Chapter 36: Consort Shen’s Unjust Calamity

Consort Yu lost her child, and the Empress, who had been holding in her resentment for years, felt half her pent-up anger dissipate in a single day. She was in quite a good mood.

Zhaohua Palace hadn’t seen such a commotion in a long time.

When Consort Yu was about to leave, she was supposed to perform a formal salute. Shen Qing didn’t want to draw any bad luck to herself at such a moment, but fortunately, Consort Yu no longer had the heart to pay her any attention. As she watched the woman leave in her soft sedan chair, it became clear that this matter no longer concerned Shen Qing.

Seeing that Consort Yu had left, Chunhua quickly called for Fangyun, and the two of them together changed every bed sheet and quilt that could be replaced in the inner chamber.

It was the first time Chunhua and Fangyun had witnessed such a scene, and they were still a little shaken.

Shen Qing offered a few words of comfort. “It has nothing to do with us. They just happened to use Zhaohua Palace. There’s no way anyone could claim I caused her miscarriage. You two don’t need to worry about it.”

Chunhua nodded. “We understand, but since Consort Yu miscarried here, it’s considered unlucky. I’ll use the incense burner to fumigate the room and have everything cleaned again, just in case.”

“Good.”

Shen Qing thought over the matter. She had long known that Consort Yu wouldn’t be able to keep the child, but she still found the situation strange. Was it really just a simple fall?

She suspected there was a conspiracy involved—though it was only a hunch.

And if anyone gained the most from Consort Yu losing the child, it would be the Empress. But then again, in the harem, who wasn’t capable of scheming?

If Consort Yu had any sense, she would probably start investigating.

Shen Qing thought: Let her investigate however she wants. It has nothing to do with me. I was just unlucky to be the one present when she had her miscarriage here. Still, to prevent any mishaps, she had Chunhua and the others thoroughly search every corner of Zhaohua Palace. As long as nothing suspicious or incriminating turned up, she could wash her hands of it.

That was still her mindset now—this matter must not touch her. Given Consort Yu’s explosive temper and tendency to punish people at will, getting caught up in this could be fatal.

Shen Qing knew how dangerous it would be to get involved. Yet fate played a cruel joke, and someone really did get implicated—and it wasn’t the Empress.

The first thing Consort Yu investigated was her own statement that she felt like she had stepped on something at the time of her fall.

She really had stepped on something. In the chaos that followed, no one had cleaned the imperial garden. But when Wenqiu looked into it, they actually found something.

It turned out that Consort Yu had stepped on a pearl.

How could a pearl appear out of nowhere in the imperial garden?

Eventually, it was traced back to a few days earlier, when Consort Shen had visited the garden wearing a pearl bracelet that had suddenly snapped for some reason.

When Consort Yu heard this, she nearly coughed up blood.

A few days ago, Consort Shen’s bracelet broke, and one of the palace maids failed to pick up every bead. One lone pearl remained—and that was the very one she had stepped on!

This wasn’t exactly Consort Shen’s fault, but having just lost her child, Consort Yu was filled with rage and resentment—and now, she had an outlet.

She couldn’t help but think: If it hadn’t been for that one pearl from Consort Shen, how could she have fallen?

And if she hadn’t fallen, how would she have lost her child?

Of course, her investigation didn’t stop there.

Once Consort Yu began digging, the operation was extensive. Everything in Zhongyu Palace—from the furnishings to the servants—was scrutinized. In the end, they actually did find something suspicious.

Consort Yu’s prenatal medicine had been tampered with.

There were no traces of the used herbs left, but the medicine pot was still there. Suspecting foul play, Consort Yu had the lid preserved.

She even summoned several imperial physicians separately to identify it.

Under her intimidation and persuasion, the physicians finally admitted that the medicine pot’s lid carried the scent of zhuhuangcao—a herb not included in the original prescription.

That changed everything. Even Emperor Xuanyuan Ling was alarmed.

If Consort Yu had merely lost the child from a fall, he might not have cared much. But if someone had intentionally harmed her—he was not one to tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes.

This was the first time Consort Yu had seen the Emperor since the miscarriage, and tears welled up in her eyes immediately.

Though he had never liked her domineering nature in the past, seeing her now so pitiful, he couldn’t bring himself to scold her. “Rest well. If someone is truly behind this, I will see justice done for you.”

Consort Yu’s heart melted. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling ordered Zhao Hai to investigate. That meant tracing the medicine’s entire chain of custody—who handled it, who touched it—everyone was interrogated. Even those closest to Consort Yu weren’t spared.

When the Empress received news of this, her face turned ashen. She shot a sharp look at Jinzhi.

Jinzhi immediately knelt, her face full of regret. “Each time I had the medicine residue disposed of, I left the medicine pot alone because it belonged to Consort Yu’s palace and was too conspicuous to risk smashing. I didn’t expect that would be the weak point.”

“What about the other areas? Any other loose ends?”

Jinzhi replied, “The servant who handled the medicine has already been replaced and taken care of. The physician’s family has been warned—they won’t dare speak a word.”

According to regulations, the Empress was responsible for all harem affairs. If something went wrong, she bore responsibility too.

So, upon hearing the news, the Empress immediately went to Zhongyu Palace.

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling looked at her with a cold face. “I’ve already sent Zhao Hai to investigate. Since you’re here, wait for the result.”

The Empress nodded and sat down quietly. She looked at Consort Yu and sighed, saying, “Sister Yu, don’t worry. His Majesty is here—justice will be done. For someone to be so malicious and harm an imperial heir, I won’t let them off lightly either.”

Consort Yu sneered, “Then I must thank Your Majesty for standing up for me.”

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling was irritated by the veiled barbs in her words.

Soon, Zhao Hai returned and reported, “Your Majesty, this servant has questioned every palace servant who came into contact with Consort Yu’s prenatal medicine. However, one young apothecary from the pharmacy had suddenly gone missing. We eventually found his body in a dry well in the Cold Palace. He’s dead. In his quarters, we discovered written curses directed at Consort Yu.”

Zhao Hai handed the papers to the Emperor.

They described how Consort Yu had once punished the apothecary’s sister over a minor matter, leading to her death. Out of revenge, he had secretly laced her medicine to cause a miscarriage.

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling flung the papers in front of Consort Yu. “Read it yourself.”

After reading it, Consort Yu was shaken. “Your Majesty, I didn’t…”

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling took a deep breath. “This matter ends here. All your attendants, for their carelessness, are to be flogged.”

Consort Yu’s servants immediately prostrated themselves, their foreheads to the ground.

Even though Consort Yu believed the Empress was behind it all, Emperor Xuanyuan Ling had already made a ruling, and the main culprit was dead. No further investigation would bear fruit. She could say no more.

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling left Zhongyu Palace with a dark expression.

The accused was dead. Without a witness, there was no way to get to the bottom of it.

How could a mere apothecary evade all the palace checks and smuggle in poisoned medicine?

Think of it another way—who in the harem hated Consort Yu, yet had the means and reach to pull off something like this?

The newly entered concubines might bear resentment, but they lacked the power and influence.

Then, there was only one person who didn’t want to see Consort Yu bear a child.

The Empress—