Why did the Fourth Prince dare to appear so openly in Kunning Palace last night? Wasn't he afraid of being discovered?
Looking back now, did he already know that something more important would distract everyone?
A chill ran down her spine, and she couldn't help but ask, "My aunt sent me to Consort Rou's place, but what about you?"
The Fourth Prince was ruined by him last night, so there's no guarantee he won't take action again.
The Empress, however, said with certainty, "He failed last night and won't be making another move anytime soon."
Shen Tangning's gaze fell hesitantly on her face: "Aunt, what exactly is going on?"
She never believed that the death of the fourth prince's birth mother could have anything to do with her aunt.
The Empress looked down at her and let out a very soft sigh.
Two days ago, she received a blood-stained nightgown, and knew that the grudge from many years ago had finally come back to haunt her.
The fourth prince's birth mother was a famous courtesan in the Qinhuai area, whose beauty and talent were stunning.
She was presented to the emperor by the local prefect and entered the palace by chance. She was given the title of Consort Yun and enjoyed the emperor's favor for a period of time, even rivaling Consort Li.
However, Consort Yun was indifferent to fame and fortune, and because of her humble origins, she was unwilling to compete with Consort Li. She only wanted to live a quiet life in a secluded corner.
But some things can't be avoided just because you want to.
She and Consort Li became pregnant almost one after the other. Consort Li and she didn't get along, so they had to compete in this matter of pregnancy.
After several attempts to sabotage her, Consort Yun almost lost her pregnancy. She finally realized that in the harem, a place where people devour each other without spitting out the bones, it is absolutely impossible to survive without a powerful backer.
So she went to the Empress for help, begging for her protection, just to ensure she could successfully give birth to her child.
The Empress couldn't bear it and agreed.
However, an unexpected event occurred during Consort Yun's delivery. Because she had almost miscarried before, the imperial physician had said before the delivery that Consort Yun's delivery would be somewhat dangerous.
The Empress specially invited a renowned gynecologist to be on standby, just in case, but unexpectedly, the accident still happened.
She happened to be away from the palace when she and His Majesty went to Putuo Temple to pray for blessings.
Because Consort Li's due date was earlier than Consort Yun's, she instructed the renowned gynecologist to wait in Consort Li's palace. However, no one expected that Consort Yun would go into labor early...
It was a rainy night. The palace maids from Consort Yun's palace rushed to Kunning Palace in a disheveled state, asking a midwife to come and deliver the baby. However, the Empress was not in the palace, and Consort Li was temporarily managing the inner palace. She summoned all the imperial physicians and midwives to her own palace to be on high alert.
Although the Imperial Hospital had staff on night duty, not everyone was skilled in childbirth.
Consort Yun's maid went to plead with Consort Li again, but was turned away. Consort Li was about to give birth, so the palace naturally refused to let her go, saying, "This is the Empress's decree." The maid knelt in the rain and waited for an hour before reluctantly sending someone over.
The time wasted traveling back and forth made Consort Yun's already precarious situation even more dangerous. She gave birth to her child with her last breath and then passed away.
It is said that when Consort Yun was dying, she kept calling out "Your Majesty the Empress" because she firmly believed that the Empress would come to save her, but she was not there.
The Empress's face darkened as she recalled the past.
Ultimately, this matter couldn't really be blamed on her, since no one expected Consort Yun to give birth prematurely. But whenever those misty eyes appeared in her mind, she still felt indebted.
She promised to protect her, but then broke her promise.
Shen Tangning furrowed her delicate brows, her voice softening:
"It's clearly Consort Li's people who act domineeringly, yet the Fourth Prince blames you. That's completely unreasonable."
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