Before Eunuch Yang entered the west wing hall, he saw Concubine Song standing alone outside the palace gate, looking around from afar.
"My lady, the Emperor is calling you over!"
"Eunuch Yang..." She approached with a flattering smile and asked tentatively, "Do you know what happened in Sang Yuxuan? Did my slave girl do anything bad?"
Eunuch Yang unfurled his hand holding the whisk without leaving a trace and snorted coldly, "Oh, my lady, you are truly embarrassing me! I am only responsible for delivering the emperor's message, how dare I say anything else!"
Normally, he would at least consider his master's dignity. Even if he felt uncomfortable, he would still put on a smile.
But this time, the scars on Shi Qing's body displeased him, and the emperor's furious attitude made him see clearly what happened to Concubine Song. Therefore, he didn't need to worry about her revenge in the future even if he deliberately kept his distance from her.
Concubine Song's face turned cold, and she couldn't get angry at the people in front of the emperor, so she could only follow him to the East Wing Hall with trepidation. Seeing the huge crowd of people kneeling inside, she knew that something was wrong!
"Your Majesty, I'm late." The moment she stepped through the threshold, she put on a worried look, her eyes unable to stop glancing inside. "I heard that Concubine Xi was unwell. Is she feeling better now? Your Majesty didn't allow me to come and disturb my sister before. Even though I was extremely worried, I didn't dare..."
"Going to the stage and singing a play, is it really that fun?"
Concubine Song stopped performing, looking puzzled: "Your Majesty?"
"What kind of fragrance was it that you asked your maid to secretly deliver?"
Xie Yanci stared at her without blinking, and indeed found signs of panic.
Then, the familiar loud rebuttal came again: "Your Majesty! Did your humble servant just say something nonsense?!"
"My lady, I've already told the Emperor everything I need to say. Please stop acting like this!" Shi Qing said rashly. "Since you have good intentions and want Xichang to get more sleep during her pregnancy, just tell the Emperor honestly. Why react so strongly? The Emperor is kind and won't blame you."
Concubine Song's mind was in a mess. "What spices? What are you talking about?!"
"It's been a while since the Changyin Pavilion in the palace invited a folk opera troupe to perform." Xie Yanci still thought she was playing dumb. "How about I arrange for you to perform a piece for all my beloved concubines to see?"
She understood that this was not just a joke from the emperor.
Although she had not been in the palace for long, from the few interactions they had in the past, she knew very well that the emperor would fulfill every word in his own way.
Sometimes he seemed sinister and cruel, but she didn't want such an ending.
Concubine Song suddenly grabbed Shi Qing by the collar and said, "You stupid girl! Didn't I scold you for that incident with the Emperor before? You're holding a grudge against me and dare to slander me in front of the Emperor?"
"My Lord, what are you talking about? I am confused."
Facing the weak and innocent Shi Qing, she became more and more anxious: "Even when the emperor came over, he specially helped you up! I saw through your bitchy thoughts and scolded you, and now you..."
"Oh, so it was that day?" Shi Qing suddenly smiled and also grasped her wrist, applying a little force. "Then my lady must also remember what you told me to do afterwards, right?"
This was the first time she saw the palace maid Shi Qing in this state. The uneasiness in her heart had completely turned into fear, and her hand, which was tightly gripping her collar, loosened involuntarily.
Xie Yanci clearly sensed a shift in the atmosphere between them. "Noble Lady Song, when someone asks you a question, you should answer it promptly. I'm also quite curious, what exactly did you do that day?"
"I...I am doing fine as usual. I didn't do anything!"
Shi Qing straightened her clothes and kowtowed in response, "My lady told me a story from back when I was still in my boudoir. It was about a pregnant woman from a certain family who had eaten too many delicacies, becoming bloated and having an enormous belly. On the day of delivery, she suffered a difficult labor and heavy bleeding. The baby was half-lost in her belly. One died of suffocation, the other of blood loss. It was horrible! But... if this happened to someone my lady hated, she would only applaud. So, my lady specially arranged for me..."
"Bitch! What nonsense are you talking about! Why did I ever tell you those things? You're just making them up!"
Shi Qing smiled bitterly, "I do think so, but it's a pity. I've been sold to the young master's house since I can remember. Everything I know is what I heard from the young master. I can't read, and I don't understand medical principles, so how could I understand the key points!"
"you?!"
Wen Yu suddenly understood and burst into tears, "Your Majesty, I now understand why the young lady suddenly likes to eat greasy and meaty foods, and why she has become so fat in such a short time! It turns out it was all your majesty's scheme! She just wanted the young lady to suffer during childbirth, and to die with the little prince!"
What a vicious thought!
Just as Xie Yanci was about to explode, he heard Shi Qing add, "Just in case, the young lady has planted some personnel in the Imperial Hospital. They'll be used while Xi Chang is giving birth smoothly!"
Imperial Hospital?!
The emperor's gaze wandered over Jiang Yuanzheng: "Do you know anything about this?"
"Your Majesty! Even if I had all my courage, I wouldn't dare get involved in this matter! I certainly wasn't as meticulous as Imperial Physician Lu just now, but my sincere heart is evident to all the world!"
"Who did you find? Tell me yourself."
Concubine Song shuddered all over: "I don't have any."
"Okay, you didn't do it." Xie Yanci's tone was calm as he ordered calmly, "Go and capture the entire Song family, young and old, and bring them all to the Heavenly Prison for interrogation! Since Concubine Song didn't know, it must have been arranged by her relatives, and it had nothing to do with her."
"No, no! Your Majesty! My father is old and a loyal minister to the court. You cannot treat him like this!"
"Since you won't let me know, I can only let them persuade you to tell the truth. I want to see, in your eyes, which is more important, your own future or their lives!"
She was terribly frightened.
Even if this incident had not been arranged, the emperor would have been able to find out the truth.
He wanted to make her suffer excruciating pain and force her to admit the truth. As for their past affection, he couldn't remember a single bit!
"I'll tell you! Everything!" Concubine Song kowtowed and confessed her guilt. "I was confused for a moment and arranged for Shi Qing to drug Concubine Xi's food, causing her to have a drastic change in her appetite! As for what you said... I arranged for someone to cause a hemorrhage during childbirth. That's not true! It was my fault alone. Please don't blame the entire Song family, Your Majesty!"
It’s not enough, far from enough!
Xie Yanci looked at her coldly, disgust thick in his eyes. "You don't even know medical knowledge. Where did the medicine in the food come from? Who did you find?"
"I am a concubine from the palace..."
"I know who they are! They are the two imperial doctors responsible for producing the substance that promotes hemorrhage."
Shi Qing interrupted Concubine Song with a firm tone.
The latter stared at her in astonishment, muttering to himself: "What imperial physician? There is no..."
"Zhao Rui and Wu Xiang from the Imperial Hospital are exactly the people I'm looking for."
As soon as these words came out, Jiang Yuanzheng lost his balance and almost fell to the ground!
Why are they the two?!
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