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Before Consort Zhen could even catch her breath, the voices of Pang Ya and the others who had left returned.

With Pang Ya leading, they unintentionally complained anxiously and all at once, "It’s just a few steps away, how could it take so long to summon help earlier? Who knows what happened, it delayed us all this time, His Majesty and Nanny Qi will surely blame us."

"Calling an Imperial Physician shouldn’t be this difficult..."

"Hmph, if we hadn’t mentioned His Majesty and Nanny Qi, it might have been even harder to get one, and the delay would have been even longer."

"The servants of Huaning Palace act as if they’re greater than their masters, how absurd..."

"Shh, let’s not discuss this anymore. There are too many eyes and ears outside, this must not be leaked."

The voices gradually faded away, piercing Consort Zhen’s ears sentence by sentence, until they finally ceased.

Just as she was beginning to relax a little, her mind tensed up suddenly at the thought of the consequences. She felt dizzy and anxious, almost fainting.

Reminded by that last sentence, Consort Zhen quickly struggled to regain consciousness, "Quick, send word, today’s incident must not be leaked..."

The matter at Canglan Court was known only by those on both sides; if it got out, she couldn’t clear her name!

Pang Ya and the Young Eunuch who had gone to summon help also listened with pounding hearts, fearing that Consort Zhen had noticed something amiss. Seeing the disruption in people’s minds, they secretly sighed in relief.

This matter had slowly begun to ferment from the moment Xiao Jizi entered the Harem.

Especially when Xiao Jizi and his group, who had intentionally seemed desperate to see the Imperial Physician during their way to and from Huaning Palace, and while waiting outside, appeared overly anxious.

On the way back, they notably could not hide their urgency, grabbing Huang Zude and running back, every action revealing that something serious had occurred at Canglan Court.

Various factions kept their eyes peeled, especially those hidden in shadows. They had seen everything and even the palace had informants who had transmitted word verbatim. Soon, the rumor began circulating in the Harem that there was an incident at Canglan Court, a miscarriage and severe bleeding!

The hidden observer—Xia Lei—felt something was wrong. Before he could figure it out, someone quietly reported that several of their people had lost contact, likely exposed, with grim prospects.

He was shocked, not expecting things to move so quickly. No sooner had he received the news than their people were captured, clearly Canglan Court was acting to contain any leaks. It seemed they had really succeeded this time.

People from Canglan Court specifically requested Huang Zude and not other Imperial Physicians, which he thought made perfect sense. Only in a true emergency would they be more cautious, distrusting other personnel from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Though this incident cost him some of their people, he wasn’t distressed. Instead, he felt a surge of joy, no longer doubting that they had succeeded!

At any other time, he would have been distressed, given that their people were deeply embedded in various parts of the palace, some having served many years, becoming trusted by their masters, and not to be easily sacrificed. To use one meant one fewer in reserve.

But at this moment, he couldn’t care less, eliminating the one in Canglan Court and the unborn heir was the priority.

The necessary sacrifice had been calculated in advance, and plans were in place even if some were captured.

They still held value and he was determined to bring another down with them, killing two birds with one stone.

He smirked, his ordinarily honest face suddenly turning sinister.

It was time to take the next step. Although it might expose the person who had been hidden for many years, it was worth it. Being careful could minimize the losses to the smallest degree.

As for himself, he had always been cautious and was confident that he would not be discovered.

The soup bowl was registered under another eunuch’s name—a scapegoat.

Shortly after it was taken out, he had silently killed him, making it look like a natural death.

When clues led to that eunuch, they would end, and no trace would lead back to him.

Even if it was known that the eunuch was silenced, after so much time had passed, there was no way to start an investigation.

Now, only that girl was left. He had always been careful, and no one had ever seen him interact with that girl in this palace.

As long as that girl died, everything would be perfectly resolved. No one would be able to detect him!

He had already arranged all of these things, waiting for the girl’s usefulness to be exhausted, after which he could smoothly disengage.

His eyes gleamed with a determined light. He had planned this strategy for a long time. The most critical step had already been completed, and the subsequent steps would certainly progress smoothly, achieving absolute perfection.

He believed he would perfectly fulfill the orders of his superior.

Xia Lei suppressed his grim smile, acknowledging the urgency of time. He quickly called someone and deployed the plans already prepared, just waiting to close the net...

At that moment, in Canglan Court, just as Pang Ya had said, Nanny Qi had collapsed, lying comfortably on the chaise lounge in Canglan Court, leisurely waiting for news to come back with Lian Hua, looking very relaxed.

Lian Hua’s heart was wildly excited, her little face slightly flushed, feeling that doing mischievous deeds to bully others was really fun and stimulating. It felt like returning to her childhood, scheming with other kids to deal with a classmate from the He Family.

The relationship between the He Family and her family was poor.

It seemed even the small children could sense the tension between the adults.

From the first day they met, the He family child took an instant dislike to her, and though she never provoked the He family child, that child seemed keen on bullying her.

In the He family, that child was spoiled like a little tyrant, pampered by his mother, getting whatever he wanted, unlike her, who also wished to be spoiled by her own mother...

Once, she climbed over the wall to play, only to be unexpectedly spotted by that He family child. Taking advantage of her being alone, he sicced a fiercely imposing rooster on her.

That rooster was raised by the He family specifically for that child, known for bullying little kids, often chasing and pecking any small child it saw.

The children she played with had been chased and pecked by it several times, causing painful pecks and cries of pain. It was utterly detestable, but she had only heard of it and hadn’t yet faced it directly.

This was the first time she encountered that rooster. She saw the rooster’s feathers glistening, its fiery red comb regal, its tail feathers bright and proud behind it, making the whole bird look robust and beautiful as it strutted confidently.

The rooster’s beady black eyes seemed to sparkle when it saw her. It immediately stretched its neck, advanced its sturdy legs, and with wings tucked, it charged towards her, its sharp beak cutting through the air.

She had just climbed down the wall and hadn’t even had time to be happy that her mother hadn’t noticed when she saw this brave rooster, causing her to be startled.

As the rooster charged at her, she had wanted to run, but the He family child was close by, mocking her, and even the rooster’s gaze seemed contemptuous.

She immediately refused to run away; instead, she picked up a rattan stick that had been dropped nearby, a burst of boldness rising from within, and charged towards the rooster with the stick raised high.

Seeing her not dodging but instead charging, the rooster seemed stunned, slowing down as it ran, and finally hesitated, stopping in its tracks.