“The harem is that large?” Shangguan Yao felt choked with anger. He only had two days, and that Leng Yue would make him hand over the person. If he couldn’t find Murong Chong again this time, he feared Leng Yue would deal with the people in the palace and him.
Moreover, if the Jade Dragon Talisman was indeed taken by Shangguan Lin and others, his throne would be unstable. Now, the only way was to exchange Murong Chong for the Jade Dragon Talisman, and then get rid of both Murong Chong and Leng Yue. That way, everything would be foolproof.
“Ping An must know where that person is hiding,” Ye Qing Tian said fiercely. But that little wretch refused to reveal his whereabouts.
“What? I’ll have her arrested immediately.” Shangguan Yao, agitated, could no longer lie still. He sat up straight, ready to summon people to arrest Ping An.
Ye Qing Tian quickly raised his hand to stop him, “Don’t arrest her. I doubt she’ll talk even if you do. I’ve sent people to keep an eye on her. As soon as she steps out of Jingfu Palace, someone will be watching. We’ll definitely find that person’s whereabouts.”
“Hmm.” Shangguan Yao lay back down, closing his eyes quietly. His long lashes hid his pupils, and he didn’t even glance at Ye Qing Tian. Ye Qing Tian felt a bit disappointed and stood up, “Your subject takes his leave.”
“Alright.” Shangguan Yao had just replied when Ye Qing Tian began to retreat. Before he could exit, he saw Xiao Ting Zi rush in anxiously from outside, shouting as he ran, “Your Majesty, something’s wrong, something’s happened!”
Ye Qing Tian immediately turned back and rushed in again. The palace was now on high alert. Xiao Ting Zi knelt down with a thud, “Your Majesty, there’s news from Jiaofang Palace that Noble Consort Xian shows signs of miscarriage.”
“What?” Ye Qing Tian, in a panic, stepped forward and lifted Xiao Ting Zi by his body, hanging him in mid-air. His face contorted with ferocity, and he said sinisterly, “Say that again.”
“Noble Consort Xian is very likely to miscarry.” As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Qing Tian loosened his grip, and Xiao Ting Zi fell to the ground with a thud, unable to get up. The person on the large bed in the sleeping quarters had already flashed out as if his backside were on fire, disappearing without a trace.
Xiao Ting Zi quickly got up and chased after him. The Emperor was still wearing his inner clothes and had a bandage on his head. If he went out like this, the imperial consorts would surely worry.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty.” Xiao Ting Zi chased after him. Ye Qing Tian, from behind, turned back and also rushed out, his movements so swift they seemed to stir up a gust of wind. Xiao Ting Zi was spun around, and by the time he stood still, panting, Ye Da Ren was nowhere to be seen. He quickly led his men to Jiaofang Palace.
Inside Jiaofang Palace.
There was a scene of wailing. Several busy figures were in the sleeping chambers, with basins of blood water being carried out. Several pale imperial physicians were prescribing medicine in the hall, while several other imperial consorts were silently shedding tears. Noble Consort Xian, Ye Yu Yun, had always treated these consorts very well, so these people were genuinely weeping.
Ye Yu Yun was weeping the most heartbreakingly, her eyes swollen red like peaches. She hadn’t expected to lose the child she had finally conceived. What exactly had happened? She thought of Noble Consort, who had come to visit her last night, and murmured in despair, “She must have tampered with it, she must have.”
Apart from the weeping, there was no other sound in the room. The imperial physicians had finished prescribing the medicine and asked the maids to fetch it from the imperial pharmacy. Then, they knelt down one by one, awaiting punishment. With such an incident, the Emperor would surely have them executed.
Shangguan Yao and Ye Qing Tian rushed in one after another, heading straight for the bed.
“Noble Consort Xian, is the child alright?” Shangguan Yao asked anxiously. Ye Yu Yun shook her head despairingly, her tears mingling with the shake of her head.
“Your Majesty, it’s gone, everything is gone. Why am I so unfortunate?” Hearing Ye Yu Yun’s words, Ye Qing Tian’s heart ached. Although Ye Yu Yun was the adopted daughter of the Ye family, she had been raised since childhood, and this girl was extremely filial, sharing a deep father-daughter bond with Ye Qing Tian. Seeing Ye Yu Yun’s grief now, he felt not only heartache but also anger, and said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, someone must have deliberately harmed the prince, otherwise, why would she miscarry so suddenly?”
Shangguan Yao’s whole body exuded a chilling aura. He only wanted to kill now. He turned to look at the three imperial physicians behind him and gritted his teeth, saying word by word, “What exactly happened? Was Noble Consort Xian poisoned?”
The three imperial physicians, seeing the pale and ferocious Emperor, shook their heads repeatedly in fear, “Your Majesty, we deserve to die. We cannot ascertain why the Noble Consort miscarried. There are no signs of poisoning.”
“No.” Ye Yu Yun cried out sharply, her face so pale that there wasn't a trace of blood. Looking at Shangguan Yao, tears streamed down her face, “Your Majesty, it must have been Noble Consort who poisoned me. She visited me last night.”
“Wasn’t anyone forbidden from visiting Ren Ke Ren?” Shangguan Yao suddenly roared, pointing at the palace maids in Jiaofang Palace, “What are you all doing? My decree was issued, yet it was useless. You all deserve to die. Today, you will all be buried with the little prince.”
Upon hearing this, the palace maids in the sleeping quarters all knelt down in unison, their pleas filling the air, “Your Majesty, spare our lives, Your Majesty, spare our lives.” Ye Yu Yun, hearing the Emperor’s words, couldn’t help but plead, “Your Majesty, you must catch the real culprit. What do these servants have to do with it?”
Shangguan Yao, having lost his child, lost all reason. With bloodshot eyes, he ordered outside, “Immediately bring Noble Consort from Zhaoyang Palace here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Xiao Ting Zi and the others rushed quickly to Zhaoyang Palace.
In the sleeping quarters, the crying continued. Ye Qing Tian, seeing how things had turned out, gently comforted Ye Yu Yun, “Yu Yun, you will have children again. Don’t cry and harm your health. His Majesty will see justice done for you.”
It was only then that Shangguan Yao noticed that Lord Ye had come over. He was subtly displeased. This was the sleeping quarters of an imperial consort, yet Lord Ye had entered. What kind of decorum was this? He knitted his brows and looked coldly at him, “Lord Ye, you should withdraw.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ye Qing Tian knew he had overstepped. If the Emperor were not his own son, he would have been in great trouble by now. He quickly retreated. Ye Yu Yun, seeing Ye Qing Tian leave, couldn’t help but call out, “Father.”
“It’s nothing, everything will be alright. Don’t be sad.” Ye Qing Tian said a few words and then retreated to wait outside the palace doors.
Ye Su Xue soon arrived at Jiaofang Palace with Yue Mei and others. The group walked grandly into the sleeping quarters. Except for Ye Su Xue, the others waited outside the palace doors. She was dressed in a hidden green silk gown, on which green leaves shimmered subtly, appearing fresh and captivating. As she moved, she was exceptionally graceful and charming. Her hair was styled in a simple Bi Yun bun, adorned with only a single jade tassel. As she moved, it was as if the branches swayed and shadows danced, making her exceptionally beautiful.