Chapter 090 Chapter 90
[Chapter 90]
Yan Shiyu was sitting at the top, and with stern eyes he saw Ruan Jun's distraught look. When he turned his head inadvertently, he saw Young Master Yu's staring look.
The wine cup in his hand was suddenly clenched, and Yan Shiyu poured the sweet cold wine into his stomach.
The Queen sensed the Emperor's actions and said, "Just now, Madam Dowager mistook Sister Ying for Sister. To be honest, when I first saw Sister Ying, I was also quite surprised. Perhaps the Emperor has forgotten..."
When Ran Xia and Qi Yue, who were standing beside the Queen, heard what the Queen said, their expressions suddenly became very nervous.
Ran Xia took a step forward and slowly poured the wine from the cup into the Queen's cup. The sound of the wine falling into the cup made the Queen look at Ran Xia with a smile in her eyes. Seeing that the Emperor's eyes were still filled with anger, she said softly:
"Your Majesty, do you still remember my sister?"
If there had not been the same singing and dancing below and if there had not been many ministers and relatives sitting below, Ran Xia and Qi Yue's hearts would have nearly jumped out of their chests when they heard the Queen's words.
Sure enough, as soon as the Queen said this, the Emperor's cold eyes fell on the Queen again.
The Queen seemed to be unaware of this and only said, "Ying Chongrong entered the palace when she was still young. How could she have understood love at that time? Moreover..."
Picking up the wine cup in front of her and drinking the spicy wine, the queen frowned, "Ying Chongrong doesn't understand the elders' affairs."
After saying these words, the queen looked straight at the emperor. When she met the emperor's eyes, the queen just smiled indifferently without saying anything else.
Young Prince Yu held the wine cup, but he was slow to drink the wine. The dancers in front of him changed, and he came back to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream.
He was indeed impolite to do such a thing to the emperor's favorite concubine. If he was not familiar with the emperor, his head and body would have been separated by now. However, he has been looking for the person for this matter for too long. Even if there is an extremely low probability that he will offend the emperor, he must find the person and give an explanation to his grandfather in the underworld.
Turning sideways, he saw his grandmother sitting next to him with an anxious look on her face, constantly pulling the nanny beside her and saying something. There was even more determination in the eyes of the young prince Yu.
"Qi'er." Lady Su, the Duke's wife, said with a stronger tone, "Whether she is or not, she is the emperor's concubine. If you do this, you will not only harm yourself, but also her."
Young Prince Yu calmly withdrew his gaze, touched the edge of the wine cup with his fingertips, and said thoughtfully, "Son, I understand."
Su mercilessly exposed Young Prince Yu, "If you really knew, you wouldn't do such outrageous things every time."
"You shouldn't have thought about anything else."
Su's words struck Young Prince Yu hard, and the pressure was so great that he could hardly breathe.
She was the emperor's concubine, and she knew she shouldn't have that, but she had those conflicting thoughts anyway, and she had to tell herself over and over again in her heart that it was all for her grandparents.
Young Prince Yu did not answer and drank all the wine in the cup.
At today's Mid-Autumn family dinner, although the Emperor remains the same as usual, the Empress has been with him for a long time, and the Empress Dowager is the Emperor's mother, so how could she not understand the Emperor's heart.
The banquet was over. Thinking that the banquet would be held like this every year, the Queen asked the Ministry of Eunuchs to prepare Kongming lanterns, as a way of praying for the Queen Mother's health after her death and wishing the world peace and happiness.
When the Queen Mother heard this, Jing Qiao helped her stand up and said, "I am old and weak. I came to the banquet today and heard too many congratulations. I will not go to light the lanterns. Let Concubine Xian light a lantern for me. I feel relieved to have her by the Emperor's side."
When Concubine Xian heard this, she immediately looked at the emperor with a shy expression. When she saw the emperor's indifferent eyes, Concubine Xian mustered up her courage and said, "It would be so boring if the queen mother didn't go. This is the first time for me to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the queen mother in the palace."
The Queen Mother smiled widely, "I am happier when you are by the Emperor's side."
Concubine Xian bowed, indicating that she acknowledged what the Queen Mother said. Everyone bowed and saw the Queen Mother off. Yan Shiyu and the Queen stood together, with complicated emotions in their eyes.
However, Qiyue, who was standing next to the Queen, was even more excited. If Ran Xia had not held Qiyue back just now, Qiyue would have made a big mistake.
The empress glanced at Zeqin, who immediately understood what the empress meant and ordered people to bring up all the Kongming lanterns.
Yan Shiyu put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "Today is a family dinner, so you don't have to be so formal."
The ministers did not have much interest in this kind of thing, and most of them were female relatives.
Yan Shiyu and the Queen lit a cup first, and then the people behind them started to move.
Yingning and Tingxu unfolded the Kongming lantern for Ruan Yun. Ruan Yun couldn't suppress the smile on the corner of her lips. She took the fire starter and put the Kongming lantern into the air with her own hands.
Lights were lit up in the sky, the moon hung in the sky with a bright glow, and the lights, as silent as shooting stars, fell into the distance.
Defei brought the eldest prince with her, and seeing how happy he was, she did not try to stop him. She had always been strict with the eldest prince, but in a situation like this, it would not be a good idea to stop him.
The eldest prince noticed his mother's gaze and retracted his hand that was about to take another lamp.
Yan Shiyu happened to see this scene inadvertently. Defei noticed the emperor leaning over for the first time and said hurriedly, "Ting'er has always been diligent. I often persuade Ting'er to be more lively."
Concubine Xian saw the scene in front of her. Perhaps because the Queen Mother had returned to the palace and had given Concubine Xian a lot of face, Concubine Xian spoke particularly recklessly:
"The eldest prince is not very old now, why does Sister Defei have to detain him?"
As she spoke, Concubine Xian glanced at Yinli's hand and found that there was a river lantern in her place. She looked at the emperor and said coquettishly, "Why not give it to the eldest prince?"
Yan Shiyu took a look and nodded calmly. For a moment, the atmosphere outside the Qingxuan Palace felt very wrong.
This was the first time that Concubine De was humiliated. No one had ever said that there was anything wrong with the way she raised the eldest prince.
Ruan Jun's eyes moved between these people. She had never realized before that there were so many stories between them.
At this moment, Master Meng, who was standing in front, sobbed, causing everyone to look at him.
When Concubine De heard the voice, her face instantly turned bad.
Even the empress, whose expression usually remained expressionless, seemed to have guessed something and turned her eyes away, glancing at the emperor intentionally or unintentionally.
Although Ruan Yun was not familiar with the people from the previous dynasty, she had a vague feeling in her heart. When she looked at Concubine Ji, Concubine Ji told Ruan Yun who this person was by mouthing.
Master Meng knelt down tremblingly, and the eunuch standing beside him quickly supported him.
However, Master Meng knelt down without caring, tears streaming down his face, "Today's scene, so happy and harmonious, reminds me of my little daughter who committed a serious mistake. I am heartbroken, and that is why I did this. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Yan Shiyu had just had a drink, and his voice was particularly mellow, making people feel drunk. He said:
"Teacher, please stand up. This matter has nothing to do with you."
However, Master Meng was unwilling to get up and wiped away his tears. If someone didn't know the inside story, they would definitely be moved by Master Meng's heart.
"I am the only daughter of yours." Taifu Meng continued, "I am too ashamed to ask the emperor to release Concubine Meng. I only ask the emperor to show mercy to Concubine Meng for the sake of our past friendship."
Yan Shiyu's black eyes were deep, and he kept turning the white jade ring in his hand.
Seeing this, the queen knew the dilemma even more clearly, and could not help but say, "Meng Xuanshi was fine in the palace before, but now she is probably thinking wrongly."
When Master Meng heard the empress speaking, he said hurriedly, "I have been busy with government affairs all my life and neglected the discipline of my children. This is why my daughter has caused such a disaster. I am willing to take the blame for her. Please, Your Majesty, show mercy to Concubine Meng."
Ruan Yun glanced at Grand Tutor Meng. Even though the tears that Grand Tutor Meng shed were real and the words he said were true, putting all those words together would be extremely awkward if they were to beg for Concubine Meng.
Concubine Ji's expression was calm, as if she had known what was happening.
Among them, perhaps the one who was most reluctant to hear this news was Shen Chongyi.
Shen Chongyi's eyes were filled with tears. When she heard this, she thought of the little princess who was still in the Queen's Palace. Now the little princess was afraid of her and even denied her mother. It was all because of Concubine Meng!
How can she come out?
Shen Chongyi was very emotional, his palms were soaked with cold sweat, and his breathing began to become irregular.
Wan Mo, who was standing next to her, was the first to notice that something was wrong with the Empress. She was extremely nervous but dared not say anything. She wanted to speak several times, but as soon as she thought of the prescription, she forced herself to hold back her words.
But Shen Chongyi's face was so ugly that Su Meiren, who was standing beside her, immediately noticed that something was wrong with her. Seeing Shen Chongyi tightly grasping her dress on her lower abdomen, Su Meiren's eyes showed a hint of happiness:
"What's wrong with Shen Chongyi? Is there something wrong with the dragon in her belly?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes fell on Shen Chongyi. Shen Chongyi panicked and shook her head and said:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is fine."
If Shen Chongyi's breathing had not become difficult, everyone would have believed what she said.
Yan Shiyu's dark eyes suddenly darkened. Seeing Shen Chongyi's appearance, he strode over and picked up Shen Chongyi, saying in a cold voice, "Call the imperial physician!"
For a moment, the entrance to Qingxuan Palace was in chaos, and Ruan Jun didn't have the heart to go forward to take a look.
Shen Chongyi seldom left the palace since she became pregnant. The last time I saw Shen Chongyi, when she was pleading for the little princess, she didn't look unusual.
Ruan Jun turned sideways and glanced at Concubine Ji beside her with her almond-shaped eyes. Her face was calm, and there was even a faint smile on her lips. She immediately understood.
Jipin also noticed Ruan Yun's gaze, and remembering what Ruan Yun said a few days ago, she deliberately pulled Ruan Yun's sleeve. The two walked behind her, and she said softly, "Sister Ying, just watch."
Ruan Yun did not stop Concubine Ji. This was what Shen Chongyi deserved. Every single thing that happened in the past was probably caused by Shen Chongyi. Why should she do anything for such a person?
In the inner hall, Shen Chongyi was still conscious, but her lower abdomen was in unbearable pain, as if someone was hitting her lower abdomen with a blunt object.
Shen Chongyi tightly grasped the emperor's sleeve and took back the words she was about to say. She just looked into Yan Shiyu's beautiful eyes with a bit of pleading.
Yan Shiyu's eyes were sharp and he almost saw through Shen Chongyi at a glance.
Shen Chongyi bit her lower lip, tears streaming from her eyes. The pain made her almost unable to make a sound.
"Everyone get out!"
Yan Shiyu suddenly spoke, and the empress immediately bowed and walked out with all the concubines in the harem.
Everyone was waiting outside. Concubine Su, who was the first to notice that something was wrong with Shen Chongyi, took a deep breath and looked at the empress, wanting to ask something but not daring to speak easily.
"Oh." Zhou Xuanshi also saw Concubine Su's mood at the moment, "The person lying inside is Shen Chongyi, why is Concubine Su so nervous? Could it be that Shen Chongyi's behavior has something to do with you?"
Su Meiren was furious. "You are spitting blood on me! Do you have any evidence to prove that I did it?"
Concubine Zhou said calmly, "There is no need for me to say anything more. Lady Su's thoughts are clearly written on her face."
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, the Queen hadn't said anything yet, but Concubine Xian spoke first: "What are you two quarreling about? Are your thoughts innocent?"
After hearing what Concubine Xian said, the two of them felt very bored and stopped talking. They stood quietly aside waiting for what happened in the inner hall.
Concubine Ji looked towards the inner hall with clear eyes. She had been into the inner hall before and lost her child there, as well as the chance to be a mother.
If she had not sensed the danger in advance and given the note to Sister Ying, she would not know whether she would survive now.
So she hated Shen Chongyi and Meng Xuanshi, and hated the emperor's coldness even more, but she also blamed herself for not being able to protect the unborn child.
Concubine Ji frowned, sat where she was, and looked towards the inner hall with a dim gaze.
When Wei Maoyuan came out, the concubines all looked at him.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor invites you in."
When the Queen heard this, she said nothing. She put her hand on Ran Xia's wrist and went in.
Concubine Xian originally thought that with the presence of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor would treat her differently, but when she saw that the Emperor only invited the Empress in, her disappointment returned.
Concubine De was used to it and said softly, "Sister, why are you so anxious? If there is something wrong, you will know it in a while."
Concubine Xian glanced at Concubine De and said, "The Queen Mother is concerned about Shen Chongyi's pregnancy. If Shen Chongyi has any problems, I can tell the Queen Mother in advance so that she can rest assured. Isn't that right, sister?"
De Fei used the lid of the cup to skim off the tea foam. "The Queen Mother only likes you, so you must take good care of the Second Prince and make sure that the incident in the palace does not happen again."
Concubine Xian hated it most when people brought up issues in the temporary palace. At that time, the Empress Dowager had not yet returned to the capital, and the Emperor had no affection for her at all. She felt pitiful every day, wondering if Concubine Du had the chance to make a comeback, she would not even be able to save the Second Prince.
That's why he was hurt by that bitch Du Xianshi in the palace. It was really hateful.
Concubine Xian sat not far from Concubine De, and said with a hint of coldness, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, but I'm doing fine now."
Concubine De just smiled faintly and didn't say a word, but it was this look that made Concubine Xian even more heartbroken.
There were undercurrents outside, and something was not right inside the inner hall either.
Shen Chongyi lay on the bed with her white wrists stretched out for the imperial physician to feel her pulse. As soon as the imperial physician's fingertips touched her pulse, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Not daring to look at the Emperor and Empress sitting beside him, the imperial physician first asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, have you taken any other medicine recently?"
When Shen Chongyi heard this, her eyes closed immediately, a painful expression appeared on her face, and her hand slowly touched her lower abdomen.
The imperial physician couldn't get an answer from Shen Chongyi, so he could only look at Wanmo.
Wan Mo was so nervous that she didn't dare to look around and avoided the imperial physician's gaze.
The queen asked sternly, "Tell me! What happened?"
Frightened by the usually gentle Empress, Wan Mo immediately knelt down and said nervously, "I don't know. I don't know at all."
Yan Shiyu tapped his knee with his long finger, "Drag her out, and let her go after she tells the truth."
Wan Mo immediately cried out in shock, desperately begging for mercy, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I really don't know anything."
Seeing Wei Maoyuan getting closer and closer to her, Wan Mo suddenly felt a bit of despair in her heart. She looked at Shen Chongyi on the bed and kept saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, save me, Your Majesty!"
However, no matter what she said, Shen Chongyi did not open her eyes. The queen directly asked the imperial physician, "Is there anything wrong with Shen Chongyi's pulse?"
The imperial physician replied, "Since Shen Chongyi was pregnant, her pulse has been slow due to insufficient blood and qi. But when I took her pulse a few days ago, I found that her pulse was erratic, as if she had taken some medicine that changed her pulse. But her pulse was not obvious at that time, and the Majesty has been pregnant for a short time, so it is common for such a situation to occur. But today... this situation is even more obvious, and there are traces of safflower in the Majesty's body."
Shen Chongyi opened her eyes in disbelief and shouted, "How could I have used safflower? You must have used it wrong!"
But as soon as she opened her mouth, she was scolded by the emperor, "What else do you want to say?"
Shen Chongyi shook her head desperately, "No, I didn't do anything. The emperor believes in me."
As she spoke, Shen Chongyi crawled forward, trying to grab Yan Shiyu's sleeve, but she forgot that Wan Mo had already been taken away, and at this moment, no one could support Shen Chongyi.
Shen Chongyi was so emotional that she felt an unbearable pain in her stomach. She said, "I didn't do that, Your Majesty. Please trust me. How could I hurt my own child?"
The imperial physician knelt on the ground and dared not say anything. Now that Shen Chongyi didn't tell him what kind of medicine she had drunk, who else would dare to say it easily?
The Queen frowned and turned her head. Ran Xia knew what to do and hurried forward to support Shen Chongyi.
Shen Chongyi fell on the bed and groaned, "Your Majesty, I did nothing."
Wei Maoyuan came in from outside and brought Wanmo in as well.
Perhaps the torture was to be carried out on the hands, as a sack was put on Wan Mo's hands and tied behind her back to prevent her from scaring the emperor.
Wan Mo could only shed tears silently now, unable to say a single extra word.
Wei Maoyuan glanced at the emperor, wondering whether he should tell the story now.
Yan Shiyu frowned and looked at Wei Maoyuan, causing Wei Maoyuan to quickly say, "Your Majesty, Shen Chongyi drank a folk prescription that is said to make it easier for women to get pregnant and give birth to a boy."
"Where's Fangzi?"
Yan Shiyu looked at Shen Chongyi with some disgust in his eyes. Wei Maoyuan bowed and said, "I have sent someone to Yuechun Palace. If it is there, I think we can find it soon."
Everything was laid out in the open. Shen Chongyi stared at Wan Mo, wishing he could eat her alive.
With a trembling hand, he pointed upwards, "How dare you betray me, you little bitch!"
Wan Mo's hands and feet were tied up, and a cloth was stuffed in her mouth so she couldn't say a word.
Wei Maoyuan waved his hand, and immediately a eunuch came forward and dragged Wan Mo out.
The eunuchs who were sent to search the palace had also returned and handed the things to Wei Maoyuan. Little Muzi took some of the ashes from the incense burner with a serious face and put them in the master's hand:
"Master, the servants of Yuechun Palace said that Wanmo had always been the one doing all this and never let them get involved. I thought there might be something wrong, so I brought it back."
Wei Maoyuan's eyes rarely showed a smile, "You are smart."
Wei Maoyuan personally carried the things in his hands and placed the paper with the prescription in front of the emperor. "Your Majesty, this is probably the prescription."
Yan Shiyu lifted his eyelids slightly, and the imperial physician immediately understood what the emperor meant. He knelt down and walked over. After picking up the prescription and taking a look at it, his face was solemn. "Your Majesty, I have heard of the boundless water and bodhi soil in this prescription. They are the water from the upper reaches of the clear spring and the seedlings of the exotic flowers buried under the bodhi tree. Because they look similar to safflower and have similar effects to safflower, and they contain dust, they are called bodhi soil. I don't know when this prescription was spread, but it must be useless. If you take the medicine in this prescription, not only will you not be able to give birth to a royal heir safely, I'm afraid the royal heir will already die in your belly."
When Shen Chongyi heard the words of the imperial physician, she shook her head desperately, "Impossible, it won't happen."
Wei Maoyuan immediately stepped forward and placed the incense ash in front of the doctor. The doctor sniffed it and said, "The moxa leaves here are just rolled into small pieces, so they are not easy to be found, but their effectiveness is greatly reduced by half."
When the empress heard what the imperial physician said, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the child in Shen Chongyi's belly. The pregnancy had nothing to do with the prescription, it was just a coincidence. Shen Chongyi actually believed it to be true. Now she will never see her own child again. She was really stupid.
"Can Shen Chongyi's baby still be saved?"
When the imperial physician heard the Empress ask this question, he sighed and said, "The Empress used a large amount of safflower. I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Shen Chongyi's hands tightly grasped her clothes, her eyes full of disbelief.
"It's obvious that the baby can be born. As long as it's a prince, I will definitely be able to take Xin'er back."
Seeing this, the queen frowned and said, "Go prepare the medicine."
The imperial physician understood what he meant and went down to prepare immediately. Yan Shiyu sat aside without saying a word.
But his disgusted and cold eyes had already told Shen Chongyi what he was thinking.
Shen Chongyi endured the severe pain in her body and knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to let me see Xin'er, and my brother. My brother must be innocent. I beg Your Majesty to let my brother go for my sake... no... for Xin'er's sake, so that my father can rest in peace."
Yan Shiyu's dark eyes were fixed on Shen Chongyi. Even though Shen Chongyi begged in every possible way, Yan Shiyu did not respond at all.
The maid brought the medicine cup, and the queen turned around and said, "Feed it to Shen Chongyi."
Since you can't have a child, it's better to end it as soon as possible.
Shen Chongyi grabbed the emperor's clothes tightly, "Your Majesty, I beg you... Your Majesty."
The bowl of bitter medicine was finally fed into Shen Chongyi's mouth by the palace maid. Seeing Shen Chongyi's face gradually becoming more and more ferocious, she was so scared that she could hardly hold the bowl in her hands.
Concubine Ji, who was standing in the outer hall, seemed to smell the strong smell of medicine again.
She will never forget how bitter that bowl of medicine was.
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