Chapter 86 Blame me for being stupid
An Lingrong sat quietly in the empty side hall of Zhongcui Palace, her eyes seemingly fixed on a bowl of dark, long-cold medicine in front of her, but her thoughts had already wandered off somewhere else.
Since she gained the Emperor's favor in the past two months, every morning after returning to the palace, the Empress would send Huichun to deliver a strong decoction, supposedly for fertility, but the safflower flavor in it was so strong that it was almost impossible to mask.
But this morning, the Empress changed her usual behavior. She still remembers Yixiu's ambiguous smile and compassionate expression, which was almost identical to that of the Buddha statue behind her. However, her words were chilling.
"It's not impossible for you to get pregnant if you want to, but the number of children in this palace is predetermined. You need to remove one before I can allow a new one to be born."
The Empress's words were almost a direct instruction. She also mentioned that she knew Consort Xian had helped her before, and she wouldn't ask Consort Xian to do anything else. She would simply replace the pebbles paving in front of Zhongcui Palace with cobblestones that would make people slip, or sprinkle some oil on them, so that Consort Xian would slip and fall.
"Anyway, she already has three children to rely on, so what difference does it make if she has one more or one less? Who knows, the Emperor might even feel sorry for her and make her an Imperial Noble Consort." The Empress's cool tone still lingered in my ears.
She didn't know what method the Empress intended to use to lure Consort Xian to Zhongcui Palace. She had never been a rash or impulsive person. But now, she couldn't help feeling flustered, her heart pounding in her throat.
An Lingrong silently walked out of the house and stood in front of Zhongcui Palace. Looking at the palace road that the servants had paved today, she couldn't help but try it out herself.
Yes, these rough stones are really good. The Imperial Household Department was right. They're not just slip-resistant; these stones practically hook your shoes in place.
Regardless of what methods the Empress might use, she didn't believe that Consort Xian could slip and fall on such a ground.
Hongzhao hurried towards Yongshou Palace, but the road from the East Six Palaces to the West Six Palaces was too long. His legs were moving so fast that they were almost blurry. Before he had gone halfway, he heard a surprised scream from afar.
"Fire! Fire!"
Almost instantly, chaos erupted among the people, the sound of footsteps rising and falling as if each step was pounding on his heart.
Hongzhao stopped and turned around in the direction she pointed. In the distance, he saw a palace in the dark night suddenly burst into flames, with thick black smoke rolling upwards, which looked particularly frightening against the dark sky.
This direction... it's either Zhongcui Palace or Leng Palace; these two palaces are so close together that it's hard to tell them apart.
Hongzhao recalled the words Xiaoshizi had said earlier: "The Noble Consort Xian fell at the entrance of Zhongcui Palace." Including the system's words—"It's about to become a reality."
He suddenly understood the Empress's true intentions: first, she had him tricked into being imprisoned in the Cold Palace, then she would set a sudden fire that would reduce the entire palace to ashes. When his mother found out, she would surely rush over, and there would likely be something prepared in advance waiting for her at the entrance of Zhongcui Palace.
My mother is currently pregnant, and with her large belly, this fall, coupled with her fear and worry, almost certainly meant she would die. As for myself, seeing the sudden and fierce fire, if I were caught in it, even if I survived the burns, the scars would completely eliminate any possibility of a future life.
That's a brilliant plan. The fire has just started, and the most urgent thing is to find Mother first.
Having gone to such lengths to orchestrate such a grand scheme, Hongzhao always felt that it would be a great disservice to her if it turned out to be a false alarm.
——
"What did you say!"
Consort Xian gripped the armrest tightly to support herself. Her already round belly made it difficult for her to maintain her balance, and she staggered forward a couple of steps. Xue Xin's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stepped forward to support her. Hong Xihai, carrying a whisk, stepped forward and pointed at the trembling little eunuch kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I have to say that there is a fire in the Cold Palace. Someone inside heard the faint sound of a child crying and the constant ringing of bells. Your Majesty, please go and take a look!"
The little eunuch's forehead was pressed tightly to the ground without lifting it, his voice was visibly trembling, his hands were still covered with ashes from the fire, and the corners of his clothes were wet, indicating that he had just been involved in a firefighting effort.
A child... Jinling... who else could it be? She didn't think of anyone else.
Before she could even finish listening to what the little eunuch was saying, she pushed aside Hong Xihai, who was blocking her way, and hurriedly, even stumbling, grabbed her clothes and ran outside.
Xuexin was afraid that the road would be slippery and she might trip and fall in the dark, but seeing how anxious the Empress was, she didn't even have time to bring a lantern. So she could only hold the Empress's arm tightly and support her waist from behind with one hand.
Hong Xihai followed closely behind and walked out, not forgetting to lash the kneeling eunuch twice with his whisk before leaving—"You dog servant! If you disturb the Empress's pregnancy, you'd better watch your head!"
Having said that, he grabbed his lantern and chased after the emperor, calling out as he ran, "Chunxi! Go quickly and tell the emperor! Go and invite him!"
Lu Jiaying didn't dare to delay for even a moment. The night between summer and autumn was so cold that she broke out in a cold sweat. Her palms, which were tightly gripping Xuexin, were soaked with sweat and trembled slightly.
With her other hand supporting her belly, she walked briskly along the palace path in her flowerpot-soled shoes, panting heavily. Looking at the firelight and billowing black smoke in the direction she was heading, her legs almost gave way.
Her child, her You'er, is still so young... This fire is so fierce, what will he do...?
Why would You'er go to the Cold Palace? Someone must have framed her!
She swallowed hard, suppressing the overwhelming fear that threatened to engulf her. It was all her fault; she had been so foolish, so foolish to neglect You'er while only caring about the child in her womb. Foolish to think that with the Emperor protecting You'er, she would have nothing to worry about; foolish to think that she would no longer have to experience the palace intrigues in her current state.
You'er...you must wait for your mother to come and save you.
Hongzhao walked briskly along the wall. He was small and the night was dark. No one noticed him because of the noise of the crowd. He was walking with his head down when he suddenly saw a woman in palace attire with a maid in the fork in the road ahead. Her figure looked very familiar. Not far away, a chubby eunuch was carrying a lantern and following closely behind.
His eyes sharpened, and he called out in a low voice, "Mother! Mother, I'm here!"
...
Sitting in the sedan chair, Yinzhen stared coldly at the blinding flames ahead, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he said in a cold voice, "Faster!"
Su Peisheng's hat was askew, but upon hearing this, he stepped forward and waved his whisk, directing the guards carrying the sedan chair: "Faster! Watch your step!"
Just now, Chunxi, a palace maid from Yongshou Palace, came to the Emperor in a great hurry, saying that the Fifth Prince might be in the fire, and that Consort Xian, who was pregnant, rushed out without even taking a lantern. These words were like thunderclaps in Yinzhen's ears.
Why was his son trapped in the fire when the cold palace caught fire?
How much more suffering must this young child endure? Looking at the thick black smoke rising ahead, and how everyone else covered their mouths and noses and kept their distance, how helpless his son must be in the middle of it all. For the first time, he dared not think any further and just clenched the white jade scepter in his hand.
To onlookers, the emperor remained seated with his eyes closed, exuding an air of majesty. But only Yinzhen himself knew that he had been so anxious that he had even put his boots on backwards.
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