Chu Baiwei woke up to a chill; the pain still lingered in his body and soul. When he awoke, he frowned deeply, unable to forget the intense pain.
Apart from two cold, unfamiliar maids, the room was empty and devoid of any human presence.
"Someone, I need some water." Chu Baiwei's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, indicating that she had been thirsty for a long time. A strange maidservant next to her brought her a bowl of water and poured it into her mouth without hesitation, causing her to cough incessantly.
"Cough cough cough... How...how dare you..." Chu Baiwei hurriedly dodged, choking on the water, some of which even got into her nostrils. Her face turned red from coughing, which actually added to her charm; the weakness after the miscarriage was clearly visible on her.
At this moment, the reprimand sounds to others no different from a kitten's meow, lacking any authority whatsoever.
"Who are you people? Where is Yingxiang?" After a while, Chu Baiwei, with a few drops of saline solution in her eyes, asked angrily.
Unfortunately, his actions were no different from air to others. The two palace maids simply stood silently by the bedside, without saying a word, like two cold statues.
The following month was a nightmare. The two palace maids were cold and rude, and wouldn't let Chu Baiwei get out of bed every day, under the guise of postpartum confinement. They insisted on feeding her by hand, but the feeding was very rough, making Chu Baiwei suffer terribly.
These two are usually incredibly silent, never uttering a sound. Even when Chu Baiwei screamed and yelled, they ignored her, only keeping her tied to the bed. If she became too noisy, they would press her down on the bed and gag her, releasing her only when she calmed down.
How could the pampered Chu Baiwei endure this? After being disciplined twice, she gradually became obedient, but she felt endless grievances and doubts. He remembered that he fainted after drinking Lu Liang's medicine, his stomach hurt terribly, and he vaguely saw blood between his legs. His swollen belly also disappeared, so he guessed that he had lost the baby.
But the child was lost, and the Emperor shouldn't treat him like this. If it weren't for the familiar surroundings, Chu Baiwei would have thought she was just having a dream.
After a month of agonizing waiting, the gates of Chengqian Palace were finally opened. Seeing the long-awaited sunlight streaming through the window, Bai Wei almost wept with joy. Heaven knows how long it had been since he'd seen the sun; those two people were simply devils.
Under these circumstances, Wuyou walked into the inner hall of Chengqian Palace in the sunlight. Looking at the woman crying bitterly on the sickbed, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow with interest. It was worth it for him to have specially chosen these two people to stay by Chu Baiwei's side and take care of her.
"My beloved consort, what's wrong? It's only been a few days, yet you look so haggard. Did you cry because you missed me so much?" Wuyou asked with a smile, admiring the woman's expression. Looking like this, probably no one would imagine that this woman would one day slaughter the entire royal family and ascend the throne, stepping on the heads of countless men.
"Your Majesty..." Chu Baiwei murmured, feeling as if she were hallucinating. She then slapped herself hard, and seeing that the person before her was still there, still that incomparably handsome face, still that familiar smile, the intense pain on her face reminding her that this was not a dream.
"Your Majesty—" Chu Baiwei cried out, trying to rush over, but was held back by two palace maids. Like a trapped beast, she immediately burst into tears of grievance.
"Why are you so agitated, my dear consort? You've just finished your postpartum confinement and you're still very weak." Wuyou smiled and, with Xiaxia's help, sat down in a chair, looking at the woman below who was putting on an act with a smile in her eyes.
A woman capable of killing her own child to seize power is hardly a kind person. This minor hardship might torment his mind, but it's far from enough to break him. The calculating glint in her eyes just now didn't escape his notice.
"Your Majesty, I knew you loved me. I am guilty for failing to take good care of the young prince. I beg Your Majesty to punish me. I only hope that Your Majesty can appease me, even if it means taking my life." Chu Baiwei knelt on the bed with tears in her eyes. Her delicate body trembled slightly. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few days, and her cheeks were sunken. Her once beautiful face had been reduced to three-tenths.
Moreover, he has rarely washed himself recently. Whenever he calls for water, this group of people simply splash water on him, saving time and effort, but causing Chu Baiwei a lot of trouble.
"My beloved concubine is indeed a clever person, but unfortunately, you're clever in the wrong way." Wuyou shook her head, somewhat regretfully. This woman had clearly noticed something but was pretending to be ignorant, obviously trying to make excuses.
"Chu Baiwei, do you really think I know nothing about what you've done? Don't forget that I am the emperor, the Son of Heaven. The entire harem is under my watchful eye. In order to give birth to a prince, you committed adultery with Lu Liang, attempting to confuse the royal bloodline. This is a crime punishable by the confiscation of your family property and the extermination of your clan."
Wuyou reached out and smashed the teacup on the ground. The porcelain shards landed with a bang, scattering everywhere. Some even grazed Chu Baiwei's thin cheeks, leaving traces of blood.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Since entering the palace, I have been deeply favored by Your Majesty. How could I betray Your Majesty? This must be a frame-up by a villain, a scheme by someone else. If I were unfaithful, how would the little princess face herself? I am, after all, the little princess's birth mother! For the sake of the little princess, I would never do such a thing." Chu Baiwei wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face from her slightly large eyes.
"You still have the nerve to mention the little princess to me?" Wuyou sneered. Anyway, everyone around her was her own people, so she wasn't afraid to expose this scandal.
The royal family values its reputation above all else, and any scandal must be nipped in the bud. Lu Liang is already dead, and the child has also passed away. As long as Chu Baiwei, the person involved, is killed, there will be no problem. Therefore, Wuyou is acting recklessly.
"Several years ago, when the little princess was seriously ill, I went to Chengqian Palace. You tearfully claimed that the little princess fell seriously ill after the Empress visited her, clearly implying that the Empress was the scapegoat. It was found that the Empress did not touch the little princess at all. Besides the Empress, the only person who had the opportunity to come into contact with the little princess at that time was you. As the little princess's biological mother, you actually disregarded the bond of blood and tried to strangle your own daughter to death and frame the Empress." Wuyou's tone was very sorrowful.
"Chu Baiwei, I believe I have treated you well, and you have enjoyed endless wealth and honor. Yet you have been so greedy and committed such a vicious act. How can I tolerate you?"
Chu Baiwei was utterly stunned, but she was resolute and quickly regained her composure. She cried out her grievances, "As a princess, how could my own mother kill her? This is clearly slander against the Emperor. A mother killing her own daughter is the most ridiculous thing in the world."
"Enough—Chu Baiwei, I do not wish to waste my breath on you. Consort Shun was weak after her miscarriage and fell seriously ill two months later. And you are merely a lowly slave in the laundry department, doing the hardest, most tiring, and dirtiest work until the end of your life. Guards, drag this slave to the laundry department, and do not let him die so easily."
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