Chapter 257: Discovery
Xiao Yu turned his head and saw the third prince behind him.
The third prince was young and his legs were too short to reach it. His chubby fingers tugged at the dragon robe, and his face turned pale.
"Rui Er knows his mistake..."
After the soft and timid voice finished speaking, the Third Prince did not dare to speak again.
But his palm was still tightly grasping the dragon robe, refusing to let go.
"Xiao Rui?" Xiao Yu reacted with a complicated expression.
The Third Prince was already afraid of Xiao Yu, and his face turned even paler after hearing this.
"Yes, it is your son." The third prince's voice was small, and his hand holding the dragon robe loosened.
Xiao Yu looked at the Third Prince deeply, then looked back at the ground.
"Who is responsible for carrying the sedan chair?"
As soon as His Majesty spoke, Lin An immediately walked down. He personally pushed down the servants who were carrying the sedan chair from the ground.
"Your Majesty, these are the ones."
Lin An was quick and agile, pushing these servants forward one by one. The young eunuchs were already frightened silly, kneeling on the ground and shaking like sieves.
"Your Majesty, please spare us, Your Majesty, please spare us!" The cries for mercy rang out one after another, and the young eunuchs were so scared that they were stunned.
Everyone's body was shaking like sieves.
At this time, there was a slight knock at the door, and the young eunuch stepped forward quickly to report: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is here."
Concubine Rong came hurriedly with a group of people. She walked hurriedly, and although she was late, her expression seemed full of anxiety.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Rui'er was in trouble. How is Rui'er?"
Concubine Rong asked nervously, and was so flustered that she didn't even have time to perform the greetings.
His Majesty's deep eyes fell on her face, and no movement could be seen in his dark eyes.
He just looked at her for a few seconds, then raised his hand and pointed behind him: "No one is in trouble."
Concubine Rong then breathed a sigh of relief and looked behind her following the Emperor's gaze.
"Rui'er, you scared me to death." Concubine Rong raised her hand and patted her chest, as if she was relieved.
She was wearing a cotton dress with gold embroidery and a jade headpiece on her head. The dress is dignified yet elegant.
At this time, he took off his cloak and put it on the Third Prince: "It's windy here, don't let it catch a cold."
"Give it to the nurse, don't scare him."
Nanny Qin, who was beside Concubine Rong, quickly took Concubine Rong's cloak and wrapped the third prince's bun tightly.
Then he went over and took the third prince to the nurse.
Concubine Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the third prince being taken away. "Your Majesty, I heard that it was the Third Prince's sedan chair that hit Concubine Shen."
"It's my fault. I sent someone to call Concubine Shen here today. If it weren't for me, Concubine Shen wouldn't have suffered this unprovoked disaster today."
Concubine Rong said, kneeling on the bluestone slab: "Your Majesty, please punish me."
"You arrived just in time." Xiao Yu looked at Concubine Rong and did not ask her to stand up. He just asked:
"What's the big deal that made you call Concubine Shen over so early in the morning?"
This happened at the door of Concubine Rong.
The person who bumped into him was someone from Concubine Rong's palace. And Chen Fu got into trouble because she was going to Concubine Rong's palace.
All of these things are closely related to Concubine Rong.
There are too many coincidences, so they no longer seem to be coincidences.
"You summoned the people, and the servants who carried the sedan chair were also from your palace."
Xiao Yu looked at Concubine Rong with burning eyes: "Concubine, please explain it to me."
Lin An waved his hand and immediately pulled the group of people towards Concubine Rong: "There are six eunuchs carrying the sedan chair for the Third Prince today. Your Majesty, everyone is here now."
Six young eunuchs were pulled up by the guards and made to kneel on the ground with their shoulders pressed down.
The young eunuchs had never seen such a scene before. They looked around, not knowing how to look.
"Knowing Your Majesty, Your servants are here to see Your Majesty." The young eunuch knelt on the ground and kowtowed tremblingly.
Xiao Yu pointed at the sedan chair.
I've just asked the guards to check it out. The sedan chair was in good condition and there was nothing wrong with it.
The roads in front and behind Ronghua Gate were all paved with bluestone slabs, and there was nothing wrong with the road conditions. However, even so, the six people carrying the sedan chair managed to overturn it.
Not only did it bump into Chen Fu, but even the Third Prince almost fell off the sedan chair.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yu clenched his palms and said, "You are all old people who have served the Third Prince. It's not a new thing to carry a sedan chair. Why did something go wrong today?"
When His Majesty asked this question, it was obvious that he already had doubts in his heart.
After all, the sedan chair would not have had an accident earlier or later, but it happened when Chen Fu arrived and it crashed directly into Chen Fu.
Fortunately, the baby in Shen Fu's belly has grown up, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, and allow me to speak a few words." Concubine Rong knew that Your Majesty's words seemed to be directed at these servants.
But in fact, it was directed at her.
She lowered her head, thinking about what Lady Zhou had said. The more His Majesty suspected her, the less she could defend herself.
The emperor's mind is as unfathomable as the sea. The more she explained, the more suspicious His Majesty would be.
On the contrary, the more she blames herself for the incident, the more His Majesty will believe her innocence.
Concubine Rong's throat rolled. She did not try to evade the blame, but took the initiative to take the blame: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am responsible for this matter."
"The Third Prince is raised in my palace, and the people serving him are from my Changchun Palace. He committed such a serious crime today, which not only harmed the Third Prince but also implicated Concubine Shen."
Concubine Rong knelt on the ground and said, "I will bear all the blame. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Since the imperial concubine knelt, there was naturally no reason for the servants behind her to stand. A group of servants followed suit and knelt on the ground.
The frightened Third Prince was also held by the wet nurse and knelt on the ground.
"It's Rui'er's fault..." The third prince was so scared that he shrank into the wet nurse's arms, not daring to breathe.
"Take the third prince back!" Xiao Yu's voice was not loud, but his tone was filled with anxiety and irritation.
The wet nurse immediately took the third prince away. After the Third Prince's men left, only Concubine Rong was left kneeling on the ground.
Concubine Rong knocked her knees against the bluestone slabs and felt an unprecedented chill in her knees.
She had lost count of how many times she had knelt on the ground.
A noble concubine, now she can only kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.
She doesn't even have an ounce of dignity as a royal concubine.
How ridiculous?
Concubine Rong knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
Xiao Yu's gaze fell on Concubine Rong's face. She did not think that what happened today was a coincidence.
But apparently there was no evidence.
Concubine Rong now asks to accept the punishment, and it would be him who would punish Concubine Rong for what happened today.
Everything done before was in vain.
Xiao Yu rubbed his fingers together, his eyes cold: "The servants have failed in their duties."
"Drag away the servants who carried the sedan chair today and punish them with fifty lashes each!"
"Long live the Lord!"
"Your Majesty, please spare me, Your Majesty, please spare me, Your Majesty!"
Fifty lashes of the cane, if he really gets beaten, he will be crippled if not dead.
"Your Majesty, please spare us, Your Majesty, please spare us!" The young eunuchs knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately.
Some even crawled over to beg Concubine Rong: "My Lady Concubine, please save me, please save me."
There was a lot of wailing, and Lin An immediately took his guards to shut up these people.
"Take it off!" Lin An grabbed the young eunuch's shoulders and warned him in a low voice: "Don't be ungrateful."
"You've injured the Third Prince and frightened Concubine Shen. Your Majesty is already showing mercy by sparing your lives. If you continue to quarrel, you'll lose your lives."
After Lin An's warning, the young eunuchs fell silent.
His body collapsed and was pulled down like a noodle.
The young eunuch who was carrying the sedan chair was taken away, and the surroundings were completely empty.
"I think the people around the Third Prince are no longer useful." Xiao Yu said, "I will send someone else."
"From now on, the people serving the Third Prince will be replaced by a new group to prevent something like today from happening again." Lin An nodded immediately after receiving the news.
"I obey your command." Concubine Rong nodded.
Xiao Yu said again: "My Lady, I also want to know why you sent someone to call Chen Fu this morning?"
His Majesty would indeed ask.
Concubine Rong knelt on the ground, without raising her head, and spoke slowly: "The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent all the preparations and account books for New Year's Eve to my palace early in the morning."
"Although I am a noble concubine, I was stripped of my authority to manage the harem some time ago." Noble Concubine Rong said this with a bitter voice:
"It's just that New Year's Eve is urgent, so I thought of inviting someone to discuss this matter."
"Then you just called Chen Fu over?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Shu Guipin is seriously ill, Xiang Guipin..." Rong Guifei explained: "Xiang Guipin is also against me because of the Third Prince's matter..."
"That's why I called Concubine Shen here. Although she is pregnant, she has served His Majesty the most and knows His Majesty's thoughts better than anyone else."
Concubine Rong bowed her head and said, "I just called Concubine Shen over. I didn't expect something like this to happen. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After she finished speaking, she bent down and kowtowed to the ground.
"Get up." Xiao Yu spoke after a long time.
"As a noble concubine, even if you no longer have the authority to manage the harem, you still hold the highest position in the entire harem." Xiao Yu said:
"Although it's not entirely your fault, as a master you should manage the servants around you well. If you do it again, I will punish you severely!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Rong knelt on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
What Lady Zhou said was indeed correct.
As long as the Third Prince is still with her, His Majesty will not be so disrespectful to her.
Today's incident seems a bit dangerous, but I am lucky to be able to escape unscathed from the presence of His Majesty.
Nanny Qin immediately stepped forward and reached out to help Concubine Rong up.
There was a sudden pain in her knees, and when Concubine Rong stood up, her knees couldn't help but shake.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Rong lowered her head and said, "Although Your Majesty does not blame me, I still punish you very much."
"If it weren't for my failure to manage my servants well, this incident wouldn't have happened today."
As she spoke, her eyes turned to Shen Fu behind His Majesty: “Besides, Concubine Shen is still pregnant. Are you okay, Concubine Shen?”
Chen Fu was still amazed at the smooth performance of Concubine Rong.
But he didn't expect that the next moment, Concubine Rong would throw the topic to him.
Chen Fu took a few steps forward and shook her head: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, I am fine."
"Thanks to the timely protection of the servants, I am fine and nothing happened to me."
Shen Fu said, placing her palm on her swollen belly.
"Thank you for your concern, Concubine Rong."
"You are pregnant, so you can't be careless at all." Concubine Rong looked at Chen Fu's belly.
Before I knew it, my belly had grown bigger.
In two months, a baby will come out of this belly.
With Chen Fu's current status and His Majesty's favor towards her, it doesn't matter whether she is a princess or a prince.
This child will ensure her wealth and prosperity for the rest of her life.
Concubine Rong clenched her palms, but her face showed concern: "Such a big thing happened, she must have been frightened."
"I'd better let the imperial physician check it thoroughly before I can feel at ease."
Hehuan Hall
Shen Fu was indeed frightened this time.
After a careful examination, the imperial physician prescribed some tranquilizing medicine and then left.
Xiao Yu finally let go of the worry that had been hanging in his heart.
"I'm glad you're okay." His Majesty held Chen Fu's hand, and his other hand fell on the bulging belly: "I can only rest assured if you're okay."
Shen Fu could sense the emperor's concern.
Seeing that His Majesty was looking at her, she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Your Majesty, are you concerned about me, or the baby in my belly?"
Shen Fu said this with a smile on her face. But when she turned her head to look at the Emperor, she saw that his expression had changed.
Xiao Yu lowered his head, his palm originally resting on Shen Fu's lower abdomen.
When I heard this, my palms suddenly froze.
The big palm landed on the bulging belly, almost touching it.
His Majesty remained silent for a long time.
Seeing His Majesty like this, Chen Fu quickly changed the subject: "I am just asking nonsense, Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart."
She was really confused.
His Majesty has few offspring, so naturally he cares more about them.
What is her identity?
Relying on the fact that I have been pampered for a few days, he actually dared to ask such a question.
Chen Fu made up a random topic to fool the conversation, and Xiao Yu was obviously absent-minded.
He sat with Shen Fu for a while, watched her drink the medicine with his own eyes, and then left.
"My lady, why did the Emperor leave so soon?" Zi Su asked in a low voice, holding the empty bowl of medicine.
"It seems to me that something is wrong with His Majesty."
"What's wrong?" Chen Fu leaned back in the armchair and took a sip of tea.
The refreshing tea soup instantly covered up the bitterness in the mouth.
With his eyes lowered, he thought about the distraught look on His Majesty's face just now. He shook his head, and placed his palm on his abdomen, stroking it gently.
"Since ancient times, men have always put offspring first."
Even emperors are like this.
In front of the emperor, no matter how much favor and love one has, it is not as important as having offspring.
When Chen Fu thought of this, she felt a subtle stir for His Majesty today.
It became harder again at this time.
She shouldn't be tempted, and she must not be tempted!
*******
The Emperor walked out in a hurry with big strides. Lin An was startled and hurriedly followed him.
He was just standing guard at the door. When he saw His Majesty's words, he hurriedly followed him, even though he didn't know what had happened. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what happened?"
Lin An's face was full of confusion, but Xiao Yu's brows were tightly knitted and his expression was extremely complicated.
"I...seems to be wrong."
What went wrong? Is His Majesty wrong?
This sentence made no sense, and Lin An became more confused.
Scratching his head, he said, “Your Majesty, but what happened to Miss Shen Fu?”
Thinking of this, Lin An's face changed. Or is it that something happened to the child in Miss Shen Fu's belly?
Lin An was very frightened, and the Emperor felt the same way.
"It's not Chen Fu, it's me..." He rubbed his head.
Thinking of what Chen Fu had just asked him, Xiao Yu felt a headache.
He must be sick.
It would have been better if Shen Fu hadn't asked that question just now, but he only remembered it after she asked.
From the moment he heard that something happened to Shen Fu in the Qianqing Palace to the moment he saw Shen Fu.
All he could think about was Shen Fu.
Not once, not once did she think about the child in her belly.
It would have been fine if Shen Fu hadn't mentioned it, but once she did, he understood clearly.
From the beginning to the end, he was worried about Shen Fu's safety, not because of the child in her belly, but because of her as a person.
When Xiao Yu thought of this, he sighed deeply: "I think I'm doomed."
Lin An was confused as he listened, and he became even more confused after hearing the last sentence.
"Your Majesty, how about we go back to Huihuan Palace?" Lin An suggested, "The imperial physician hasn't gone far yet, shall I go and call him over?"
“No need.”
Xiao Yu put down the hand that was rubbing his forehead.
Just now, Chen Fu had already noticed that his expression was not right. With her intelligence, she would definitely guess it.
Xiao Yu fumbled with the jade ring on his fingertips.
With Chen Fu's personality, if she knew that he cared about her so much, even more than the child in her belly, she would definitely take advantage of the situation to climb up.
Now Shen Fu has begun to act arrogantly in front of him!
If he knew, wouldn't it come back to bite me? !
Xiao Yu shook his head and said firmly: "She must not know!"
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