Shen Wan was soaked to the bone and covered in mud, and Xie Jingyan was in no better shape. The palace maids led them to a side hall, arranged bathing water for them, and brought them clean dresses and brocade robes.
Looking at the smoky pomegranate-colored gauze dress she was wearing, Shen Wan's heart was bleeding. Although the mud could be washed off, it was only the first day she wore it, and it had already gotten so dirty.
I was covered in dirt, even my hair was filthy. I had to wash myself from head to toe, and by the time I was done, half an hour had passed.
After tidying her hair, Shen Wan stood up and looked at Xie Jingyan, who had been sitting there watching her, and said, "I'm ready."
As the two stepped out of the side hall, they saw Du, the old nanny beside Empress Song, walking over, followed by an imperial physician.
Granny Du stepped forward, curtsied to Xie Jingyan and Shen Wan, and said, "The Empress knows that Princess Jin accidentally knocked Princess Ling off the bridge. She was worried that you might be frightened, so she specially sent the imperial physician to examine you."
careless?
Upon hearing those three words, Shen Wan's eyes turned cold.
Fu Shu stopped her and apologized to her. She found it strange at the time and thought that Fu Shu wanted to win her over to deal with Shen Ying, but she did not expect to be waiting for her here!
In the Imperial Garden, she was knocked into the lotus pond. With so many people around, she wouldn't actually drown, but falling into the lotus pond would be enough to make her suffer. In addition, she was wearing the smoky gauze that Princess Shouchun wanted the most. Seeing her go from glamorous to disheveled, Empress Song and Princess Shouchun would definitely be happy. And since Fu Shu was pregnant and it wasn't "intentional," she had the child in her belly as a talisman. No matter how wronged she was, she could only swallow her grievances.
She pretended to sprain her ankle so that Empress Song would be punished by the Emperor to copy one hundred Buddhist scriptures. Fu Shu then pretended to fall and helped Empress Song get back at him!
These people can treat other people's lives like dirt, but they can't stand to suffer the slightest loss themselves!
Since Fu Shu is so fearless, why should Empress Song pretend to care by sending a royal physician to look after her? Or does she think that pushing her into the lotus pond is not enough, and that she needs to use the royal physician to make her suffer even more?
Shen Wan wasn't being paranoid. She had spent several years in the palace. Although Empress Song and Xie Jingyin harbored ill intentions towards her and kept many things from her, she was not so unaware that Imperial Physician Jiang was one of Empress Song's men.
Even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn't dare take the medicine prescribed by Physician Jiang.
But Empress Song sent the imperial physician to examine her pulse, and she couldn't refuse. Moreover, Xie Jingyan wouldn't let her refuse either. Xie Jingyan said, "Let the imperial physician examine you, and I'll feel more at ease."
Shen Wan did not refuse.
She only asked Physician Jiang to take her pulse; at most, she would simply refuse to take the medicine he prescribed.
Since the area outside the door wasn't a place for taking pulses, Shen Wan returned to the palace and sat down on the couch, letting Physician Jiang take her pulse.
Physician Jiang's hand was almost touching Shen Wan's pulse when he slightly withdrew his fingers. This subtle movement went unnoticed. Physician Jiang continued to take Shen Wan's pulse, then withdrew his hand and said, "Judging from the Princess's pulse, she has been somewhat frightened, but it's not a serious problem. I won't prescribe any medicine for you. I'll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare a bowl of ginger soup for you to prevent the cold from entering your body."
They actually said she was frightened and wouldn't prescribe any medicine for her...
Isn't Physician Jiang now one of Empress Song's men?
Otherwise, why would Granny Du have brought Physician Jiang to take her pulse?
Shen Wan glanced at Granny Du without making it obvious, and saw that Granny Du's brows were furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with what Physician Jiang had said.
The Empress wanted to know that Princess Ling hadn't been frightened. Since she didn't even need medicine and only needed ginger soup, what kind of fright was that?!
Physician Jiang stood up to take his leave, and Granny Du said, "Since Princess Ling is alright, I will go back and inform the Empress so that she will not worry."
Would Empress Song be worried about her?
Even if the sun rose in the west, that wouldn't be possible.
Granny Du curtsied and withdrew with Physician Jiang.
Once outside the side hall, with no one around, Granny Du's face fell. However, just as she was about to question Physician Jiang about why he hadn't followed the Empress's orders, Physician Jiang whispered a few words in her ear, and Granny Du's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Imperial Garden, pavilion.
Empress Song was still talking to those noble ladies.
As Du Mama stepped forward, Empress Song asked, "The imperial physician has examined her. How is Princess Ling?"
Du Mama replied, "Princess Ling was a little frightened, but she is fine."
Empress Song nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that she's alright. If it weren't for Princess Ling shielding Princess Jin today, Princess Jin would most likely have fallen into the water. She's pregnant, and if she had fallen in, the consequences would have been unpredictable."
Fu Shu sat to the side, still feeling lingering fear, and said, "It's all my fault. I caused Princess Ling to fall into the water. Luckily, she's alright, otherwise I would feel guilty for the rest of my life."
Empress Song comforted Fu Shu, saying, "You didn't do it on purpose, so don't blame yourself too much."
Fu Shu nodded obediently.
When Du Mama stood next to Empress Song, their eyes met, and Empress Song knew that Du Mama had something urgent to tell her.
Empress Song sat for a while longer, then excused herself to wash her hands, and was helped out of the pavilion by Granny Du.
Empress Song asked, "Is there something you can't tell me?"
Granny Du glanced around before whispering, "Princess Ling is pregnant..."
Empress Song stopped abruptly in her tracks and blurted out, "How is this possible?!"
"Physician Jiang just took the pulse; it's been a full two months. Judging from the pulse, it seems to be a few days earlier than the Princess Consort of Jin's pregnancy..."
Empress Song's complexion was extremely poor.
The Emperor wanted to hold his eldest grandson, a fact known to all the civil and military officials. She had always thought the eldest grandson was in Fu Shu's belly, but it turned out that Princess Ling had become pregnant even earlier.
Although a few days earlier doesn't mean the baby will be born first, what if it is?
The eldest grandson of the emperor holds an extraordinary position, even if he is born out of wedlock.
Empress Song said, "In the past half month, no fewer than a hundred doctors and imperial physicians have come and gone from the Ling Prince's residence. Could it be that not a single one of them took the opportunity to check on the Ling Princess's health?"
Even the most ordinary doctor can deliver a two-month pregnancy.
Granny Du shook her head.
She didn't know that.
However, Princess Ling is truly blessed. She is more than two months pregnant but shows no signs of pregnancy at all, unlike Princess Jin who is vomiting so badly that she can barely eat. Princess Ling not only doesn't experience morning sickness, but even when she was pushed into the lotus pond, she didn't experience any problems with the fetus or any shock. Her physical condition is probably unmatched by any other young lady in the capital.
Empress Song frowned. "Could they be deliberately concealing this?"
Empress Song couldn't believe that a woman could be so oblivious as to not even notice her period hadn't come. Even if she was too busy to notice, her maids and nannies would remember.
She was already wearing a pomegranate-colored dress, practically announcing to everyone that Princess Ling was pregnant. But she was actually pregnant, yet no one knew?
Is this possible?
"It doesn't look like it," said Granny Du. "If Prince Ling knew that Princess Ling was pregnant, he would definitely call the imperial physician immediately if she fell into the water..."
That's true.
Whether they knew it or not, the eldest grandson of the emperor could only come out of the womb of the Princess of Jin.
A ruthless glint flashed in Empress Song's eyes.
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