Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

Finally, Empress Luo stepped in to smooth things over: "Qi Ronghua, you have learned your lesson this time and should know what you should and should not say. In the future, you must rely on evidence and not speak recklessly."

Qi Ronghua lowered her head very low: "This concubine understands."

Empress Luo sighed, "Please sit down and wait a while to see what the imperial physician has to say."

Silence returned to the hall.

Tonight, the concubines once again experienced Shen Jiayu's temperament firsthand. She was not to be trifled with, otherwise no one would escape a slap and would have to humbly admit their mistake.

Otherwise, Ruan Cai Nu and Qi Rong Hua are examples.

Pregnant?

A favored concubine?

None of these methods worked against Consort Shen; she continued to beat her without hesitation.

Consort Shen must not be offended!

Having firmly remembered this point, the concubines refocused their attention on the commotion in the side hall.

The main hall doors were open, and everyone was seated. They could see basins of blood being brought out, and they could also hear Ruan Cai Nu's loud cries of pain.

Time passed slowly and agonizingly.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, a royal physician finally came to the palace to report, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Ruan's pregnancy is really beyond saving. She must be given medicine to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible, otherwise, Consort Ruan's life may be in danger."

Empress Luo sighed deeply, heartbroken: "Have you found out what the cause is?"

The imperial physician said, "Your Majesty, Consort Ruan suddenly caught a chill, and her body could not withstand it, which is why she miscarried."

Empress Luo pressed further, "Is there no other reason?"

The reason she mentioned was either musk or something that could cause miscarriage.

The concubines understood the situation, and thus all watched the imperial physician with bated breath.

The imperial physician replied, "Your humble servant and several colleagues have examined Consort Ruan's diet and daily life, and there are no errors."

That's really true. Ruan Cainu was weak and miscarried after catching a chill.

It's just that she was careless.

Empress Luo had no choice but to say, "Go and prepare some mild medicine, so that Consort Ruan's health doesn't deteriorate."

The imperial physician accepted the order and withdrew.

The hall fell silent once more.

Pei Yan, who was in the main seat, stood up. He had no expression on his face. "I'll leave Ruan Shi's affairs to the Empress. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying this, he left Weiyang Palace.

Empress Luo and the other concubines quickly bowed and respectfully saw him off.

Empress Luo then glanced at the concubines, sighed, and said, "It's getting late, you should all go back. Consort Li and I will take care of things here."

They can't change anything here, and they can't help.

The concubines exchanged glances and withdrew as instructed.

Empress Luo instructed the imperial physician to use mild medicine, which would make it less likely for the fetus to be miscarried.

It wasn't until midnight that the filth beneath Ruan Cai Nu's body finally drained away.

Ruan Cainu had long since fainted, her clothes were stained with blood, her hair was disheveled, and she looked utterly wretched.

Empress Luo hurriedly had someone clean her up and sat by the bedside to watch over her until she woke up.

Consort Li, the head of the palace, came in and, upon seeing this, covered her nose with a handkerchief in disgust.

Seeing her like this, Empress Luo let her leave.

Now that Consort Ruan's unborn child is gone, she is no longer of much use and has no purpose. Consort Li did not want to stay any longer, so she bowed and withdrew.

*

It was already late at night.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, the lights were on.

After finishing his official duties, Pei Yan remained seated at his desk, lost in thought and silent.

Qing'an served a cup of tea and, mustering his courage, asked, "Is Your Majesty still thinking about Consort Ruan's miscarriage?"

Pei Yan did not answer.

After a moment of silence, Qing An said, "Ruan Cai Nu's miscarriage this time was an accident. Your Majesty need not worry too much. You are in your prime, and you will surely have many children in the future."

After a long silence, Pei Yan asked meaningfully, "An accident?"

Now it was Qing'an's turn to be speechless.

He dared not respond rashly.

After all, the imperial physician had said there was no other reason when they were at Weiyang Palace.

Pei Yan's tone was icy: "There aren't that many surprises in the harem."

This statement essentially puts the matter out in the open.

Qing'an cautiously asked, "Does Your Majesty believe there's more to the story of Consort Ruan's miscarriage than meets the eye?"

Pei Yan said, "Someone in the inner palace couldn't hold back any longer and made their move."

Qing'an quickly replied, "Should I investigate?"

Pei Yan raised his hand, his expression inscrutable: "By now, we can't find anything. Since they were able to do this so secretly right under Consort Li's nose, they must have already found a way to escape. She's always been cautious and thorough; she wouldn't leave any evidence."

Qing'an was startled.

she?

Who is she?

Your Majesty's words make it sound as if you know who is behind it.

Qing'an dared not think about these words in detail.

"So, what does Your Majesty intend to do?"

Pei Yan's eyes flashed with a chilling light: "Ruan Cai Nu is useless. Even without this incident, she wouldn't have been able to keep this pregnancy. It's better that the child is gone. However—"

He leaned back in his chair and slowly turned the black jade ring on his palm. "I have reached the limit of my patience with the person behind this."

*

Ruan Cainu woke up in the dim light of dawn, the light was dazzling, and she subconsciously raised her hand.

Consciousness gradually returned.

Ruan Cainu thought of the blood and pain from last night, and she suddenly touched her lower abdomen.

The movement was not gentle, and it woke up the person next to her. It was Empress Luo, who had been guarding the place all night.

"Ruan Cai Nu, you're awake."

Ruan Cai Nu trembled all over, her lips quivering as she asked, "Your Majesty, is my child still alive?"

Empress Luo tucked her hair behind her ear, her expression filled with pity: "You're still young, you'll have children someday."

"No, no, no..." Tears welled up in Ruan Cai Nu's eyes. She seemed unable to believe it. "How could my healthy child just disappear like that?"

A hint of pity flashed across Empress Luo's face: "The imperial physician said that the cold air entered your body, and you couldn't withstand it for a while, so..."

Ruan Cai Nu didn't believe this explanation and shook her head repeatedly, her eyes bloodshot. "Someone framed me! Your Majesty, someone framed me!"