The moon worship banquet is grand and solemn.
Because the prince disappeared a few years ago, the old emperor would miss his prince and be in a bad mood every time on the night of the full moon, so he never held a moon-worship banquet.
Last year, the Imperial Noble Consort tried her best to persuade him to do it, but at the last minute, the Emperor suddenly fell unwell and it was not done.
So, this year the Crown Prince returned, and the Crown Princess was pregnant with a grandson. The Emperor was very happy and ordered the ceremony to be extra grand.
On this rare day of reunion, in addition to the royal family, some of the emperor's close ministers were also invited to the palace to join in the fun.
In order to prevent everyone from getting bored while watching the moon, they even invited a troupe of actors to perform.
The imperial concubine, who had not appeared for a long time, was dressed in gorgeous purple clothes and sat beside the emperor. She was beautiful and elegant, and her aura was imposing.
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess sat below the Emperor. The two graceful ladies were so affectionate and affectionate that others envied them.
The third prince sat alone below the imperial concubine, looking across at her with evasive eyes that revealed loneliness and cruelty.
Going further down, General Bai was naturally on the list, but General Bai and Bai Bingjing, who were also on the invitation list, were nowhere to be seen.
During this time, everyone was chatting and laughing, maintaining a superficial peace.
Until Princess Li Shushu's lips suddenly turned pale, sweat broke out on her forehead, and she fainted on the ground, clutching her stomach...
"Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician!" Crown Prince Xia Muyan went crazy.
Afraid that something might go wrong today, he sat next to Shu'er himself. Almost everything Shu'er ate had been tasted by him beforehand. Why did this happen?
The imperial physician was not far away. After all, in order to prevent accidents from happening at this kind of banquet, the imperial physician would be arranged to be on standby in advance.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, but Li Shushu's light-colored gauze skirt still stained with blood.
The imperial physician's hands were shaking as he carefully felt her pulse.
"How is it?" The emperor was concerned about the grandson in the Crown Princess's belly, so he stood up and asked with concern.
The imperial physician suddenly dropped to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground, and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I'm afraid the Crown Princess's baby has... already miscarried and can't be saved!"
"What?" Upon hearing this, the emperor slumped down and looked dejected, as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away in an instant.
"No, it's impossible." The prince didn't believe it. He had clearly taken all the necessary precautions, so why did this happen? His eyes were red. "Didn't you always tell me that the Crown Princess's fetus was well and healthy when you examined her every day?"
"Yes, it was the same yesterday. Maybe, maybe he was poisoned." The imperial physician defended himself tremblingly.
"Who? Who on earth wants to murder Shu'er, murder this orphaned child?"
His eyes were like arrows, piercing the Imperial Noble Consort who had a hint of satisfaction on her face, and then piercing Xia Muyu who seemed to be gloating, but also concerned, on the opposite side.
"Seal off the scene, investigate, investigate thoroughly for me, and make sure to find the culprit." The emperor gave the order in a dejected voice, feeling extremely regretful: he should not have held this moon-viewing banquet. If he hadn't, perhaps this incident would not have happened.
Little did he know that Li Shushu was struggling with her pregnancy just to wait for this moon-viewing banquet.
Her belly is about to be four months old. If she doesn't seize the opportunity, she might suffer in vain.
"You guys take your time to investigate. If there's nothing wrong, Yu'er and I will go back first." The Imperial Concubine stood up and said nonchalantly.
She had indeed arranged for someone to tamper with the menu at the banquet in order to get rid of the baby in Li Shushu's belly. Unfortunately, the prince was too protective of her, and they had not found a suitable opportunity yet.
Who knew that Li Shushu would actually have a miscarriage? Wouldn't that make everyone happy? She hadn't done anything wrong, so she just wanted to go back to Zhongcui Palace and rest with a clear conscience. She didn't want to cry with these people here.
"Don't go!" Xia Muyan's eyes were red, like an angry beast, ready to jump up and tear people to pieces at any time.
"No one can leave here until the truth is revealed!" He gave the order, and soon, a small team of guards surrounded the entire venue.
"With you? You dare to stop me? You ignorant brat! Humph!" The Imperial Concubine was no longer anxious. She turned around and stared at Xia Muyan fiercely, "If I insist on leaving, what are you going to do?"
"Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed without mercy!" Xia Muyan said coldly with red eyes. He did not answer her directly, but only roared orders to the guards.
"Yes!" The Royal Guards have recently received repeated training from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and their appearance has greatly improved. They are naturally convinced of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's abilities, and no one dares to disobey.
"What a joke, Your Majesty, what do you say?
Do you also think that I cannot leave?" The Imperial Concubine cast her eyes towards the Emperor again. At this moment, she still had a glimmer of hope. If the Emperor could retain his last bit of tenderness and trust towards her, perhaps she could be more cautious and not use that final move.
"My beloved, this happened suddenly, you'd better cooperate." The emperor didn't look at him, but only looked at Li Shushu, who had a pale face and was leaning in the prince's arms, with concern, and thought to himself: Is it true that I will never have the chance to see the little grandson before I close my eyes?
During this period, good news came frequently, the emperor was in a good mood, and he cooperated particularly with the imperial physician's treatment. In addition, the prince was now under strict control, and the bad guys could not harm him. He felt that his health had improved a lot.
Previously, the imperial physician had said he could hold out for another three months without any problems. Now, more than four months had already passed, and he still felt that he was in good spirits, and might even be able to hold out until the birth of the imperial grandson. But now...
The emperor felt bitter.
"Everyone present is a suspect. If my beloved concubine firmly believes that she is innocent, she should wait patiently for them to prove her innocence!" The old emperor said again. In fact, he did not believe in the innocence of the imperial concubine in his heart.
It is obvious who among those present wants to harm the prince the most and who is the most capable of reaching so far.
"I won't!" The imperial concubine was provoked by them and could not control her temper. She finally decided to carry out the plan they had made long ago.
They had already discussed this plan, but just before the banquet, she was still hesitant. Was the time right? She was a little worried that if she failed, everything would be lost.
So, when Xia Muyu and Bai Bingjing tried their best to persuade her to rebel, she did not agree immediately.
Until late last night, General Bai, wearing a dark cloak, followed Bai Bingjing and appeared in Zhongcui Palace.
She knew herself well, she was good at lying in wait but not good at killing, but this time, she had no choice but to take that step!
"Someone come here!" she shouted sternly. Soon, the sound of orderly footsteps of military boots could be heard outside the hall. There should be quite a few people. Then General Bai and Bai Bingjing appeared at the door of the hall in armor. The third prince took the opportunity to move behind his mother.
"The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess plotted a rebellion, and the Emperor was defeated and killed by the Crown Prince. Whoever can capture the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess for me will be rewarded handsomely after the Third Prince ascends the throne!" The Imperial Concubine had practiced this sentence many times in private, so she was very excited when she shouted it at this moment. She felt that after enduring and wasting so many years, she was finally going to be able to hold her head high!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
