After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather begins to cool down.

Wan Anran's laziness flared up again, and every morning she would stay wrapped in her blanket and refuse to get up. This day, she pulled the blanket up to her head and slowly mumbled, "Just one more cup of tea... just one more cup of tea."

Ju Bai knew exactly how to wake his master up.

She crouched down and whispered, "My lord, something has happened in the palace!"

The gossip-eating soul.

Wan Anran, who was drowsy just moments before, has now opened her eyes and looked at Ju Bai with a bright and alert expression: "What happened?"

Ju Bai respectfully said, "Last night, Consort An miscarried. I heard it was a fully formed male fetus!"

Wan Anran gasped.

She was no longer sleepy and sat up. The observant palace maids rushed forward to help their mistress change and wash. As Ju Bai combed her long hair, she whispered, "They say it's related to Consort Jing."

Is it related to Consort Jing?

Whose bad luck has Yongshou Palace offended? First it was Consort Miao, and now it's Consort An. This series of incidents, one after another, has left Wan Anran feeling increasingly terrified, and the vague sense of foreboding she had earlier resurfaced.

Wan Anran lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Ju Bai said no more and turned her attention back to her work. Since there was no need to pay her respects in the morning after this incident, Wan Anran told Ju Bai to let her hair down. She even braided her hair into a simple braid, a rare occurrence for her, and then leisurely got up and went to the flower hall.

Yinzhen, who was not yet two years old, was already waiting in the flower hall. Although Wan Anran would nag him every time to let him sleep longer, the child had somehow developed the habit of getting up before dawn.

That's not all. Sometimes, Yinzhen would even carry a small watering can to water the flowerbeds in the corner of Chuxiu Palace, and use a small shovel to loosen the soil and catch insects. He was far more diligent than I was.

Wan Anran, who had been a lazybones since her past life, now had to admit that Yinzhen was just like the emperor.

He looks like the next king of involution.

Upon entering the flower hall, Yinzhen rose to pay his respects, and Wan Anran pinched his chubby cheeks. Then, seeing her son's mournful little eyes, she smiled and commented, "You're so chubby, you haven't lost weight, that's great!"

Yinzhen sighed, not wanting to argue with his mother.

Or was it a matter of arguing? It wouldn't do any good anyway... He pushed his mother's hand away and said softly, "Mother, I'm hungry."

"Alright, alright, let's eat now," Wan Anran said with a smile. She took Yinzhen's little hand and sat back down at the table, personally serving him a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork: "Here you go."

The breakfast at Chuxiu Palace was rather strange.

Elsewhere, the usual dishes include congee, several kinds of pickled vegetables, as well as crispy cheese, fried cakes, steamed buns, and dumplings. But at Chuxiu Palace, in addition to the smooth and tender minced meat congee and pickled vegetables, there is a steamed seasonal fish roll, a braised beef pancake, and a few light and refreshing vegetarian dishes.

Wan Anran ate while keeping a close eye on Yinzhen.

The strange thing about breakfast at Chuxiu Palace was because of Yinzhen, who was a bit of a picky eater. Unlike most children who were picky eaters and preferred desserts, snacks, and the like, Yinzhen preferred vegetarian food. He would drink a little bit of minced meat porridge, but he had little interest in other meat dishes.

For example, right now, he was focused on the vegetarian dishes. As for the fragrant fish rolls and braised beef? Sorry! Yinzhen didn't even glance at them.

Wan Anran had a stern face.

She used chopsticks to place meat into Yinzhen's bowl and stared at him with a threatening look.

Yinzhen's face scrunched up.

It took him a long time to barely manage to use it. He was alright when eating fish, but the way he ate beef looked like it was going to kill him.

Wan Anran was both amused and exasperated.

While the mother and son were struggling to decide on the dishes, things were in complete chaos at Yongshou Palace.

The front hall was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Consort An lay on her sickbed, her face pale, staring blankly at the gauze curtain.

It was a boy who fell...

He's a very healthy boy...

Consort An's eyes were filled with confusion.

The palace maids bowed their heads and composed themselves, and the entire front hall was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of breathing barely audible.

Empress Niohuru hurriedly entered.

Upon hearing the palace servant's report, Consort An seemed to snap out of her daze. She looked at the Empress with a sorrowful expression, tears streaming down her face, staining the brocade quilt with dark patches.

Fragile, easily broken.

Consort An's face was deathly pale, with only a trace of crimson on her lips. Helpless and desperate, she looked at the Emperor and cried out in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty the Empress—you must do me justice!"

Her delicate and slender body lay sprawled on the brocade quilt.

Consort An's sobs continued unabated, and the Empress frowned deeply, turning her gaze to Consort Jing behind her.

Compared to her radiant appearance during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Consort Jing seemed like a completely different person. Her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, and there were deep dark circles under her eyes.

Compared to Consort An, Consort Jing wasn't in much better shape; in fact, she looked more like a patient. The Empress frowned imperceptibly and raised her voice, "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, it was Consort Jing who pushed our mistress!" said the head maid beside Consort An angrily.

"Nonsense, it was clearly Consort Jing who bumped into us herself." The palace maid behind Consort An also became anxious.

"Your Highness is always cautious and prudent. It's clear that Consort Jing is jealous of Your Highness, which is why she resorted to such a cruel act!"

The sounds of arguing were incessant.

Empress Niohuru's temples throbbed as she listened, and after a moment she finally stopped the palace maid from speaking with a single sentence: "That's enough."

She instructed Consort An to speak first.

Consort An wiped her eyes and recounted the events of the previous night. In her description, she was as pure and innocent as a white flower, while Consort Jing was a ruthless destroyer of flowers, so vicious that she pushed her heavily to the ground.

Would Consort Jing push her to the ground in front of everyone?

The Empress raised her eyebrows and asked Consort Jing, "What's going on?"

Consort Jing's expression was very strange.

She curtsied deeply, her unusually calm demeanor puzzling the Empress. Consort Jing replied, "It was indeed by accident that I bumped into Consort An."

Consort Jing actually admitted it?

Not only was the Empress momentarily stunned, but even Consort An's sorrowful expression faltered slightly. She concealed her expression with her handkerchief while secretly glancing at Consort Jing, a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease rising within her.

The next second, Consort An felt relieved again.

Consort Jing uttered only one sentence, then continued in a neither arrogant nor humble manner, "My foot slipped."

"Slipped?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I almost slipped because I stepped on something like oily water." Consort Jing said calmly, her gaze sweeping over Consort An, causing Consort An's heart, which had just calmed down, to pound wildly again.

Consort Jing sneered: "After all, just a moment ago I saw Consort An standing far away, but she rushed over as if she was afraid I wouldn't be able to touch her."

Consort An was deeply shocked.

She bit her lip, large tears welling in her eyes. Consort An's eyes were filled with disbelief. She cried out hoarsely, "Consort Jing? What do you mean? Are you saying that I deliberately killed my own child?"

The Empress frowned slightly.

What was even more unexpected was that Consort Jing actually nodded: "Mm."

Consort An blushed.

The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, swirling around on her tongue. Her eyes widened, and after a long pause, she could only manage to utter a few words: "You, you, you're talking nonsense!!!"

Consort An turned to the Empress and said, "My child... such a healthy child... how could I... and why would I harm my own child? Your Majesty, Consort Jing is clearly trying to shirk responsibility. Please, Your Majesty, give me and my child justice!"

The Empress frowned slightly.

The strange reactions of Consort An and Consort Jing gave her a peculiar feeling. The Empress ignored Consort An and instead raised her voice to ask Consort Jing, "What do you mean by that?"

Consort Jing knelt down on both knees.

She declared firmly, "Your Majesty, the fact that Consort Miao gave birth to a vile child is related to Consort An. I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for the deceased Consort Miao!"

Upon hearing Consort Jing's words, Consort An's last remaining color drained away. Her mind went blank, and she couldn't help but chatter. The Empress took in the undisguised fear that she couldn't hide in that instant.

The death of Miao Changzai is one thing.

The bizarre and grotesque fetus was the hurdle that the Emperor and Empress could not overcome. Upon hearing that this matter was related to Consort An, the Empress's expression immediately tightened. She ordered someone to keep an eye on Consort An and then led Consort Jing outside.

Consort Jing didn't mince words and readily confessed. She understood that if she couldn't drag Consort An down with her, she would be the one in deep trouble. Rather than being accused of plotting against the imperial heir, she might as well go all out and let the Emperor and Empress see Consort An's true colors.

Upon hearing that Consort An had secretly used prescriptions from outside the palace, and that Consort Miao had drunk a similar prescription, the Empress turned pale with anger. There were many imperial physicians in the palace, and naturally, many of them possessed prescriptions that could increase fertility, but all of these would harm both the mother and the child, and were strictly forbidden to use.

Moreover, it's a prescription that hasn't been confirmed outside the palace.

The Empress gave Consort Jing a deep look, and she immediately issued an imperial edict to seal off Yongshou Palace. She then personally went to Qianqing Palace to report the matter to Emperor Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi's face darkened as he finished court.

Thinking that the mastermind behind that wicked fetus might be Consort An, who might even have caused the death of her own child, Kangxi's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he immediately dispatched palace servants to investigate.

Suddenly, the palace was filled with the sounds of war and strife.

The concubines looked tense and whispered among themselves, both curious and worried about the situation at Yongshou Palace.

First it was Consort Miao, then Consort An.

Consort Tong immediately thought of the child in her womb. Her expression changed slightly. She wanted to send someone to inquire but dared not, and a sense of unease welled up in her heart.

In her panic, Consort Tong felt a dull ache in her stomach. Her face turned pale, and her fingernails dug deeply into the maid's flesh: "Quick, quick! Summon the imperial physician—!"

Chaos erupted in Chengqian Palace, and the news spread to other palaces and chambers. Countless conspiracy theories arose in the palace, and the cautious concubines closed their doors to visitors, secretly praying that the turmoil would subside soon.

The same applies to Wan Anran.

She kept the palace gates tightly shut, strictly forbidding the palace servants from discussing or inquiring about the matter, and lived a leisurely and carefree life in the palace.

For example, crabs are very fat in late autumn.

After steamed crab, braised crab, and drunken crab, comes spicy stir-fried crab, paired with chewy and soft rice cake strips, which has a unique flavor.

If you're still not satisfied, you can enjoy a large crab meat hot pot. The only downside is that there's no lobster or beer available right now!

One of these things is still in America, and the other is still in Europe—things Wan Anran wouldn't even dare to dream of right now. She clicked her tongue, a moment of regret passing through her, but decided to be grateful for the delicious food before her and enjoy it to the fullest during this last bit of crab-eating time.

Consort Xuan, who came to chat, was speechless.

Just thinking that nothing was wrong, she went forward and started dismantling the crabs, casually chatting about various matters in the palace.