Dethroned the Crown Princess? Then she became your mother

Murong Shuo's eyes were fixed on Nanny Qin who was rushing over, and his brows were slightly furrowed. "Why are you so anxious?"

Nanny Qin paused, lowered her head, and her voice trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, there are rumors that Concubine Liang has disappeared in the garden, or even... burned to death. This has reached the ears of the Empress Dowager."

Murong Shuo, upon hearing this, keenly grasped the key point: "How did the Queen Mother know?" In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, the first of which was to track down the person who spread the rumor. At this point, he no longer had any intention of concealing it.

Nanny Qin cautiously raised her eyes to the emperor, her eyes filled with awe. "The Empress Dowager heard about this matter from someone and immediately sent me to inquire about it. The Empress Dowager was filled with doubts and could not believe that Concubine Liang would suffer such a misfortune, not to mention..." She paused, her tone filled with regret, "The Empress Dowager is still pregnant with a little prince."

Speaking of this, Nanny Qin's voice choked with sobs. The previous Imperial Concubine had narrowly escaped death, and now the Concubine Liang had… How could the Empress Dowager not be worried?

Murong Shuo was silent for a moment. He knew his mother's temperament well, and she always attached great importance to the issue of offspring. Now that Concubine Liang was missing, and such tragic news had spread, it must be difficult for his mother to bear.

"Let's not worry about anything else for now. Where did Mother hear about this?" Murong Shuo spoke again, his tone now stern. He suppressed all his emotions and looked directly at Nanny Qin. He had a plan in mind, but he didn't let it show.

Nanny Qin didn't dare to neglect the matter and quickly replied, "Many people in the enclosure are discussing this matter. It seems that the news came from the capital. I heard that someone brought this news specially."

"When? Who brought it?" Murong Shuo pressed, his mind swirling with confusion. Why hadn't he heard of this before? Had the news only just begun to spread?

Nanny Qin was startled and quickly replied, "It is said that the news came from the capital two days ago."

"Two days ago?" Murong Shuo was startled. That was when he learned of Concubine Liang's disappearance. He couldn't help but wonder if someone was secretly manipulating this matter. Why was there such a coincidence?

"Who got the news from the capital?" Murong Shuo got to the bottom of it. He had to get to the bottom of it all.

"It's someone close to Concubine Shu." Nanny Qin answered truthfully. When Concubine Shu was mentioned, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

"Shufei?" Murong Shuo's face lit up with disbelief. He had never thought this matter was related to Shufei. He had always thought...it would be someone else. But Shufei? How could this be possible?

Nanny Qin seemed to see through Murong Shuo's thoughts and whispered, "The Empress Dowager hadn't expected it to be Consort Shu. But Consort Shu had been keeping an eye on the goings-on in the garden, and someone informed her of this."

"Shufei..." Murong Shuo muttered to himself, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"And His Royal Highness Prince Cheng and the others also know about this." Nanny Qin added cautiously. She was always paying attention to Murong Shuo's expression, fearing that she would anger the emperor.

"King Cheng?" Murong Shuo's voice instantly dropped, his expression dark and grim. King Cheng, the brother he had always considered a thorn in his side, was actually involved in this?

He stared at Nanny Qin: "Where is King Cheng? Does he know the details?"

Nanny Qin lowered her head, not daring to meet Murong Shuo's gaze. "His Royal Highness Prince Cheng should be in the enclosure right now. As for the details... I don't know."

Murong Shuo sneered upon hearing this. He had long considered King Cheng a grave threat, and he would never let this matter go.

"Don't worry about Concubine Liang anymore," Murong Shuo suddenly spoke, interrupting Nanny Qin's thoughts. "She didn't meet with misfortune as the rumors say. I have arranged for her to be relocated and kept it a secret. That's why everyone mistakenly believed she met with misfortune. But I already know that someone wants to harm her."

At this point, Murong Shuo's eyes grew fierce. "Go back and tell Mother not to worry. As for those rumors... I'll take care of them myself."

Nanny Qin felt a little relieved upon hearing this. She understood that as long as Concubine Liang was safe, the Empress Dowager would be at ease. As for those rumors, the Emperor would handle them.

She responded and turned to leave, but heard Murong Shuo speak again: "You stay, I have something else to ask."

Nanny Qin stopped and turned to look at Murong Shuo. Murong Shuo looked serious, as if he had something important to discuss.

"Do you know why this matter spread so quickly?" Murong Shuo asked. He already had a guess in his mind, but he wanted to hear Nanny Qin's opinion.

Nanny Qin shook her head: "I don't know. But I guess someone might have done it on purpose."

Murong Shuo nodded upon hearing this. He had a plan in mind and decided to take immediate action. "Go back and inform the Queen Mother immediately. Let her wait in peace."

She responded and turned to leave.

Murong Shuo stood alone in the tent. After thinking for a moment, he called out loudly for the guards to come in.

"Your Majesty." A guard hurried in and knelt on the ground to salute.

Murong Shuo's expression was icy, his gaze sharp as a knife. "I command you to keep a close eye on Prince Cheng and thoroughly investigate Concubine Shu. Also, if any further rumors about Concubine Liang are spread in the enclosure, report them to me immediately."

The guard's expression froze when he heard this. He knew that this matter was of great importance and dared not neglect it in the slightest.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied, turning to leave.

"Wait a minute." Murong Shuo suddenly stopped him. "Let me ask you again, why did this matter spread so quickly? As guards, how could you be completely unaware of this?"

The guard's heart tightened upon hearing this. He quickly knelt down and pleaded guilty, "It is my fault for failing in my duty. Your Majesty, please punish me."

Murong Shuo snorted coldly, "I'll record the punishment for now. You must immediately investigate this matter and find the person who spread the rumor."

The guard responded, turned and left.

Murong Shuo stood in the tent, staring out. He had a plan in mind and decided to take action immediately.

His mind was in turmoil, and after a moment, he finally made up his mind. He must return to the capital immediately to find Concubine Liang.

Meanwhile, in the Queen Mother's tent, she was anxiously awaiting news from Nanny Qin. She was apprehensive, fearing she would hear some bad news.

She paced back and forth, looking out of the tent from time to time. Finally, she saw the figure of Qin Mama.

She stared at Nanny Qin, eager to know the outcome of her meeting with the Emperor. What had the Emperor said? Had Concubine Liang truly met with misfortune? Was she consumed by the flames? What about the Dragonborn in her belly?

Although she had no good feelings towards Concubine Liang, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous when she thought about the child in her belly. Once this news spread, who knew how big a stir it would cause, attracting so much attention and discussion.

"Empress Dowager, I have met with the Emperor and conveyed your concerns to him. The Emperor said that you don't need to worry." Nanny Qin looked at the Empress Dowager and repeated the Emperor's words word for word.

"Oh?" The Queen Mother looked puzzled upon hearing this, but then she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want Concubine Liang to meet with any real misfortune, but after hearing that she was alright and that the Emperor had been prepared, she couldn't help but wonder, "Who was it? The Crown Prince had just been assassinated. Could they be trying to make the Emperor lose another child?"

The Empress Dowager grew increasingly furious. Nanny Qin stood quietly by, not daring to speak. Once the Empress Dowager had calmed down a bit, Nanny Qin relayed the Emperor's intentions in detail.

"Good." The Queen Mother's expression brightened slightly upon hearing this. "As long as the child in Concubine Liang's belly is fine and not burned to death, that's all that matters. Concubine Liang is lucky, so nothing else matters. The Emperor has taken precautions, so if anything happens after the birth, I don't have to worry."

"The emperor also said..." Nanny Qin hesitated to speak.

The Queen Mother waved her hand, interrupting her, "Since the Emperor said not to tell too many people, then don't make it public!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Queen sent someone to inquire about Concubine Liang's situation, her words full of worry.

"The Queen wants to know about Concubine Liang's situation. She's very worried and has heard some rumors." The Queen Mother pondered for a moment and ordered someone to tell the Queen the truth, but warned her not to discuss it casually. As for the others, the Queen Mother didn't take them to heart.

The Queen's men took the order and left. The Queen Mother looked at Nanny Qin, who still stood respectfully.

In the Queen's tent, after hearing the report from the Queen Mother, the Queen had a complicated expression. She had originally thought that Concubine Liang had met with an accident, but she was surprised to find that she was still alive and the child in her womb was safe and sound.

"The Emperor is so protective of Concubine Liang!" The Queen was secretly resentful in her heart, "It would be great if Concubine Liang was really burned to death!" After saying this, she fell into silence, and the people around her did not dare to disturb her.

"Why doesn't Concubine Liang die? Why does the emperor protect her so much? Even if she is pregnant, there is no need to send someone to arrange her somewhere else in advance? Can't you be more careless? She won't really disappear, right?" The queen spoke again, her tone full of confusion and unwillingness.

"This..." The maids and palace servants around him looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.

"The emperor just wants to hide it from everyone, right?" the queen said to herself. Although she didn't quite believe her own guess, it seemed to be the case.

Soon after, Concubine Shu also caught wind of the rumors. Like the Empress, she had hoped that Concubine Liang would meet with misfortune. Few in the enclosure were happy about this. Everyone was discussing it privately, each one brimming with uncontrollable excitement.

Concubine Liang hadn't come to the hunting grounds, so no one knew what had happened to her. Now that they knew she was safe and sound, everyone felt a sense of loss. Some even went to Concubine Shu to thank her for the information. A few women even joined her in discussing the matter.

Concubine Shu felt that it would be a pity if Concubine Liang really died, after all, she was still pregnant. However, the death by burning was somewhat similar to the death of the former Crown Princess, perhaps it was God's will. But unexpectedly, the Queen sent news that Concubine Liang was fine!

Concubine Shu was stunned. "How come everything is fine again? How could Concubine Liang be fine? Couldn't she really be burned to ashes? How would that be great if she turned into a pile of ashes? How would the emperor like it? The ashes might even be blown away by the wind. Without Concubine Liang, we still have a chance."

However, the reality was different. After Shufei repeatedly asked the people around her and learned that Liangfei was really fine, she couldn't believe her ears! She even wanted to go to Xianfei to make fun of her. If it weren't for Eunuch An stopping her, she might have really gone. Wouldn't that make Xianfei laugh at her?

Hui Guiren and others were also discussing this matter in private, and gradually more and more people knew about it.

When Concubine Xian first heard the news that Concubine Liang's sister had been in trouble, she couldn't believe her ears. She immediately led her men out of the tent to investigate. She couldn't believe that Concubine Liang had been burned to ashes. But before she had gone far, she learned that Concubine Liang was fine. Thinking of the anxiety and worry she had felt in her heart for the past few days, she still couldn't let it go!