After that, Lu Liang devoted himself to taking care of Chu Baiwei's pregnancy. Every day, he would ask Ping Mai to personally brew medicine to prevent miscarriage for her. Chu Baiwei was very satisfied with his dedication.
Three months later, the empty Chengqian Palace was peaceful. The servants had all been driven outside, leaving only the two of them facing each other.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Liang saw Chu Baiwei pick up the medicine bowl and drink it without hesitation. He didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or keep his heart in his throat.
Aside from a slight pang of guilt for poisoning his own child, he felt mostly resentment towards Chu Baiwei, resenting her for dragging him into this mess. Unfortunately, it was all too late. From the day she harbored feelings for the Emperor's woman, her fate was sealed.
Fortunately, he managed to save the lives and honor of his family, only a few individuals had to be sacrificed.
"Doctor Lu, you may leave!" Chu Baiwei said slowly, wiping the medicine stains from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, her tone clearly indicating that she wanted to dismiss him.
He had originally planned to use Lu Liang to bind her with affection, but since that day, Lu Liang only harbored resentment towards her. Chu Baiwei had been pampered since childhood and was not the kind of person who would masochistic, so she would not shamelessly try to please Lu Liang.
Anyway, this person was inextricably linked to her; their fates were intertwined. She figured he wouldn't dare reveal the truth, so Chu Baiwei didn't bother wasting any more time on Lu Liang.
He wouldn't have taken such a risky step and slept with a man he completely disliked if he hadn't been absolutely desperate.
In just five or six years since entering the palace, she had already risen to the rank of Consort, which would be quite rapid for other women. However, the key point was that she had been in this position for three years. Every time a promotion was mentioned, the Empress would always use the excuse of not having given birth to a prince to deflect the question. How could she accept this?
He needed a prince. If there were a young prince in the palace, he could easily adopt him based on the emperor's favor. He wouldn't have to suffer the pain of childbirth himself. But the key issue was that no child had been born in the harem for three years.
Three years have passed, and not a single child has been born. If she were to become pregnant and give birth to a prince, her status in the emperor's heart would surely rise significantly, and she might even have a chance to depose the empress.
The temptation was simply too great for Chu Baiwei to resist, which is why she acted in this way.
As it turned out, he had done the right thing. The Emperor had already decreed that once his pregnancy was stable, she would be promoted to a second-rank lady, and upon giving birth to a prince, she would be promoted to a concubine. Daily tonics and rewards flowed into Chengqian Palace like water, and the envious glances from the women whenever he walked outside made him feel very pleased.
Lu Liang did not leave as Chu Baiwei had expected, but stood still. He straightened his back, looked at the woman in front of him, slightly parted his lips, and his expression was very calm.
"Your Highness Consort Shun, I truly once deeply loved you, but now I think you would surely disdain my humble affections!" He couldn't help but let out a bitter smile as he said this.
"Imperial Physician Lu, you have overstepped your bounds." Chu Baiwei frowned. He looked down on Lu Liang and was too lazy to listen to his nonsense about young men's thoughts.
“Your Highness Consort Shun, you schemed against me, and I schemed against you in return. From now on, we are even.” Lu Liang cupped his hands, his smile vanished, and without waiting for a reply, he strode out with an air of authority.
As he opened the heavy wooden door, sunlight streamed onto his face, and Lu Liang felt an unprecedented clarity and openness in his heart. He couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly to welcome the sunlight's embrace.
What did he mean by that? Chu Baiwei was puzzled, but the sharp pain in her abdomen quickly brought her back to her senses.
"It hurts so much..." Her fingertips gripped her clothes tightly around her abdomen, turning a ghastly white. Cold sweat poured uncontrollably from her forehead, wetting the stray hairs at her temples.
The intoxicating rouge couldn't hide the sudden pallor that appeared on her face; due to the intense pain, her body was even trembling uncontrollably. Chu Baiwei curled up on the step, like a boiled shrimp.
"Help!" She screamed with all her might, and the palace servants outside rushed in, only to be horrified by the scene before them.
Chu Baiwei's face was pale, her clothes were soaked with sweat, there was a pool of blood beneath her, and she had fallen into a coma.
When Wuyou arrived, the Empress and the imperial physician had already arrived and were taking her pulse. The Empress was also clutching her handkerchief, extremely anxious.
It wasn't that the Empress was worried about Chu Baiwei; the two were practically natural rivals. How could she worry about the other? She was simply afraid that if something happened to Chu Baiwei at this time, it would implicate her.
"Mother, don't worry." A girl's light and crisp voice came, like a clear spring flowing into the heart, and the Empress's slightly anxious mind calmed down.
“Anle is truly my good daughter. There’s some bloodshed here, it’s not suitable for a child to stay here. Why don’t you go back? Your mother will be fine here.” The Empress reached out and touched her daughter’s tender little face, revealing a genuine smile.
He initially raised the little princess to ensure he would have someone to rely on and to alleviate the loneliness of the palace. However, the longer the time passed, the deeper his feelings for the little princess grew. He genuinely treated her as his own flesh and blood and devoted himself to planning for her.
Previously, the Empress's focus was on the Emperor, but now his heart and soul are only for his beloved daughter. Princess Anle lives up to the Empress's affection; she is obedient, well-behaved, and exquisitely beautiful. Everyone loves her; no one in the palace dislikes her.
Princess Anle also has a very good relationship with her brothers. It is believed that whoever ascends the throne in the future will treat this younger sister well.
The little princess's jet-black hair was tied into a double bun, with two cute bows on her head adorned with bells that jingled as she moved. Her adorable little face scrunched up like a bun, and she felt a little scared and fearful as she smelled the faint scent of blood in the air. After thinking for a moment, she nodded.
Seeing her adorable daughter leave with the wet nurse, the Empress felt relieved. Wuyou, on the other hand, remained seated, fiddling with the jade prayer beads in her hand, awaiting the imperial physician's report.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shun has accumulated a large amount of musk in her body. The child cannot be saved, and she will likely have difficulty conceiving again." The imperial physician knelt on the ground, trembling, and stammered out the diagnosis.
Actually, there's something even more serious. It's unclear who poisoned Consort Shun, but her pulse is extremely erratic, indicating severe poisoning. She probably won't live much longer.
"Consort Shun has a large amount of musk in her body. What about Lu Liang, who is responsible for taking her pulse every day? He couldn't possibly not know that." Wuyou's face was flushed with anger. She was so angry that she casually waved her hand and knocked the teacup on the table to the ground.
"Bring Lu Liang here for me. I want to interrogate him myself." Wuyou gave the order, and immediately someone went to arrest him. A moment later, someone came to report that Physician Lu had committed suicide out of fear of punishment and hanged himself.
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