Chapter 197 was given to her.
Empress Xue put on a worried expression.
"It's not that I'm overthinking things, but the imperial heir in Consort Shu's womb is too important for me to do without thinking it over."
The emperor's smile faded, and he looked at Li Nanke thoughtfully.
"I ask you, where did you obtain this antidote pill?"
Li Nanke's heart suddenly raced as she considered how to answer.
Judging from what the imperial physician just said, His Majesty and the Empress should not know that the divine physician Gui Liu is in Shen Cong's residence.
If she says that the pills were prepared by Mr. Guiliu, she wonders if it will cause trouble for Shen Cong.
If she doesn't say anything, how can she explain the existence of the antidote pill?
"This humble woman... the pills are..."
Empress Xue slammed her hand on the table.
"What? You're too scared to continue? Confess honestly! Who ordered you to do this today? And who gave you the medicine?"
Li Nanke's hands, hanging by his sides, trembled, and cold sweat seeped from his back.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, the emperor's face darkened.
The atmosphere inside was stagnant and chilling.
Just then, a cold voice came from outside, like a sharp blade instantly cleaving through the stagnant atmosphere inside the room.
"It was given to her by my younger brother."
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Li Nanke's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly turned his head to look.
Shen Cong appeared at the doorway, his hair tied up with a jade crown, wearing a crimson brocade robe with wide sleeves and a silver-white rat-skin cloak, which made him appear even thinner and taller.
The snow eagle clung to his cloak, its white feathers like silk, its ear tips swaying gently, and the red bells hanging around its neck jingling crisply.
Its tail swayed gently in time with the rhythmic ringing of the bell, and its amber eyes lit up when it saw Li Nanke.
It let out a joyful whimper and trotted in, raising its front legs.
"ah!"
Empress Xue was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she stumbled backward, falling onto a chair with a thud.
"Quickly, get this beast out of here!"
"Snow Eagle!"
Shen Cong snorted coldly, and Xue Ying obediently stopped and turned back to Shen Cong's side.
With its round eyes fixed on Li Nanke, its tail practically wagged like a propeller, it looked both aggrieved and impatient.
If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, Li Nanke would definitely have run over, grabbed its head, and given it a couple of good pats.
Shen Cong patted Xue Ying's head.
"Go stay in the courtyard, or I'll chop off your dog's head if you scare my sister-in-law!"
"Woof woof woof!"
The snow eagle cried out in protest, glaring at Chen Cong, but after a moment it gave in, its tail drooping listlessly. With its head drooping, it walked outside, looking back every step of the way.
The appearance of the man and the dog broke the silence that had been hanging in the air.
When the emperor saw Shen Cong, he could hardly hide his smile.
"Ah Cong, come and sit down. Consort Shu is pregnant, and I will be the Emperor again!"
He couldn't wait to tell Shen Cong the good news.
Shen Cong's eyes slanted upwards, and he smiled very happily.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! I'm going to have another nephew!"
The emperor was overjoyed at the mention of the word "nephew".
When Empress Xue heard the word "again," her eyes welled up with tears.
Ah Cong always kept the wish for immortality in her heart, which is why she used the word "again".
Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at Shen Cong. "It's already the winter month, your cloak is too thin."
"Your Highness still has a mink fur coat she saved from last winter; take it and make a new mink cloak."
Shen Cong smiled and politely declined.
"I know my sister-in-law loves me. Changsheng will be back soon. Keep the mink fur to make a cloak for Changsheng."
I haven't even worn the fox fur cloak my brother gave me last time.
Hearing Shen Cong mention his son again, Empress Xue felt a pang of sadness and almost burst into tears. Her anger subsided considerably.
The emperor stepped forward and touched Shen Cong's hand, his face darkening.
"Your hands are as cold as ice. Why don't you wear a thicker cloak? You're such a grown man, why are you still so willful?"
He then instructed a palace maid to fetch a hand warmer.
Shen Cong let the emperor scold him for a couple of sentences without arguing back, appearing obedient.
Then, smiling, she accepted the hand warmer brought from the palace and held it in her hands.
When Li Nanke saw Shen Cong like this for the first time, he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
When Shen Cong met her gaze, he seemed to remember what had just happened and brought it up again with the Emperor and Empress Xue.
“The pills in Li Nanke’s hand were prepared by the doctor in my residence. Last time, my brother accidentally encountered Lady Song, who was poisoned, and gave her a bottle of antidote pills.”
The emperor's expression was strange.
"The doctor in your household? That eccentric, slovenly doctor who claims to be the reincarnation of the divine physician Gui Liu?"
Shen Cong nodded with a smile.
"That's right, it was him. Over the years, he has been studying the prescriptions of the legendary doctor Gui Liu, and he actually managed to concoct an antidote pill with similar effects."
"My brother happened to give Li Nanke a bottle that day; I never expected she would bring it to the palace, let alone inadvertently save Consort Shu."
The emperor's doubts were answered, and his furrowed brows relaxed for a moment before instantly furrowing again.
"If it wasn't Li Nanke, then who poisoned Consort Shu?"
No one can answer this question.
Empress Xue's eyes flickered slightly.
"Your Majesty, this matter may still require..."
Before she could finish speaking, Consort Shu, who was lying on the bed, suddenly coughed twice, interrupting Empress Xue.
The emperor, ignoring Empress Xue's words, rushed to the bedside.
"Consort Shu, you're awake? How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
"Consort Shu?"
Shu Wanyi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she was momentarily stunned. Then, as if remembering something, tears instantly fell from her eyes.
His hand trembled as he reached for his abdomen.
"My child, my child..."
The emperor sat on the edge of the bed, leaned down and took her hand, gently placing them on his abdomen.
She said softly, "Don't be afraid, our prince is here. If you are alright, our prince is alright too."
"You are now my Consort Shu. After you safely give birth to the prince, I will further promote your rank."
Consort Shu stroked her still flat belly. Hearing that the baby was alright, she didn't breathe a sigh of relief; instead, she cried even harder.
She struggled to get up.
The emperor frowned and took her arm.
"Consort Shu, what are you doing? The imperial physician said you must rest in bed and not move around!"
Consort Shu sobbed uncontrollably, half-sitting up, supporting herself with her hands, and banging her head heavily on the bed.
She choked up and said, "I beg Your Majesty to do justice for my son and me, and to find out who is behind this plot to harm us."
"Even if the child is saved today, he may still suffer in the future. Your Majesty, I beg you, for the sake of Zhaokang and the two children I lost before, please save us, mother and child."
When the topic of her two miscarried children came up, Consort Shu cried so hard she almost fainted.
The emperor was also very upset.
The year after Consort Shu gave birth to Zhao Kang, she became pregnant again, but when she was five months pregnant, she accidentally fell and gave birth to a fully formed boy.
A year later, Consort Shu became pregnant for the third time. This time she was very careful and stayed at home almost all the time, but the child died inexplicably in her womb.
The imperial physician administered strong medicine to induce labor, and Consort Shu endured three full days of pain before giving birth to a stillborn child.
It's another boy!
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