Chapter 18 Hemorrhage
"What did you say?"
Yinzhen was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed when he got up early. Consort Hua was helping him get dressed when Su Peisheng walked in with a serious expression and dropped two pieces of bad news.
Seeing the Emperor's displeased expression, Su Peisheng quickly lowered his head and carefully said, "Your Majesty, Consort Fang suffered a miscarriage last night. She was restless all night and is now claiming that..."
At this point, he cautiously glanced at Consort Hua's expression and said hesitantly, "They said that after eating the crab roe pastries Consort Hua sent, they..."
"This is impossible!" Consort Hua hadn't expected this to be related to her. She interrupted Su Peisheng sharply, the court beads in her hands rattling as she pulled them. She turned to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I did not do it. She is slandering me!"
Yinzhen listened in silence. Seeing Nian Shilan so agitated, he held her hand tighter to comfort her, though he didn't say anything.
Seeing this, Su Peisheng continued, "Yes, Consort Xin said the same thing. Yongshou Palace even received two extra plates of crab roe pastries. Consort Xin ate them with the prince and princess and was fine. Something else must have gone wrong."
Consort Hua breathed a slight sigh of relief when she heard someone speak up for her. Her beautiful eyes looked at the Emperor with a wronged expression.
Although Yinzhen had lost a child, he felt somewhat relieved when he heard that Shilan had nothing to do with the matter. Although he was determined to protect Shilan, he would inevitably be disappointed if she really had done it.
He thought for a moment and then said, "Yingfeng has always been an honest person. The fact that she can testify for Consort Hua proves that this matter is not true. Tell the servants not to discuss it anymore."
He turned to look at the beautiful woman beside him who looked aggrieved, and patted her arm lightly—"Call Consort Xin, I will go with you to see Consort Fang. You can't be so childish anymore."
Consort Hua pursed her lips and was about to speak when Su Peisheng, looking troubled, spoke first—"Your Majesty, Consort Xin stayed at Suiyu Pavilion all night, and felt unwell on her way back. I'm afraid... she's going into premature labor!"
"What!"
"Why didn't you report this sooner!"
The Emperor frowned, abandoning his previous composed demeanor, and hurriedly stood up, dressed himself, and headed to Yongshou Palace. His magnificent court robes, adorned with court beads and jade belt, jingled as he walked briskly.
"I'm going to see Consort Xin."
"Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng took two steps to catch up, and Nian Shilan, who had not yet dressed, followed along, her mind blank.
"Your Majesty, Consort Xin sent word that she has experienced childbirth before and it won't happen so quickly. She told Your Majesty that state affairs are of utmost importance and you should not neglect court."
Seeing that the Emperor had squatted down, Su Peisheng took a breath and continued, "Consort Xin also said that if Your Majesty is concerned, please come and see me as soon as possible after court."
As Yinzhen listened to Su Peisheng recount Consort Xin's instructions, his gaze drifted into the distance. For some reason, the image of Consort Xin's voice and expression when she spoke these words came to mind.
She had always been a resolute woman, but even the most resolute woman is vulnerable at times like this. Among the many women in the harem, who didn't clamor for her to come and see them if they had a headache or fever? But she was different.
It seems that Hongzhao and Hongjin were also born prematurely, but now Yinzhen can hardly recall what state Lü Yingfeng was in at the time, whether she was weak or excited. He only remembers that he went to court excitedly after seeing the children.
A feeling of indebtedness arose in Yinzhen's heart.
Seeing that Yinzhen was standing motionless at the door, Nian Shilan thought of what Consort Xin had just said, gritted her teeth and poked her head out, saying, "Your Majesty, go to court. I will keep an eye on Consort Xin. I will make sure nothing happens to her. She is in good health and was able to escape danger last time, so she will definitely be able to do the same here."
With the time for court approaching, there was no time for further consideration. Yinzhen raised his head, closed his eyes, concealed the turbulent emotions within, and turned back to gaze deeply at the woman in a light red nightgown standing behind him against the sunlight.
"Tell Consort Xin that I will go to see her as soon as I finish court."
——
"Your Majesty, push harder!"
Lu Yingfeng gripped the pillow tightly, her neck, arched back from the strain, was covered in sweat. She kept adjusting her breathing, and with a final breath, she grabbed a midwife beside her—"Hongzhao and Hongjin, are you settled? Don't frighten them."
The midwife reached out and supported Lü Yingfeng's outstretched hand to give her leverage. "Your Majesty, rest assured, Aunt Xuexin has already sent the eldest princess and the fifth prince to Consort Jing's place. Your Majesty can give birth in peace."
Lu Yingfeng was relieved after hearing what she said.
"Your Majesty, Consort Hua has arrived, as has Aunt Jianqiu from the Empress's side and Aunt Zhuxi from the Empress Dowager's side. His Majesty said he would come after court, so please rest assured."
Hong Xihai's voice came through the screen, but to Lü Yingfeng's ears it was like ripples on water, indistinct and unclear. Waves of pain crashed over her like waves, and she felt as if she were a fish struggling on a chopping board, trapped on this small bed by wave after wave of pain, unable to escape.
In her hazy state, she had only one thought—this was much more painful than her last childbirth.
Hongzhao sat on the threshold of Xianfu Palace. He was not the truly young Shu'er and would not be fooled by Consort Jing's words. Xuexin was his mother's confidante. The fact that she had rushed him and Shu'er to Xianfu Palace and then rushed back herself meant that something must have happened.
What could it be...?
I didn't hear that Mother fell on the road, but Mother still had a premature birth, so it must have happened at Suiyuxuan... Suiyuxuan!
Hongzhao clenched his fist and pounded his head. How could he forget the musk buried under the Broken Jade Pavilion? It could cause Consort Fang to miscarry after smelling it for a month. It must be a potent one.
How could I have forgotten about this!
"System! I have one more Nourishing Pill. Give it to my mother now!"
"Beep—Host, the Nourishing Pill is effective for life and cannot be stacked." The system's emotionless voice sounded just in time.
"Why did Mother still have a premature birth even though it's valid for life?!" Hongzhao couldn't control himself and asked the system in a trembling voice.
"The system calculates that without this health-preserving pill, the probability of both mother and child being safe is 12.33%, while the current probability is 85%, which is a very high probability."
Hongzhao looked at the light screen that only he could see with a puzzled expression. The flashing white text on it displayed the probability of his mother's survival. He seemed to chuckle softly, "You're a machine, a piece of data. You can only calculate probabilities. I can't see the 85 now. I can only see 15!"
He tilted his head, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably—"What if it really is that 15%? Mother must be in so much pain right now... How many points do I have left! What can I exchange for!"
The system seemed unable to comprehend the host's complex emotions; the screen froze for a rare moment and then began to flicker randomly.
"The best product has been selected for the host - a natural childbirth cheat device."
"Exchange it! Give it to my mother right now!"
"Beep—Successfully used."
The "Natural Childbirth Cheat Device" works as its name suggests, but it also has a unique ability: during childbirth, it makes bystanders believe the user is in critical condition and experiencing a difficult labor. However, the user herself feels no pain, making it a powerful tool for palace intrigue. Logically, it should require a considerable number of points in the shop, which Hongzhao certainly can't afford right now.
But for some reason, the system just took it out directly.
While Hongzhao was relieved, Consort Hua was terrified.
"Oh no! Her Majesty is hemorrhaging!"
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