The palace doors opened and Mei Xin and Mo Chou saw their mistress emerge, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Just now, watching the eunuchs come and go, the imperial physicians, and seeing the princess, the two of them were afraid that the Emperor would blame their mistress.
Now, seeing their mistress unharmed, it meant the Emperor cared for her. Otherwise, for such a big matter, she would have definitely been punished.
“Let’s go back.”
Mu Qingyao waved her hand and led the way out. Mei Xin, with a fawning smile, said playfully, “Mistress, the Emperor really likes you, doesn’t he?”
Mu Qingyao glared at her coldly, “Have you been too idle lately? Do you want to go work in the laundry room and stretch your muscles?”
Mei Xin was immediately intimidated. Working in the laundry room, oh dear, within two months, her hands would definitely turn into onion rings, thick and ugly.
“Mistress, let’s go back,” Mei Xin acted obediently and led the way, guiding several palace maids back to Fengluan Palace.
That night, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and heavy rain poured. Jiuhua Palace was enveloped in a suffocating chill. The imperial physicians administered the medicine to induce abortion to the princess and waited outside her sleeping chambers.
In the middle of the night, the princess began to bleed, but the blood kept flowing without stopping. The imperial physicians were terrified. After re-examining her pulse, they discovered that the fetus was too large, and while the bloody fetus was expelled, the placenta had remained in the uterus.
This was a grave problem. If the placenta did not detach from the mother’s body, the bleeding might not stop, and the princess would not survive until dawn.
Inside the sleeping chambers, on the carved bedstead, Murong Ruoyin was covered in a cold sweat, occasionally letting out cries of pain, her dark hair stuck to her cheeks.
Beside her, the maid Jin Qin cried out, “Princess, Princess, quickly, imperial physicians! The princess is dying, please do something!”
Imperial Physician Wang was sweating profusely, fearing that something would happen, and now that something had indeed happened, what could be done?
“Quickly send someone to inform the Empress Dowager?”
Imperial Physician Wang, being older, knew that no one dared to take responsibility for this matter, so he urged Jin Qin to send someone to Guangyang Palace to inform the Empress Dowager.
“Yes, this servant will immediately send someone,” Jin Qin immediately rushed outside the screen and instructed the palace maids guarding outside to inform the Empress Dowager. The princess was in danger, and no one dared to delay. Braving the wind and rain, she ran into Guangyang Palace to inform the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager soon arrived. Although she was inwardly angry at Ruoyin’s fecklessness, Ruoyin was, after all, her own child.
Seeing her life hanging by a thread, the Empress Dowager’s heart ached, and tears streamed down her face. She held Ruoyin’s hand tightly, “Ruoyin, don’t scare your mother, don’t scare your mother.”
The Empress Dowager saw that Ruoyin’s consciousness was already fading and she seemed to be on the verge of death. The piercing pain made her regret it; if she had known it would turn out like this, she would have let her give birth. If anything happened to Ruoyin, she would be heartbroken to death.
“Imperial physicians, imperial physicians, what’s happening? Quickly prescribe medicine for the princess!”
The Empress Dowager commanded fiercely. Imperial Physician Wang quickly stepped forward to report:
“Your Highness, the princess’s bloody fetus has been expelled, but the placenta is still attached to the mother’s body. Now, we can only increase the dosage of the medicine. If that is the case, I fear the princess will never be able to bear children again.”
“Unable to bear children?” The Empress Dowager was stunned. She knew very well what this meant for a woman.
A woman’s status depended on her children. If a woman couldn’t even give birth, whom could she rely on in her life? However, if the placenta wasn’t expelled, Ruoyin would die. The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth, unable to think of anything else.
“Prescribe the medicine immediately. Never mind the future; saving her life is the priority right now.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Imperial Physician Wang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took the order to prepare the medicine. Jin Qin followed him to fetch the herbs.
In the sleeping chambers, the Empress Dowager tightly held Ruoyin’s hand, cradling her in her arms, crying as she spoke:
“Ruoyin, it’s my fault, Mother shouldn’t have let you suffer like this.” The usually strong Empress Dowager felt a surge of pain, her eyes filling with tears, blaming herself immensely.
“Ruoyin, you must hold on. It’s all that woman’s fault for causing us this suffering. I will never let her off. You can rest assured, although that person protects her immensely, one day, your Imperial Brother will overthrow him. At that time, you and I will be the most noble women in the world. Ruoyin, do you hear your mother?”
The Empress Dowager kept talking, holding Ruoyin’s hand tightly, fearing that she would let go and die, her heart filled with panic.
Half an hour later, Jin Qin brought the prepared medicine and helped the princess swallow it.
Silence fell upon the sleeping chambers. The Empress Dowager’s face was filled with heartache and weariness as she stayed by her daughter’s side, never leaving. Outside the window, the wind, rain, and thunder continued, lasting the entire night.
As dawn approached, the placenta was finally expelled, the bleeding stopped, and Ruoyin had lost most of her vitality, and would henceforth be unable to bear children.
The Empress Dowager thought about this. If the news reached Ruoyin’s ears, she would likely be disheartened. Therefore, she issued a decree: “No one is to speak of this matter. If the princess finds out, none of you will live.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the few palace maids in the sleeping chambers responded cautiously. Having lived in the palace for many years, everyone knew the rules: one could eat more, but speak less, otherwise, they would bring about their own death.
Princess Ruoyin’s abortion was a secret kept by the imperial family. Anyone who knew about it dared not leak it; it was simply courting death.
The Emperor issued an edict ordering the Directorate of Astronomy to select a propitious date. Originally, it was Prince Beijin’s day, but now it had become the princess’s wedding day first.
Ruoyin was confined to Jiuhua Palace, and it was impossible for her to come out. Even if she was unwilling, she could do nothing.
Although the Empress Dowager felt sorry for her, she did not object to the Emperor’s decision regarding this marriage.
The palace seemed to be truly calm, but Mu Qingyao knew that the calm before the storm was always so profound.
Some things were lurking, some things were waiting.
Those who operated in the shadows and in the dark night always preferred to do so.
The moonlight was like silk, enveloping the entire Prince Beijin’s mansion. Between the corridors and painted pillars, red silk streamers were everywhere, a shocking red.
After the princess’s grand wedding, it would be Prince Beijin’s turn to marry. The entire mansion had been meticulously prepared, awaiting the wedding day.
In his simple study, Prince Beijin, Murong Liu Mo, was reading a book, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused, flickering uncertainly.
In a short while, a woman would enter his space. That woman was likely no ordinary person, but possibly a pawn controlled by someone. Therefore, he had to be even more careful in his actions from now on.
As Prince Beijin was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door, and then the door was pushed open. Steward Ning walked in first. Murong Liu Mo’s eyes held a hint of depth.
This Steward Ning was becoming more and more impertinent. Just as he was about to reprimand him, Steward Ning stepped aside, and a person in a black robe and black cloak emerged. As the person stepped out, they removed the black cloak from their head, revealing a noble and resplendent face.