In the semi-dark stable, there was a mixture of complex and unpleasant odors, as well as the uneasy neighing of frightened horses.

King Qi never thought that he would appear in such a place one day.

"What are you doing?" King Qi's eyes were filled with anger, and he wished he could eat the driver in front of him.

The driver was so frightened that he kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life——"

He kicked her again, and the King of Qi asked word by word, "Did you harm the princess?"

The driver shuddered suddenly, as if frightened by the question asked by the King of Qi. After a moment, he woke up as if from a dream, and trembled on the ground, saying: "I dare not, I dare not harm the princess even if you kill me!"

This is exactly what King Qi found strange.

The driver was a servant brought by the princess from her natal family. How could he have the intention to harm the princess?

"So what are you rubbing?"

The driver's lips trembled and he could not speak.

The King of Qi's eyes were as cold as ice, and he said coldly: "You don't have to say it, but be careful with your family!"

The driver shook his body and slapped himself hard in the face: "It's all because of my greed... Something happened to the princess, and I found oil on the carriage. I was afraid of being punished by the prince, so I wanted to wipe the oil off secretly..."

The King of Qi then understood why the driver did this.

The oil on the carriage must have been secretly spilled by someone, but the driver, who should have stayed by the carriage, did not notice it. He must have been lazy, dozed off, or gone somewhere else, which gave someone the opportunity to take advantage of it. The driver was worried about being blamed by his master, so he thought of destroying the oil and removing all traces.

In terms of crime, the driver failed to perform his duties and caused the princess to miscarry, so it would not be excessive to kill him with a knife.

The King of Qi suppressed his murderous intention and asked, "Are you sure you didn't find anyone suspicious?"

The driver shook his head in confusion.

The King of Qi's face was as cold as ice.

The driver was terrified and slapped his face repeatedly: "This old slave deserves death, this old slave deserves death——"

"You really deserve to die." King Qi looked at the driver deeply, turned around and left the stable.

The air outside suddenly became cool and refreshing.

King Qi looked up at the sky filled with dark clouds, and his heart seemed to have fallen into the abyss.

He did not return to the main room to accompany Princess Qi who had just given birth, but went to the study in the front yard.

The Prince of Qi had always wanted to compete for the throne, and he had many visitors, so his study was naturally spacious and decent.

He rushed in headfirst, and after a long struggle, he finally calmed down. Looking at the mess on the ground, he muttered, "Old Third, you wait!"

In Prince Jin's palace, Prince Jin and Princess Jin were resting together, and the lights in the room had been turned off.

Princess Jin couldn't sleep, so she turned over quietly and stared at the silver hook on the top of the tent in a daze.

An arm reached out and fell on her, and a man's voice rang out: "Can't sleep?"

Princess Jin turned aside and said apologetically, "Did I disturb the prince?"

"No. Why can't you sleep?"

Princess Jin was silent for a moment, then said, "I was thinking about Princess Qi's miscarriage."

"Why are you thinking about this? There are many accidents in this world. Princess Qi just had a miscarriage. She didn't lose her life. It's not a big deal."

Princess Jin pursed her lips.

Prince Jin patted her gently and said softly, "Okay, go to sleep quickly. Don't let irrelevant people affect your mood."

"Well, your Highness, go to sleep too." Princess Jin smiled and closed her eyes.

After a long time, the sound of even and long breathing rang in her ears, and Princess Jin quietly stared at the profile of Prince Jin.

Was Princess Qi's miscarriage really an accident? Or was it the prince's action?

Princess Jin didn't want to think about it anymore and closed her eyes again.

It's dawn.

The weather was fine on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the concubines in the palace went to pay their respects to the empress as usual.

They live in the deep palace, so they haven't heard about last night's commotion yet.

The Empress had not yet appeared, and the concubines who were waiting were chatting casually.

There haven't been any new people in the palace for several years, and whether the concubines are doing well or miserably, they are all familiar with each other. No one will make trouble during the New Year, and everyone will just say something to please them.

Concubine Xian naturally became the focus of everyone.

"Sister Xianfei is so lucky. Both of her daughters-in-law are pregnant. It's really enviable."

"That's right. The two princesses will be able to give Queen Consort Xian two grandchildren this year."

"I heard that those who get pregnant at the same time often give birth in different ways. One gives birth to a boy and the other gives birth to a girl. By then, Concubine Xian will have both a grandson and a granddaughter..."

"Is there such a saying?" Concubine Xian, who had been smiling reservedly, looked at the young concubine who was speaking.

The young concubine nodded: "That's what people say in my hometown."

"The Princess of Yan and the Princess of Qi became pregnant one after the other. I wonder who will give birth to the dragon grandson?" Someone asked among the couple.

Concubine Xian frowned subconsciously, ignored the voice, and stared at the young concubine.

Which one would give birth to a grandson of the dragon? Of course, she hoped that the fourth daughter-in-law would give birth to a grandson of the dragon. As for the seventh daughter-in-law, after seeing the attitude of the seventh and his wife towards her as a mother, she was not very happy no matter what was born.

If the Seventh Old Wife's ignorant thing gave birth to a dragon grandson, wouldn't it be even more arrogant? This was something she didn't want to see.

The young concubine was clever and said quickly, "My hometown also says that it is a blessing to bloom flowers before bearing fruits. Both princesses are blessed."

Concubine Xian smiled and looked at the young concubine with approval.

This little kid is quite good at talking.

The flowers bloomed first and the fruits came later. The Princess of Qi, who already had a daughter, gave birth to a son, while the Princess of Yan, who was giving birth for the first time, gave birth to a daughter.

Although Concubine Xian knew that the young concubine said what she wanted to hear, who doesn't want to hear nice things? She still couldn't stop being in a good mood.

The young concubine raised her lips when she received the praise from Concubine Xian.

It is said that after the crown prince is deposed, Prince Jin and Prince Qi are most likely to take the throne. However, with the support of Concubine Xian and the Anguo Mansion, and the fact that Princess Qi is pregnant, Prince Jin may not be able to compete with Prince Qi.

If Prince Qi ascends to the throne, Concubine Xian will be the actual mistress of the harem in the future. If she doesn't curry favor with him now, it will be too late to show goodwill in the future.

There were many concubines who thought the same as the young concubine, and many voices echoed her at once.

The harem is often a shadow of the front palace. For example, if two ministers are not on good terms, if both of their families have girls entering the palace, the two concubines will certainly not get along. Now that the Prince of Qi has become a popular candidate for the crown prince, the concubines in the palace naturally flatter Concubine Xian more.

Concubine Zhuang lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea.

The matter of appointing a crown prince hasn't even started yet, but these people are so enthusiastic.

"The Queen has arrived—"

Soon, the empress, dressed in her best attire, appeared in front of the concubines.

The concubines immediately saluted the empress.

"No need to be polite."

After paying her respects as usual, the Queen talked about some trivial matters in the palace and turned her attention to Concubine Xian.

"Sister Xianfei, there is something I want to inform you of."

Concubine Xian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

According to the rules, the Emperor would have stayed at the Empress's place last night. What could the Empress have to tell her?

The Queen paused for a moment and said, "Unfortunately, Princess Qi had a miscarriage last night."