One would expect everyone to take a look at the infant in the swaddling clothes, but Nanny Li had covered the child's face and body so tightly that it seemed as if she feared the timid concubines would have nightmares after seeing it.
Fen Yun stepped back two paces and circled behind Nanny Li. Taking advantage of Empress Zhu's obstruction, she reached out to pull at the prince's swaddling clothes.
With a swift "swoosh," Nanny Li reacted quickly, clutching the little prince tightly in her arms, but the fabric covering the top of the swaddling was still pulled away.
When Fen Yun saw the condition of the little prince inside, her face turned pale with fright. She let out a scream and fell backward onto the ground.
Quickly regaining her composure, she scrambled up and knelt down, pleading, "Your Majesty, spare me! This slave did not mean to do it."
All the concubines present had seen it too, but they managed to stifle their screams in their throats, not daring to cry out.
Consort Shu... had given birth to a monster!
They had all seen it, and naturally, so had the Xuanwu Emperor. Any paternal affection in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by horror and anger.
"Wang Dequan, there's no need to bury him in the Imperial Prince's Tomb. Just have him enshrined at Sheng'an Temple."
Many wealthy families with children who died young would typically cremate their bodies and place them in temples to receive incense offerings, hoping for a better rebirth in the next life.
However, the little prince was of royal blood. If he couldn't be buried in the Imperial Prince's Tomb, it was tantamount to stripping him of his princely status.
Wang Dequan immediately understood. The Emperor also believed that Consort Shu had given birth to a monster and feared that burying him in the Imperial Prince's Tomb would frighten the other young princes and the late crown prince who were interred in the imperial mausoleum.
Moreover, the Emperor feared that after his own passing, he would have to face such a "monster" in the afterlife.
In the entire room, only Lianxin felt pity for Consort Shu. Everyone else found the situation ominous, and by association, they began to view Consort Shu as strange and frightening.
To make matters worse, after the palace maids had tidied up Consort Shu, Female Doctor Bai deliberately exposed her ghostly face. When the Xuanwu Emperor saw her disheveled appearance, drenched in sweat, he nearly vomited from disgust.
Jiang Xinyue changed into comfortable sleeping attire and lay on the bed. The cool mat beneath her had been chilled to perfection by the palace servants using ice buckets – neither too cold nor too hot, just right.
Beside her, Shuang Jiang was fanning her gently. With the soft breeze, she was almost drifting off to sleep.
A commotion of footsteps arose and quickly faded away. Jiang Xinyue opened her eyes, which sparkled like rippling water, and asked, "Has Consort Shu returned?"
Outside the room, Xiao Xuanzi entered carrying a bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage. "My Lady, the Emperor has ordered Consort Shu to be carried back to Kunning Palace."
At least he acted humane this time, not allowing Consort Shu to continue tormenting her ears.
If the Xuanwu Emperor had been concerned about Consort Shu's health and didn't want her to move unnecessarily, letting her stay in Hexi Palace to recover, Jiang Xinyue could almost imagine how Consort Shu would have used the dangers of her childbirth to frighten her in the coming days.
Those with strong hearts might be able to endure it, but it would certainly intensify their anxiety. Those of a more timid nature might even prefer a miscarriage to giving birth.
It could become a lifelong shadow.
Fortunately, Jiang Xinyue wasn't truly a woman of the Great Yan Dynasty; otherwise, she would have been terrified.
Suddenly, another set of footsteps sounded at the door. Jiang Xinyue quickly poured the miscarriage prevention medicine into a nearby vase, covered herself with a thin silk blanket, and pretended to be asleep.
"This slave pays respects to Empress."
"Where is Concubine Zhen? Was she frightened today?"
"In response to Empress, she was indeed quite scared. When His Majesty arrived, Concubine Zhen had already fainted. His Majesty had Imperial Physician Yan prepare some medicine to prevent miscarriage. Our Lady has taken the medicine and is now asleep."
Despite saying this, there was no indication of any intention to open the door.
Consort Liang, who was already holding back her anger, felt a surge of rage when she saw this dog of a slave still making excuses.
"Slap!"
Jiang Chuan was stunned by the sudden slap. In his year and more of serving Concubine Zhen, he had never even been scolded, let alone slapped.
But he didn't feel that Consort Liang's slap was unwarranted, despite Concubine Zhen's kind treatment. He was a slave, after all, and it was perfectly normal for masters to hit their slaves.
Besides, he had blocked the Empress several times already and was prepared to be struck.
He knelt on the ground, pressing his forehead to the floor. "Please calm your anger, Consort Liang. His Majesty specifically instructed us to take good care of Concubine Zhen and not let her be troubled further. This slave truly dares not go against His Majesty's wishes."
What's the point of showing off your power to a slave like me? If you have the courage, go tell it to the Emperor.
"You..."
The dog slave dared to use the Emperor to pressure her. Consort Liang grew even angrier, but with Jiang Chuan kneeling, she couldn't slap him again. She could only kick him. "I'll let you off this time, you dog slave. If you dare disrespect the Empress again, I'll have you skinned alive."
Jiang Chuan rolled on the ground, then crawled back up to his knees.
Xi Que, peeking through the door crack, clenched her fists and complained as she walked to Jiang Xinyue's bedside, "This Consort Liang is too much! She usually calls our Lady 'sister,' but now that our Lady is favored, she's the first to turn against her. What is she thinking?"
Shuang Jiang replied, "What else could she be thinking? She only wants our Lady to be worse off than her, not better!"
"Enough."
Seeing that things had gone far enough and that she now had a way to bow out, Empress Zhu held Consort Liang back and said, "Concubine Zhen is unwell, and she's not intentionally refusing to see me. Don't make things difficult for the servants."
"Hypocrite!" Xi Que spat. "Why didn't she say this earlier? She only speaks up after Jiang Chuan was beaten. She just wants to look good."
After Empress Zhu left with her entourage, Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang emerged from the inner chamber. They pulled Jiang Chuan close, examining him from all angles and smelling his clothes.
Nanny Li's face changed dramatically. "Quickly, go change your clothes. Someone has sprinkled something unclean on you."
The smell alone wasn't poisonous, but if it mixed with the miscarriage prevention medicine Concubine Zhen was drinking, it could cause a miscarriage.
Nanny Li had seen many such vicious tricks in the late Emperor's harem, but she never expected someone would use them on Concubine Zhen.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan hastily retreated several steps, only daring to turn and run back to his own room to change clothes when he was far from the door.
After everything had been dealt with, Jiang Chuan returned with a large bump on his head, and Jiang Xinyue felt her mood sour once again.
In front of Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang, she directly lost her temper: "No wonder Consort Liang came to see me earlier, saying that the Emperor wanted to bestow the title of consort upon me. It seems the Empress has already told her that she will be made the Noble Consort, which is why she dares to treat me like this. If she really becomes the first among the four consorts, will I have any good days left?"
Xi Que immediately understood that her mistress was putting on an act again, and promptly played along: "They say one shouldn't hit someone's face, but Consort Liang hitting Jiang Chuan's face isn't that the same as hitting your face, my lady? My lady... the Emperor dotes on you so much, couldn't you ask him not to make Consort Liang the first among the four consorts? Even Consort De would be better!"
