, looking at her from afar, not knowing if she was alive or not.

He gently rubbed the marks on Hongzhao's face with his fingers. Although Hongzhao didn't know what he had rubbed on, he looked at his father with trust and admiration, tilting his head to encourage him to apply more pressure.

After wiping everything clean, Yinzhen lowered his head.

Huh? He has a son too!

Ever since he saw his father enter, Hongzhou had been pouting and trying his best not to make a sound to interrupt him. Now that he saw his father finally notice him, he felt more and more aggrieved and couldn't help but open his teeth and cry.

"Ah! Father Emperor! Your Majesty! Your son is in pain!"

Of the Empress's three sons, Hongzhou and the youngest, Hongyan, look the most alike. Hongzhao, on the other hand, is exceptionally handsome. But seeing Hongzhou crying with his mouth wide open today, Yinzhen immediately felt that they truly were brothers. Indeed, there are some similarities... except that Hongzhao's tears fell in large drops when he was little, making his crying look much more endearing.

He had intended to lift the boy up by his armpits to check on him as before, but seeing the bandages on his legs and arms, he gave up. Instead, he patted the boy's head reassuringly and asked Zhou Qi, "How are your injuries, brother?"

"Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince suffered a serious fall this time. He has abrasions of varying degrees on his knees and elbows, but these are secondary. The real problem is his elbow. I suspect that the bone is broken, and it will take quite some time for him to fully recover."

Hearing how serious it was, not only did Yinzhen's expression turn sour, but even Consort Jing beside him couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Oh dear, how did he fall so badly? Imperial Physician, please administer medicine quickly to stop the pain and prevent the prince from crying in pain."

"How is Consort Kang?" Yinzhen straightened up and spoke again, his voice much colder and harder than before. The imperial physician inside then responded, "Your Majesty, Consort Kang is usually in good health. Although she was seriously injured this time, the imperial fetus was saved. However, the pregnancy is very unstable, and she will probably have to stay in bed to recuperate in the future."

Upon hearing the news of the imperial heir, Consort Jing patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Peisheng moved a stool to the Emperor's side, and then moved an embroidered stool to the side of the chair. Hongzhao was beckoned over by his father and sat down on the embroidered stool.

"What exactly happened in the Imperial Garden today?" Yinzhen asked in a deep voice, glancing at the old woman who was sobbing and trying to speak, before pointing back at Xiao Dezi, who had been by the Crown Prince's side—"You tell me."

Xiao Dezi shuffled over to the Emperor and Crown Prince, knelt down, and recounted everything he had seen that day: how the Sixth Prince had suddenly decided to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football), how he had suddenly tripped and fallen on flat ground, how the Crown Prince had rushed to help him up, and from which direction the ball had appeared out of nowhere.

Every word was clear and logical, with not a single word missing. Even Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but nod slightly in approval.

Seeing the old woman's still bright eyes, Yinzhen signaled to his servants to remove the silk cloth from her mouth.

The old woman coughed a few times, her voice still hoarse, "Your Majesty, please understand! This servant is only a servant of the Crown Prince, how could she possibly speak the truth! This time, our young master was very lucky to escape unharmed. If it were someone else in the future, they wouldn't be so fortunate!"