Inside the Ci'an Hall of the Imperial Palace, flickering candlelight illuminates every corner.
Empress Dowager Lu Fengqing was still sitting on the phoenix throne in the main hall. Although it was late at night, she had no desire to sleep, and a hint of uneasiness was revealed between her brows.
Chang Bao, the chief eunuch of Ci'an Palace, hurried into the main hall. After a respectful bow, he immediately reported, "News has come from Lin'an Palace: Concubine Liu's fetus is in an abnormal position and has been in labor all day."
Upon hearing this, Lu Fengqing looked up, a rare look of nervousness appearing on her face: "The people I sent..." There was a hint of urgency in her words.
Chang Bao shook his head slightly and replied, "Your Majesty has completely surrounded Lin'an Palace. The people we sent can't get close at all."
Lu Fengqing couldn't help but frown, her tone revealing dissatisfaction: "Is the Emperor on guard against me? Is he afraid that I will harm Concubine Liu and is deliberately protecting her?"
"Perhaps he was influenced by the old lady of Xingyuan Marquis." Chang Bao speculated cautiously, "The old lady said something about the bond between mother and child. Perhaps His Majesty really listened and wanted to save Lady Liu's life."
Chang Bao observed Lu Fengqing's expression and, noticing her displeasure, he continued, "But even if Concubine Liu survives, what good will it do? Over the past month, the entire Liu family has been imprisoned. Her father and two brothers were given poisoned wine, and the rest of the family, including women and children, were exiled to Heishui as slaves. Your Majesty has shown no mercy."
"It's just that she's pregnant, and I've repeatedly warned no one in the palace to reveal a single word. If Concubine Liu knew about our family's situation, I'm afraid I wouldn't want to live anymore."
Lu Fengqing didn't feel the slightest bit relieved after hearing these words. She sighed softly and said to Chang Bao, "I've thought a lot during this time. If Your Majesty really can't bear it, why should I hurt the relationship between us mother and son for a guilty concubine? After Liu safely gives birth to the child, I will let her spend the rest of her life in the cold palace, in peace and quiet. When the child grows up, I will let them meet."
Chang Bao respectfully agreed, "The Empress Dowager is merciful."
Lu Fengqing stood up, still worried about the heir. "I'm afraid the entire harem won't be able to sleep tonight. Please accompany me to Lin'an Palace. No matter what, the child in her belly is my grandson after all, so I have to go and see him."
As the night grew darker, Lu Fengqing, accompanied by Chang Bao, slowly walked out of Ci'an Hall.
The night wind outside the palace brought a hint of coolness, blowing up her gorgeous phoenix robe. The candlelight swayed in the wind, as if it could also feel the heavy atmosphere in the deep palace.
Along the way, the palace lanterns were dim, illuminating the long palace walls and corridors, and Lu Fengqing couldn't help but feel an inexplicable emotion in his heart.
She had experienced countless storms in this deep palace, fought for power, and lost close friends like sisters.
Now, she stands at the pinnacle of power, but feels an unprecedented loneliness and helplessness.
The gate of Lin'an Palace was tightly closed, but it could not conceal the busy footsteps and anxious atmosphere inside the palace.
In the inner room, Liu Cairen lay on the bed, her low moans of pain revealing her struggle and helplessness. She clutched the sheets tightly, her forehead soaked with sweat, her face as pale as paper, as if she were enduring endless suffering.
The midwife kept caressing the baby's position, but even after a whole day, the dragon fetus still could not be born smoothly.
"Young lady, you have to try harder... Hurry up and drink some ginseng soup to replenish your strength." The nanny urged anxiously.
Xiuling, the personal maid, held the ginseng soup in her hands with tears in her eyes: "My lady, please at least have a sip."
Consort Liu rolled her eyes slightly, looked at Xiuling, and said in a thin voice, "...His Majesty promised me that he would let my mother come to the palace to accompany me when I give birth. Go to the palace gate and see if my mother... has arrived?"
Xiuling's tense nerves finally couldn't bear it anymore, and tears rolled down like beads from a broken string: "My lady, don't think about it anymore, take care of yourself first..."
Liu Cairen looked at the curtain beside the bed with empty eyes. There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. In fact, she had vaguely guessed it a long time ago, but she just kept avoiding it. She couldn't believe that His Majesty would treat her mother's family so cruelly.
Of course, she did not blame the emperor for being ruthless, but ultimately blamed herself for being stupid.
When her mother and sister-in-law came to the palace to visit her, they brought news of the family's predicament: her two brothers had partnered with others to run a bank, but unexpectedly suffered a loss of 30,000 taels of silver. If they could not repay the debt, they would face the dilemma of being sued in the Jingzhao Yin government office.
Even if she had the favor of His Majesty, she could not afford so much private money. The precious jewelry, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings bestowed by the emperor were all recorded in the imperial archives and could not be taken out of the palace without permission.
At this critical moment, the eldest sister-in-law came up with an idea. She heard that the literati and scholars in the capital highly praised Your Majesty's calligraphy and the books he read, so she suggested that she pay attention to these things in the palace.
As soon as the news gets out, there will definitely be a study willing to buy it at a high price, which may help solve the family's urgent needs.
Therefore, during that period, she frequently went to the Qianqing Palace to pay her respects. Moreover, because she was pregnant, she was granted special permission and could enter the imperial study directly from the back hall without the need to notify the eunuch.
The open books on the desk and the papers that His Majesty had left behind when he was writing the test questions were naturally within easy reach.
She really didn't understand. This turned out to be a matter that threatened the court and the country...
When the midwife saw that Concubine Liu's eyes gradually lost their luster and her face suddenly changed, she hurriedly sent someone to report to the emperor and request a decision.
When Empress Dowager Lu Fengqing arrived, she saw Emperor Li Longze sitting outside the Lin'an Palace, guarding the gate himself and not letting anyone in.
Seeing the Queen Mother coming, he stood up and greeted her respectfully.
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