Chapter 243 Forced Injection of Labor Drugs
Liu Yuetang stroked her belly and looked at the Queen Mother in disbelief.
The one in her belly was her own grandson.
Even if she believed what the Imperial Observatory said and wanted to get rid of herself, the baby in her belly was only seven months old. How could she risk her grandson?
Liu Yuetang's body softened and she tightly grasped Wanqiu's hand.
Yes, in the past, he was able to abandon Xiao Heng for Prince Rui.
Today, I can give up my own grandson because of the celestial phenomena.
Really! It's chilling and hateful.
Rong Yue was horrified when she heard this. She quickly lifted her skirt and knelt down, "Empress Dowager, Concubine Xi is not yet full-term. If she takes the labor-inducing drug, I'm afraid there will be two deaths! Please have mercy."
Su Nanqing also slowly knelt down and bowed to the ground: "Please think twice, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother slowly opened her eyes, helplessness weighing heavily on her brows like a heavy cloud. She looked at Liu Yuetang and said, "Xi Fei, please don't blame me."
"For the sake of the royal heir, and for the safety of Jingyuan, I have no other choice."
Liu Yuetang raised her head, met her gaze, and laughed sadly and angrily, "I originally thought that Your Majesty was a person who spoke hard but was soft-hearted. Now I see that your heart is harder than stone, and you are old and foolish. You actually gambled your own grandson's life because of a mere astronomical phenomenon."
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother's face darkened and her voice suddenly rose: "How dare you speak to me like that?"
"It seems like you really can't stay here, or you'll become a nuisance to the palace sooner or later."
After saying this, she flicked her sleeves and said, "Show the medicine to Concubine Xi and feed her."
Upon seeing this, Rong Yue hurriedly knelt down beside the Empress Dowager and said, "Empress Dowager, this matter concerns the life of the Crown Prince and Concubine Xi. I implore you to wait until the Emperor and the Empress return to the palace before making a decision."
Chu Qichi bowed and said, "This matter must not be delayed. Concubine Rong may not know that the longer the heir stays in Concubine Xi's womb, the more danger he will face."
Rongpin gritted her teeth in anger, her eyes gleaming coldly as she glared at Chu Qichi, "The heir has been in Concubine Xi's womb for seven whole months, and he's been fine. Could it be that if he stayed a day or two longer, something would go wrong?"
She suddenly sneered coldly, "In my opinion, even if the heir in Concubine Xi's womb is strong, drinking this bowl of medicine will probably result in premature birth and frailty. Then, wouldn't the sign of your so-called conflict of fortune and blessings come true on Concubine Xi?"
"Isn't it?" Liu Yuetang replied, but her eyes were always on the Queen Mother.
"What a brilliant plan! Not only can it eliminate me and the unborn heir, but it can also confirm the astrological predictions. What a brilliant calculation!"
"I don't know... who is so clever, who thinks so highly of me, and actually uses celestial phenomena to deal with me."
After she finished speaking, she turned her head, her eyes as sharp as a hawk as she swept across the beautiful faces of the concubines one by one.
When some concubines of lower rank were met with this cold gaze, they couldn't help but tremble and clenched the handkerchiefs in their hands.
Chu Qichi was stunned for a moment and kowtowed heavily.
"You two ladies have truly misunderstood me."
After saying this, he looked solemnly at the Empress Dowager and said, "Your Majesty, I was only fulfilling my duty and reporting the celestial phenomena truthfully. I sincerely do not want to see the blessed heir to the throne be implicated because of his mother. Now that I have completed my report, I will say no more, lest you two majesties suspect that I was instructed by others."
The Queen Mother was still very hesitant, but after hearing Chu Qichi's words, her grip on the Buddhist beads suddenly tightened. "Zhu Jianzheng, if we force the birth, will the baby in Concubine Xi's belly really be safe?"
Chu Qichi said quickly, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager. As the saying goes, a child born on the seventh month of life may not survive the eighth. Concubine Xi's dragon fetus is already seven and a half months old and fully developed. Furthermore, I have calculated that the heir in Concubine Xi's womb is a lucky star, blessed with good fortune. Without the restraint of the mother, he will surely be born safely, ensuring peace and prosperity for our Jingyuan Empire."
When the Queen Mother heard this, all the doubts in her brow disappeared.
She must protect such a lucky star by any means.
Not to mention killing one Concubine Xi, I would be willing to kill even ten.
She raised her hand, "Zhu Yi, feed Concubine Xi."
"Empress Dowager..." Rongpin and Su Nanqing were about to speak when the Empress Dowager's face darkened and she shouted angrily, "Rongpin has repeatedly contradicted me. Drag her out and make her kneel outside Shoukang Palace. You are not allowed to stand up without my permission!"
"The rest of you, if you continue to plead, will kneel down with Rongpin."
Su Nanqing looked at Rongpin being taken away, and could only close her lips timidly and helplessly.
Liu Zheng, Wan Qiu and others have been grabbed by the eunuchs.
Zhu Yi walked towards Liu Yuetang with the bowl in his hand. Looking at the steaming bowl of soup, Liu Yuetang subconsciously protected her stomach.
The Queen Mother raised her head, and the eunuch quickly held Liu Yuetang down.
Zhu Yi looked at the struggling Liu Yuetang and shook his head, "Empress Xi, please drink it."
"The Imperial Astronomical Observatory said that if you give birth to an imperial heir safely, you will be demoted to a concubine or imperial concubine. This way, your blessings will not conflict with the heir's, and you will both live in peace."
Safe and sound? Liu Yuetang sneered inwardly.
How can it be safe and sound?
The seven-month-old fetus is very likely to still be in a transverse position. Once the labor-inducing drug is taken, dystocia is almost inevitable, which can cause harm to the body in mild cases and death in severe cases.
Even if she was lucky enough to give birth to a child, the fetus at more than seven months old was only the size of a rabbit. It would not be easy for it to grow up healthily like an ordinary child.
By then, even if she could survive, the reason for the emperor's weak body would all be attributed to the heavens.
He said that he was his nemesis!
At this moment, the baby in the belly seemed to feel her uneasiness and moved violently.
"Stop! Let me go, all of you."
"The Emperor has issued an order!"
Mingpin suddenly straightened up and sneered, "The Emperor has issued an order?"
"Then you should bring out the emperor's decree."
While the palace servants were stunned, Liu Yuetang broke free from their hands and took out a mutton-fat jade pendant from her arms.
When the empress dowager touched the dragon pattern on the jade pendant, her eyes suddenly fixed.
"Empress Dowager, you should recognize this jade pendant."
The empress dowager naturally recognized it. It was a personal belonging of the late emperor, passed down to Xiao Heng after his death.
Liu Yuetang held up the jade pendant, the jade color shimmering coldly in the sunlight: "The emperor gave this jade pendant to me before the sacrifice. Seeing it is like seeing you."
As soon as the words fell, all the concubines and palace maids in the hall knelt down.
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes coldly and said, "Do you think that if you take out the Emperor's jade pendant, I will be afraid of you?"
Liu Yuetang stroked her abdomen with one hand, held up the jade pendant with the other and bent her knees slightly: "I dare not."
"But Empress Dowager, have you ever thought about why the Emperor gave me the jade pendant before he left?"
There was no need for Liu Yuetang to say anything, the empress dowager understood, and the concubines also understood.
All the concubines turned pale. They didn't expect that the emperor doted on Liu Yuetang so much and even gave her his personal jade pendant.
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