After hearing the eunuch's message, Chu Jinyao's mood sank. She immediately stood up and asked Linglong and others to change her clothes.

The news of Concubine Lian's miscarriage quickly spread throughout the palace. When Chu Jinyao rushed to Concubine Lian's palace, many people were already standing in the yard. The

Queen had already arrived. She was sitting on the armchair in the main hall, and was solemnly instructing several imperial doctors: "Concubine Lian's pregnancy was hard-won. The Emperor and I both attach great importance to it. You must protect the dragon fetus at all costs. If anything happens to the heir, I will never let you off easily!"

Several imperial doctors agreed with sweat on their heads, but human power is ultimately limited. Even if the imperial doctors are highly skilled, they are still human beings. How can they bring the dead back to life? The atmosphere in the courtyard was solemn, and no one dared to speak at this time. Chu Jinyao was in a heavy mood. She walked gently to the central hall and saluted the empress: "Your Majesty." Empress

Xiao Qi glanced at Chu Jinyao coldly: "The Crown Princess is here too."

Chu Jinyao nodded in response. After Chu Jinyao stood up, Zhao Lanhui and several other concubines came forward to salute Chu Jinyao: "Long live the Crown Princess."

This kind of No one was interested in these details at the time. Chu Jinyao nodded casually, asked Zhao Lanhui and the others to stand up, and then asked, "How is Concubine Lian?"

Empress Xiao Qi looked gloomy and said nothing. Concubine Shu, who had the highest rank and the most seniority, took over and said, "Several doctors from the Imperial Hospital have been called in. They are trying to save her. We have to wait for the doctors' comments on the specific situation."

"How could Concubine Lian suddenly have a miscarriage?" Chu Jinyao asked, "When I met Concubine Lian in the garden a few days ago, her face was rosy and her pregnancy was stable. It didn't look like a sign of miscarriage."

No one could answer this question. Concubine Shu also responded with a sad face, as if she was very sad about Concubine Lian's unexpected miscarriage. Several other respectable concubines also responded one after another, as if they were all kind-hearted people with weak hearts and pity. Concubine Li stood aside and listened. When no one was paying attention, she smiled secretly.

These concubines looked more heartbroken than the other, but in fact, every one of them was about to burst their stomachs with laughter. The harem has never allowed one person to stand out. So many concubines and beauties cannot bear an heir to the throne. Concubine Lian is just a palace maid. Why?

The Empress Dowager seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, and said with a stern face: "Be quiet! Concubine Lian is still lying in there. If you are really heartbroken, go in and tell her later. Don't delay the imperial physician to save her now."

"Yes." The concubines bowed their heads and agreed. Chu Jinyao stopped asking questions and cast her eyes on the drooping curtains.

The fate of the world is really sigh-worthy. Chu Jinyao was happily sewing clothes for Chu Jinxian's child just a moment ago, but now she has to face the death of another little life. There is a folk saying that goes "Seven months old and eight months old will not survive", which means that if a baby is born prematurely, a seven-month-old baby can survive, but an eight-month-old baby is unlikely to survive. Concubine Lian is now exactly eight months old.

Chu Jinyao felt very sad. She and Concubine Lian had only a superficial relationship, but as a woman, Chu Jinyao hoped that Concubine Lian could keep her child and that both mother and child would be safe. The last time she met Concubine Lian in the garden, Concubine Lian's brows were still filled with panic and caution, but when she mentioned the child in her belly, her eyes suddenly softened, and the smile on her face was also tender from the heart. At that time, they also talked about Chu Jinxian. Unexpectedly, in less than half a month, Chu Jinxian gave birth to a little boy safely, while Concubine Lian was lying inside, and it was unknown whether she was dead or alive.

The atmosphere in the palace was very solemn. Suddenly, the curtain in the inner room moved, and an imperial physician came out. The imperial physician knelt down immediately after seeing Empress Xiao Qi, and reported without raising his head: "Your Majesty, we are incompetent and failed to save the little prince."

The women in the room all cried out in surprise. Concubine Li covered her mouth with her hand and asked: "Is Concubine Lian's baby a boy this time?"

"Yes, I tried my best to induce the little prince early, but when the little prince came out, his face was blue and he had already died."

Chu Jinyao looked reluctant and sighed deeply. Empress Xiao Qi chanted a Buddhist mantra, reprimanded the imperial physician, and said: "It seems that this child is not destined for the emperor, and we can't force it. Lan Yu, go and tell this news to the emperor."

Lan Yu took the order and left. After Concubine Lian's accident, no one dared to inform the emperor. Now that the dust has settled and the child is completely gone, Empress Xiao Qi let someone tell the emperor the news. Concubine Lian seemed to have heard the palace maid report that it was a prince. The voice inside paused, and immediately burst into a heart-wrenching cry. After Concubine Lian's cry was heard outside, everyone lowered their heads and eyes, and no one spoke.

Xiao Qi sat for a while, then angrily slapped the armrest: "The emperor has few children, and only three princes so far. The fourth prince is already eight months pregnant and will be born safely soon, but she had a miscarriage at this juncture. Imperial physician, I want to ask you, how could Concubine Lian have a miscarriage when she was fine?"

Several imperial physicians knelt down in fear, their voices trembling: "Reporting to the queen, Concubine Lian is eight months pregnant, and the fetus was very stable before, with no signs of premature birth. Now she suddenly had a miscarriage, which may be caused by external forces." Caused by

external forces?

Those present were all shrewd people in the palace, how could they not understand what these four words meant. In fact, a miscarriage at eight months is already very strange. If a miscarriage occurs at such an advanced month, the person who did it is wanting the child and the adult to die together.

Chu Jinyao understood, but she was very cautious in this situation and refused to say more. After hearing what the doctor said, Empress Xiao Qi became even more angry. She waved her sleeves and swept all the cups and plates on the table to the ground. The porcelain fell to the ground with a harsh sound. Chu Jinyao stood still, and the maid behind her immediately knelt down, bowed her head and held her breath.

Empress Xiao Qi had a gloomy face, and her eyes were like torches: "Dare to murder the heir to the throne, it is simply audacious. No matter who did it, if I find out, I will never show mercy."

Empress Xiao Qi gave an order and immediately asked people to search for suspicious things. Concubine Lian was born a palace maid. She was of humble origin and knew that her pregnancy was dangerous, so she was usually very careful. Things like incense that could easily cause problems had been stopped long ago. The pregnancy-protecting medicine had to be taken back to her own palace for boiling. Everything she ate and drank, anything she took into her mouth, was checked again and again, and there really was nothing that was overlooked.

Concubine Lian was already careful enough, and Empress Xiao Qi had people check the palace, but they didn't find any clues. Chu Jinyao stood aside and watched, and she really couldn't stand it anymore.

"Empress, Concubine Lian just had a miscarriage. Now is the time when she is weak and needs to rest. If we conduct such a high-profile search, will it disturb Concubine Lian's rest? Will we do the wrong thing with good intentions and end up hurting her?"

Concubine Lian had a miscarriage at such an advanced stage of pregnancy. She must be very exhausted now. Empress Xiao Qi is making all this noise, looking up things and interrogating her. Does she want to help Concubine Lian or kill her? Chu Jinyao and Concubine Lian are not close friends, but her sister just gave birth. No matter what the reason, Chu Jinyao cannot stand Empress Xiao Qi's behavior.

The Queen Mother glanced at Chu Jinyao and said with a smile: "I am here to seek justice for the little prince who died young. As his biological mother, Concubine Lian must want to know who killed him. The Crown Princess has gone against her normal routine and stopped me from finding out the truth. What does this mean?"

"Of course I also want to find out the real culprit. The child is so innocent, yet someone attacked the child and tried to kill two people with one body, and also killed Concubine Lian at the same time. This kind of person should have been punished long ago. If we can catch this person, it will be a great pleasure and the six palaces will celebrate together. However, the deceased is gone, and Concubine Lian has lost her child. We should always think about her body. With such a big fuss, I'm afraid Concubine Lian will be disturbed and can't stand it before the real culprit is found."

Chu Jinyao's words were full of implications. When Empress Xiao Qi heard the word "retribution", her eyes changed slightly, but it all happened in an instant. Before anyone noticed, Empress Xiao Qi covered it up again. But Chu Jinyao had been paying attention to Empress Xiao Qi. She noticed the changes in Empress Xiao Qi with her sharp eyes. Chu Jinyao immediately confirmed that Empress Xiao Qi was indeed responsible this time.

In fact, Chu Jinyao had long been suspicious. Empress Xiao Qi was very abnormal today. She usually paid the most attention to her manners and reputation. How could she get angry in front of so many people and make such an indecent move as sweeping the teacup to the ground? The most likely explanation is that Empress Xiao Qi had another trick up her sleeve by taking advantage of Concubine Lian's incident.

Sure enough, not long after, a palace maid came in evasively. When Empress Xiao Qi saw her, she immediately scolded her: "How dare you! What are you doing? You are sneaking around." The

palace maid knelt down and stammered: "Please forgive me, Queen, I didn't mean to do this. It's just that I saw a few footprints in the flower garden behind the palace, and... a strand of burnt hair."

Hair? Chu Jinyao frowned. The hair on the body is given by parents, and hair is especially important and cannot be handled casually. Moreover, the act of burning hair itself is very meaningful.

Empress Xiao Qi asked someone to follow the palace maid to look for it. After a eunuch came back, he whispered in the empress's ear: "Your Majesty, there is indeed a section of hair at the back, which has been mostly burnt. In addition, there are a few purple petals scattered around the hair, as if someone accidentally dropped them on the sole of a shoe."

The eunuch asked someone to present the petals. Although the people in the hall could not hear what the eunuch and Empress Xiao Qi said, they could probably guess what was on the plate.

Chu Jinyao frowned when she saw the purple fragments on the plate. After listening to the eunuch's report, Queen Qi slowly scanned the people in the hall with a stern look and said, "The miscarriage of Concubine Lian was strange. A piece of burnt hair was found in the backyard. I am in the highest position and will never allow such a thing to happen in the harem. Therefore, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Someone, go and check where these petals are in the palace."

The eunuch took the order and went over. The concubines looked at the things in the plate and talked a lot, adding information one by one. Zhao Lanhui glanced at Chu Jinyao silently. Zhao Lanhui thought he had kept it secret, but Chu Jinyao had already noticed it. Chu Jinyao pretended not to know and still stood there calmly and dignifiedly.

Finally, the servants brought the news: "This flower is called purple and green. It is not easy to cultivate. It is only produced in Huangji Palace and Chengqian Palace. In addition, there is Qide Palace."

Purple flowers cannot be planted randomly. Huangji Palace and Chengqian Palace are the palaces where the emperor holds court and lives, and Qide Palace is the palace of Chu Jinyao and Qin Yi.

Chu Jinyao has already determined that this time he came for her. Everyone looked at Chu Jinyao either implicitly or obviously. Empress Qi also took a sip of tea and asked, "Crown Princess, do you have anything to say?"

Chu Jinyao did not evade, and even looked at Empress Qi with a slight smile, "What do you mean, Your Majesty? I don't understand."

"There are very few places to plant this kind of flower. Huangji Palace and Chengqian Palace are the emperor's places, so it's natural. The other place is Qide Palace."

"Yes, I know." Chu Jinyao agreed with a smile, "So?"

Empress Xiao Qi was too lazy to beat around the bush with Chu Jinyao, so she said directly with a frown: "It is said that the innocent are innocent. This palace believes in the character of the Crown Princess, so I will never tolerate anyone playing tricks and slandering the reputation of the Crown Princess. It just so happens that Concubine Lian needs to rest, so let her rest first, and I will go to Qide Hall to see what is going on with these petals."

Chu Jinyao agreed with a smile. Empress Xiao Qi was going to the East Palace, and none of the other concubines dared to go back, so a group of people walked towards Qide Hall in a mighty manner.

Empress Xiao Qi was paying attention to Chu Jinyao all the way, not letting her send anyone back to report the news. When they arrived at Qide Hall, Empress Xiao Qi ignored the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling on the ground, and walked straight to the flower garden.

"Your Majesty, look!"

Empress Xiao Qi nodded: "It's this one. It looks like the petals are indeed the same." Empress Xiao Qi looked at Chu Jinyao and said: "Crown Princess, I know you love to take care of flowers and plants, but this involves the rules of the harem, and the life of the prince is always more important than other things. I want someone to check these flowers. Crown Princess, you don't mind, right?"

"If the queen wants to dig, then dig." Chu Jinyao thought Empress Xiao Qi was ridiculous. It has come to this point, why bother pretending.

The Queen also sneered, and then ordered: "Come here, dig up these flowers."

The neat and beautiful flowerbed was immediately messed up. Linglong looked angry, while Chu Jinyao looked at it calmly, without even moving his eyebrows.

The eunuch holding the hoe suddenly screamed in surprise. He quickly bent down and dug out a wooden box from the soil: "My queen, there is something in the soil!"

A high and low gasp came from behind. The Queen looked at the box and looked at Chu Jinyao in suspicion: "Crown Princess, what's going on?"