A faint fragrance wafted into the palace as An Xiang slowly bowed to Shangguan Yao.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Ye Suxue, how dare you harm the prince."
Shangguan Yao slammed the imperial table and stood up in anger. The chilling aura surrounding him filled the sleeping quarters with cold, and everyone present lowered their heads in fear, not daring to utter a sound. Only Ye Yuyun, lying on the bed, pointed at Ye Suxue with grief and indignation.
"Why did you harm my child?"
"When one wants to accuse, one need not lack a reason. Suxue would like to ask, what do Your Majesty and Consort Xian mean? Do you think my Ye family has no one left, thus you wish to bully us? Or do you wish to eliminate Ye Suxue? If so, please hand me over to the Ministry of Justice."
Ye Suxue was composed and distant, her face unwavering, a faint smile on her lips. Her demeanor was so upright and solemn, as if she were truly guiltless.
"Why did you enter Jiaofang Palace yesterday?"
"You must have harmed my child!"
Ye Yuyun pointed at Ye Suxue, who replied neither subserviently nor arrogantly, "Consort Xian, who exactly is trying to harm whom? I have always been on good terms with my sister, Consort Xian, and we often visit each other. Moreover, I have never heard of you being pregnant. How can you now falsely accuse me of harming your child?"
Shangguan Yao's expression faltered. Indeed, the news of Consort Xian's pregnancy had not yet spread. How could Ye Suxue know about it and wish to harm her?
Ye Yuyun also froze. At this moment, Ye Suxue continued.
"Yesterday, when I came to Jiaofang Palace, apart from bringing a young maid and drinking a cup of tea from my sister, did I do anything else? Or tamper with anything? If that were the case, the imperial physicians should have discovered it, shouldn't they?"
Shangguan Yao was startled again, gazing at Ye Suxue. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, shrouded in mist, making his thoughts impossible to discern.
Ye Suxue paid him no mind and turned to leave. "Very well, since Your Majesty and Consort Xian believe me to be the culprit who poisoned the little prince, I shall go to the Ministry of Justice for trial. You must at least provide an explanation."
She took the initiative and truly began to walk away.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yao's expression turned grim. Regardless of whether this woman had done it, her confidence suggested she had a reason.
Either she was innocent, or she had left no trace. In either case, the Ministry of Justice could not be involved, as there had been too many incidents recently.
"Return to Zhaoyang Palace."
As Shangguan Yao spoke, Consort Xian Ye Yuyun's eyes reddened. She had no proof, but she knew with certainty that this woman had caused her miscarriage. She couldn't believe this woman was unscathed. The more she thought about it, the more distressed she became.
Only Ye Suxue calmly turned back to thank the Emperor and led her entourage away.
In the sleeping quarters, Shangguan Yao's face darkened with rage. He hadn't even been able to handle Leng Yue's grievances, and now he couldn't even manage a mere consort. In his anger, he swept his hand, shattering a white jade tea caddy beside him, and loudly commanded, "Guards! Three imperial physicians were incompetent and caused Consort Xian's miscarriage. Execute them."
Upon hearing this, the three imperial physicians fainted. Guards who had rushed in from outside the palace doors swiftly dragged the three away.
Inside the sleeping quarters, Ye Yuyun, hearing such a bloody decree and having cried profusely earlier, directly fainted. The other consorts wept softly.
The palace maids pleaded for mercy repeatedly.
Shangguan Yao waved his hand, his face grim, and stood up. "All the servants in Jiaofang Palace shall receive twenty strokes of the plank."
With that, he cast no further glance at the grand sleeping quarters and rushed out. Within the chambers, cries of sorrow, pleas for mercy, and calls for help erupted, forming a cacophony. Someone shouted towards the outside, "Guards, summon the imperial physicians!"
Someone immediately ran to the Imperial Hospital to summon physicians. Lord Ye Qingtian had been guarding the door and only left the palace with a heavy heart after ensuring Consort Xian was unharmed.
The news of Consort Xian's miscarriage only reached Changxin Palace at the very end.
Changxin Palace was no longer what it used to be; it was completely isolated.
The Empress Dowager lay in bed. Although her condition had improved slightly in the past two days, she paid no attention to external affairs. Upon hearing Ping An's report that Ye Qingtian had stationed guards in Changxin Palace, she was too listless to say another word.
She knew in her heart that Ye Qingtian was protecting the Emperor and was quite displeased that she refused to hand over Yao'er.
Since she refused to hand him over, she did not speak much. The Emperor did not even come to visit her while she was ill, which was enough to show that the two of them were united. Why should she stir up more trouble?
Because of the Empress Dowager's silence, it became difficult for people to enter and exit Changxin Palace. Eventually, everyone became unwilling to go out.
However, even in a large palace, some small pieces of news would always filter in.
By the time the Empress Dowager learned of Consort Xian's miscarriage, it was already evening.
Ping An, while attending to her, spoke softly, "Your Highness, I didn't expect Consort Xian to be pregnant."
"Mmm," the Empress Dowager slightly closed her eyes, still not feeling entirely well, and merely responded with a sound, making no further movement.
Ping An did not know how to continue the conversation and fell silent, trimming the Empress Dowager's fingernails.
The sleeping quarters had become somewhat cold. A young palace maid added a brazier to the hall, and the air was filled with a gentle warmth. Outside, however, it was deep autumn. A cold wind blew, and a layer of frost formed on the window lattice, appearing faintly beautiful under the lamplight.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has been forcefully cultivating his inner energy again these past two days. Perhaps Your Highness could give the antidote to the Crown Prince?"
"Ping An?"
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and opened her eyes, filled with displeasure. She glared at Ping An, deeming her meddlesome. "Do your duty, and I know what I should do."
If she gave the antidote to Yao'er, with his powerful martial arts, they might not be able to control him. Therefore, it was better to wait.
If he were willing to hand over the Jade Dragon Talisman, she would immediately give him the antidote and send him out of the palace.
"This servant deserves to die." Ping An nodded obediently while looking up at the Empress Dowager. Seeing the Empress Dowager's peripheral gaze sweep to the side, she silently made a mental note to search carefully for the antidote at a later time when she had the opportunity.
However, she remained impassive at the moment.
"Is Your Highness hungry? Shall this servant prepare some dinner?"
"Fine, prepare some. Although I have no appetite, if I don't eat, I fear I won't have the strength to hold on."
The Empress Dowager nodded. Ping An beckoned a young palace maid beside her to attend to the Empress Dowager and walked out to prepare dinner.
In the sleeping quarters, the young palace maid knelt on the low couch by the bed, gently patting the Empress Dowager's legs.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, and the surroundings were silent, save for the occasional crackle of the lamp wick in the palace lantern, emitting a slight sizzling sound. The dancing light and shadow traced faint marks on the wall.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached, steady and restrained.
Hearing these footsteps, a hint of warmth flashed across the Empress Dowager's face, but her body remained still, leaning against the couch.
The person who walked in was Grand Tutor Ye Qingtian. He slowly surveyed the person on the bed, her face pale. After two days of recuperation, her complexion had improved somewhat.
Ye Qingtian let out a slight sigh of relief and waved his hand, signaling the young palace maid who had been massaging the Empress Dowager's legs to leave. The others also exited in an orderly fashion.