The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Looking at Xi Jieyu's heartbroken appearance, Xiao Yu felt extremely heavy-hearted. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't heartbroken after losing two children in succession. However, as the emperor, he could only try to process his grief.

"Cheng Yin, the child is gone. What's important now is your health. Take good care of yourself and you can have children again in the future," Xiao Yu said in a deep voice.

Consort Xi was half-mad, shaking her head in utter grief: "I don't want it! This is my first child with the Emperor, it's different! Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, you must have a way, right?"

She raised her bloodshot eyes and stared blankly at Xiao Yu as if she had found a ray of light.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, suppressing the sorrow within them, and said without leaving any room for argument, "Cheng Yin, stop talking nonsense, the child is gone!"

As Xi Jieyu listened to Xiao Yu's heavy words, the light in her eyes instantly shattered. She suddenly couldn't speak, her lips trembling, and her empty eyes drooped.

The Empress advised from the side, "Consort Xi, take care of yourself. You are still young, and you will have a child sooner or later."

Consort Xi ignored the Empress, tears streaming down her face, soaking the brocade quilt, and sat there blankly.

Looking at her like that, Xiao Yu said softly, "Calm down. I failed to protect you and the child; I broke my promise..."

Xi Jieyu nodded blankly, looking at Xiao Yu's drooping hands, wishing he could hug her and let her cry her heart out.

But... countless emotions were hidden in her eyes, which ultimately turned into tears.

Xiao Yu and his concubines moved to the main hall. He sat in the highest position, his cold and terrifying gaze sweeping over everyone.

Everywhere the emperor looked, a chill ran down their spines. The emperor must be furious that two of his concubines had suffered miscarriages.

"Speak! How did those of you who fell fall?" His voice was icy cold, making the concubines tremble involuntarily, as if a block of ice had formed in their hearts.

Chu Baolin, who was standing behind Ning Shuyan, said timidly, "Your Majesty, I tripped and fell."

Consort Xu also whispered, "Your Majesty, I also..."

Xiao Yu looked at Yang An, who quickly understood and took out a pearl from his hand. Xiao Yu took the small pearl and asked, "Whose is this?"

For a moment, no one in the hall dared to speak. After a while, Consort Lin said, "Your Majesty, I think they do resemble Consort Meng's shoes."

Tonight, her gaze inadvertently fell upon Meng Cainu's shoes, finding them rather eye-catching, especially the rings of pearls on them. She thought to herself that for a mere Cainu to wear such shoes was rather ostentatious.

Meng Cainu's face turned deathly pale. Her body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone. Her voice trembled as she said, "Your Majesty, I don't know why all the pearls on my shoes fell off. I never expected this..."

Meng Cainu never expected this to happen. She knew that this matter involved two concubines and that they had even suffered miscarriages. She felt that she was probably doomed.

Upon hearing the word "shoes," Xiao Yu's gaze turned icy as he looked at her feet, and he said coldly, "Take off your shoes!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Cainu hurriedly took off the shoe. After Yang An presented it, Xiao Yu did not pick up the shoe, but simply examined it closely and understood the problem.

There were signs of loose threads and a small tear at the junction of the sole and the fabric. One or two pearls were still hanging from the thread, and the few that had fallen off were precisely where the shoe bears the weight when walking. Moreover, it was clear that the pearls were very close together and pressed against each other.

Xiao Yu then realized that the shoes must have been tampered with at the seams. They would be fine on flat ground, but after walking up so many steps in the Yingchun Hall, the cluster of pearls would definitely scatter at the bends of the shoes.

Meng Cainu was terrified and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department sent these shoes to me a few days ago. I didn't know they were so poorly made! Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't have worn them tonight."

She was filled with regret. She was never favored, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all rationed by the Imperial Household Department. At the time, seeing these exquisitely beautiful shoes, she thought that the Imperial Household Department had finally been generous and that she would finally have a pair of shoes that were pleasing to the eye to wear.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and quickly glanced down below, his sharp eyes showing a hint of doubt.

He didn't have much of an impression of Meng Cainu, only that she was not very talkative and was somewhat timid in front of him. He didn't believe that a concubine without favor would have the audacity to frame the imperial heir.

Seeing that Xiao Yu remained silent, the Empress could only conclude that the matter was "unexpected."

She said gently, "Why don't you let the Imperial Prison investigate, Your Majesty? It's almost 1:00 AM, and you have a few hours before your morning court session."

Xiao Yuzhen felt a little tired after saying that, and lazily replied, "Alright."

Consort Zhuang quickly rose and said softly, "Your Majesty, would you like to return to Yihe Palace with me to rest?"

The Empress's eyes turned cold. Her birthday had been ruined, and even Consort Zhuang wanted to show off in this way?

Xiao Yu slowly shook his head: "I will rest in Yu Shu Palace."

Consort Zhuang looked at Xiao Yu in surprise. Did the Emperor really pity Consort Xi so much?

She recalled how Xiao Yu had shown concern for Ning Shuyan earlier, and a flash of hatred crossed her eyes.

They're all vixens!

Xiao Yu got up and went to the inner palace. Xi Jieyu was probably exhausted from crying and had fallen asleep on the bed, her long eyelashes still wet with tears.

He sighed softly. Four years ago, when Grand Tutor Cheng was on his deathbed, he promised him that he would take good care of his only granddaughter, Cheng Yin, but in the end, he still failed to take good care of her.

He slowly turned around, preparing to go to the main hall to rest, but Cheng Yin opened her eyes and stared blankly at Xiao Yu's back, tears silently streaming down her face.

She still remembered that when the emperor was still a prince, he visited the Cheng residence several times. She was only twelve years old at the time, but she fell in love with this man who was more than ten years older than her at first sight.

He didn't talk much, and his expression was always cold and aloof. She secretly stood outside the door listening to her grandfather and the emperor discuss matters.

She then realized that this seemingly aloof and indifferent prince was ambitious and plotting for his own position. Her grandfather was also helping him step by step to seize power and gain the late emperor's favor.

When my grandfather was dying, the late emperor had already written a secret edict to establish the emperor, who was still a prince at the time, as the next emperor. My grandfather told the emperor that he had a bad temper, but was actually a very good girl. He was stubborn but soft-hearted, and hoped that the emperor would take good care of him.

After entering the palace, she was the most favored among the new concubines, but what she wanted was not this kind of material favor.

For example, tonight, when she and Ning Shuyan fell down at the same time, the first person the Emperor saw was not her.

The moment she woke up, she desperately wished Xiao Yu were by her side, that he would hug her and wipe away her tears. She thought he would be just as heartbroken as she was.

But... she couldn't see the tenderness Xiao Yu felt for her.

When you love someone deeply, you can sense whether they have you in their heart.

She's been deceiving herself all along...