Chapter 169

On the way back to the study room of the Minister of State,

Jiang Deshun followed beside the imperial carriage, smiling obsequiously at Xiao Jingheng and saying:

"The Noble Consort Yi likes sour food. I'm thinking that this pregnancy will likely be another little prince. No wonder the smile hasn't left His Majesty's face during this entire journey. Just listening to this makes me share in the joy."

"Hahaha!" Xiao Jingheng laughed out loud. "Nonsense. Whether it's a prince or princess, I like them both."

He then instructed Jiang Deshun, "For the Noble Consort Yi's pregnancy this time, have Chu Imperial Physician personally take care of her. Order him later to check her pulse to ensure the safety of the pregnancy."

Jiang Deshun naturally understood Xiao Jingheng's meaning.

Chu Imperial Physician was the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau and was usually only responsible for the health of the Emperor, Empress and Grand Empress Dowager.

By having him take care of Song Zhao's pregnancy,

Xiao Jingheng wanted to protect the safety of Song Zhao and her child, and also intended to find out the gender early.

After Xiao Jingheng finished meeting with his ministers in the study room, thinking that he should accompany Song Zhao for dinner as promised, he was originally planning to go to Changle Palace. But before leaving, he casually asked:

"How is it? Did Chu Imperial Physician go take a look at the Noble Consort Yi? What did he say?"

"Well..." Jiang Deshun stammered, "Chu Chief Judge is...in Her Majesty the Empress's palace, and has no time."

"The Empress?" Xiao Jingheng asked in puzzlement. "Didn't Chu Imperial Physician just check her pulse a few days ago and say that she and the child were safe and sound?"

"Her Majesty the Empress had a recurrence of heart problems, so I summoned Chu Imperial Physician to diagnose and treat her."

"Foolish! Why was I just told about this now?"

Xiao Jingheng was clearly displeased. He hurriedly went with the imperial carriage to the Empress's palace first.

After entering Kunning Palace, he happened to run into Chu Chief Judge coming out of the Empress's bedroom. So he asked:

"How is the Empress?"

Chu Chief Judge saluted with folded hands, "This lowly one has just performed acupuncture on Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty is now much better. At this late stage of pregnancy, it is very taxing on her body. And Her Majesty also had a history of heart problems. It should have been well regulated during pregnancy and rarely flare up, but I'm afraid due to her many worries recently, it has relapsed."

He paused, and advised with some worry:

"I beg Your Majesty to advise Her Majesty not to worry too much about trivial matters, otherwise if her heart problems flare up again during childbirth, it could be fatal..." Xiao Jingheng knew what the Empress was worrying about.

She felt that Xiao Jingheng asking her to rest was marginalizing her. That was why she was mentally disturbed.

This matter was not difficult to resolve.

No matter what the Empress had done, she was the Queen of the inner palace, the birth mother of the Crown Prince. Xiao Jingheng's tolerance for her would naturally be greater than that for the average consort.

At that time, the Empress was leaning on the couch, with Shuang Ruo serving her medicine.

Seeing Xiao Jingheng arrive, she exclaimed in surprise and joy: "Your Majesty... Why have you come?"

She struggled to get up to greet Xiao Jingheng, but was pressed on the shoulder by him. "You are sick. Let us dispense with all these formalities."

He took the medicine bowl from Shuang Ruo's hand and started stirring the spoon to cool it down while asking,

"How do you feel now? Are you feeling a bit better?"

The Empress said: "It’s not a big problem, just my old illness acting up again. Making His Majesty leave court affairs to visit this servant is really my fault."

"You are my wife. If we continue talking like this, we will only grow further apart," Xiao Jingheng said.

He very carefully fed the Empress medicine and added, "Fenghuang Palace has been renovated again. I asked the Ministry of Works to add some more decorations that you like."

There were tears shimmering in the Empress's eyes. "This servant thanks His Majesty deeply."

Xiao Jingheng held her hand and gently patted the back,

"After you give birth, move back to Fenghuang Palace. At that time, if your health permits and you can spare some attention, you can continue managing the affairs of the inner palace. As the Queen, you are ultimately more justified than the Imperial Consort. It is just that during this period I see that pregnancy has been taxing on you, so I don't want you to worry."

Xiao Jingheng said this tactfully. He turned the punishment of sidelining the Empress into his deep, loving concern, and it was unclear whether the Empress could discern his true meaning. But the Empress seemed very receptive to it anyway, her expression much more cheerful than before.

That night, Xiao Jingheng naturally stayed to accompany the Empress, which voided Song Zhao's preparation of a table full of delicacies.

The next morning after Xiao Jingheng went to court, the Empress's face showed no signs of sickness and was instead radiant.

While she was having breakfast, Shuang Ruo came in to report:

"My lady, Zhao from the Cold Palace has gone mad."

"Oh?" The Empress paused briefly before continuing to drink her congee. "What madness is this?"

Shuang Ruo said: "The guards watching the Cold Palace said she is grieving madly for her child. Every day she hugs a piece of dead wood and wanders around the Cold Palace, hair disheveled and dirty. One moment crying, the next moment laughing. People are afraid she's ruined."

"What use is a mother's grief?" The Empress sneered and shook her head. "When she dies and goes down the road of the yellow springs, how will she have the face to meet the infant less than a month old that she killed with her own hands?"

Shuang Ruo jeered contemptuously:

"That's right! The little prince was originally healthy, with no diseases or disasters. For Consort Zhao to have aborted him herself? And attempting to frame the Noble Consort Yi to make His Majesty suspicious and alienate you from him? It's simply daydreaming of a madman!"

The day the Empress learned that Consort Shu was pregnant, she had asked Imperial Physician Zhang who confirmed Consort Shu’s pregnancy about her condition.

Imperial Physician Zhang said Consort Shu’s fetus was stable and healthy. But how could the Empress tolerate another woman in the inner palace giving birth before her?

The Empress recalled that after her grandmother passed away some time ago, she had shared drinks with Consort Shu several times. That was when Consort Shu was pregnant without realizing it.

So she asked Imperial Physician Zhang, "Consort Shu's pregnancy was nearly two months along when you diagnosed it. Both her and I were unaware then, and I drank excessively with her several times. Does that have no impact on the imperial heir? "

"Your Ladyship need not worry, there is no impact."

"Then make it have an impact."

The Empress' murmured words with gloomy eyes frightened Imperial Physician Zhang so much that his forehead was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

"What does Your Majesty the Empress mean by this?"

"Go tell Consort Shu that because she drank while pregnant early on, the fetus is weak and can be sustained at most seven months. And even if it's born prematurely, it will be a stillbirth that cannot survive."

Hearing this, Imperial Physician Zhang was so frightened that he knelt on the floor and kowtowed repeatedly to the Empress.

"If... if Consort Shu has other imperial physicians diagnose her, they will definitely see through this. Then I..."

The Empress raised her hand to cut him off and asserted firmly: "She won't. Do as I told you, and I will protect you. After this is done, the vacant position of Deputy Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau will be yours."

The Empress knew that if Imperial Physician Zhang really said those words to Consort Shu, then Consort Shu would definitely not let other physicians examine her. After all, one cannot be careless with the imperial heir, any mishap had to be reported to Xiao Jingheng.

Consort Shu would know the child could not be saved. She must be flustered first, trying every means to have Imperial Physician Zhang keep this secret. How would she go stir up more trouble?

Being pregnant, even if unable to give birth, could still be used to gain favor from Xiao Jingheng. Therefore, Consort Shu hid the matter the entire time.

When it was nearing the due date, Imperial Physician Zhang urged her repeatedly that the child would soon be unsavable, and carrying a dead fetus could very likely end with two lives lost.

Only then did Consort Shu painfully and reluctantly drink the aborted medicine, personally killing her originally safe and sound flesh and blood...

Afterwards, Consort Shu was afraid this matter would be uncovered, so she privately sent someone to silence Imperial Physician Zhang permanently. (Chapter 162)

That saves the Empress from having to get her hands dirty.

At this time, the Empress had finished breakfast. After rinsing her mouth, she was dabbing her lips with a handkerchief.

"For a mother to kill her unborn child with her own hands. Tsk tsk..."

She shook her head bitterly and sighed. Putting down the handkerchief, she took up a prayer bead and turned it while chanting "Amitabha".

"Amitabha, the heavy sins Zhao committed have led to her current tragic state, it is wholly her retribution."

Shuang Ruo agreed: "She's crazy now. The Cold Palace guards said she doesn't eat or drink, I estimate she doesn't have many days left."

The Empress' expression flickered. After silently pondering for a while, she suddenly sinisterly laughed.

"Before she dies, if she can accomplish something important for me, it will accumulate blessings for her in the afterlife."

Having said that, she beckoned Shuang Ruo over and whispered into her ear...