"Empress, you must... take care of yourself!"
"Your servant will take his leave!"
After saying this, Li Shengan left with his people.
The Empress was startled.
Is this... does the Emperor suspect me?
Yu Lan and Yu Fu exchanged glances, both at a loss for what to say. In fact, it was not just the Emperor. Now, probably the entire harem was suspecting the Empress. But... but this matter... Alas!
The Empress looked at them. Both kept their heads down, not uttering a word.
Suddenly, she stood up abruptly and slammed the table!
"What a clever scheme!"
I had no idea there was such a capable person in the harem!
Yu Lan stepped forward to console her. "Your Majesty, since they dared to make a move, they must have arranged everything thoroughly! The only thing we can do now is to remain unchanged in response to all changes!"
The Empress gave a cold laugh. "Rest assured! If someone wants to trip me, we cannot easily let them have their way!"
「...」
A brick covered with moss was found at the place where the Noble Consort had fallen. Upon investigation, it was determined that the brick had been moved there from somewhere else. This was no coincidence; it was a conspiracy!
Succession is a grave matter. Zhao Junyao was the Emperor; he could not possibly ignore it!
Those from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Jiaofang Hall, and even those on duty in the Imperial Garden—not one could escape. Anyone with even the slightest involvement was apprehended for interrogation.
For a time, not just the harem but the entire Imperial Palace was in a state of panic. But in the end, after two days of interrogation, nothing was discovered. The cells of the Punishment Department were full. One by one, they were beaten half to death, their screams of pain and cries of anguish shaking the skies. This was the first time even the Punishment Department had been worn down to such a state of helplessness!
Everyone seemed innocent, without a single clue to be found. Not even a suspect could be pinpointed!
Suspect the Empress? No one in the palace dared say it without ironclad evidence! Suspect the consorts who attended the banquet that night? That was even more out of the question. No one saw anything, and no one even left their seat that night. Who would dare fabricate such accusations?!
The truth was like flowers in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water, seemingly within sight but in reality, an empty illusion.
The Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed, and the Little Prince had recently been born. Yet, the mood in the palace turned as cold as ice. Wishing to avoid trouble, everyone simply stayed inside, huddled within their quarters. The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to a freezing point!
Zhao Junyao was in a foul mood after returning from court; he had no interest in reviewing petitions. With hands behind his back, he stood alone before the window, his brows tightly knitted, frosty as snow.
Li Shengan stood by with hands hanging down, daring not to breathe loudly. The air was permeated with a freezing chill, as if even time had solidified.
Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded from outside. Zhao Junyao seemed not to have heard. Li Shengan’s brows furrowed.
Looking out, he saw it was Little Zhuzi, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"You little rascal, have you no concern for your life? This is the Imperial Study Room!" scolded Li Shengan.
Little Zhuzi, not even pausing to wipe his sweat, gasped breathlessly, "Master... it’s... it’s not... not good..."
"The Little Prince... the Little Prince he... is... not... not well..."
Li Shengan quickly intervened. "What nonsense are you spouting, you little rascal? What’s not well? I, your master, am perfectly fine!" As he spoke, he hit him on the head with his whisk.
Little Zhuzi immediately knelt down, trembling as he spoke. "Master, it’s the Little Prince... hurry... hurry and see..."
Seeing his panicked expression, Li Shengan didn’t think he was lying. His heart sank with a heavy sense of dread.
"Wait while I go report this..."
With that, he took off running towards the Imperial Study Room!
Upon hearing the news, Zhao Junyao immediately frowned. "What exactly is wrong? Where is Zhang Baiji? Tell him to get to Xifu Palace immediately!"
Having spoken, he too headed towards Xifu Palace.
「Two days after the Little Prince was born, Xifu Palace was in turmoil again.」
Zhang Baiji had already arrived and was taking the pulse and applying acupuncture to the fainted Noble Concubine Shih. Three Wetnurse Nannies knelt on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. Ying Yue was wiping her tears as she faced the cradle holding the little infant.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
At the loud announcement, everyone knelt down in a dense crowd.
"Greetings to Your Majesty!"
"All of you, rise. What exactly has happened?"
No one on the ground dared to stand up, nor did anyone dare to answer.
"Zhang Baiji, you speak!"
As the Head Physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Zhang Baiji possessed remarkable composure. In most situations that would make other imperial physicians frantic, he could remain calm. But this time, before he even opened his mouth, his back was already soaked with sweat.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Little Prince... he..."
Zhao Junyao instinctively glanced at the cradle.
"The Little Prince... he appears to have contracted... the ’five softnesses’ syndrome..."
"What?!" Zhao Junyao’s gaze suddenly sharpened, mingled with an incredulous anger.
The people below felt as if a knife had been twisted in their hearts. Ying Yue began to sob softly, daring not to cry aloud.
The ’five softnesses’ syndrome, as its name implies, affects newborn infants: a soft head, soft neck, soft hands, soft feet, and soft muscles. It is commonly known as ’cerebral palsy.’