The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

"Yue'er!" The Empress Dowager was the first to react, quickly walking to the bedside. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Aunt..." Qin Lianyue opened her eyes and smelled the pungent smell of blood. She instantly remembered the mad dog before she fainted and subconsciously touched her stomach.

"My child, my child..."

"The baby is fine. The imperial physician said it was just a minor miscarriage. He just needs to take the medicine and rest well."

With so much blood, anyone would think it was beyond saving.

The Empress Dowager was still shaken. "You child, why didn't you say you were pregnant sooner? You even insisted on leaving the palace. Fortunately, the imperial heir is healthy; otherwise, who could bear the responsibility if something had happened?"

Qin Lianyue's eyes reddened. "I only found out these past two days. I was thinking of giving my cousin a surprise today because it's his birthday, but I didn't expect him to leave the palace with Sister Qi..."

These words left the Empress Dowager feeling uneasy.

The emperor, so dignified, has no sense of propriety and spends all his time clinging to Qi Yitang. What good is it if he can't get pregnant?

Let alone royalty, even among commoners, someone who can't conceive for several years should be divorced and remarried.

It's the Qin family's daughters who are so capable; they've only been serving the emperor for a short time, and they've already gotten pregnant.

Serving in bed...

The Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly. The imperial physician had just said that the fetus was about two months along, which seemed to contradict what she had seen in the official records.

The Empress Dowager hesitated and asked, "Yue'er, when was this child conceived?"

Qin Lianyue's face was flushed, as if she were somewhat embarrassed. "Aunt, why are you asking about this... It was at the Thousand Autumns Banquet that my cousin got drunk and..."

The Thousand Autumns Banquet was on June 19th, and now it's August 15th, so the dates are almost right.

The Empress Dowager suppressed her doubts and laughed at herself for being paranoid. Yue'er had been infatuated with the Emperor for a long time, how could she possibly have other thoughts?

Li Degui listened with a puzzled expression. Something was wrong. On the night of the Empress Dowager's birthday, His Majesty was clearly with the Empress.

This child...

Li Degui was startled. "Does His Majesty know?"

Qin Lianyue turned her head to look at Xie Ling, who was standing not far away. The candlelight illuminated his handsome profile, and her voice softened, "Cousin, I'm pregnant with our child... Are you happy?"

[With a green hat slapped on their head, how could the villain not be happy?]

[As expected of the male lead's child, this fetus is incredibly resilient; it's unharmed despite losing so much blood.]

Xie Ling showed no sign of being green with fear; instead, she smiled.

"I am very pleased."

[The villain knew all along, so why didn't he expose them? Are they plotting something?]

Perhaps it was this smile that gave Qin Lian a boost at the end of the month. She turned her head and saw Qi Yitang standing next to Xie Ling, holding his hand. Her eyes darted around.

Suddenly, she shrank back and hid in the Empress Dowager's arms.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" the Empress Dowager asked hurriedly.

When she spoke again, Qin Lianyue's voice was trembling with tears, filled with sorrow and grievance, "Sister Qi, why...why did you push me just now?"

Upon hearing this, it was as if all the oxygen in the hall had been sucked out, and the atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Qi Yitang felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of black dog blood out of nowhere.

When did she push her? This is pure staged accident!

"What did you say?" The Empress Dowager, who had finally calmed down, suddenly erupted in anger. "Did Consort Qi push you?"

Qin Lianyue was helped to sit up, her eyes brimming with tears: "Mother, I wasn't frightened to the ground by the dog at all, but was pushed... I remember that when the dog lunged at me, Sister Qi was right in front of me, and in my panic, she reached out her hand..."

"I don't care what happens to me, but my son can't be harmed. He's my cousin's first child since he ascended the throne..."

Coupled with his pale face, these words were indeed convincing.

The Empress Dowager, naturally aware of the child's importance, frowned. "Consort Qi, is this true?"

"..." Qi Yitang felt that Qin Lianyue was rubbing her and Xie Ling's IQ into the ground.

With so many palace servants, guards, and the chief eunuch Li Degui present, one would have to think before lying, right?

"Mother, I'm innocent! I didn't do it!"

It's just crying, anyone can do that.

Qi Yitang also started sobbing and wiping away tears, "I have no grudge against Sister Li, why would I push her?"

Empress Dowager: "So you're saying that Yue'er framed you using the imperial heir?"

"It's not impossible. Sister Li already knew she was pregnant. Perhaps she was afraid that Your Majesty would reprimand her for insisting on leaving the palace and almost harming the imperial heir, so she deliberately splashed dirty water on me. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this thoroughly!"

Qin Lianyue's thoughts were exposed, and her voice became even sharper, "You're talking nonsense!"

The Empress Dowager disliked Qi Yitang to begin with, and said, "Since you all have your own version of events, then have all the palace servants and guards present today arrested and severely tortured."

"I want to see who's lying."

Qi Yitang's heart tightened. Wouldn't that mean that even Yun Ying and Yuan Shu would suffer?

That won't work!

Qin Lianyue gave her personal maid Mengmei a look, and the maid immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this servant saw with her own eyes that it was indeed Consort Qi who pushed our Lady."

"The General is still fighting a bloody battle in the Northwest. If he knew that the Empress had suffered such a great injustice, I wonder how worried he would be?"

"Enough!" the emperor shouted in a deep voice.

The palace servants were terrified and fell silent, and Mengmei was too frightened to utter another sound.

Qi Yitang, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, knelt down abruptly, grabbed Xie Ling's leg, and squeezed out two tears. "Your Majesty, it's fine if the Empress Dowager doesn't believe me, but shouldn't you believe me? I didn't push Consort Li at all!"

Xie Ling frowned and subconsciously bent down to help her, but Qi Yitang secretly pinched her thigh.

The perfect understanding is online.

Xie Ling decisively put the hand she was about to help behind her back, making a very troubled expression.

"Tangtang, this matter involves the Dragon Clan, and even I cannot show favoritism towards you."

He sighed. "Someone, convey my imperial decree—Consort Qi was so frightened by the rabid dog that she accidentally pushed Consort Li, nearly harming the imperial heir. She is confined to her palace and her salary is reduced by six months."

This transforms Qin Lianyue's "deliberate act" into a fear of making a mistake.

Qin Lianyue was not satisfied at all; was this all?

It would be one thing if Qi Yitang wasn't banished to the cold palace, but she wasn't even demoted. What kind of punishment is confinement?

The Empress Dowager frowned and was about to speak when the guards beside the Emperor acted even faster, and in an instant "invited" Qi Yitang out.

Even from afar, you could still hear Qi Yitang's cries, "Your Majesty, I didn't! I'm innocent!"

The Empress Dowager sneered, "Emperor, when have you ever been so indecisive?"

If their roles were reversed today, he would definitely make the servants and the "instigator" suffer greatly.

How dare he say she's biased? Human nature is inherently biased, and he's gone too far.

Xie Ling said calmly, "The imperial heir is fine, why is Mother so insistent on it? Let's just let it go."

"Consort Li, please rest well and take good care of 'our son'." The emperor pressed his temples, looking very tired. "The appearance of that mad dog today was suspicious. I still need to investigate it. I will come to see you another day."

A blush rose to Qin Lianyue's face. "Cousin, go quickly, don't overwork yourself..."

Although the revelation of her pregnancy at this time was unexpected for Qin Lianyue, the fact that she couldn't use the opportunity to bring down Qi Yitang made her feel even more resentful.

But receiving care and daily visits from my cousin is a blessing in disguise.