Page 324

Meanwhile, at Ningyu Palace

"Ah!!!"

"It hurts so much!!!"

The woman’s heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the entire Ningyu Palace.

"Your Majesty, push harder!"

The palace maids bustled about, carrying basin after basin of hot water, the atmosphere very tense.

The Emperor strode into Ningyu Palace, hearing Concubine Ning’s heart-wrenching screams, he paced back and forth with concern.

"What on earth is going on?"

Sui He stepped forward to reply, "Your Majesty, the Concubine was just fine chatting with the Empress earlier. After the Empress left, the Concubine started having incessant abdominal pain. The Imperial Doctor said it was a disturbance of fetal qi."

The Emperor frowned, asking coldly, "If she was fine, how could she suffer a disturbance of fetal qi?"

"I heard from the Imperial Doctor that the Concubine suffered a disturbance due to inhaling too much musk," said Sui He.

Upon hearing ’musk’, the Emperor’s eyes turned cold, "Why would Concubine Ning use musk? You servants, don’t you even know that musk cannot be used by women? How are you taking care of your master?"

Sui He fell to her knees with a thud, saying indignantly, "Your Majesty, I take great care of the Concubine’s daily necessities and food. Musk has never been used. The Imperial Doctor also checked, and no musk was found in the room. It could be..."

The Emperor pressed, "Could be what?"

Sui He said, "The Imperial Doctor said it might be that someone brought an item with musk on them. The Concubine was exposed for a long time, so she inhaled the musk. But just now, only the Empress came..."

The Emperor cut Sui He off with a cold voice, "You mean the Empress was wearing an item containing musk?"

Sui He hurriedly kowtowed, "I dare not say that. It’s the Imperial Doctor’s conjecture, I do not know."

The Imperial Doctor rushed out from inside, falling to his knees with a thud, "Your Majesty."

The Emperor asked coldly, "How is the Prince?"

"Your Majesty, the Prince was stillborn," said the Imperial Doctor, not rising from the ground.

A shade of dark gray crossed the depth of the Emperor’s eyes, and he found it hard to accept that his full-term son had just perished like this.

He glanced coldly down at the Imperial Doctor on the floor, "How can this be? I saw him well only this morning, how could he be gone now?"

"Your Majesty, musk is highly detrimental to women, especially pregnant ones, and it can easily lead to miscarriages or fetal slipping," the Imperial Doctor said tremulously.

The Emperor stood there, stunned.

After things had been cleared up inside, the Emperor stepped in.

Even after cleaning and burning incense, the smell of blood was still discernible.

Concubine Ning had just gone through childbirth. She lay on the bed, completely exhausted, her disheveled hair damp with sweat and sticking to her forehead.

The Emperor walked over, gazed down at Concubine Ning, who looked beautiful even through the hardship of childbirth, presenting a morbid kind of beauty.

He consoled her gently, "The child is lost, but in time, there will be others."

Seeing the Emperor, Concubine Ning burst into tears again, "Your Majesty, it was not easy for me to look forward to our son, only for him to be gone... I do not want to live anymore."

Concubine Ning was naturally charming and alluring, and added with the hoarse voice from childbirth, it was impossible not to feel pity for her.

"What silly things are you saying? You are still so young. Take care of yourself; there will be more children in the future."

*

Concubine Ning was the most favored concubine, and her pregnancy had been closely monitored. The Emperor, too, had been looking forward to the arrival of this little prince.

If the child didn’t survive, the Emperor probably couldn’t accept it either.

The Empress asked harshly, "She was fine when I visited her palace just now; how could she suddenly go into difficult labor?"

"This servant does not know. Just now, word came from Ningyu Palace that Concubine Ning was in difficult labor and the Prince’s life is at stake," said Eunuch Ren carefully.

The Empress frowned, "Did the Imperial Doctor go?"

"The Imperial Doctor was fortunately taking the calm pulse and is now trying to save them," said Eunuch Ren.

The Empress, with a grave expression, turned to Shen Chuwei, "This concerns the Dragon Descendant. I will go to Ningyu Palace to see for myself."

Having said that, the Empress ordered, "Prepare the carriage for Ningyu Palace."

Shen Chuwei stepped forward to stop the Empress, "Your Majesty, wait a moment."

The Empress paused and turned back to Shen Chuwei, "Does Lady Shen have something else to say?"

Shen Chuwei pointed at the sachet, "Your Majesty, please replace the sachet."

The Empress asked in confusion, "Why should the sachet be replaced?"

"Because it contains musk. Concubine Ning’s labor complications were related to this," Shen Chuwei also learned from the conversation between the Empress and Eunuch Ren.

Having been in the Imperial Palace for decades, the Empress connected the dots at Shen Chuwei’s words.

No wonder Concubine Ning called her over early this morning to chat, making up some story about having nightmares and being afraid, saying she had given birth to two sons and should have experience.

It turns out, it was a deliberate attempt to frame her for harming the royal heir, to instigate the Emperor to punish her.

Harming the royal heir was a grave accusation. Unseen to her, Concubine Ning had such an innocent face but harbored such ambition.

The Empress removed the sachet, intending to dispose of it.

Shen Chuwei spoke up to stop her, "Your Majesty, give it to me."

The Empress looked at Shen Chuwei quizzically, "What do you want this for? Musk is harmful to women and can affect future pregnancies."

"I am aware," said Shen Chuwei as she turned to a cabinet, took out a mask and disposable gloves, came back, picked up the Empress’s sachet, poured out the fragrant powder inside, and then put some sleep-aiding fragrance powder into it.

The Empress watched curiously as Shen Chuwei worked.

Shen Chuwei handed the refilled sachet to the Empress, "The musk is gone now; I’ve put in some fragrance powder to aid with sleep."

The Empress looked at Shen Chuwei for a moment before reattaching the sachet to her belt.

Shen Chuwei then took out her own handmade sachet, opened it, took out some powder, and sprinkled it over the Empress’s body.

The Empress, puzzled by Shen Chuwei’s actions, asked, "What are you doing?"

As she sprinkled the powder, Shen Chuwei explained, "Your Majesty has a strong scent of musk on you, which the Imperial Doctor would easily detect."

"I see." The Empress couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Shen Chuwei, not expecting her to be so thoughtful.

*

When the Empress entered Ningyu Palace, she heard the woman’s faint crying, which could move anyone who heard it, even another woman.

Walking into the inner chamber, she saw the Emperor sitting by the bed, cradling the frail body of Concubine Ning, with his large hand gently stroking her back in a comforting manner.

"Your Majesty, upon hearing of Concubine Ning’s childbirth, I hurried over," the Empress said, glancing around the room but not seeing the child and therefore not making any conclusions.

The Emperor looked up at the sound of her voice, "Empress, you’ve come."

The Empress glanced at Concubine Ning and saw that her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her spirit flagging, presumably from excessive grief.

"Is Concubine Ning doing well?"

The Emperor said somberly, "The Prince... didn’t survive."

"Don’t be distressed, Your Majesty. Concubine Ning is still young, there will be other chances in the future," the Empress consoled him.

"Those are comforting words, Empress," burst out a sorrowful Concubine Ning. "Before you came, I was fine. After your short visit, I suffered a disturbance of fetal qi. Could that be a coincidence?"

The Empress looked at Concubine Ning, who was crying pitifully, now letting her ulterior motives show.