"What's happening here?"
Consort Yao pushed through the crowd and approached to see what was going on.
From a distance, Song Zhao saw Empress Shu's face pale, and the light blue bedding was stained with fresh blood.
Li, the concubine, covered her mouth and whispered to Song Zhao,
"With so much blood, I'm afraid the child won't survive."
Of course, there was no hope of saving the child.
Whenever there was even a glimmer of hope, the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau dared not administer any miscarriage-inducing medicine to Consort Shu.
As Consort Shu caused a commotion, the Empress, Consort Yun, and Consort Yin arrived one after another.
Consort Shu cried incessantly when she saw the Empress. "Empress Mother, they want to harm me! They want me to miscarry!"
The Empress held Consort Shu's hand, feeling the warmth and dampness.
With a slight glance, she saw that Consort Shu's palms were soaked in blood.
The Empress took a deep breath and said, "Don't be afraid. I am here, and no one can harm you."
Consort Shu's belly was in intense pain, causing her whole body to tremble.
The Empress asked Consort Yun and Consort Yin to stay by Consort Shu's side. Then she called the doctor responsible for protecting Consort Shu's pregnancy aside and asked in a low voice,
"What's the situation? How did this happen all of a sudden?"
The doctor was also frightened and could barely speak. "Replying to the Empress, when I received the news and rushed here, Consort Shu's pulse had already shown signs of weakness and miscarriage... and she was bleeding... The fetal movements in her abdomen are extremely weak. I'm afraid... it cannot be saved."
"Nonsense!" The Empress, who was usually dignified and calm, became angry. "Do you have multiple lives to joke about the matter of the imperial heir? Even if there is a glimmer of hope, we must find a way to save it!"
The doctor was speechless at the Empress's words and was about to kneel down and kowtow to her.
His previous words were already tactful enough, but anyone could see that with Consort Shu's severe bleeding, there was no reason to hope for the child's survival.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Following the voice, Song Zhao looked over and saw Xiao Jingheng and Consort Chen hurrying over, one after the other.
The concubines paid their respects, but Xiao Jingheng ignored them and went straight to check Consort Shu's condition.
Consort Chen leisurely walked into the hall, yawning as she passed by Song Zhao and lazily asked,
"What is she up to?"
Before Song Zhao could speak, Concubine Li preempted and said to Consort Chen, "Consort Chen, it seems that Consort Shu's pregnancy may not be viable."
Consort Chen clearly paused for a moment upon hearing this, then tiptoed a glance in Consort Shu's direction.
After seeing the bloodstains all over the bed, her legs went weak, causing her to stagger backward. Luckily, Ying Xiang followed closely behind and quickly supported her to stabilize her body.
"How... how could this happen?"
Consort Chen tightly held the collar of her robe over her chest, her gaze anxious as she looked at Consort Shu, who was going mad.
"Emperor! They want to harm me! They want to harm you and our child!"
Consort Shu clung to Xiao Jingheng, crying her heart out.
Xiao Jingheng embraced her shoulders, looking at the bloodstains covering the bed, his brows furrowing deeply.
He arrived with the judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau. After the judge diagnosed Consort Shu's condition, he knelt before Xiao Jingheng anxiously and sorrowfully said,
"Your Majesty... Please accept my condolences! The heir in Consort Shu's womb has passed away. If we don't remove the stillborn child soon, it could endanger Consort Shu's life!"
"No!!! My child!" Consort Shu cried until her voice became hoarse. The words she uttered felt like they were soaked in blood.
She tightly grasped Xiao Jingheng's arm, her emotions crumbling. "It's impossible, Your Majesty. Our child is fine, perfectly fine! You visited yesterday, and he kicked you from within my womb. How... How could they tell me that I lost my child?"
This scene before their eyes would move even the hardest of hearts.
Even Consort Chen, who was usually arrogant and domineering, turned away and wiped her tears in secret.
Back then, when she had a miscarriage after six months of pregnancy, she was just like Consort Shu today—desperate, helpless, feeling as if the sky above her head had collapsed.
Song Zhao glanced at Xiao Jingheng secretly. He saw that Xiao Jingheng's right hand was tightly clenched, his fist turning red, veins popping on his neck, and his expression was quite complex.
There was anger, sadness, and even a hint of pity towards Consort Shu.
But he was the Emperor, the ruler of the land. No matter how significant the matter was, he had to remain calm and composed, not revealing any signs of vulnerability.
Seeing that he just closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, Song Zhao quickly regained composure, gently stroked Consort Shu's shoulder, and said in a deep voice,
"What's most important now is to take care of your body. You're still young, and we will have children in the future."
"No! I want this child! Your Majesty, please save our child!"
Consort Shu went mad. She dug her fingers into Xiao Jingheng's hand, almost embedding her nails into his flesh.
Xiao Jingheng stiffly moved her hand away and coldly ordered the Imperial Medical Bureau, "Prepare the medicine for inducing abortion for Consort Shu."
In the end, the medicine that expelled the child was administered by Xiao Jingheng himself.
The medicine took effect quickly, causing Consort Shu immense pain, and her cries were heart-wrenching.
The physicians attended to her bedside, assisting with the delivery, while Xiao Jingheng and the other consorts waited for news in the main hall.
After such a major event, the palace maids in Zhongcui Palace knelt throughout the entire hall, their souls shaken, not daring to raise their heads.
Xiao Jingheng glanced at the crowd with a chilling gaze, continuously rubbing the thumb ring on his finger.
"How have you all been serving the Empress?" he asked.
Qing Yue, who was kneeling at the front, kowtowed twice and cried, "Since the Empress conceived, we have been wholeheartedly serving her. The Empress's health had always been good. But tonight, after having dinner, the Empress suddenly felt unwell. I helped her back to the bed for a short rest, and immediately sent someone to call for the Imperial Medical Bureau... But before the physicians arrived, the Empress started bleeding!"
"What did you all serve Consort Shu for dinner?" the Empress asked.
Qing Yue said, "Every day, the Empress's meals are arranged according to the prescribed menu from the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Imperial Food Management Bureau. To avoid any mishaps, three months ago, the meals stopped being delivered by the Imperial Food Management Bureau and instead, the Empress started cooking in the small kitchen within the palace.
For tonight's dinner, there are steamed pork ribs with millet, stir-fried shrimp with bamboo shoots, golden garlic-infused green leaf roots, steamed perch, and black chicken ginseng soup. These are all dishes that the Empress enjoys on a regular basis, and they have been prepared under close supervision, so there should be no issues."
"Should be?" Xiao Jingheng slammed the table in anger and sternly said, "Are you protecting the safety of your mistress and the Crown Prince with just a 'should be'? Guards! Summon the internal supervisors responsible for tasting the Empress's meals and have them thoroughly inspect the leftovers from Consort Shu's dinner tonight!"
