"Yao'er? How is Liangcairen?"
Wei Shuyi walked out of the inner room in a daze, and saw the imperial doctors standing in a row. He then looked up at the emperor. The scene before him was confusing and he was about to fall to the ground!
"Yao'er!"
Xie Yanci supported her in time, his tone was panicked, as if he had also noticed something.
"Saito-sister, she...she's gone."
"What?!" The Queen hurried over, but she didn't have the courage to lift the curtain in front of her. "Why did you ask all the doctors to come out just now? At this critical moment of childbirth, Concubine Yi is so reckless!"
It was she who drove away the imperial physician who was saving lives.
It was also she who witnessed the painful death of Liang Cairen.
It is understandable that the Queen was emotional when thinking of the unborn "child".
Xie Yanci would not put the blame on her alone, but ordered Eunuch Yang to lead the imperial physician to check the inner room.
The moment the curtain was lifted, he couldn't help but take a glance: scarlet blood stretched from under the woman's body to the ground, and her waxy yellow hands hung down limply, already stiff and motionless.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I will save up the money to compensate the Empress Dowager for the jade plate! Please forgive me this time!"
"From now on, you are the palace consort. Don't speak so casually all the time. Remember to call yourself the master."
"Oh, well, I'll take my leave."
He still remembered the woman's reluctant back as she left after the crude and hasty coronation.
In a flash, she passed away, along with their child, without giving him any chance to linger.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences." Eunuch Yang walked out first, frowning. "The imperial physician said that the talented woman was already ill and barely had the strength to speak. Childbirth was difficult, and that's why she died of a hemorrhage."
"knew."
The emperor walked towards the door, his steps heavy, each step exhausting his energy.
He didn't know how to tell the Queen Mother this bad news: in the past, although she was annoyed by his recklessness and rashness, she had praised him as a talented person in front of him more than once.
"My Lady!" "Sister!" "Lady Yi!"
Three exclamations rang out one after another. Xie Yanci staggered a step, and when he turned around, Wei Shuyi had already fainted in Wen Yu's arms.
——
In the spring of the sixth year of Emperor Yunwu's reign, the talented woman Wang died in Lin'an Palace at the age of twenty-one. The emperor, moved by her life of hardship and her contributions to the nurturing of an imperial heir, posthumously conferred her the title of Wanrong, a fifth-rank official, and bestowed upon her the posthumous title of "Wenliang." He also sent officials to read the imperial edict and offer sacrifices as usual.
Even so, she still could not enjoy the same funeral honors as concubines and above, and even the memorial service had to be done secretly in a corner of the palace.
"My lady, please don't be too sad. This is not what she wants to see. What if she gets hurt by crying..."
"I didn't cry."
Wei Shuyi wiped the corners of his eyes, which were dry and rough.
It turns out that extreme grief doesn't require crying out loud, to the point of reddening eyes. Even she herself found this silence strange.
Consort Xin was still accompanying her as she burned the paper money for the deceased: "Sister Noble, I have written many prayers for salvation overnight. I will burn them together later. I hope she can be reborn in paradise."
"Thank you very much."
She still maintained her original kneeling position, staring blankly at the tablet with lifeless eyes.
Wen Yu saw this and looked around at the gradually darkening bushes. She couldn't help but feel scared: "My lady, you have to cheer up and don't look like this! I'm afraid that some filthy creature will take over your body. This..."
"It's okay, aunt." Concubine Xin waved her hand to comfort her. "The noble sister just wants to chat with her quietly for a while. Let's not talk. It will be fine after tonight."
Wen Yu was half-believing and half-doubting, but finally retreated to Jing'an's side and sighed.
"Actually, you don't even need to come tonight. Or rather, you don't have to endure this kind of suffering except for the first night. Wouldn't it be better to just stay in Jiaofeng Palace?"
"Yes, I haven't exchanged many words with her, and I haven't experienced any great feats, but that doesn't stop me from feeling sorry for her. Also... I envy you." Concubine Xin clasped her hands together and suddenly opened her eyes. "I'm living well in my boudoir. My parents dote on me. Even when I studied Taoism with those low-class men, they tried to cover it up for me and never punished me."
"Yes, that sounds very happy."
"But I've never experienced true sisterly love. My father's concubines were all controlled by my mother. They appeared obedient, but in reality, they coveted my status as the legitimate daughter. Sister, do you know? Even on the day of the palace selection, Eunuch Yang called me a concubine's daughter."
Wei Shuyi's attention was diverted: "Why?"
"I was also born to a concubine. She was the mistress's oldest and closest sister. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth. The mistress took me under her name, intending to elevate me and give me the honor of a legitimate daughter. This is what aroused jealousy."
She had never known about this secret before.
I could only hear Concubine Xin muttering again, "When everyone is in a similar situation, intrigue and scheming will occur. Not to mention, I've been ahead of everyone else since I was born. They actually wish I were dead. Entering the palace to be selected is the last way for me to survive that my parents arranged. Only when I'm far away from home can they not harm me."
Wei Shuyi originally thought that she was the most beloved youngest daughter of the Sheng family. She grew up in great pampering and had a harmonious relationship with her sisters, which is why she developed her current temper.
Unexpectedly, there is still a difficult problem to solve.
"Sister, I'm not telling you this to gain your sympathy, but to say... I've seen all the efforts you've made for her. Even if the final outcome wasn't satisfactory, you tried your best. I still remember what she told me that day! If one day, she's gone, I'll protect you in her place."
"No, no!" Wei Shuyi turned around in panic, "I have a bad fate and have killed many people. I don't want to implicate you anymore, so..."
"Nonsense!" Concubine Xin interrupted her. "Sister Yi, have you forgotten what I do? I haven't seen any signs of your brow turning black or keeping strangers away. You are a blessed person! Besides, were you the one who killed her? You were the one who saved her the whole time! Why are you being so self-deprecating? Why are you taking all the blame on yourself?"
"Yes, my lady, this is not your fault!" Jing An also stepped forward to comfort her, "The most urgent thing is not for you to blame yourself, but..."
"Imperial Master! And Consort Rong!"
His scattered consciousness gradually came together, and Wei Shuyi's heart, which had been buried by guilt, began to beat again.
She started talking about these two people, and her thoughts flew back to the day when Liang Cairen passed away.
"One deliberately poisoned her and killed her. The other tried to harm my daughter. They colluded with each other and committed this crime together!"
Wen Yu and Jing An looked at each other without saying anything.
Concubine Xin was stunned: "Sister Yi, so, she didn't die from a difficult labor and hemorrhage?!"
"no."
"She was murdered by a conspiracy?!"
"yes."
After burning the last pile of paper, Wei Shuyi ordered his men to clean up the scene. He then looked at the woman accompanying him and asked solemnly, "As you can see, there are always conspiracies and calculations around me, which can be life-threatening in serious cases. Even so, do you still want to be friends with me and stay in Lin'an Palace?"
"Sister, Senior Brother once said that if you break a promise to a dying person, you will suffer retribution in this life. I was born afraid of pain, so I choose to keep my promise."
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