Chapter 71 Xiao Shenjing could no longer bear it.
Yunxi had been punished by Xiao Shenjing several times and thought that the laundry department in the palace was the worst place, but she did not expect that the Cold Palace was no less so.
The cracks in the caisson ceiling were covered with bluish-black mold, the tiled roof was dilapidated and covered with moss, and as she pushed the door open, she saw a rat scurrying by.
Spiderwebs hung from the window, seemingly about to fall, making one wonder if it would collapse with a crash after another storm.
Dao frowned and fanned away the dust that was blowing in his face.
He strode into the damp and cold room, wiped the only broken chair in the room with his sleeve, and pushed it behind Yunxi.
Seeing that she remained silent, Dao Yi comforted her, "Miss Yunxi, His Majesty will definitely take you back once he calms down."
Yunxi really wanted to say that she didn't need it.
But seeing this appalling and dilapidated environment, one can imagine that what awaits them will be no better.
"Whatever, everyone thinks I killed Cen Yuwei anyway," she said, pursing her lips. "Aunt Xueyu and the others must hate me to the extreme, and I wonder if they'll tamper with my food."
Dao Yi's expression froze.
Yunxi laughed indifferently, "So whatever. I hope I can hold out until I clear my name and Xiao Shenjing comes to pick me up."
This was probably a rare sight of Yunxi bowing her head.
Dao Yi was surprised, but she had to admit that her concerns were valid, so she assured her, "Don't worry, I will send someone to keep an eye on things."
"Thank you," Yunxi said sincerely. "I still haven't repaid the favor I owed you last time, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to do so again in this lifetime."
Just as Dao Yi was about to say something, Yun Xi suddenly changed the subject and said, "How about I find you a wife?"
"No, no, that's not necessary." Dao Yi blushed deeply.
Finally, when the eunuch brought the chain, Yunxi glanced at it and said only one sentence, "Please make the chain a little longer."
She still needs to bask in the sun.
When she extended her slender wrist without any struggle, Dao Yi felt a pang of pity. "Miss Yunxi, His Majesty does have feelings for you. The death of the Empress of a nation will prompt all the officials to submit a memorial. If you are not punished, we cannot appease the public's anger. Furthermore, regardless of whether you are innocent or not, you should at least be sent to the Imperial Prison."
Severe torture and forced confessions.
Dao didn't utter those eight words.
"Thank you." Yunxi smiled noncommittally.
Dao Yi locked the chain and nailed it to the wall, locking Yunxi's hands and feet in the chain, limiting her to just reaching the door.
Before leaving, Dao Yi said, "When you need it, just call the Imperial Guards outside the door. They can unlock the door for you twice a day."
Even though she was locked up, two imperial guards were still left to stand watch at the door.
"Tsk, at least you can still use the toilet," Yunxi said, her face full of mockery.
After Dao left, someone brought bedding.
The next morning, a group of eunuchs rushed in.
They were carrying planks and nails.
Yunxi sat in the middle of the room, her hands and feet bound by shackles.
After a series of clanging sounds...
She watched helplessly as the window was nailed shut little by little, and as the light gradually faded away before her eyes.
Once the door was closed, she was completely trapped in the pitch-black room.
It was dark, damp, and moldy everywhere; sometimes cockroaches and rats would even scurry past your feet.
In the afternoon, a palace maid pushed open the door and walked in. She said her name was Li Shandie.
Li Shandie, whose identity was unknown, spoke very little and didn't pay much attention to Yunxi.
Most of the time, after the food is delivered, the person disappears without a trace.
Therefore, Yunxi often sits alone from morning until dark.
Fortunately, even though she was chained up, she did not stop practicing martial arts.
She thought she could always escape again.
But this cold palace was lonely and dark. Yunxi stared at the bloodstains on the blue bricks and sometimes wondered if it was someone else who would have gone crazy from the pain.
The Cold Palace is a place that will be forgotten by everyone.
However, there were people outside the palace who were concerned about Yunxi's situation.
After being reprimanded by Xiao Shenjing, Princess Chong'an has been very cautious these days.
But after hearing that Yunxi had killed the Empress and was banished to the Cold Palace, she could no longer hold back.
He went to the palace to see Xiao Shenjing early in the morning.
In the Forbidden City, where dark clouds hung low, the bells and chimes sounded mournfully nine times, and the six palaces were draped in white as snow.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the imperial court was solemn and heavy, like the oppressive dark clouds before a storm, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
The Minister of Justice slammed his ivory tablet heavily onto the lapis lazuli bricks. "Anyone who dares to kill the Empress, such a wicked empress murderer, shall be taken to the Vermilion Bird Gate and executed by a thousand cuts!"
The crane-shaped incense burner beneath the jade steps was still emitting agarwood fragrance, but it couldn't suppress the murderous intent emanating from the seventy-two official tablets.
“Your Majesty, the wicked concubine who murdered the Empress should be subjected to the punishment of being forced to wash and comb her hair!” said the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
As a close friend of Lu Xiuran, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War stepped forward and said, "There are still suspicious points in this matter; the evidence is unclear."
"This woman is utterly rebellious!" Grand Secretary Zhang's face was full of rage, his eyes wide open as if they could spit fire. He took a step forward, raised his hand and pointed directly, interrupting the Vice Minister's words with a stern voice, "In the past, she was already audacious enough to rebel against the emperor, even committing the treacherous act of murdering the emperor and empress. Her heart deserves to be punished, and her actions deserve to be executed!" His words were like heavy hammer blows, striking the silence of the court.
Having said this, Grand Secretary Zhang's expression hardened. He abruptly lifted the hem of his official robe, knelt heavily on both knees, and, veins bulging on his forehead, loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty! The crime of murdering the Empress is truly the most heinous of the ten unforgivable crimes! If such a vile concubine is not severely punished, she will grow like a malignant tumor, eroding the foundation of our dynasty every day, and destroying our century-old foundation in an instant. In my opinion, she should be subjected to the most extreme punishment of being torn apart by chariots and cut in half at the waist while she is alive, so that she may suffer the most cruel tortures in the world; after death, her bones should be ground to dust and scattered, so that such a scourge to the country and the people may never be reincarnated. Only in this way can we serve as a warning to others, deter those with treacherous intentions, and ensure the peace and stability of our dynasty for thousands of years to come!"
After he finished speaking, a group of court officials knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please punish him severely."
Grand Secretary Zhang's indignant speech resounded like thunder in the court. Most of the officials knelt down, but the wealthy scholars whom Lu Xiuran had personally promoted remained unmoved, all insisting that this matter was of great importance and needed to be thoroughly investigated.
Sitting upright on the dragon throne adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes, Xiao Shenjing slightly raised his eyes, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as a still pool, and calmly swept over the crowd below.
His eyes showed little emotional fluctuation, as if he had already anticipated this scene.
Faced with the public's outrage, he only said one sentence: "This matter still needs to be thoroughly investigated."
After the court session, when Xiao Shenjing saw Princess Chongning, he only said, "You've come."
Princess Chongning nodded, but before she could speak, Xiao Shenjing interrupted her, "Then come with me to see the Empress."
Cen Yuwei's body was covered with five-colored brocade by female officials, and the coffin made of nanmu wood was painted with twelve symbols in vermilion lacquer. The inside was lined with a brocade of a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons. The gold book of "Women's Instructions" and a jade Guanyin statue were quietly placed in the coffin as burial goods.
She held a white jade dragon-shaped mouthpiece in her mouth, her hands tightly gripped a jade phoenix-carved handkerchief, and she wore a nine-dragon, four-phoenix crown. Her pheasant-patterned robe was adorned with layers of gold thread and pearls. Twelve female officials from the Bureau of Ceremonies knelt on either side, repeatedly wiping her face with sandalwood water. Their suppressed sobs could not conceal their deep sorrow.
Xiao Shenjing lit an incense stick, held the coffin for a long time, and looked at Cen Yuwei, who had closed her eyes as if she were asleep, without making any move for a long time.
After leaving Chengqian Palace.
Princess Chongning looked at Xiao Shenjing several times, wanting to say something, but in the end she swallowed it all back.
We were almost at the Qianqing Palace.
Xiao Shenjing finally spoke, “Back then, my mother passed away early, and when I was nine years old, my father sent me to my fiefdom.”
Princess Chongning paused in her steps.
"When I passed through Wugong Mountain, I encountered bandits, and all my close attendants died. The twins acted as bait to lure the bandits away so that I could live. At that time, I was injured in both eyes and buried in a pile of dead bodies. It was Yuwei who pulled me out and carried me all the way to hide in a deserted cave, which is how I survived."
Xiao Shenjing looked up at the sky and said, "Later, when the bandits searched the mountains, she risked her life to lure them away for me. At that time, I promised her that I owed her a wish, and I would grant it to her as long as I had it."
Upon hearing this, Princess Chongning realized that they were not bandits at all.
She is clearly someone from the palace, and the most likely candidate to have done this is the former Empress.
Xiao Shenjing was exceptionally intelligent in his youth, possessing the qualities of an emperor, so it is highly likely that the empress sent people to eliminate him.
"Later, I was implicated in the disaster relief efforts and imprisoned. It was Yuwei who knelt before the palace for a long time and refused to rise."
So later, when she asked for the Empress title, he gave it to her.
He told her that he could give her nothing but the title of Empress and wealth and honor, but as long as she didn't commit any heinous crimes, she would be Empress for life.
If he hadn't agreed to give her the title of Empress, would she be alive and well now?
Yunxi is right, he is the one who harmed Yuwei.
He had tried to like her and treat her as his wife, but he couldn't.
Even though she had saved his life, he could only ever see her as a younger sister; he couldn't feel any attraction to her whatsoever.
That's why he was so angry and couldn't bear the guilt of her death in Yunxi's room.
If he hadn't insisted on keeping Yunxi.
None of this will happen.
Yuwei can now peacefully manage the six palaces and live a good life.
Even if he could never fall in love with her, at least she was alive and well.
She had once saved him with her own hands.
But he killed her.
Princess Chongning remained silent for a long while. Before leaving, she knelt down and said with her eyes lowered, "Your Majesty, Yunxi is not a person who kills indiscriminately. With her martial arts skills, how could she have ever harmed anyone? I hope Your Majesty will thoroughly investigate this matter and not wrong the innocent."
“The Cold Palace is a place that can drive people mad. How many of the concubines who went in ever came out alive?” She said, and then solemnly bowed again. “The person is gone, but the living remain. Please, do not let Yunxi repeat the same mistake.”
Until Princess Chongning left, Xiao Shenjing remained silent with his brows furrowed.
Princess Chongning was really worried about Yunxi, so she secretly went to the Cold Palace to see her.
Before she could even get close, she was stopped by the Imperial Guards. No matter how much she scolded them, it had no effect. She left dejectedly, staring at the tightly closed, dilapidated gate.
Before leaving, she slipped a lot of silver to the nanny in charge of food in the Cold Palace, asking them to take good care of Yunxi.
Unfortunately, it happened right after she left.
Aunt Xueyu then came out from under the eaves.
It was July, and when the news that Yunxi had murdered the Empress and been banished to the Cold Palace reached Fan Zishi's ears, the young official smashed his teacup and rushed back to the capital on New Year's Eve.
However, the journey from Jiangsu and Zhejiang back to the capital was long and arduous, and even though he was eager to return home, there was nothing he could do.
A month after Yunxi was banished to the cold palace, Fan Zishi finally returned to the capital, and Lu Xiuran returned to the capital around the same time.
Lu Xiuran made an unparalleled contribution, and when he returned to the capital, the people lined the streets to welcome him.
The young Lord Lu was supposed to receive the emperor's reward, but when he stepped onto the main street of the capital, he staggered and fell off his horse.
Despite being seriously injured and rushing all the way, even someone as young as him has reached their limit.
When Fan Zishi arrived in the capital, he only had time to change his clothes at the Marquis's residence before rushing into the palace.
After entering the palace to report for duty, he lifted his robe and knelt down on both knees, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to see my younger sister."
Sitting on his sandalwood throne, Xiao Shenjing said with an inscrutable expression, "She is a criminal. No one is allowed to visit her." After saying that, he added, "This time, my dear minister, you have done a great service by cutting down mulberry trees and repairing rice paddies. I should reward you handsomely."
"Your Majesty, I do not desire any reward. I only request that Your Majesty allow me to participate in the investigation of this matter. I believe that Yun Xi would never commit such a treasonous act. Please grant my request."
"Enough!" Xiao Shenjing suddenly stood up and shouted, "Was I not clear enough?"
Fan Zishi had no choice but to shut his mouth.
The official in charge of the case from the Ministry of Justice interrogated Yunxi several times, but still couldn't get any useful information out of her, and she refused to confess.
The empress is about to be buried, but the real culprit has not yet been brought to justice, and the Minister of Justice is facing impeachment and questioning from the entire court.
However, Yunxi was confined to the Cold Palace and could not leave without being summoned. Even the Minister of Justice did not dare to forcibly take her out of the Cold Palace for interrogation and torture.
For the past few days, Cen Yuwei's coffin has been lying in state at Chengqian Palace.
Whenever he had nothing to do, Xiao Shenjing would go to burn incense. Sometimes he would just sit there without saying a word.
On the third day, Lu Xiuran slowly woke up. Despite his serious injuries, he gritted his teeth and got up. On the fourth day, Lord Lu went to the morning court despite his injuries.
After bestowing gifts, Lord Lu requested an audience with Xiao Shenjing in the East Warm Pavilion.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to allow me to participate in the investigation of the Empress's murder."
This time, Xiao Shenjing, sitting high on his throne, remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he rejected the request with a stern face.
In the afternoon, the palace maid who was taking care of Yunxi reported to Fushun that Yunxi had been vomiting for several days and had not eaten a single grain of rice in the past two days and was on the verge of fainting.
After much deliberation, Fu Shun finally decided to report the matter.
"Your Majesty, Consort Yun..."
Amidst the sound of a teacup shattering, Xiao Shenjing's eyes were filled with icy coldness. "I don't want to hear that name again."
Fu Shun was so frightened that he quickly bowed and retreated.
After returning, Lu Xiuran pondered for a long time before finally writing a secret letter and handing it to Wen Lin, instructing him: "Remember, this secret letter must be delivered to Lord Fan Zishi, and no one else must see it. Do you understand?"
That same night, Fan Zishi received a message from Aunt Xu in the palace.
Yunxi vomited incessantly and was on the verge of fainting.
Cen Yuwei was buried on August 3rd.
On this day, before dawn, the Forbidden City was already bathed in a leaden-gray light. Along the white marble imperial road in front of the Shenwu Gate, seventy-two Imperial Guards in plain helmets stood on either side, carrying dragon-shaped poles wrapped in white silk, awaiting the departure of the coffin. Funeral music drifted from the Fengxian Hall, and sixty-four white banners fluttered in the wind, the silver bells at their ends jingling in the cold air, like the mournful lament of heaven and earth.
At the third quarter of Chen hour, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices knelt and presented the "Qi Ling Wine" in a golden basin. Xiao Shenjing personally held the bronze goblet and poured the wine three times on the ground.
As the mausoleum slowly departed the palace, three thousand palace women dressed in mourning clothes suddenly prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads touching the ice bricks, their wailing shaking down the remaining snow from the eaves.
Civil and military officials prostrated themselves on the ground and wept bitterly. Amidst the mournful music, the trembling voice of the Ministry of Rites official proclaiming the funeral ordinance: "Court will be suspended for seven days, weddings and music will be prohibited throughout the land, and soldiers and civilians will wear mourning clothes for twenty-seven days!"
On the night of the Empress's burial, Xiao Shenjing fell ill with a persistent high fever, and only regained some clarity the following evening.
When Li Shandie brought in dinner, Yunxi had been awake for who knows how long. Her almond-shaped eyes were dull and lifeless, and she was tilting her head to look at the few slivers of light that were leaking in through the crack.
She still remembered how spirited and energetic Consort Yun was when she was first sent to the Cold Palace.
But the desolate cold palace can cause a vibrant flower to gradually wither until it dies completely.
"Consort Yun, dinner is here. Let me help you up." Li Shandie placed the food on the table and walked to the bedside.
Yunxi, suppressing her dizziness, sat up with Li Shandie's help and slowly walked to the table.
She ate very diligently, almost finishing all the food on her plate, but after a short while, she would vomit because she couldn't stand it anymore.
I vomit even when I drink water, day and night.
Upon hearing about Yunxi's condition, Princess Chong'an dared not disturb Xiao Shenjing, who was bedridden, and instead brought food and fruit from Fan Zishi to the outside of the Cold Palace.
Although Princess Chong'an was not allowed to enter, Li Shandie dared not refuse to accept the gifts.
There were several boxes of sour cakes among the pastries, which saved Yunxi's life.
She ate one box and finally stopped vomiting.
Seeing her fondness for sour flavors, Li Shandie stared at her several times, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
Li Shandie had naturally heard of Yunxi's name and knew about her serving the emperor day and night, but he had never connected her to the fact that she was pregnant.
Now, seeing her vomiting incessantly and her craving for sour foods...
A bold guess couldn't help but form in my mind.
Counting the days, it's been almost two months since Yunxi was chosen to serve the emperor.
The next day, Yunxi finished eating the sour cake, and her complexion finally improved a little.
That evening, Li Shandie, unusually, fanned her while asking, "Your Highness, your period hasn't started yet."
Yunxi was stunned for a moment and murmured, "It's been two months since my period started." She looked panicked. "Why haven't I had my period yet?"
Li Shandie was overjoyed and immediately said, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. Just focus on taking good care of yourself."
Having conceived the emperor's child, it was no longer safe for her to remain in the cold palace. Li Shandie couldn't suppress the joy on his face. Just as he was thinking of reporting to Eunuch Fu the next day, Yunxi suddenly began to vomit again.
Li Shandie hurriedly went outside to fetch water. When she came back in, she saw Yunxi staring intently at her lower body.
A patch of scarlet blood was clearly visible on the hem of her skirt.
"Why am I bleeding?" She stood by the bed, her hands and feet shackled, staring intently at Li Shandie.
Oh no, this is a sign of miscarriage!
Li Shandie dared not speak, and quickly helped Yunxi to the bed. After comforting her, he hurriedly headed towards the Qianqing Palace.
A concubine's pregnancy is a major event. If it is not reported, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop her off.
She comforted Yunxi and then hurriedly ran towards the Qianqing Palace.
However, Xiao Shenjing was not in the Qianqing Palace, and neither were Fu Shun and Dao Yidao Er.
She had no choice but to wait outside.
When Xiao Shenjing returned from the imperial tomb, he saw black smoke rising into the sky before he even reached the palace.
Fu Shun, standing outside the sedan chair, hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, that direction is Yongxiang."
Yongxiang, the Cold Palace.
Xiao Shenjing's expression changed abruptly. Almost without hesitation, he jumped off the sedan chair, snatched the horse from the imperial guards, and mounted it.
With a flick of his whip, he charged ahead towards the palace.
As the horse's hooves thundered into the palace, Xiao Shenjing grabbed a running eunuch and demanded, "What happened?"
"Your Majesty, the Yongxiang Palace is on fire!" the palace servant replied tremblingly.
At that moment, Xiao Shenjing felt a sharp pain in his heart, shook off the palace servants, and rode his horse toward Yongxiang.
Despite his throbbing temples, Xiao Shenjing quickly calmed down.
Yunxi was not one of those women who were weak and helpless. She was skilled in martial arts, and even if she were to walk on water, it would be impossible for her to be harmed in the slightest.
They might have already escaped outside by now.
When he reached the edge of the Chuihong Bridge, he saw the sky-piercing flames reflected in the river, resembling a winding river of blood.
The closer they got to Yongxiang, the more the fire raged. Palace maids and eunuchs, forgetting to bow, ran with buckets and basins of water.
The eunuch kept urging in a shrill voice, "Hurry, hurry, put out the fire!"
The smell of burning flesh wafted into his nostrils in the wind. Xiao Shenjing grabbed the eunuch in charge and asked in a deep voice, "Has Consort Yun been rescued?"
"Your Majesty!" Upon seeing that it was the emperor, the eunuch immediately prepared to bow.
But Xiao Shenjing grabbed his collar forcefully and shouted, "Answer me!"
The eunuch trembled. "Your Majesty, the fire is too great! Those inside haven't been... haven't been rescued yet!"
In that instant, Xiao Shenjing's pupils trembled violently. He abruptly shook off the eunuch. "No, it's impossible! Yunxi knows martial arts. Yunxi's lightness skill is excellent. How could a small cold palace possibly imprison her?"
When "Your Majesty" saw Xiao Shenjing rushing into the fire, Dao Yi was so frightened that he quickly used his lightness skill to follow him.
The blue brick floor of Yongxiang was incredibly hot, and a row of houses were all engulfed in flames.
The burning beams, enveloped in flames, crashed down, sparks flying and flames raging.
Xiao Shenjing's eyes stung from the burning flames, and he instinctively rushed into the fire.
Dao Yi grabbed his arm. "Your Majesty, the fire is too big! You can't go in!"
He seemed to finally come to his senses, grabbed the knife with his backhand, and asked, "Where is Yunxi being held?"
Dao raised his hand and pointed to the house on the left.
Xiao Shenjing followed his finger and saw the charred roof beams collapse with a crash, the scorching heat ripping through the night—that was the area most severely burned.
He stepped forward, grabbed the chief eunuch, and asked in a harsh voice, "Where is Yunxi? Where is Yunxi who lives inside? Where is she?"
The head eunuch stammered, "Your Majesty, the fire started in the room where Consort Yun was staying."
"Where is she now?" Xiao Shenjing asked, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he hadn't understood.
The chief eunuch immediately knelt on the ground. "When I came to put out the fire, I didn't see anyone escape. However, there were imperial guards on duty at the time."
"Go and summon him to me."
The towering flames burned silently in Xiao Shenjing's eyes.
His jawline was taut; he had never felt time could stretch on so long.
When the imperial guards on duty, who were fighting the fire, were summoned, they immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Yun is locked inside the house. Before we could even break down the door, the fire had already reached the sky."
"Where is she?" Xiao Shenjing nodded as if he understood, but then asked.
"This humble servant deserves to die! I failed to rescue Consort Yun!"
In that instant, a crimson glint flashed in Xiao Shenjing's eyes, and he rushed toward the courtyard on the left without any hesitation.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Dao Yi immediately rushed in front of him and blocked his way.
"Get out of my way!" Xiao Shenjing shoved him aside and ran towards the fire.
"Your Majesty!" Dao Yi immediately rushed forward and grabbed Xiao Shenjing's leg. "Your Majesty, the fire is too big now, we can't go in!"
"Get out!" Xiao Shenjing tried to shake him off, his neck veins bulging and his eyes bloodshot, but he couldn't shake him off at all.
With his heart throbbing so badly he could barely breathe, he roared, "Let go of Yunxi! If anything happens to you, I will have your entire family executed!"
Even his voice trembled with extreme anger.
The burned beams crashed down with a loud bang, accompanied by the cracking sound of the golden nanmu wood bursting.
Dao Er held Xiao Shenjing in his arms around the waist, earnestly advising, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Perhaps Consort Yun has already escaped!"
As if waking from a dream, Xiao Shenjing turned around and stared at Dao Yi, ordering in a fierce voice, "Find Yun Xi for me. If you can't, I'll cut off your heads."
She must have escaped in the chaos.
"It must be!"
The murmured words seemed to be spoken to himself.
Dao Yi and Dao Er exchanged a glance.
But no one dared to let go.
Xiao Shenjing wanted nothing more than to kill the two of them. "Why aren't you going!"
Under Xiao Shenjing's almost cannibalistic gaze, Dao Yi had no choice but to say, "Consort Yun's limbs are bound by iron chains."
With a "boom," Xiao Shenjing felt a buzzing in his brain.
It felt as if all the blood in my body had been drained away in an instant.
He seemed to finally remember that Yunxi had been ordered to be chained up.
No matter how capable she is, how could she possibly escape?
Was he the one who allowed her to be burned alive?
“Impossible, I don’t believe she’s smart enough to have escaped.” Xiao Shenjing shook his head with bloodshot eyes. “Go, go and find the servants who serve her.”
As Li Shandie knelt trembling before Xiao Shenjing, the crimson-gold flames behind him slashed the young emperor's face, leaving visible and hidden cracks.
“When Your Majesty left, Consort Yun was still in chains and remained in the room.”
Xiao Shenjing clenched his fists tightly.
In the suffocating feeling of a feverish head, every bone in my body seemed to be trembling subtly.
"Why are you leaving?" Seeing that Xiao Shenjing was unable to speak, Dao Yi asked on his behalf.
Li Shandie had never seen anything like this before. She choked back tears as she spoke, "Consort Yun has been feeling nauseous every day, vomiting until she faints. She hasn't had her period for two months, and tonight she's bleeding. I suspect she's pregnant."
Xiao Shenjing shuddered violently. He kicked Dao Er away, grabbed Li Shandie by the collar, and asked with eyes wide with rage, "Are you saying that she is pregnant with my child?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A metallic taste filled his throat, followed by excruciating pain. The young emperor seemed unable to bear the pain any longer, collapsing to his knees and spitting out a mouthful of scarlet blood.
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