"A bunch of idiots!"
"Did you think that by not telling me, nothing would happen?"
Empress Zhou was furious, her face contorted with rage. Once the case was put to public trial, the things the Zhou family had done would definitely not be kept secret.
Although Emperor Cheng'an spoke nicely, his words when he summoned him clearly indicated that he had no intention of protecting the Zhou family.
The Zhou family has done countless shady things for Emperor Cheng'an over the years. Without their support, his ascension to the throne would not have been so smooth. Now, Emperor Cheng'an is clearly trying to kill two birds with one stone by discarding his benefactors.
He could use the King of Qin to eliminate the Zhou family, a pawn who knew too much, and cut off her escape route, keeping her firmly in his grasp.
"He's got a good plan, but I'll never let him have his way."
Empress Zhou gritted her teeth in hatred, when she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She looked down and saw that there was blood on her light-colored skirt.
Her eyes widened in terror, and she screamed the name of her personal maid.
The lady-in-waiting rushed in and was horrified when she saw the bloodstains on her skirt. She was about to shout for someone to summon the imperial physician when Empress Zhou stopped her: "Don't call!"
The female official looked at her helplessly, then heard her order: "Help me lie down first, then secretly call a trusted imperial physician, without alerting anyone else."
The female official nodded in a flustered manner, helped her lie down, and then hurriedly went to find the imperial physician.
After a short while, the female official secretly led an imperial physician into the hall.
When the imperial physician saw the large bloodstains on the Empress's skirt, his face turned pale. He bowed tremblingly, said "excuse me," and then cautiously stepped forward to check on Empress Zhou's condition.
After taking his pulse, his face turned even paler.
Empress Zhou asked in a somber tone, "How is it?"
The imperial physician was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, his forehead touching the ground: "Your Majesty, spare my life."
Empress Zhou, agitated and impatient, demanded, "Can the child still be saved?"
The imperial physician kowtowed repeatedly, saying in a state of panic, "Your Majesty is incompetent; the child in Her Majesty's womb has already been lost."
The vague sense of foreboding came true. Empress Zhou's face turned ashen. She stared wide-eyed at the roof beam above her head, her mind racing with thoughts.
If something happens to the Zhou family, this child is her only bargaining chip; she absolutely cannot let anything happen to him.
She quickly made a decision and had the female official bring in her trusted confidant who was waiting outside. She said to the confidant, "Imperial Physician, you've worked hard. This matter cannot be forced. It's my fault. Please see the Imperial Physician out."
The imperial physician rose tremblingly, unable to believe that Empress Zhou had let him off so easily.
He smiled and thanked her repeatedly.
"Although the pregnancy was only three months along, a miscarriage will not affect your health. However, Your Majesty should still recuperate for a while. I will prescribe a recuperation formula for you. You should take it for ten days to avoid affecting your future offspring."
Empress Zhou nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician."
She glanced at her confidant again, who, receiving her hint, nodded slightly and personally escorted the imperial physician out.
The imperial physician followed the other party without any suspicion, but when he passed through a secluded palace road, he felt a pain in the back of his neck and lost consciousness.
Empress Zhou leaned against the couch expressionlessly. In fact, she had long suspected that this pregnancy was unstable.
She thought that if she took good care of herself, nothing would go wrong, but she didn't expect to miscarry so quickly.
She was in a daze for a moment, and the trusted confidant who had escorted the imperial physician away returned.
"Have the people been dealt with?" Empress Zhou asked.
The confidant nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured, nothing will go wrong."
Empress Zhou nodded slightly and instructed, "After you go back, have your father select a few more strong and healthy men to send to me. Also, just in case, it would be best to get Zhou Zhenrong pregnant as soon as possible. No matter whose womb the child comes from, as long as it is of the Zhou family bloodline, it can't be wrong."
The confidant agreed and left the palace to deliver the message.
Only Empress Zhou and her female officials remained in the vast palace.
Empress Zhou stared blankly for a while before instructing, "What happened today must not be spread. Pretend it never happened. Go and fetch me a clean set of clothes to change into. Clean these clothes thoroughly so no one will discover anything amiss."
The female official, who was listening nearby, knew that the imperial physician from earlier was probably in grave danger.
The imperial physician was originally one of Empress Zhou's men. Empress Zhou's pregnancy was actually not stable, and it was only through the help of the imperial physician that she was able to create the illusion of being healthy.
She never expected that the Empress would kill the imperial physician directly.
The female official wanted to ask the reason, but she was afraid that if she asked, she would suffer the same fate as the imperial physician.
So she didn't dare say a word more, and respectfully performed the ceremony, then did as Empress Zhou instructed.
*
Three days later, the Dali Temple held a public trial for the case of the Shen family father and son's treason and collusion with the enemy.
It was said to be just one case, but the case of the Shen family father and son colluding with the enemy and betraying the country also brought to light the case of embezzlement of military funds in Qinzhou.
This complex case, with its intricate details and the renowned reputation of the Shen family, drew a massive crowd of onlookers to the courtroom of the Dali Temple on the day of the trial.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, having received the emperor's instructions, handled official business impartially and dared not show the slightest favoritism.
The case was reviewed in accordance with proper procedures.
After witnesses and physical evidence were presented one after another, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review swallowed hard as he looked at the list of officials implicated, feeling a sense of impending doom.
With so many people watching, including the King of Qin and others, even though he knew this case would inevitably cause turmoil in the court, he still had to order: "Bring Zhou Nian, Zhou Qing, and the others here!"
Upon receiving the order, the yamen runners from the Dali Temple quickly went to arrest the person.
Besides the Zhou family, there were twelve other officials implicated in Qi Zhong's case.
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