Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan were both shocked and couldn't believe it at all.
"How is this possible?!"
Meng Yue said that Steward Li was assassinated in his private residence last night, his blood flowing all over the floor. The servant who was helping him to get up this morning discovered the abnormality.
Lu Xingjian's face instantly turned cold, as if he had suffered a huge blow, and he even stopped breathing for a few seconds.
It took Su Wanwan a while to recover from her shock. Seeing that he was not in a good mood, she reached out and took Lu Xingjian's hand.
I only noticed that his hands were unusually cold.
"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
Unlike others, Steward Li had been with him since childhood, and their bond as master and servant was much deeper than that of others.
He might not be able to accept the sudden bad news.
Lu Xingjian then came to his senses, moved slightly, and forced a smile at her.
The smile was sorrowful and weak, as if someone had just stabbed him hard and he hadn't recovered yet.
"I have to go take a look." Lu Xingjian's voice was terribly hoarse.
Su Wanwan paused, still worried:
"I'll go with you."
Chief Steward Li's private residence was located in Jiqingfang, outside Xi'an Gate.
The private residence was already surrounded by people from the internal affairs department.
Even while still in the courtyard, the strong stench of blood was already palpable.
Lu Xingjian frowned, grabbed Su Wanwan who was continuing to walk forward, and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't go in."
Su Wanwan removed his hand, her eyes firm and calm. "I have to go."
Lu Xingjian pursed his lips, his eyes cold and deep, but he still didn't force her.
Steward Li's bedroom was not large, and the floor was covered in blood. As soon as you stepped on it, the soles of your shoes were soaked in blood.
The overwhelming stench of blood made people want to vomit.
Lu Xingjian was completely unaware as he slowly and heavily walked to the bedside.
Steward Li's eyes widened, his hands gripping the sword stuck in his chest tightly.
Lu Xingjian was completely unaware as he slowly and heavily walked to the bedside.
Steward Li's eyes widened, his hands gripping the sword stuck in his chest tightly.
He died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Su Wanwan's face turned pale, her beautiful eyes following Lu Xingjian.
His hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched into fists, veins bulging on his hands, and he stood there motionless.
Someone outside announced, "The coroner has arrived."
Su Wanwan's gaze finally shifted from Lu Xingjian, and just as she was about to turn away, her eyes returned to the sword on Steward Li's body.
To be precise, it landed on the bright red sword tassel.
A large black jade bead hangs from the sword tassel.
The beads have a very fine and oily texture, with a white jade mark in the center that looks like smoke or mist, which immediately elevates the beads to a higher level.
Su Wanwan's breathing stopped for a beat.
She couldn't quite place where she had seen the sword tassel before, but she couldn't quite place it.
The coroner needed to examine the scene, so Su Wanwan had to leave.
Upon seeing He Ying waiting in the courtyard, she suddenly understood something, her face drained of color, and she froze on the spot.
He Ying walked over with concern and helped her up: "Your Highness, what's wrong?!"
Su Wanwan's body went limp, and she said in a weak voice, "Tell Liu Qi to run!"
He Ying was startled and opened her eyes wide. She quickly realized what was happening, nodded slightly, and asked someone to arrange a room for Su Wanwan to rest. She then made an excuse to go out for a while.
Su Wanwan sat in the chair, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Her eyes were filled with panic, but she tried her best to calm herself down quickly.
Chief Eunuch Li, the emperor's most trusted confidant, was assassinated in his private residence, right in his bed.
The forces stirring up trouble behind the scenes are clearly ambitious, have grand schemes, and are ruthless.
And that sword tassel should belong to Liu Qi.
Why would Liu Qi, a mere outlaw, want to assassinate Steward Li?
His only fearsome identity is that he listens to Su Wanwan and does things for her.
When the clues point directly to her, the Empress, it will provoke the collective rage of the eunuchs.
Su Wanwan, and even the entire Su family behind her, will be targeted and suppressed.
She must break this deadlock as soon as possible.
Su Wanwan took a few deep breaths, her fingers trembling as she took a pill from her bosom and swallowed it forcefully.
The person behind her wanted to cut off her two arms.
An ambitious empress with princes is not someone the emperor can tolerate, even if the emperor can tolerate her. Those around the emperor will not be able to tolerate her either.
Fortunately, the "royal offspring" in her womb was fake.
Once this "crown prince" is eliminated, no matter how capable the empress is, she will be nothing more than a toothless tiger and pose no threat.
When the enemy is too powerful, you must learn to feign weakness to protect yourself.
Su Wanwan's stomach pain intensified, but she felt extremely fortunate.
fine.
Both she and Lu Xingjian were cautious enough not to expose Yan Ge'er.
Soon, Su Wanwan's skirt was soaked with blood.
The young palace maid, who was carrying a teacup into the room, was startled upon seeing this: "Your Highness, what's wrong?!"
Su Wanwan endured the abdominal pain and said weakly, "Call the imperial physician."
The young palace maid hurriedly went out and first informed Lu Xingjian.
As soon as Lu Xingjian entered the room, he saw Su Wanwan sitting in a small ball on a chair, her body trembling slightly, and her clothes underneath were all bright red.
Fresh blood dripped from the hem of her skirt onto the ground.
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
His face was completely bloodless, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot.
Lu Xingjian walked stiffly over, knelt on one knee in front of Su Wanwan, his hands trembling slightly. He wanted to touch her but dared not, his voice was painful and panicked, and he almost lost his voice.
"Wife, don't scare me."
"I'm easily startled."
Despite the pain, Su Wanwan, her face covered in sweat, weakly opened her eyes.
Forcing a smile, she said, "I'm fine..."
Lu Xingjian forced a smile, his eyes glistening, a smile that looked more like a grimace:
"You'll be alright, you'll definitely be alright."
The imperial physician had arrived and, after taking his pulse, his expression turned grave.
"Your Majesty has miscarried; we must stop the bleeding as soon as possible! The fetus may..."
"Protect the adult!" Lu Xingjian said coldly, looking fierce and menacing.
When treating the Empress, three imperial physicians usually participated at the same time to ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis and to prevent anyone from tampering with it.
In the past, the imperial physicians who treated Su Wanwan were selected and tested through multiple rounds of screening, with Lu Xingjian personally overseeing the process.
Today, the first two imperial physicians are alright; they were both trusted and relied upon by Empress Dowager Xiaosu when she was alive.
The third one was a bit unfamiliar.
Lu Xingjian keenly sensed something was wrong and didn't allow the third imperial physician to get close at all. He directly ordered someone to take him away for interrogation.
When the interrogation results were presented, his expression froze instantly.
"Her Majesty the Empress's pulse and medication are problematic... We suspect a false pregnancy and a staged miscarriage..."
He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows furrowed again just as quickly.
"Then why is there so much blood?"
Lu Xingjian quickly summoned the two imperial physicians who had treated Su Wanwan.
The imperial physician quickly confessed:
"Your Majesty must have taken some kind of medicine to induce a false miscarriage, which is extremely harmful to your health. If you don't take good care of yourself, you may not be able to have children again in the future."
Lu Xingjian froze.
My mind went blank; I couldn't think of anything for the time being.
But then Su Wanwan's meaningful words floated by: "The child might not be able to be born."
He clutched his chest, and after a long while, gave a cool laugh.
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