Chapter 0073: Plotting Harm

Chapter 0073: Plotting Harm

The Imperial Concubine sipped her tea, remarking indifferently, "Her Majesty the Empress is truly a virtuous and wise person."

The Empress just smiled lightly, thinking to herself that if it weren't necessary for the Imperial Concubine to stay, she wouldn't have bothered asking Consort Yun to accompany the Emperor back.

Making you unhappy makes me quite happy.

Consort Jin De said with a smile, "Her Majesty the Empress always wholeheartedly serves His Majesty. It’s His Majesty’s blessing, which in turn is a blessing for us all."

The Imperial Concubine continued to sip her tea, not responding.

Consort Jin De wasn’t embarrassed. The Empress inwardly sneered, simply sitting and waiting.

After another half-hour, there was finally significant movement in the room, and Zhang Xiaoyi cried out in pain.

The feeling of being forced into early labor was heart-wrenchingly agonizing.

Showing signs of labor prematurely was already dangerous, and now she was completely unprepared.

The use of ginseng slices was necessary in such a situation. The ordeal lasted until the middle of the night.

At the peak of her pain, Zhang Xiaoyi couldn't care about decorum anymore and began to scream miserably.

Those who were initially drowsy outside perked up, finding the sounds disturbing.

By this time, everyone in Tingzhu Xuan had been confined. Except for the midwives and Zhang Xiaoyi's personal attendants, no one else dared to move around.

Finally, after a few agonizing screams, the child was born.

The Empress's heart eased somewhat, now just waiting for the outcome.

Soon, the voice of the midwife was heard, bearing good news. One of them emerged, holding the baby, and announced, "Your Highness the Empress, it's a prince. Both mother and child are safe."

The Empress smiled, "Good, take good care of the Third Prince and Zhang Xiaoyi. None of you may leave this place today. Wait until I investigate this matter thoroughly."

The midwives weren't flustered; they had been summoned after the incident had occurred.

It was indeed late by now. The Empress temporarily sealed off the area and had those who needed to be sent to the internal justice department taken away promptly.

Meanwhile, Yun Li returned with the Emperor, understandably not in the mood for any further activities.

She was also very tired, and it was still a bit cold at night, so she snuggled up to He Jinli without much ceremony.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around He Jinli's waist.

He Jinli had a fine physique, with a nicely contoured waist, making it comfortable to hold.

He Jinli, with his eyes closed, thought how at ease this woman was. He didn't react and just let her hold him, and they both quickly fell asleep.

They were awoken in the morning, and the Emperor had no court session today.

But there were still many tasks to attend to.

Yun Li, feeling extremely tired upon waking, still made an effort to get up and go to pay respects to the Empress.

Compared to her fatigue, the Empress, Noble Consort, and Consort De were even more exhausted.

The three of them were propped up by strong tea and had heavily powdered faces.

Perhaps due to skin issues, the Empress's makeup couldn't conceal her dark circles.

"Last night, Zhang Xiaoyi gave birth. It's a prince, and both mother and child are safe," the Empress announced.

Before anyone could offer congratulations, the Empress gestured for them to sit and continued, "Zhang Xiaoyi's delivery was premature, and this matter is not simple. Suspicious individuals from her quarters have been sent to the internal justice department. Currently, everything is under investigation. His Majesty has instructed us to thoroughly examine this. Those present, if anyone has intervened, should rectify their actions immediately. Regardless of who is found responsible, the fate of the Xu family awaits them."

The ladies exchanged glances, not surprised by the announcement.

"We knew about it last night."

"Zhang Xiaoyi's diet is not something anyone can tamper with. If it were something to induce labor, eating less of it probably wouldn't work," said Ye Zhao Yi.

"I've looked into it. Zhang Xiaoyi suffered from insufficient blood flow, causing dizziness and blurred vision. Therefore, the imperial physician prescribed her a medicine to take for half a month, which was deemed safe for the fetus," the Empress explained.

Everyone exchanged glances again.

"That explains it. If the dosage of a labor-inducing drug is too small, it might not be effective. If it's too much, she wouldn't be foolish enough to ingest it," Consort Jin De nodded.

"Yes, it seems someone switched the prescription, right?" Mei Fei suggested.

"Or switched the medicinal soup?" Lan Fei added.

"Oh, sister is right, I misspoke," Mei Fei corrected herself with a smile, good-naturedly.

"Except for one personal attendant, everyone else around her has been sent to the internal justice department. Anyone who had contact with her is being investigated. The Imperial Medical Bureau keeps records; they prepared the medicine exactly as prescribed," the Empress stated calmly.

"Liu Baolin, did you notice anything unusual?" the Noble Consort asked Liu Yushi.

Liu Baolin came alone today; all her attendants had been sent to the internal justice department.

She stood up: "Replying to the Noble Consort, I did not notice anything. The medicine was prepared daily in the courtyard. I am not knowledgeable about medicine, but the scent seemed the same every day."

The Noble Consort nodded.

"With the imminent grand wedding of the Princess and the Crown Prince of Yuanzheng, it's shocking someone would be so audacious," the Empress sneered. "Fortunately, Zhang Xiaoyi and the Third Prince are unharmed. Although the Third Prince was premature, he's still relatively healthy. He should be fine once he reaches a full month. Zhang Xiaoyi has been weakened by this ordeal and will need a few years to fully recover."

"Speaking of which, Jing Cairen is still pregnant. You should be extra cautious; there might be someone with malicious intent against you," Consort Jia warned.

Jing Cairen glanced at her: "Thank you for the reminder, sister. I'll be careful."

"Enough for today, I must go see the Dowager Empress. Everyone, be mindful of your actions. If the investigation finds something, unless it leads nowhere, I will not show leniency."

Everyone stood up quickly: "Yes, Your Majesty is wise."

After leaving Fengyi Palace, Yun Li was called by Mei Fei, "Let's walk together. I don't feel like riding the carriage either."

Their paths coincided, as Chao Yang Palace and Le An Palace were separated only by Jia Yue Pavilion, not too far away, both requiring crossing the Jade Belt Bridge.

Yun Li naturally agreed.

On their way back, Mei Fei said, "When I was on the grasslands, I also heard about harem intrigues. My father Khan’s harem had many ladies, but my mother was favored, so no one dared to provoke her. However, the harems of my uncles and other relatives were also rife with fierce conflicts. They were direct, resorting to physical confrontations, not poison. To encounter such things so soon after arriving here is truly frightening."

Yun Li smiled, "Perhaps this is the difference between Yuanzheng and Da Jin? I don’t know either. I just want to live peacefully, without causing trouble for others," she said.

"How could that be, with you being so beautiful?" Mei Fei remarked.

Yun Li thanked her and returned some compliments, but did not share any heartfelt thoughts with her.

Consort Mei understood the principle of not getting too personal too quickly, aiming merely to foster goodwill.

After crossing Yudai Bridge, they reached Chaoyang Palace. Yun Li bid her farewell and headed to her own quarters.

After changing her clothes, Yun Li sat deep in thought. She couldn’t figure out who would target Zhang Xiaoyi.

Using labor-inducing drugs... Wasn't that method somewhat strange?

"What do you think? Was the person behind this trying to take Zhang Xiaoyi's life or harm the imperial heir?" Yun Li asked.

Zhifu and Juyu had been pondering this question since the morning.

Zhifu said, "I really don’t know. I can't understand why. Zhang Xiaoyi wasn’t particularly favored. With a child, whose path could she possibly block?"