Chapter 100 Old Secrets
Seeing that she seemed to recall something, Dou Wenyi said calmly, "Not every mother truly cares about her child, especially since you are not a true descendant of the Jiang family."
Jiang Wan was actually the late Empress's younger sister. She was switched at birth by her wet nurse, who was a spy, and was secretly raised in the Jiang family.
Her true identity was discovered by Consort Tan, who then orchestrated her entry into the palace as a courtesan, where she was promoted to the rank of Noble Lady.
In her previous life, Jiang Wan was unaware of her origins. After this miscarriage, she remained childless for the rest of her life.
Her vengeful blade was equally pointed at all those who had wronged her, including the Zhang family, the Shen family, the Crown Prince, the Tan family, and even the Jiang family!
A thrilling palace intrigue ensued, and from a certain perspective, she hastened the downfall of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In order to find an antidote for Xie Guidu, she took advantage of his position as Grand Secretary and secretly reviewed a large number of medical records from the Imperial Medical Academy. However, Jiang Wan's medical records had disappeared, especially the record of her miscarriage.
The imperial physician Hu who helped her today later became involved in another major case and fell into the hands of the crown prince. In order to save his own life, he revealed the details of this 'miscarriage'.
Consort Jiang's pupils contracted slightly, her eyes filled with undisguised shock, and her lips trembled as she murmured, "No...you're lying!"
Dou Wenyi sighed helplessly, "Consort Zhang had no idea you were pregnant, so how could she have harmed you? You may not believe me, but you know how the Jiang family treated you, don't I need to remind you?"
"If you are willing to become a pawn in their hands, disregarding your own safety and charging into battle at the risk of your life, even if you defeat everyone, will you be able to have a peaceful end?"
Even if the Emperor favors you alone, will he live long enough to support your heir to the throne?
In her previous life, when the Northern Barbarians invaded, Consort Jiang was labeled a "bewitching concubine" by the civil officials, who, under the guise of "purging the court of corrupt officials," forced Emperor Muzong to execute her.
"You..." Consort Jiang's face turned pale; her words were truly outrageous.
But as she said, Emperor Muzong was old. If she lost his protection and had no son to rely on, she would have made countless enemies and fought to the death with others. So what?
Only a dead end awaited her!
"Your Majesty, your body has been damaged. If you don't take good care of it, it will surely be fatal. As long as you're healthy, you can always rebuild your life. The important thing is to take good care of yourself and conceive again. Besides, you look so much like the late Empress. Haven't you ever suspected that you are actually a daughter of the Wen family?"
Dou Wenyi stood up and smelled the delicate fragrance emanating from the incense burner. "Is this blended incense imitating Empress Wen's boudoir incense?"
In order to gain Emperor Muzong's favor, she selfishly wanted to imitate his essence.
The spices were the first thing to mention, but the blended incense that Empress Wen loved was actually made with inconspicuous spices such as pine nut membrane, lychee peel, and bitter melon flower. She abandoned the mainstream fragrance materials of blended incense, "agarwood, sandalwood, dragon's blood, and musk".
Dou Wenyi slowed her speech, saying each word carefully, "Unfortunately, this blend of incense contains a lot of musk. You're familiar with the effects of musk, aren't you?"
Consort Jiang's lips were stiff and pale as she stared blankly at her. "Consort Zhang is vengeful and won't let me off the hook. Who are you, and why are you helping me?"
Dou Wenyi said calmly, "Like you, I am a victim crushed by fate. I have changed my fate, and I hope you can change yours too."
She certainly hoped to use Jiang Wan to turn the tide, but more than that, she felt deep sympathy for Jiang Wan's plight.
Consort Jiang struggled in the mire just like her, but the pain, torment, exhaustion, and struggle that plagued her throughout her life were actually completely wrong from the very beginning.
"Consort Zhang, I will do my best to help you with that."
Looking into her bright, sun-like eyes, Consort Jiang felt as if the shackles binding her had been loosened, as if she had seen hope and the dawn.
Dou Wenyi rose and bowed to her, then left the bedchamber directly.
Consort Zhang was surprised, "So fast?"
Dou Wenyi said calmly, “Her illness seems dangerous, but it is not. As long as the right medicine is prescribed, it will be effective. Consort Jiang is out of danger.”
The physician and palace maid rushed in, and the palace maid quickly came out again, saying, "Your Highness, our Consort's symptoms have subsided, and the fetus has been saved."
Consort Zhang's brows finally relaxed. "Make sure the imperial physicians prescribe more medicine to prevent miscarriage. This joyous occasion must be reported to His Majesty immediately."
Dou Wenyi glanced at the water clock in the hall, and carefully chose her words, "Your Majesty, I have a few private words I'd like to tell you alone..."
Consort Zhang raised her hand to dismiss the serving maids. She saw the person in front of her, who was thin and slender with a straight back. She recalled the decisiveness and composure she had shown in the face of danger.
Dou Wenyi owes the Zhang family nothing, yet she protects them in every way, even going so far as to help them despite their anger.
Thinking of this, Consort Zhang couldn't help but feel moved. "Just now, it was my fault."
It was truly remarkable that Consort Zhang, who had held a high position for many years, would take the initiative to offer her a way out.
Dou Wenlian smiled and said sincerely, "It has nothing to do with Your Majesty. I thank Your Majesty for your kindness, but I am unworthy of it."
Consort Zhang felt extremely regretful. Even Chengxian couldn't catch her eye, and she wondered who Chengxian would marry in the future.
She genuinely hoped that she could marry into the Zhang family, and sighed, "Never mind!"
As she spoke, Dou Wenyi whispered a few words of advice to Consort Zhang, who was greatly alarmed upon hearing them...
As Dou Wenyi followed the palace maid out of Jingren Palace, she saw Consort Tan leading a large group of people on the palace road not far away. Was she going to support Consort Jiang and solidify the bloody case?
She has already revealed the seriousness of the situation to Consort Zhang, hoping that Zhang Chengxian can avoid the tragedy of his family being destroyed this time.
As dusk fell, Dou Wenyi followed the palace maids and slowly walked out of the palace. When she passed Chonghua Hall, a scarlet official robe came into view.
Shen Yanzhou was tall and slender, his robes fluttering, making him stand out on the long palace road. A few steps behind him followed a noblewoman dressed in gorgeous clothes, who turned out to be Meng Jingshu.
Shen Lishu once said that Meng Jingshu was her cousin, so would you say they were childhood sweethearts?
Dou Wenyi was momentarily dazed, then suddenly remembered that in her previous life, Xie Guidu had once gossiped to her about an interesting story: that Shen Yanzhou harbored a love that he could not have, which was why he had never been able to marry.
And that person was none other than the ruthless Princess Consort Rui, Meng Jingshu!
At the time, she laughed at Xie Guidu, saying he was spreading rumors. But Xie Guidu told her with unusual seriousness that he was a man and naturally understood men better than she did.
As the surrounding light grew dimmer, Dou Wenyi felt as if she had been standing still for a long time. Looking towards the palace path again, she watched as the red figure receded into the distance before turning and walking to the other side.
As she was going down the steps, her foot slipped, and she had to hop twice to avoid falling. Unexpectedly, she seemed to have bumped into a solid chest.
Suddenly, a sharp reprimand rang in her ears, "How dare you! How dare you offend His Highness the Crown Prince!"
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