The sound of rain gradually diminished, the inner room was filled with dark fragrance, and the sound of needles were heard. After a while, Zhao Chengjun asked, "Doctor, how is the Shizi Consort?"
The imperial doctor retracted his hand, sighed, shook his head and said: "Return to the prince, the child is probably more than a month old, but cold is in her body, I am afraid she will not be able to keep it."
Zhang Momo sat next to Lu Yufei, covering her mouth in grief, and begged: "Imperial doctor, is there really no way? The Shizi Consort really wanted a child. You don't know how much she suffered to get pregnant. Now she finally got pregnant, yet the child can't be kept?"
"It can't be guaranteed." The imperial doctor curled his beard and shook his head slowly, "The Shizi Consort constantly took medicines to have a child. These medicines should not be taken indiscriminately, especially home remedies, many of which are false. The Shizi Consort took too much of these medicines and her body became cold. Today, she knelt down in the rain, and fell on the steps later. The cold entered her body completely. The baby cannot be saved. Even if the baby is stabilized with acupuncture, the baby is still unhealthy. The baby will most likely be a stillborn, after four or five months, the stillborn can no longer be removed safely. If it continues to stay in the mother's body, it will only be poisonous to her. At that time, you can only use medicine to induce labor, but it will cause more physical damage to the Shizi Consort and can potentially make the Shizi Consort infertile for the rest of her life."
When Zhang Momo heard this, she fell to the ground, completely dumbfounded. Tang Shishi sighed and asked: "Doctor, in your opinion, what is the best thing to do now?"
"Abortion with drugs, while the fetus is still small. The Shizi Consort is still young. Through this method, she can get pregnant again after a few years."
Tang Shishi felt embarrassed when she heard it. Today, two concubines had a false pregnancy. After arguing, the person who was really pregnant had a miscarriage. Not only a child was lost, but the wife cannot get pregnant for several years.
Zhao Zixun was the one who really didn't want his child to be born.
Zhao Chengjun was obviously also very angry. At this moment, in front of many people, Zhao Chengjun did not throw a fit and looked calm and composed. He said to the imperial doctor: "It is more important to save the Shizi Consort. Since the child can't be kept, please prescribe medicine."
The Imperial Doctor took the order and went out to write prescriptions. Zhang Momo let out a painful cry behind him, Zhao Chengjun glanced at them coldly, and said indifferently: "The Shizi Consort needs to rest, you all come to the side room with me."
Zhang Momo's cries stopped abruptly, everyone did not dare to not move, and moved to the side room with Zhao Chengjun. Zhao Chengjun sat in the top seat, Tang Shishi pulled up her skirt and sat beside Zhao Chengjun.
Zhao Chengjun stayed quiet, and first called a eunuch, and said: "Go and inform the Lu family. The Shizi Consort accidentally lost her baby. If they have time, they can come over to comfort her."
The eunuch took the order, bowed and left, disappearing into the rain and mist. After all the outside affairs were arranged, Zhao Chengjun was not hurried, his eyes swept across the people in the hall slowly: "You sure are doing a good job."
All the people oustide bowed their heads. Zhao Zixun stepped forward, and said, "Father, this son is at fault."
Zhao Chengjun was too lazy to ask Zhao Zixun where he was wrong. He repeatedly did this and he didn't change. Zhao Chengjun was already disappointed with Zhao Zixun. Zhao Chengjun spoke directly and said: "Go and search the yards of Li Zhi and Shi Liu. If there is anything wrong, give it to me."
Seeing that Zhao Chengjun was really angry, Liu Ji didn't dare to be careless, and personally stepped forward to take the order: "This slave obeys."
After Liu Ji left, the room fell into endless silence, and the atmosphere was heavy, almost overwhelming. Upon seeing this, Tang Shishi poured a cup of tea for Zhao Chengjun: "The prince should calm down and check the right and wrong slowly. Don't get angry."
Seeing that it was Tang Shishi, Zhao Chengjun's expression looked better. He took the tea in Tang Shishi's hand and asked, "Where is Zhao Zigao?"
"Asleep in the main courtyard." Tang Shishi said, "I let the two nannies and four maids take care of him."
Zhao Chengjun was relieved a little. The people were not aware, but the mention of Zhao Zigao can make Zhao Chengjun feel relaxed.
Soon, Liu Ji returned with someone. The little maid behind him was holding a lacquer box and a fragrant wooden box. Liu Ji opened one of them, took out the pills in it, and showed it to Zhao Chengjun: "Wangye, this was found in Li Zhi and Shi Liu's yards."
Zhao Chengjun glanced only once, and already knew what it was. He looked at Li Zhi and Shi Liu kneeling, and asked in a deep voice, "What is this?"
Li Zhi and Shi Liu knew they had caused a disaster. In the beginning, it was only the Shizi and the princess who came. No matter how big the trouble was, it was only a small disturbance. Who knew that the Shizi Consort had a miscarriage later, which completely disturbed the prince. The prince asked, so it was no longer a simple matter.
Shi Liu spoke first and said, "Replying to the prince, this is Nuanxiangwan, Ying'er gave it to me."
Li Zhi seemed to be taken aback, and looked at Shi Liu in surprise: "Ying'er gave it to you?"
When Shi Liu heard it, she was also surprised. Tang Shishi understood, and asked, "Both of these medicines were given to you by Ying'er privately, but you don't know that the other party has them, do you?"
"Yes. A few days ago, Ying'er went to this concubine and said that this is the secret recipe passed down from their ancestors. After eating, this concubine will be able to give birth to a son. This concubine wanted to be pregnant so she took it happily." Sang Ren, who was also kneeling confessed to Tang Shishi.
Shi Liu opened her mouth in shock: "She told me the same thing, and she said that she only gave to me."
"What?" Li Zhi muttered blankly. "She clearly said that this is their unique secret medicine and cannot be passed on. She only gave it to me."
"Concubines, this is not a secret recipe for childbirth." Liu Ji put the pills in the box, wiped his fingers with a handkerchief, and said, "Nuanxiang pills are forbidden drugs. After taking them, they can make people appear pregnant in a short time. Nausea, lethargy, etc., after taking it for a long time, it will cause menopause, and even the pulse will show pregnancy. This medicine is powerful, and even experienced doctors will misdiagnose them. The two concubines took this drug, and naturally the imperial doctor got it wrong."
Tang Shishi looked at the small white pill in surprise. She just guessed, but she didn't expect that this kind of medicine actually existed in the world.
Tang Shishi turned serious and asked, "Where does this medicine come from?"
Liu Ji replied: "This kind of medicine first appeared in the palace. Nuanxiang pills can make women show signs of pregnancy in the short term, but taking them for a long time will damage the woman's foundation and even lead to life-long infertility. Once women stop consuming the pill, the sign of pregnancy will disappear. Back then, many concubines used this to plant and frame others, and Nuanxiangwan was all the rage in the forbidden city. Later, when it was revealed, Emperor Jingzong was furious and vigorously rectified the court, and all the people involved were killed. After killing, this medicine gradually disappeared. Later, in order to protect royal blood, the palace was not allowed to mention Nuanxiang Pills. I did not expect that after 30 years, this medicine would appear in our mansion."
Emperor Jingzong was Zhao Chengjun's grandfather, a person who lived earlier than Empress Dowager Yao, no wonder Tang Shishi didn't know. Tang Shishi figured it out and asked Li Zhi: "Before you ate it, did you know what it was?"
"This concubine didn't know." Li Zhi wailed and wailed, "How dare this concubine deceive the Shizi? This concubine only thought it was medicine to have a child, and took it for a month. Later this concubine thought she was pregnant, so she stopped the medicine."
Li Zhi's explanation was reasonable. After taking Nuanxiang Pills, pregnancy symptoms would appear. Li Zhi mistakenly thought that she was pregnant, so she happily stopped the drug and waited for the child to arrive. Unexpectedly, after the drug was stopped, the pregnancy symptoms disappeared, and she was in menstruation again. This time Li Zhi panicked, and before she could figure out what to do, she was found out.
Then, it evolved into the current situation.
Tang Shishi raised her eyebrows and asked her, "Do you really know nothing? Ying Tao ran over to intercede with me, saying that you grew up with her and you are sisters. If you really believe that this is a medicine for a child, then this effective medicine, why don't you share it with your good sister?"
Li Zhi froze, kneeling on the ground.
Seeing Li Zhi's face, there is no need to wait for her to answer, Tang Shishi already understood.. Tang Shishi glanced at Ying Tao lightly and smiled vaguely: "They are really good sisters."
Ying Tao looked at the Li Zhi in shock, her eyes full of disbelief. Li Zhi collapsed, crying and crawling to Ying Tao's side, and grasping Ying Tao's hand hard: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Ying Tao. I just thought, Ying Tao you are smarter than me and prettier than me, and you can live very well even without children. Okay. But I can't, I only have this way..."
Ying Tao's face was pale, and she did not push away Li Zhi's hand, but she did not respond either. Tang Shishi sighed, she took apart a pair of tweed sisters again.
After getting the medicine for Li Zhi, out of selfishness, she secretly didn't tell anyone. She and Shi Liu thought this way, and they were perfectly trapped by others.
If Li Zhi was frank with Shi Liu, they could have figured out that Ying'er was lying to them.
Unfortunately, none of them did. This is the law of the jungle, whoever is exposed first will give the choice to others, so no one is willing to take the first step.
Tang Shishi sighed for a moment, immediately recovered mercilessly, and asked, "Where is Ying'er?"
The maids were embarrassed when they heard this. A maid ran out and asked, and when she came back, she whispered: "Wangfei, Ying'er caught the cold a few days ago and died of illness."
Tang Shishi raised her eyebrows. She unexpectedly died? After the maids mentioned this, Tang Shishi thought. She thought for a while and asked, "Is it the maid who died of illness two days ago? I remembered giving her twenty taels of silver for her pension, and her brother-in-law took her home. Is that her?"
The maid replied: "It is her. Because she died of illness, the head maid was afraid that her illness would spread, so she burned all her things. The rest of the clothes were given to her family."
Tang Shishi looked at Zhao Chengjun for help: "Wangye, the clue is broken, what do you think should be done?"
Zhao Chengjun sat and listened just now to what Tang Shishi asked. This is after all inner matters, and should be handled by Tang Shishi. As a result, Zhao Chengjun didn't feel relieved when Tang Shishi pulled him in this mess.
Zhao Chengjun sighed and resigned to his fate to clean up the mess. Zhao Chengjun put down the tea cup and said: "Nuanxiangwan is a thing of the palace, and it has been out of sight for 30 years. People who did not grow up in the palace will not know about it."
Tang Shishi thought about it, Ying'er's clue is broken, they can only change to another direction and continue to investigate. Apart from Zhou Shunhua, Ren Yujun and the others, the only palace beauty in the mansion from the capital was Tang Shishi. Zhao Chengjun would never give the medicine, and the only reasonable explanation is someone from the palace did it. Feng Qian is dead, Tang Shishi and Ji Xinxian were not from the capital originally. There was no chance to contact Nuanxiangwan. Growing up in the capital, only a few knew secrets about the palace, and the only people who had enough identities to come into contact with forbidden drugs such as Nuanxiangwan were Zhou Shunhua and Ren Yujun.
If Tang Shishi could figure it out, so did everyone else. Everyone started looking at Zhou Shunhua and Ren Yujun.
Ren Yujun stepped forward and said: "This concubine is innocent, and this concubine is willing to let the princess search her residence to prove her innocence."
Zhou Shunhua didn't have any fluctuations in her expression, and said calmly: "This concubine has a clear conscience. If the princess is in doubt, she can search my residence as well."
Both of them were righteous and awe-inspiring, but Tang Shishi hesitated. Zhou Shunhua dared to stand up and say, most likely to prove that she has cleaned up the traces. No matter how Tang Shishi investigates, no flaws can be found.
Tang Shishi didn't dare to order rashly. If nothing was found, how would she face them? Tang Shishi hesitated. At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the inner room, and it seemed that Lu Yufei was awake.
Tang Shishi heaved a sigh of relief, and went to see Lu Yufei as an excuse to drag the matter off.
She has to think again.
In the inner room, Lu Yufei woke up from the bed and immediately cried when she learned that her child was gone. Tang Shishi was sad as well, no matter how much she and Lu Yufei had grievances, as a mother, she couldn't hate Lu Yufei. The maid moved a round stool for Tang Shishi, and Tang Shishi sat on the bedside and persuaded, "Don't cry. A miscarriage hurts your body. If you don't take care of it now, you will be sick all over again. Think about your body."
(T/N: Lu Yufei doesn't deserve this TuT)
Lu Yufei didn't care who the person in front of her was. She held Tang Shishi's hand and cried: "He is gone. I have been looking forward to it for so long. I don't know if he is a boy or a girl. He is gone! I blame myself, I I should call the imperial doctor quickly..."
Lu Yufei was emotional, and Tang Shishi's hands hurt. Tang Shishi did not pull her hand and silently endured it. Tang Shishi suddenly thought, why would Lu Yufei blame herself? The only person to blame here is Zhao Zixun. (T/N: IK GO TO HELL ZHAO ZIXUN)
The Shizi Consort just had a miscarriage, so Tang Shishi could go in to comfort her, but the others could not. Zhao Chengjun stopped outside the screen. He saw Lu Yufei crying by the hand of Tang Shishi, crying for a long time not letting go. Zhao Chengjun narrowed his eyes and said to Zhao Zixun with a cold face: "The Shizi Consort has just lost her child. You, as her husband, should go in an comfort her. What are you doing here?"
Zhao Zixun didn't want to face Lu Yufei, but he had to obey. Zhao Zixun slowly entered the room. After Lu Yufei saw Zhao Zixun, she cried and made trouble again, but finally let go of Tang Shishi.
Tang Shishi took the opportunity to get out, walked outside the screen, and quietly asked Zhao Chengjun: "Wangye, what should I do next? Should I go search?"
Zhao Chengjun glanced at Tang Shishi and said, "They offered to search in front of you, yet you don't want to?"
"I know, but I don't dare." Tang Shishi was aggrieved. "It's easy to send someone to search their house, but if nothing is found, how will i deal with that?"
Zhao Chengjun lightly tapped the tip of Tang Shishi's nose: "Look at you for being so courageous. You are so fierce towards me, but you end up being like this in front of outsiders?"
Tang Shishi was still wronged. Zhao Chengjun sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, you can't do anything about it. Wait a minute, Liu Ji should be back soon."
Tang Shishi was surprised, and looked around, and found that there was indeed no figure of Liu Ji. After realizing it, Tang Shishi was surprised and said, "You sent him out to search while no one was paying attention? But, didn't you just say that the clue was broken?"
"Say it, do it." Zhao Chengjun picked up Tang Shishi's hand, saw that her wrist was pinched red, and rubbed it distressedly, "Ignorant people are really fearless."
Tang Shishi slowly remembered that Zhao Chengjun grew up in the palace but Zhou Shunhua had only been in the Forbidden City for three years, and Zhao Chengjun began to engage in palace fighting since he was born.
Even Empress Dowager Yao couldn't win against Zhao Chengjun. What was Zhou Shunhua's tricks in front of Zhao Chengjun?
Tang Shishi silently sighed. Fortunately, she didn't have the brain to engage in palace fighting. Otherwise, she would be scolded by Zhao Chengjun. Tang Shishi was about to ask what Zhao Chengjun asked Liu Ji to find, when Liu Ji came back.
"Wangye." Liu Ji entered the door, standing behind Zhao Chengjun with his hands hanging down, said, "This slave found something in Ying'er's room."
Liu Ji's voice was not loud, but the whole room was inexplicably quiet, and even Lu Yufei stopped crying and looked fixedly. Zhao Chengjun calmly asked, "What?"
Liu Ji took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, and when it was unfolded, it was a golden hairpin.
Many people saw the hairpin. Ren Yujun looked at the hairpin, then looked at Zhou Shunhua, and wondered: "Isn't this Sister Zhou's hairpin? I haven't seen Sister Zhou wearing it for a long time, and I thought it was lost. Why is the hairpin with Ying'er?"
Tang Shishi thought that she was really a good sister, Ren Yujun really stabbed Zhou Shunhua hard. Tang Shishi took advantage of the situation and asked: "Zhou Shunhua, is this yours?"
Zhou Shunhua's face was pale, and she did not look at Tang Shishi, but when she opened her mouth, her slightly trembling voice revealed her: "It's this concubine's."
"It turned out to be you." Tang Shishi said with a solemn face, righteously, "Did you secretly bribe Ying'er, drug Li Zhi and Shi Liu, and murdered the Shizi Consort's child?"
Zhou Shunhua immediately knelt down, with five fingers pointing at the heavens: "This concubine swears by her life, this concubine will never murder anyone!"
Zhou Shunhua did not expect Lu Yufei to have a miscarriage. Lu Yufei was pregnant but she didn't even know about it, so what else is there to talk about? At the beginning, Zhou Shunhua only wanted to harm the two stupid maids and provoke the relationship between Zhao Zixun and Lu Yufei, so that Lu Yufei would forever be ruined. How would she know that Lu Yufei was pregnant, and happened to have a fall and miscarriage?
As a result, Zhao Chengjun was alarmed, and everything became messed up. Zhou Shunhua watched everything get out of control, and in the end everything exceeded Zhou Shunhua's expectations. At first, Zhou Shunhua thought that since Ying'er was dead, there will be no evidence. Maybe Prince Jing wouldn't find out anything. However, she underestimated Prince Jing too much.
Political conspiracy can't deceive him, let alone the conspiracy of a concubine? The situation in the northwest is complicated. Zhao Chengjun faces threats every day, spies from different countries, treacherous ministers, etc.
Zhou Shunhua sweared to the heavens, but Zhao Chengjun does not take this trick. He said: "The traces of Nuanxiang Pills can be hidden, but the medicine for typhoid fever can't. That maid died of typhoid fever. If i check who last had contact with her, will you be innocent Concubine Zhou?"
Zhou Shunhua's face instantly turned pale, unable to speak. Obviously, Ying'er did not die naturally, and many things simply couldn't be said. Lu Yufei heard this from behind the screen. She was crazy, struggling to sit up from the bed, and shouted: "It was she who killed my child! It was her! Drag her out and beat her to death! She will pay for what she did to me and my child!"
Zhao Zixun's face changed drastically, and he walked out of the screen quickly, as if he wanted to ask for something: "Father..."
However, Zhao Chengjun was too lazy to listen. He just raised his hand and stopped Zhao Zixun's unfinished words. Zhao Chengjun's face was faint, as if he was dealing with an ant, and said softly: "Beat her with a stick."
"Father!" Zhao Zixun yelled out loud, but this time Zhao Chengjun did not give him a chance to hesitate. Liu Ji quickly waved and asked the eunuchs to pull Zhou Shunhua out.
When the eunuchs touched Zhou Shunhua's arm, Zhou Shunhua didn't know where her strength came from. She suddenly broke free, threw herself on the ground, raised her head and said sadly: "Asking the prince to spare me, this concubine is already pregnant with the flesh and blood of the Shizi, Can the prince ignore the flesh and blood of the Shizi?"
Everyone was stunned by this development. Tang Shishi was stunned for a moment and raised her eyebrows suspiciously: "Are you pregnant too?" (T/N: why tf is everyone pregnant)
Tang Shishi looked at Zhou Shunhua and Zhao Zixun again, her eyes very suspicious, Li Zhi and Shi Liu were pregnant, Lu Yufei was pregnant, now these three children are gone, and Zhou Shunhua has it again in the blink of an eye?
Was Zhao Zixun summoning all of them on the same day, why is the time so coincidental?
Obviously, not only Tang Shishi felt suspicious, but Zhao Chengjun and Lu Yufei also felt it was impossible. But after all, this is the woman of the Shizi. Liu Ji didn't dare to deadlift. He raised his head and looked at Zhao Chengjun solicitously: "Wangye, what do you think?"
Zhao Chengjun looked at the woman coldly and said, "Call the imperial doctor."
The imperial doctor had just left and was pulled back again. He hurriedly wiped the rain off his face, and after saluting, carefully pressed Zhou Shunhua's pulse.
The imperial physician has rich experience in practicing medicine, but this time, he pressed for a long time, but he scrunched his brows harder and harder. Zhao Chengjun already knew it, and asked: "What does the imperial doctor think?"
The imperial physician withdrew his hand and looked embarrassed: "This physician is incompetent that he can't make a diagnosis. Please find another doctor."
Zhang Momo asked anxiously: "Is it a happy pulse?"
"This..." The imperial physician twisted his eyebrows into one, and finally arched his hands, "I don't know. This doctor is not certain. After three months, this doctor can diagnose exactly."
Tang Shishi immediately thought of Nuan Xiang Wan. Nuanxiang pills are enough to be fool everyone, so that even experienced imperial doctors can't diagnose it. Tang Shishi looked at Zhou Shunhua with a sigh.
Regardless of her position, Zhou Shunhua is really a clever and ruthless woman. Zhou Shunhua had planned the whole thing in such a detailed manner, but just in case, she was so cruel that she even ate Nuanxiang Pills even though she knew it could cause infertility.
Facts proved that Zhou Shunhua's decision was right. If she hadn't drank the pill, she would be killed by the stick now. After all, the imperial physician is just a doctor not a god, and it is related to the descendants of the royal palace. Even if the imperial physician is 80% sure, he dare not make a decision that is not certain. If he gets it wrong, not only will Zhou Shunhua be killed but him as well.
Zhang Momo was quiet, and Lu Yufei yelled behind the screen: "She is not pregnant! She is not at all! How can it be so coincidental that she becomes pregnant when my child is killed?Wangye, Wangfei, please avenge my child!"
Lu Yufei's cries almost collapsed, but Zhao Zixun sullenly said, "Father, it's not easy to diagnose in the first month of pregnancy. She did something to Ying'er, and she really deserves to be punished, but Shunhua is already pregnant. If father insists on punishing her, I am afraid she won't be able to keep the child. I ask father to spare her this time for the sake of her unborn child."
Zhao Chengjun looked at Zhao Zixun quietly. Everyone can see that Zhou Shunhua is lying about her pregnancy, and Zhao Zixun rushes to kill several other women, but does his best to protect Zhou Shunhua. He was so confused about family matters, so how could Zhao Zixun handle disputes between royal relatives and parties in the future? (T/N: Exactly Exactly. Go to hell Zhao Zixun)
Zhao Chengjun was disappointed in his heart. In contrast, Zhou Shunhua was of little importance. Tang Shishi saw that Zhao Chengjun was in a bad mood. She spoke on her behalf and said: "A woman has a delicate belly and should not be beaten. Since Concubine Zhou said she is pregnant, we will keep her alive for the time being. After the baby is born, she will be killed."
Tang Shishi deliberately stressed the "born" word, she wanted to see if Zhou Shunhua could fool for a while, or if she could fool for a lifetime. It doesn't take ten months. After three months, the belly will get bigger. Tang Shishi will wait and see where Zhou Shunhua is going to get a pregnant belly.
Zhou Shunhua's expression remained unchanged, and she knocked her head to the ground and said calmly: "Thank you, Wangfei for your kindness."
Tang Shishi snorted, and said, "My words are final. You can live and rely on the child in your stomach. Nine months later, is this child is born safely. Then okay. If something goes wrong with the child... you know the consequences."
Zhou Shunhua's forehead was on the ground, and the coolness on the floor seemed to pass through her body, numbed her heart, and seeped into her voice: "I know."
Zhao Zixun watched Zhou Shunhua kneeling and felt distressed, and quickly let someone help Zhou Shunhua up. Lu Yufei saw this scene behind the screen, her heart was ashamed, and she rolled her eyes and fainted. (T/N: Lu Yufei...you poor woman. please please divorce Zhao Zixun for your own sake.)
"Shizi Consort...." Zhang Momo yelled in panic, making the people turn around. Zhao Chengjun shook his sleeves and left with a cold face. Tang Shishi sighed and said to Zhou Shunhua and Zhao Zixun, "Figure this out by yourselves."
After that, she put on her cloak and hurried away after Zhao Chengjun.