Chapter 153 Ma Jia Shi Falls Victim

After establishing her authority, Jiang Nan reverted to her lazy demeanor.

She saw that Niohuru was sitting quietly with her head down, unable to even give birth.

What I just mentioned has absolutely nothing to do with her.

She thought to herself: This older sister is very cunning. She lives alone in Yikun Palace. Life in the harem is long and lonely.

Since she's one of my own, it's only a way for me to show my care by casually arranging a companion for her.

Without asking Niohuru if she wanted more people, she turned to the concubines' seats and called out their names.

"Nara clan".

Nara shuddered and quickly stood up, bowing respectfully with her hands at her sides.

"I am here."

"Yanxi Palace is now only occupied by you. Although it is quiet, it is also lonely. I will ask you one more time: would you like to move to Yikun Palace and live with Consort Niohuru? That way, you can take care of each other."

Jiang Nan's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable pressure.

She paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over Nara's flat stomach, her voice tinged with regret.

"If you had agreed earlier, moved around a bit, and taken care of yourself, your unfortunate first child... might still be fine now."

Upon hearing these words, Nara's face stiffened. She glanced at Niohuru, who remained seated motionless, and struggled violently within herself.

If she stays in Yanxi Palace, she might become the future Empress...

If you go to Yikun Palace, you will always be overshadowed by a concubine. When will you ever have a chance to rise above your station?

She knelt on the ground, her voice filled with determination.

"Your Majesty's grace is deeply appreciated, but... but I have been in Yanxi Palace since I entered the palace, and I have become accustomed to every blade of grass and every tree. I really... really can't bear to move away. Please, Your Majesty, have your understanding!"

Having said that, he kowtowed heavily.

Jiang Nan looked at her figure lying on the ground, and she just thought that Nara was smart enough to win her over.

Since she was still unwilling, she did not force her, her tone indifferent.

"That's enough. Everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't force them. Get up."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

As if granted a pardon, Nara rose and returned to her original seat.

Just then, Ma Jia suddenly stood up.

She steadied herself, bowed deeply to Jiang Nan, and spoke softly but firmly.

“Your Majesty…Your Majesty. I wish to move to Yikun Palace to accompany Consort Niohuru and receive her teachings.”

In an instant, all eyes were focused on this concubine who was usually somewhat timid.

Niohuru also turned her head slightly and looked at Majia carefully for the first time.

She remembered that at the full moon banquet, when Lady Ma Jia lamented the loss of her son, her accusations against the Empress were clear and powerful.

Jiang Nan looked at Ma Jia and thought to herself that she wasn't stupid after all, and that she was quite obedient in handling the Empress's accusations.

She turned to Niohuru, her tone suggesting a discussion.

"Sister, look, Lady Ma Jia seems to get along well with you. I'll make the decision to have her move to your palace to keep you company. In this deep palace, with so many days of conversation, having someone to talk to can alleviate some of the loneliness. What do you think, sister?"

Upon hearing this, Niohuru slowly rose and gave Jiang Nan a slight bow.

His expression was calm and composed, and his tone was respectful and steady.

"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated. Since Consort Ma Jia is willing to come, Yikun Palace will certainly welcome her and make proper arrangements to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

"Okay, it's settled then. It's still early, so you can stay and talk some more later, sister."

After Jiang Nan finished speaking, her gaze fell on the concubines.

"You can all leave now."

"This concubine takes her leave."

Everyone rose, bowed, and responded in unison before leaving the main hall of Yongshou Palace.

——————

As the concubines departed, Jiang Nan turned her gaze to the head steward, who stood respectfully at attention.

"Zhao is triumphant."

“Your servant is here,” Zhao Deli immediately bowed and replied.

"Go to the Imperial Household Department and give the order to carefully organize all of Consort Ma Jia's belongings and move them to Yikun Palace today without delay."

Jiang Nan spoke calmly, with an air of unquestionable authority.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will take care of it immediately."

Zhao Deli promptly and decisively handed over a thousand.

He bowed his head and left the main hall, heading straight for the Imperial Household Department.

Jiang Nan looked up and saw that Ma Jia was still standing there, not taking her leave with the others, so she spoke up.

"Perfect, you don't need to run back and forth. You can just go to Yikun Palace with Sister Niohuru later to settle in."

"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your kindness."

Ma Jia responded in a low voice.

Jiang Nan then looked at Consort Wang and Consort Dai Jia, who were about to leave, and a casual smile appeared on her face.

"You two don't have to leave yet. Now that everyone's here, let's make a table and play a few rounds of cards with me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The two men naturally complied without hesitation.

Jiang Nan was the first to stand up and walk gracefully towards the side hall of Yongshou Palace.

The palace servants had already quickly prepared the card table and tea.

As soon as everyone sat down, Chunlan sniffed softly, her brows furrowed slightly, and stepped forward to whisper in Jiang Nan's ear.

"Your Majesty, there seems to be a medicinal smell in this palace."

Jiang Nan was shuffling the cards when she heard this and looked up in surprise, her gaze sweeping over the people present.

"The smell of medicine? Is any of you feeling unwell lately and taking medication?"

Consort Niohuru, Consort Wang, and Consort Daijia all shook their heads to indicate that they did not.

Ma Jia's heart skipped a beat, and she shook her head blankly along with the others.

Jiang Nan put down the cards in her hand, her expression becoming more serious.

"We're not sick or in pain, and we haven't taken any medicine, so where is this medicinal smell coming from?"

She looked at Chunlan.

"Chunlan, look carefully and see who has the smell of medicine on them."

"yes."

Chunlan nodded and, following the rules, quietly walked around the masters.

He finally stopped behind Ma Jia, speaking cautiously.

“Master Ma Jia, please forgive my intrusion… this medicine smells like it’s coming from you.”

Ma Jia felt a chill in her heart and subconsciously clenched her handkerchief.

Chunlan said gently.

"Master Ma, may I take your pulse?"

Ma Jia was uneasy, but she still extended her wrist as instructed.

Chunlan placed three fingers on her wrist pulse, concentrating intently, her expression gradually becoming serious.

She withdrew her hand and asked.

"Master Ma, have you consumed anything unusual recently? Have you experienced any abdominal pain or discomfort?"

Ma Jia hesitated, thinking of the abdominal pain she had experienced the previous night.

"Last night at dinner, I had the soup sent by the Imperial Kitchen. I noticed a medicinal taste, but I thought it was because some nourishing herbs had been added, so I didn't pay much attention to it... Who knew that in the middle of the night, I had unbearable abdominal pain. Because it was so late, I just asked a palace maid to go to the Imperial Hospital to get some common pain-relieving soup for me to take. After a good night's sleep, I woke up today feeling fine."

She looked at Chunlan.

"So, I had abdominal pain last night and drank some pain-relieving medicine from the Imperial Hospital."

Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow and looked at Chunlan.

"Chunlan, you have a really good nose. You can still smell the medicine even after a day?"

Chunlan replied respectfully.

"Your Highness, although the scent is faint after a day, those sensitive to medicinal herbs can still detect it. I'm just being extra careful in this regard."

She changed the subject, her tone becoming solemn.

"Your Majesty, His Highness Ma Jia's pulse... is not good."

"How is it bad?" Jiang Nan sat up straight.

Consort Ma's face turned deathly pale instantly, and an ominous premonition arose within her.

Chunlan took a deep breath and spoke clearly.

“Judging from your pulse, Mistress Ma Jia, your menstrual cycle is likely irregular. The root cause is the use of an extremely cold and damaging substance. Mistress Ma Jia, what you drank yesterday was probably not an ordinary medicine, but rather… a medicine for sterilization.”

"Sterilization soup?"

Ma Jia cried out in alarm, her whole body trembling violently.

"Drank the sterilization soup? Who did that? Who wants to harm me?"

No wonder she had excruciating abdominal pain last night.

Her legs went weak, and she knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must do me justice!"

A fierce glint flashed in Jiang Nan's eyes. She spoke to Ma Jia first.

"Get up first, crying won't solve anything."

Then he looked at Chunlan.

Is there any hope for this body?

Chunlan pondered cautiously.

"It requires long-term and careful conditioning with warm and nourishing herbs such as angelica and deer antler, which warm the uterus and promote blood circulation. Once the coldness in the uterus is dispelled and the qi and blood are replenished and flow smoothly again, it may be possible to conceive again."

"How long is this 'long-term'?" Jiang Nan pressed.

"This...it could take three or four years at the earliest, or six or seven years at the latest."

Chunlan's voice carried a hint of reluctance.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan looked at Ma Jia, who was pale and almost fainting, with pity in her eyes.

Within a single day, she went from a new beginning moving into Yikun Palace to suddenly learning that her fertility had been almost completely destroyed.

This life is just too bitter.

Is the Qing Dynasty's top fertility champion really going to become infertile because of a bowl of medicine?

Six or seven years? That would be around the fourteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, which is exactly the year the third prince, Yinzhi, was born.

Even without Hesheli, were Majia's sons, who died young, destined to perish?

Ma Jia slumped in her chair, her eyes vacant, as if her soul had been ripped away.

Jiang Nan sighed inwardly, "What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force." She softened her voice and comforted him.

"It would be a blessing if you could recover. In any case... there is still hope for you in the future."

Ma Jiashi, as if grasping at the last straw, burst into tears.

"I have always been law-abiding and have never made enemies. Your Majesty, you must find out the truth for me and severely punish the murderer!"

Jiang Nan sneered, her tone filled with mockery and a cold, all-knowing ruthlessness.

"Take charge? How do you intend to do that? The person who harmed you is long gone, isn't he?"

Consort Niohuru realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise.

"Your Majesty, do you mean... it's Hesheli? Was it a poisonous plot orchestrated by the Empress before her death?"

Jiang Nan scoffed, her eyes flashing with a cold light, her tone filled with certainty.

"To be precise, it was the Hesheli family's arrangement. If they could think of poisoning me to end it all, how could they not think of taking revenge on Lady Magiya? To put it bluntly, it was because I made her accuse the Empress that Lady Magiya was implicated."

The hall fell silent for a moment, except for Ma Jia's suppressed sobs.

——————

I wrote it down sincerely, and everyone remained silent. Do you think silently reading it is being kind to me?

Only two or three comments? Without any activity, how can the algorithm possibly think that this book is popular?

Other people's books have tons of comments from beginning to end, but I could never get that kind of attention, no matter how much I begged.

I'm exhausted. I can't write anymore, I have no motivation at all. This is the last chapter I have saved, I'm leaving it to you all.