C104

The Aroma Calming Incense had almost burned out. The sky above the four corners of the palace walls was clear and blue, like an inverted lake. Xue Liuhua shut her eyes tightly, tossed and turned on the bed, but could not fall asleep no matter what.

It had been ten days since the Emperor visited her, and his heart was entirely with Princess Poyang. He did not know how many generations it had been, but it was fortunate for Empress Chen to be able to sit steadily for more than twenty years, having a son to become the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, and a daughter to be doted upon by the emperor as well. All the wishes of the imperial concubines were focused on her alone, making her the master of the imperial palace who looked down upon the world.

When the palace maid outside heard the commotion of people getting out of bed, she hurriedly came in with a bowl of birth control medicine.

Xue Liuhua looked at the steaming hot soup and couldn't help but frown. "Why is another bowl of medicine brought over?

The palace maid hastened to say, "Empress, this is a medicine specially concocted by the imperial doctors. Every day, after taking a nap, you have to drink a bowl of it."

Xue Liuhua impatiently took the soup and drank it all in one go, using a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her lips and asked: "Where is the Emperor?"

"To reply esteemed Empress, the emperor is taking a stroll in the imperial garden."

Xue Liuhua raised her brows: "He's taking a walk by herself?"

"There's also the Princess Poyang."

They were indeed together with the princess. Xue Liuhua's eyes dimmed, his heart was filled with limitless disappointment and frustration. He even said that his mother was precious, and the one the Emperor doted on the most was the Grand Princess. She looked at her bulging belly and sighed. If only she had a pair of dragon and phoenix births, that would help her become the empress dowager while also giving her a share of the Grand Princess's pampered love.

"Empress," When the palace maid saw how absent-minded she looked, she immediately whispered into her ear, "Ru Yan received some punishment and admitted to everything."

Xue Liuhua slowly raised her head, and a sinister smile appeared on her lips, "Alright, drag her here, I want to hear this slut personally explain everything."

The palace maid hesitated. "The Empress is currently pregnant with the birth of a dragon, so we can't dirty your eyes."

Xue Liuhua stood up, "I am not afraid of anything dirty, just bring her up here."

After a long while, Ru Yan, who was riddled with scars, was dragged along by a few guards onto her body. Her originally delicate and pretty face was covered in bloodstains and deep green and purple colored wounds. There wasn't a single piece of good meat on it.

Xue Liuhua smiled as she took out a hairpin from her sleeve. It was the Red Plum Agate Hairpin that had been gifted to Ru Yan that day, "The Emperor said that he wanted me to give you some rewards.

Ru Yan laughed coldly, her eyes bloodshot as she said, "Give me a red date and you can immediately slap me. As expected, it is something you can do."

"You seem to understand me quite well," Xue Liuhua blinked. "What did you admit?"

"I have told you everything that you wish to know," Ru Yan said as she stared at her sinisterly. "No wonder the Empress Chen wanted me to keep an eye on you, you are a disaster of the imperial harem."

"In the eyes of the Empress Chen, everyone is a scourge," Xue Liuhua squinted his eyes dangerously. "She made you watch me closely, did she let you harm my child?"

Ru Yan bit her lips and said, "... "No."

"Didn't you say that she admitted to everything?" Xue Liuhua glanced at the palace maid beside him coldly, "Looks like there's something that is being kept in your mouth."

The palace maid's body trembled, she rushed forward and slapped Ru Yan four times.

"Alright," Xue Liuhua laughed leisurely, "Now can you tell me if Empress Chen allowed you to harm my child?"

Blood trickled out from the corner of Ru Yan's mouth as she panted in pain and said hatefully, "The empress didn't let me do it. She wanted to borrow the wangfei's hand to get rid of the dragon embryo."

"Oh?" Xue Liuhua was surprised, "So Empress Chen wants to borrow a knife to kill someone."

Ru Yan coughed a few times in pain. "The Queen only asked me to monitor you, and report to the Changchun Palace everyday. There was nothing else."

Xue Liuhua raised her eyebrows: "I see that you have no other tricks to play."

"Empress," Ru Yan gritted her teeth, hoping to make Consort Hua let her go, "Empress, it is this servant's fault, this servant should not have listened to the Empress's orders to keep an eye on you. I hope that the Empress, on account of the fact that this servant has served the Empress for so long, can forgive this servant."

"Your mouth is quite tough, and you aren't the slightest bit sloppy when it comes to begging," Xue Liuhua laughed contemptuously, "Do you know what the mistake you shouldn't have done the most is?"

Ru Yan was startled, her eyes almost bursting with tears.

"The reason you helped Empress Chen was simply because she had promised you that if you came to my side as my spy, she would make the emperor accept you as his concubine, right?" Xue Liuhua unhurriedly combed her hair into a bun, "You are also naive, if you don't help me, could it be that she will leave your evidence in front of her, for fear that you will be hacked into pieces before even seeing the face of the emperor?"

Ru Yan's sour tears flowed down her face into her wounds, making her heart clench tightly. "This servant is stupid, insensible, and thinks that I can really fly up to the branch. I hope that Empress can forgive this servant and keep this servant's lowly life."

"Not only did you hide the truth from the master, you also secretly date an outsider. You even covet the grace of the saint, have the guts to steal the heavens. You even want me to spare you?" Xue Liuhua looked at her dusky eyes, smiled, and said, "However, I am carrying a dragon embryo, so it's better for me not to see a bloody disaster."

Ru Yan anxiously knelt in front of her and kowtowed to her, "This servant thanks the Empress, if there is a next life, I will definitely be a horse for the Empress's family."

"Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't even finished speaking," Xue Liuhua smiled as if a poisoned blade was hidden within her smile, "Death penalty can be avoided and the crime cannot be avoided. Since you like to talk at Changchun Palace, then I'll cut out your tongue."

Ru Yan's body froze as she widened her eyes in disbelief, "Empress … This servant hasn't done anything bad, how can you be so heartless! "

"If you had really done something, I would have skinned you alive long ago, and even let you make such a ruckus," Xue Liuhua raised her chin, "Drag him down and make a move, don't dirty my blankets."

"Empress, please don't!" Ru Yan let out a mournful cry, "If this servant doesn't have a tongue, I won't be able to open my mouth anymore!"

"That's not good," Xue Liuhua carelessly spread out her hands. "I don't even know what kind of Liu Family is in Yuezhou, if you can't speak, the emperor won't think that I'm ignorant."

Ru Yan struggled in fear in the hands of the guards, the blood dripping all over the ground, "If you cut off my tongue, I will let the empress know that you covet the position of Noble Consort. You are ambitious."

"What are you doing, Noble Consort?" Xue Liuhua smiled sweetly, and her eyes gradually turned dark and fierce, "I want to become the empress of a motherly world."

A dark yellow leaf floated down and fell right into Li Xiuse's palm. A cool breeze blew past her ears and she shivered as she bit her neck.

Recently, the Princess Poyang had returned to the palace from his Chiron. The emperor, who had stayed most of the time in her palace, also slowly disappeared without a trace, and the Joyous Union Hall returned to its former loneliness after losing the emperor's grace. Fortunately, she had never intended to fight for his favor, so he didn't feel sad at all without the emperor's figure.

"Empress Dowager," Shouxiang took a long robe and draped it over her body, "I can see the leaves on the ground from the trees, it's probably autumn already, Empress should be careful of your body."

"The fall of the Great Qin Empire is always faster than the Great Qi by a lot," Li Xiuse smiled lightly and pulled at the front of her robe. "Has Your Majesty been to the Yongle Palace recently?"

"No," Shouxiang shook her head, "The emperor has always been together with the Princess Poyang, so he has spent the last few days of his lunch and dinner within the Changchun Palace."

Li Xiuse said with a smile, "Princess Poyang will only return after three years at the Chiron. The Emperor and Empress will definitely be very worried about him."

"The Empress is really blessed to have a prince or princess under her wing," Shouxiang sneaked a glance at her, "The Empress must work hard too. Look at the dragon fetus in Consort Hua, it's about to be born.

Li Xiuse suddenly flushed red and said in annoyance, "You're just worrying too. Don't tell me that without a dragon embryo, you can't live on anymore?"

Shouxiang smiled bitterly: "Empress, even a spoiled concubine can live on in the palace. It's just that how well you live is another matter."

The gentleness in Li Xiuse's eyes receded slightly as she said hesitatingly, "Even if the Consort Hua is unable to sleep, the emperor still hasn't come to the Joyous Union Palace for a few nights.

"Esteemed Empress, as long as the emperor can come, there is still hope. Moreover, Consort Hua can only produce it when winter is near. There are many opportunities for Esteemed Empress to do so."

Li Xiuse bit her lower lip in annoyance, "But the emperor is still at the empress's place now, I can't possibly snatch him away from the Changchun Palace, right?"

"The reason the Emperor is staying at the Empress's place is not because he favors the Empress, but because the Princess Poyang is here," Shouxiang said softly.

Li Xiuse was just a young miss from the Prince of Great Qi, she did not understand the struggles of the imperial harem at all.

Shouxiang sighed in disappointment, "This servant will listen to whatever the Empress says."

Li Xiuse watched as the people of the palace ruined the mood, and in her heart, she was blaming herself for not achieving anything, "... "You also said that as long as the emperor can come, there's still hope. Maybe if we sit there peacefully for a few days, we might have a dragon embryo."

The palace maid was stunned, but still nodded her head.

The situation of a servant was always related to his master's honor and disgrace, so it was no wonder that the palace maid was so anxious. Li Xiuse rolled her eyes, and laughed: "Anyways, the emperor is sleeping in the Changchun Palace tonight, why don't we go and take a look at the Consort Hua s."

"The Empress just went there a few days ago, and the sun was still high up in the sky when she went there. However, she did not notice that the Consort Hua was paying any attention to her," Shouxiang said as she pouted, "Does the Empress still want to go?"

Li Xiuse tugged on her sleeve. "If I don't go, and if I am pregnant with a dragon in the future, how would I know about the matters of pregnancy?"

Shouxiang's heart skipped a beat. Consort Fu was still thinking of making a good future, "Then this servant will prepare a palanquin right now."

Li Xiuse muttered to herself for a while, "Sigh, we can't possibly go over empty-handed. Go and fetch that jade pendant of mine."

Shouxiang was startled, "Does the Empress want to give that Carp Begonia Jade Pendant to Consort Hua?"

"That's right," Li Xiuse smiled gently. "Carp and Begonia are auspicious symbols in Great Qi. I hope that Consort Hua can safely give birth to a dragon."

"But that was a gift the Great Qi Emperor gave to the Empress before they parted. Does the Empress really want to give that to the Consort Hua?"

"What gift?" Li Xiuse's lips raised into a sad smile, "It's just comforting me, Great Qi is a homeland that cannot be returned anyways, I might as well give this jade pendant to Consort Hua as a personal gift."