Just as Shen Tangning arrived at the door, Chi Yan also lifted the curtain and came in. The two exchanged a glance, and she spoke first: "What happened outside?"
He looked her up and down, and his expression relaxed: "The voice came from Consort Rou's side."
The crowd gathered in the open space with alarmed expressions, whispering among themselves, still unaware of what had happened.
Emperor Chongde helped Consort Rou out, his expression unusually gloomy. Consort Rou, who was beside him, had just cried, and her eyes were still red, making her look weak and pitiful.
Palace servants brought chairs for the noble lady to rest on. Consort Rou sat down, her hand resting on her lower abdomen, her eyes downcast and silent. His Majesty also remained silent.
The atmosphere was extremely quiet. Even though they were forced to gather here at this hour, no one dared to make a sound and they carefully held their breath.
Two guards emerged from Consort Rou's tent. Shen Tangning followed the crowd and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw that they were carrying something black. As they got closer, she was surprised to discover—
It was a snake.
A black snake, about two fingers wide and a few inches long, was thrown to the ground. Although it was already lifeless, the moment it hit the ground, it still caused those around it to panic and retreat.
"How...how come there's a snake out of the blue?"
"They were dragged out from Consort Rou's tent!"
In an instant, Shen Tangning understood the general outline of what had happened.
The guard hesitated before speaking: "Your Majesty, we have searched Consort Rou's tent thoroughly and found this snake under the bed. It is highly venomous."
Consort Rou raised her red eyes, glistening with tears. She was already exceptionally beautiful, and even her weeping appearance was captivating.
"Your Majesty, someone must be trying to harm me and the child in my womb! If we hadn't discovered it in time, I probably wouldn't be seeing Your Majesty anymore... I beg Your Majesty to do me justice!"
She was pregnant and unable to serve the emperor in bed. Tonight, Emperor Chongde summoned Consort Li. After everything was settled, just as she was about to rest, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of her eye, which led to her scream just now.
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent, deeply shocked.
This is tantamount to murdering a royal heir! Who has the audacity to do this?!
Looking at His Majesty again, his face was clouded with gloom, as if a storm was brewing. During the day, the Sixth Prince had almost gotten into trouble, and now he had his eyes on the imperial heir in Consort Rou's womb...
"Investigate this thoroughly! I want to see who is stirring up trouble right under my nose!"
He immediately questioned Yan Xingzhou after the incident, but the other party insisted that it was not his doing.
Logically speaking, it's quite normal for venomous snakes to appear in the hunting grounds, but with so many tents, why did that snake specifically crawl into Consort Rou's tent?
Such a deliberate coincidence makes it hard not to suspect that it was orchestrated.
Emperor Chongde had given the order, so the people below naturally dared not be careless and immediately went to check.
At this moment, Consort Li's eyes flickered, and she said casually, "It's quite a coincidence that two accidents happened in one day. With so many people on night duty, it's truly unbelievable that a snake had sneaked into Consort Rou's residence in time."
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