Chapter 110: Miscarriage

Chapter 110: The Cause of Miscarriage

It was Consort Xian who tried to harm my child!

So soon?

Su Jiaojiao frowned, her right hand clenching abruptly.

It had only been before lunch that she sent Yu Ying with Imperial Physician Liu to visit *Seven Li Fragrance*. They couldn’t even wait!

Yu Ying fretted beside her, saying, "My Lady, could it be that my visit with Imperial Physician Liu today alarmed them?"

Shu Jieyu said coolly, "I just praised Talent Lady Yu for her boldness, and now she proves it—rushing to miscarry tonight. Besides her true motive, she likely aims to drag you down with this. How swift!"

Su Jiaojiao took a deep breath, bracing herself against the table, her beautiful eyes sharpening. "A miscarriage is no small matter. It’s only right I pay my respects."

"Please accompany me, Sister Shu, lest Talent Lady Yu, overwhelmed by grief, speaks recklessly before His Majesty and twists our kindness against us."

Shu Jieyu understood her concern perfectly, gently patting her hand and replying softly, "Of course I’ll go with you. I won’t let you face this alone."

The night was pitch-black. The summer breeze carried an unusual chill through the trees and waters of the mountain retreat.

Palace servants from *Yingzhou Jade Rain* carried lanterns to light the way for Su Jiaojiao and Shu Jieyu as they hurried to *Seven Li Fragrance*. Before they even entered, they heard the sound of a woman weeping, with servants rushing back and forth outside.

*Seven Li Fragrance* was smaller and more remote, making the crowd appear even more cramped, making the commotion seem even louder.

At the entrance, Grand Eunuch Cai Shan stood guard.

Su Jiaojiao approached quickly, asking, "Grand Eunuch, when did His Majesty arrive?"

Grand Eunuch Cai Shan bowed hastily to her and Shu Jieyu, shaking his head regretfully. "The news reached Lingbo Songshuang first. His Majesty has been inside for a while now. For Talent Lady Yu to bleed at three months... the outlook is grim."

Clearly, Talent Lady Yu had planned this. Lingbo Songshuang was the farthest among their residences, yet His Majesty arrived first—proof that the messages were sent out at different times.

Su Jiaojiao spoke gently, "Thank you for the heads-up, Grand Eunuch. It’s tragic that Talent Lady Yu couldn’t keep her child. In her grief, she might unwittingly upset His Majesty. At such a time, I should be by His Majesty’s side to console her."

Grand Eunuch Cai Shan nodded approvingly. "You’re most compassionate, Your Highness."

Shu Jieyu remarked coolly, "Let’s go. Talent Lady Yu is grieving her loss. Any later, and *Seven Li Fragrance* will only grow more crowded."

A maid rushed in to announce their arrival. As they stepped inside, lifting the bamboo curtain, they saw His Majesty sitting stiffly on the main seat, his expression dark and unreadable.

From the inner chamber came intermittent moans of pain. With physicians and maids attending to the miscarriage, it was clear the child could not be saved.

When His Majesty noticed Noble Consort Zhen and Shu Jieyu’s arrival, he only gave Su Jiaojiao a fleeting glance before looking away, his fingers tapping the armrest impatiently.

Su Jiaojiao observed this but stepped forward with Shu Jieyu to curtsy. "We pay our respects, Your Majesty."

"Upon hearing of Talent Lady Yu’s condition, we came at once to offer our sympathies. What’s her condition?"

Before His Majesty could respond, Ting Qing, Talent Lady Yu’s personal maid, stumbled out from the inner chamber and knelt, sobbing. "Your Majesty, the physician said... the child cannot be saved!"

His Majesty paused briefly, his fingers stilling. "And Talent Lady Yu?"

Ting Qing glanced at Noble Consort Zhen before weeping, "My lady has taken medicine to expel the fetus and now rests inside. Please, Your Majesty, see her."

Who would have thought Talent Lady Yu’s pregnancy, like Noble Lady Xiang’s, would end in miscarriage halfway?

Shen Huai wasn't particularly attentive to Talent Lady Yu, but she was after all carrying his imperial heir and was both obedient and lovely and bright. With so few offspring in the harem, losing a pregnancy after three months left him deeply troubled.

Just as he was about to rise to enter the inner chamber, Noble Consort Mi arrived from outside, frowning as she bowed and said, "Talent Lady Yu's pregnancy had always been stable, hadn't it? How could she miscarry so suddenly?"

Her tone unmistakably pointed blame at the palace servants. Ting Qing, kneeling on the floor, darted a glance at Noble Consort Mi, her eyes glistening, and sobbed, "My lady suffered greatly with her first pregnancy, and what's more..."

"Someone clearly harmed her—how could anyone blame her for losing the child?"

Shen Huai frowned and looked over. "Harmed by someone?"

Ting Qing wiped her tears and said, "Please, Your Majesty, go see my lady. There are many troubling signs, and only she knows the full truth. I beg you to take pity on her grief over losing her child!"

He strode quickly into the inner chamber, which had now been cleared, leaving only the recently miscarried Talent Lady Yu and Imperial Physician Liu inside.

As soon as he entered, the faint scent of blood reached his nose. Shen Huai's brow furrowed deeply as he looked down at Talent Lady Yu, lying ghostly pale and drawn beneath the embroidered quilt, her eyes tightly shut.

Her face was wan and exhausted, her forehead beaded with sweat, as if she were still in great pain. Hearing footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing it was the Emperor, tears immediately welled up and spilled from the corners of her eyes.

Tears rolled down like scattered pearls, making her already pallid face appear even more fragile, as if a mere gust of wind could scatter her away.

She choked out in a weak whisper, "Your Majesty..."

Bearing children was the cruelest ordeal for women, and seeing her like this pierced Shen Huai's heart. He stepped closer and said softly, "I've come."

Ting Qing, who had followed him in, knelt by the bedside, wiping Talent Lady Yu's sweat with a handkerchief while weeping. "My lady, don't torment yourself. His Majesty pities you, and you are still young—there will be more children. You've just miscarried; if sorrow ruins your health, what then?"

"How can I not grieve... my child..." Talent Lady Yu pressed trembling hands to her belly, closing her eyes in agony as she trembled. "He was only in my womb for three months... my child..."

Ting Qing cried bitterly. "My lady, someone clearly harmed the imperial heir! Now that His Majesty is here, you must speak the truth and let him seek justice for you!"

Talent Lady Yu shook her head between sobs. "It was only speculation... how could I burden His Majesty further with my worries?"

At this, Shen Huai's expression darkened. "The imperial heir is a matter of imperial significance—what could be more vital than that? Speak your grievances freely while I am here. Do you think I'd tolerate you being wronged?"

Talent Lady Yu seemed to stop breathing for a moment before her tears surged even harder. Instead, it was Ting Qing who knelt before the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, my lady was pregnant for the first time and suffered greatly—constant nausea, sleeplessness, and unstable fetal qi. The physicians said it was due to her frail health and inexperience with pregnancy, so she was extra careful about rest and nourishment."

"But by all reasoning, even if the mother is weak or it's her first pregnancy, the condition should stabilize by the third month. Yet my lady only grew more unwell, especially after arriving at the mountain retreat, where her abdominal pain became unbearable."

At this point, Noble Consort Mi let out a cold laugh and said lightly, "When I was pregnant, my fetal movements were also unstable—I had to drink fetal stabilizing draughts daily. First pregnancies are naturally turbulent. To claim foul play based solely on this is rather far-fetched. Talent Lady Yu, just because you've miscarried doesn't mean you can make unfounded accusations against fellow consorts."

Talent Lady Yu wept. "Noble Consort, I have always known you dislike me, so I've kept my head down and shown proper respect, careful never to displease you. But why must you harm the child in my womb? Could it be... because you lost your own child soon after striking me, and now wish to make me suffer the same pain?"

Her weeping was pitiful, tears streaming down her face as her pallor gave way to feverish spots of color. She coughed violently twice. "This evening, Noble Consort Zhen's attendant Yu Ying brought Imperial Physician Liu to see me, claiming concern and asking him to take my pulse again to ensure the imperial heir's safety. But this being my first pregnancy, I was naturally cautious. Though Her Highness meant well, I dared not entrust my child's welfare to others so lightly. Yet after Yu Ying left, my abdominal pain worsened—whether by coincidence or design, I cannot say..."

No wonder she had miscarried in such haste—she had been setting the stage for this all along.

Su Jiaojiao's brows furrowed slightly, but she remained silent, waiting to hear what else Talent Lady Yu would say.

Then came the words: "After hastily summoning Imperial Physician Liu, he carefully examined my pulse and discovered traces of slow poisoning in my body."

Talent Lady Yu's eyes were red from crying, making her appear even more pitiable as she lamented, "Since becoming pregnant, I scrutinized every aspect of my food, clothing, and daily necessities, never carelessly entrusting them to others. Yet after scouring their memories, my attendants realized there was one thing we had overlooked."

At this moment, Imperial Physician Liu approached the Emperor with a tray and said, "Your Majesty, please see—it is this."

Su Jiaojiao tilted her head slightly to look at the tray and saw several satin-covered boxes, gleaming—clearly rouge compacts.

Imperial Physician Liu continued, "These rouge compacts, whether powder or cream, contain significant amounts of abortifacient substances, along with traces of lead and mercury. The strong fragrance masked the scent, making it extremely difficult to detect. One or two uses would not harm the body, but prolonged exposure would severely damage the imperial fetus. Even if the child were born, the lead and mercury would cause it to be stillborn—and in a horrifying state."

Talent Lady Yu wept even more sorrowfully. "Your Majesty, these rouges were tributes bestowed by you. I cherished them gratefully and used them daily, never suspecting any harm—until tonight, when the physician spoke, and I realized they must have been tampered with upon delivery, meant to destroy my child."

"These items were delivered by the Palace Domestic Service. With the Empress recuperating from illness, Noble Consort Mi is the only one managing palace affairs. If not by her order, how would the Palace Domestic Service dare to poison an imperial gift meant to harm the imperial heir?"