Chapter 77 Turning Point

The maids followed Hong Su and retreated, and the vast tent suddenly fell silent. Wen Yao watched everyone leave, then returned his gaze to the soft couch, observing Concubine Su, whose thin, gaunt figure was barely visible beneath the blanket.

Su Bin was lying on her back, and suddenly she moved, opened her eyes, and moved her fingertips towards Wen Yao with difficulty.

Wen Yao walked over, and her cold fingers immediately placed on Wen Yao's wrist. Her face twitched, and she smiled at Wen Yao very slowly.

"Miss Wen." Su Bin's voice was soft and her breath was almost gone. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Beads of sweat still hung on her forehead and her eyes were misty, but her expression was calm, so calm that Wen Yao felt something was wrong. The grief and pain she had just shown in front of the palace maids and the imperial physician seemed to have suddenly disappeared from Concubine Su.

Wen Yao stared at Su Bin for a while, and suddenly reacted in a flash. An incredible idea suddenly exploded in her mind, making her horrified! Wen Yao was shocked and doubtful, and a layer of goose bumps appeared on her back: "You——"

Su Bin smiled, but the calmness in her eyes suddenly shattered, turning into a look of sorrow and sadness: "It has nothing to do with the snake... I took the medicine, and this child is not meant to be with me. I told it to leave."

Her pale lips opened and closed, and with a blink of her eyes, the mist inside turned into tears that slid down her beautiful features and disappeared into the pillow. Her voice was hoarse, and she choked with sobs, somewhat embarrassed, as she confided, "Two days before you returned from Pingjiang Prefecture, I discovered something was wrong with the baby in my belly. There were so many spies in the palace, so I didn't dare to rashly go to the Imperial Hospital. His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan told me that if there was anything in the palace that couldn't be resolved, I should go to Eunuch Song. So I went to the Factory Supervisor to file a memorial. The next day, someone from the Imperial Hospital came to examine me and told me that the baby was gone, a stillbirth."

Wen Yao's throat moved: "How could it be?"

"The Emperor's health was damaged by the elixir he took, so this child won't survive." Supin's voice was gentle, then suddenly became deeper, and the stubbornness in it was terrifying. "But how can this be? I, Su Yi, must have a son."

She paused as the tent curtain was lifted. Hong Shu led the person out and came back with a bowl of ginseng soup in her hand. "My Lady, drink something quickly."

Concubine Su couldn't get up.

Wen Yao took a soft pillow and placed it under her waist, then took the porcelain bowl from Hong Shu's hand and fed her one spoonful at a time.

Tears still welled up in Concubine Su's eyes, and she felt as if she had returned to the first night she had been brought back to Prince Yan's residence. Her previously tense body suddenly relaxed, and the pain in her body returned, and some sweat formed on her forehead.

The bowl of ginseng soup was quickly finished.

"I'm still wondering why you participated in the Spring Search." Wen Yao wiped the sweat off Su Bin's face with a warm cloth. Although the incident was unexpected, she couldn't help but see Su Bin's intention at this point: "Are you aborting this child because you want to adopt a boy from the royal family?"

"Yes, the old prince has a little grandson who is exactly five years old this year. He can go to school as soon as he enters the palace." Looking into Wen Yao's eyes, Supin used all her strength to grab her wrist and continued, "If he has ambitions, joining the game this time is his good fortune. If not, he is away from his biological parents because of me. I will definitely treat him like my own son and will not be harsh on him."

Wen Yao lowered his eyes and remained silent.

"Don't blame me for not telling you. This matter is serious, and there aren't many people in the palace I can trust. These days, I've been glorious during the day and anxious at night. It was only last night that I made up my mind." Su Yi closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face as she choked back sobs. "I've come this far in the palace, and I'm unwilling to give up just like that."

Hong Shu was personally selected and promoted by Su Yi after she entered the palace. She was loyal to Su Yi and her eyes turned red when she heard this.

"good."

After a long while, Wen Yao asked in a low voice, "Can't the imperial physician accompanying us today tell?"

Supin observed her expression and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She tilted her head back and sank deeper into the pillow. "They are Eunuch Song's men. Everything has been arranged."

In this way, Su Yi owed Song Mingde, who was still in Suzhou, a huge favor, and also let him know this great secret.

Wen Yao turned her head and glanced at the closed tent door. The people outside seemed to have left, and she didn't hear any movement.

"You should rest first." She said, "Hong Shu, stay with your mother well."

Hong Shu nodded.

Wen Yao pressed Su Bin's forehead to make sure her temperature was normal, then he pulled the blanket over her, stood up, lifted the curtain and went out.

As expected, the place outside was empty, with only a few imperial guards standing by the fence.

Zhao Xuanxu stood aside, his sleeves fluttering. As soon as Wen Yao came out, his eyes immediately turned to look over.

Wen Yao walked over to Zhao Xuanxu and, without a word, suddenly slammed her head against his arm. She felt indescribably uncomfortable, frustrated and depressed, and muffled, "...Where's the emperor?"

"He's interrogating people in the big tent." Zhao Xuanxu put his arm around her back. "He doesn't believe a poisonous snake would jump out of the box for no reason."

Of course there were snakes in the wild, but this was the imperial hunting grounds, the emperor's residence. The area had been meticulously cleared long ago. How could a snake have strayed in, and even stowed away in a hot soup container? It was obvious someone had done this deliberately, attempting to harm Concubine Su and her unborn child.

The emperor didn't necessarily care much about Concubine Su, but he did care about the child. Therefore, at this moment, the large tent in the center of the camp was also full of people kneeling on the ground. From the kitchen staff to the palace maids who looked after the warm soup, all were tied up and pressed to the ground.

The white-haired imperial physician knelt beside her and said, "Empress Su is weak and her pulse was already slippery after four months of pregnancy. This sudden shock caused her to miscarry. I'm afraid she has damaged her foundation and will never be able to conceive again."

As soon as the imperial physician finished speaking, the servants on the ground turned pale and their hearts sank.

But how could they know what had happened? They only knew that it must be a fight between the gods above, and that they, the little ghosts, were suffering. In fear, they could only lie on the ground and kowtow repeatedly, repeatedly begging His Majesty to spare their lives and claiming that they knew nothing.

"You don't know?" The emperor, sitting at the head of the table, leaned on his hands, his face grim. "A long insect like that ran into our master, and you didn't know?"

"Perhaps they truly don't know, Your Majesty." Concubine Feng sat leaning against the back of her chair, her eyes glancing at the Empress as she casually said, "Concubine Su has only been in the palace for a short time and is very friendly, never making any enemies. These people are all from the Imperial Kitchen and have no connection with Concubine Su, let alone the courage to murder the heir to the throne. Even if they did it, there must be someone behind the scenes directing it."

The Queen's expression suddenly darkened, and Prince Yong also raised his eyes and glanced at Concubine Feng without any expression.

The Empress had always maintained a tight grip on power in the harem, and this spring search was no different, with her single-handedly overseeing everything. Concubine Feng's words were suggestive and innuendo-filled, truly harboring ill intentions.

"Since the Fourth Prince, there has been no happy event in the palace for a long time." The Queen said calmly, "If it is true as the Imperial Concubine said, the person behind this would be punished with confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family. Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly and give Sister Su an explanation."

"Of course I have to investigate." The emperor stood up and paced back and forth a few times, his anger rising. He pointed downwards and sternly shouted, "Sun Caishan! Take these servants away! Make sure we get a thorough investigation!"

The eunuch next to him, named Wen Yao, who looked unfamiliar, responded, and with a wave of his Buddhist dust, several people gathered around and took away the servant who was kneeling on the ground and crying.

The spring search ended hastily due to Concubine Su's miscarriage. The emperor, furious, returned to the palace in a grand procession. The ministers returned to their respective residences in silence. Before leaving, Hong Su sent a message to Wen Yao, saying that the empress was well and asking him not to worry and to return home in peace.

"She's really brave this time, and she's been so patient that she hasn't even let on." Wen Yao opened the window, letting the moonlight in and shimmer on her snow-white lingerie. A plate of torreya nuts lay on the table beside her, the ones Zhao Xuanxu had peeled in the paddock.

She picked up a few and tossed them into her mouth to chew. Then she turned to look at Zhao Xuanxu, who was sitting on the bed in the distance, and said, "You also told Concubine Su to go to Song Mingde if she couldn't resolve something? Why? Did you think Song Mingde would help?"

"Song Mingde is a eunuch." Zhao Xuanxu held a piece of leather material as red as rouge in his hand, rubbing it between his fingers. He spoke softly, "The factory supervisor is like the three officials, and can only stand beside the emperor. Song Mingde looks down on Zhao Xuanfeng and Zhao Xuanshuo. If he were to tell him what Concubine Su once said to you, he might also be moved."

A wise bird chooses its tree to roost in, and people interact for their own benefit. Eunuchs are eunuchs, their power immense, like colorful clouds and glass, easily dispersed and shattered. The fate of the next emperor is crucial to the factory supervisor. Song Mingde's earlier decision not to take sides was certainly not out of loyalty to the old emperor, but rather due to other considerations.

Supporting a prince to ascend the throne was a daunting task. If Concubine Su had simply gone to Song Mingde with her pregnancy, Governor Song, with his cunning scheming, might not have made a bet on her. But if Concubine Su had already secured the support of Zhao Xuanxu and Wenyao, the situation would have been completely different.

Song Mingde was an extremely clever man. He was far away in Suzhou, and Concubine Su received help that day simply by writing a letter to the factory supervisor. This showed that Song Mingde had already given instructions to his subordinates.

So the question now is, since the emperor has no shortage of sons, will he agree to Concubine Su adopting a son?

Wen Yao pondered for a moment and said, "The snake was stuffed by the factory supervisor, so it's probably impossible to find out. The Queen is somewhat involved in this matter. When Concubine Su asked to adopt the child, she wouldn't object even if she didn't support it. As for Concubine Feng——"

We'll investigate again tomorrow, and the snake might be related to the Feng family.

This was the advantage of being the first to act. With a ruthless heart, Su Yi held the initiative, and a single block could win over two opponents. With no one opposing her, a few young eunuchs from the emperor's factory supervisors offered some suggestions, and Concubine Su dragged herself along, crying and begging, the adoption seemed surprisingly easy.

Wen Yao was lost in thought, pinching the torreya nuts.

Zhao Xuanxu looked at her, suddenly threw the fox fur in his hand aside, lifted the quilt beside him, patted the bed, and motioned Wen Yao to come over.

Since returning from Pingjiang Prefecture, Zhao Xuanxu had entered the house openly, living with Wen Yao amid Jiang Qiaosheng's fury. He had set up a desk in Wen Yao's room. While Wen Yao sat by the window polishing her sword, Zhao Xuanxu would occasionally sit at the desk and write. More often, he would sit nearby, his clothes and hair loose, quietly watching Wen Yao as he meticulously peeled some preserved fruit.

Zhao Xuanxu said, "If you are worried, go to the palace to see her tomorrow."

"No." Wen Yao walked over and sat with her boyfriend. She kicked off her shoes and got on the bed smoothly. She sat down cross-legged and sighed deeply: "We can't be too intimate. It will cause people to talk about it at this time, which will not be good for Supin."

Zhao Xuanxu fell silent. He leaned his arms behind his back, tilted his head, and carefully studied the expression on Wen Yao's face. He saw her frowning, filled with worry, and horrified by the death of a child during the day.

He felt nothing, for he knew how many children died in the palace each year. The intensity of the harem's infighting rivaled the factional strife within the imperial court. If the spirits of innocent infants truly existed, the palace tiles would already be crawling with ghostly babies. While Wen Yao was capable of killing and sometimes cruel, in some ways he wasn't as quick-witted as the once innocent Su Yi.

Zhao Xuanxu reached out and hugged Wen Yao's waist, pulling her against him, and took her with him, lying on her back in the soft bedding. Wen Yao stretched out, her right leg pressed across Zhao Xuanxu's leg, her arm draped around his neck, her breath lightly falling on his collarbone.

Liu Liancheng in the dungeon can be killed.

Zhao Xuanxu pressed Wen Yao's thin back tightly, looking somewhat satisfied and yet completely relaxed.

Tianshui's troubles need to be solved one by one. His A Yao is a little tired. He needs to make preparations quickly to fly away with her and live a carefree life.