Chapter 231: The Girl Dies

Chapter 231

Kun Ning Palace.

"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, or shadows; they are like dewdrops, lightning, or a flash of lightning. Thus should you observe them."

The Empress knelt in front of the Buddha shrine, softly chanting scriptures while tightly gripping a string of glossy honey-colored amber prayer beads.

"Creak."

She paused her movements upon hearing the door to her inner chamber being pushed open and casually asked,

"Has the item been delivered to the Empress Dowager?"

Frost Ruol stood behind her and bowed respectfully, saying, "The calming elixir has been delivered to the Empress Dowager. The amulet personally sewn by the Empress has also been given to the princess. The wet nurse said that the princess is doing well and assured the Empress not to worry. However, the Empress Dowager has been adamant about not allowing you to see the princess. Perhaps it would be better if..."

"If she doesn't want to see me, then so be it. Jing and Yang are by the Empress Dowager's side, and no one would dare harbor ill intentions towards the princess," the Empress calmly raised her phoenix eyes and raised her hand, allowing Frost Ruol to support her as she continued, "Have you found out the information I asked for?"

Frost Ruol replied, "I found Ephedra in the medicinal residue used by the Empress Dowager. The palace's Ephedra is refined together with Tian Chuangzi. Those who consume it are advised to avoid drinking alcohol, to the extent that they cannot even tolerate its smell. Otherwise, they would experience symptoms similar to what the Empress Dowager had today, dizziness and weakness in the limbs."

Frost Ruol had served the Empress for many years and was knowledgeable in the field of medicine.

Upon hearing her words, the Empress had a general idea in her mind.

She turned around and sat in the chair, her gaze sinister, and a faint smile on her thin lips.

"Consort Yi thought she was clever. She added realgar in the decoction for the imperial concubines, but it ended up allowing someone with ulterior motives to use the scent of realgar to mask the taste of the realgar wine. The Empress Dowager unknowingly smelled it and suffered from dizziness. She almost fell and endangered the precious 'heir.'"

The Empress's tone was indifferent, but the smile on her lips grew stronger.

"During this period of my recuperation, Consort Yi has gained favor from countless people, to the point where she can stand on equal footing with the Noble Consort. It seems that she has offended quite a few people because of this."

Frost Ruol poured a cup of hot tea for the Empress and asked in a low voice, "Empress, who do you think is behind this?"

"What does it matter who she is? What does it have to do with me? The Emperor ordered me to rest, and regardless of how chaotic the harem becomes, it has nothing to do with me. If they want to fight to the death, let them. I will focus on my Buddhist practice and stay away from those filthy matters that would disturb my peace of mind."

The Empress uncovered the tea cup and gently skimmed off the foam on the surface of the tea.

She fell silent for a moment and instructed Frost Ruol, "Go to the Imperial Study and inform the Emperor that due to the cold winter weather, my health has been affected, and I need to rest. From now until the beginning of spring next year, even if it's the New Year's Eve banquet, I won't be able to leave the palace to attend."

The Empress was unwilling to be sidelined by Xiao Jingheng.

Although recently Xiao Jingheng had reluctantly permitted her to move around outside the palace, at this moment, she voluntarily requested to stay confined. This matter was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Therefore, Frost Ruol asked, "Empress, what are you worried about?"

In the imperial harem, if the imperial consort is pregnant and favored by the Emperor, when she reaches the eighth month of pregnancy, she can arrange to meet her family:

On one hand, it is to provide comfort and relieve homesickness, which helps with the delivery;

On the other hand...

Giving birth has always been a dangerous endeavor for women, with the saying "the child survives, the mother dies." There is always the fear of unexpected accidents, leaving no chance to bid farewell to loved ones, which is always a regret.

However, at only five months into Noble Consort Chen's pregnancy, Xiao Jingheng arranged for her family to visit the palace, showing just how much he cared for her.

But what touched Noble Consort Chen even more was not just that, but hearing that familiar address from Xiao Jingheng once again.

— Wan'er.

Compared to the title of Noble Consort, which symbolizes supreme honor, Noble Consort Chen preferred to be called Wan'er by Xiao Jingheng.

For her, the warmth contained in that address was more important than anything else.

That night, without any surprise, Xiao Jingheng stayed at Yonghe Palace to accompany Noble Consort Chen.

The next day, on his way to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, Jiang Deshun had already informed him of the danger that occurred in the Plum Garden the day before.

When he saw the Empress Dowager, she had Qingzhu recount the details of the incident to Xiao Jingheng once again.

After Qingzhu finished speaking, the Empress Dowager dismissed the attendants and spoke softly to Xiao Jingheng:

"Noble Consort is pregnant, yet she was willing to risk her own life to protect Cheng Yu. It shows her true nature is not wicked. Now that she has given birth to twins, has the Emperor considered fulfilling her wish to be a mother?"

Xiao Jingheng lowered his eyes, leaned forward slightly with his arms resting on the sandalwood table.

His right index finger occasionally stroked the jade fingerstall on his thumb.

After pondering for a long time, he closed his eyes, and in a calm voice, he said:

"If it's a princess, keeping her by Noble Consort's side is not out of the question. But if it's a prince, then what happened to Yu'er that day..."

He paused for a moment,

Then he suddenly lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp as a sword, and in a tone devoid of any emotion, he uttered one sentence:

"Today, it remains the same."

[Chapter 149: Yu'er was the child of Noble Consort Chen who was lost after a fall.]