The princess only wants to survive, and the cold-faced king of hell begs for mercy

Upon hearing that this was related to the affairs of the previous dynasty, the emperor, although still furious, had to calm down a bit. After pondering for a moment, he finally nodded reluctantly and said, "Forget it, then summon him in."

Zhao Qiyan lowered his head and walked in slowly with heavy steps.

His eyes were always fixed on the cold ground beneath his feet, as if some answer or way to liberation was hidden there. He never raised his head to look at the surrounding scenery.

After entering the hall, Zhao Qiyan knelt on his knees, bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Father." Although his voice was low, it was particularly clear in this empty and silent palace.

The emperor sitting on the dragon throne had a gloomy face and cold and sharp eyes, like a sword that could see through people's hearts, stabbing straight at Zhao Qiyan who was kneeling below.

He only snorted coldly and asked in a cold tone, "What brings you here in such a hurry?"

Zhao Qiyan took a deep breath, calming his somewhat chaotic mind for a moment before answering cautiously, "Your Majesty, I personally interrogated the time-traveling assassin we captured earlier today. After severe torture and meticulous interrogation, I finally found a handwritten letter from Princess Cheng, Qin Yao, on the assassin's person. The letter contained the order for the assassin to kill me!"

He then continued, "Not only that, this letter even mentions the miscarriage of Concubine Yue's baby. However, what's shocking is that this letter was written three months ago, which was long before Concubine Yue's miscarriage!"

"In other words, as early as three months ago, Princess Cheng Qin Yao had already accurately predicted that Concubine Yue would encounter misfortune today. This ability to predict the future is truly incredible!"

Zhao Qiyan paused, stole a glance at the emperor, whose expression was growing increasingly grim, and quickly continued, "This matter is of grave importance. It involves not only the concubines in the harem, but also Princess Cheng. I am fully aware of the gravity of this matter, and with my limited power, it is difficult for me to make a decision on my own."

"Therefore, I could only rush to the palace to see Your Majesty, hoping to report this matter to you, Father, and implore your decision. However, I never expected that despite rushing all the way here, I would still arrive a little too late..."

Zhao Qiyan knelt down and kowtowed, apology. "Father, I was late, which led to the success of certain people's plans. I was unable to save the fetus in Concubine Yue's womb in time, causing Your Majesty to lose the royal heir. It is all because of your incompetence and my late arrival. Please punish me."

Qin Yao originally firmly said that Yue Fei's fall was definitely caused by Yun Shang, but what she did not expect was that Zhao Qi Yan actually managed to implicate her in the incident with just a few words.

Panicked, she quickly knelt on her knees and frantically defended herself, "Father, please be discerning! I have never ordered anyone to assassinate His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi, and I know nothing about Concubine Yue's pregnancy. I have never mentioned it to anyone!"

After saying this, she kowtowed again and again, muttering, "Father, this matter really has nothing to do with me!"

Faced with Qin Yao's tearful defense, Zhao Qiyan simply glanced at her coldly, then said slowly, "I have all the witnesses and evidence here. Whether or not there is a connection is not something you can decide based on your random lies, and you can't get away with it simply by shouting a few times that it's unfair. Every country has its own laws, every family has its own rules. The law is unforgiving. I hope the Empress can understand."

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse in an instant. Qin Yao was completely overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do after being hit by Zhao Qiyan's fierce counterattack.

Just as she was standing there in a daze, not knowing how to deal with the sudden change, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from the inner room of Lanyue Pavilion, followed by an imperial physician rushing out in a panic.

The imperial physician, with a terrified expression, reported to the emperor in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yue's condition is extremely critical. The fetus in her womb could not be saved and has now died. Concubine Yue has also fainted from excessive grief!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face changed drastically. He no longer cared about how to deal with the people present. He hurriedly got up from his seat and strode towards the inner room, anxiously going to visit Concubine Yue.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire Lanyue Pavilion was extremely solemn. Everyone was worried that this turmoil would implicate themselves.

After a long while, the emperor finally walked out of the palace slowly.

He seemed to have lost his former spirit, and looked as listless as an eggplant hit by frost. His back was no longer as straight as usual, but slightly bent.

He waved his hands weakly and walked out with heavy steps, muttering, "Everyone get up."

After everyone stood up, the emperor continued, "Let's leave it at that regarding Concubine Yue's miscarriage. No one should bother me with this matter anymore." After saying that, he left without looking back.

Only when the emperor walked further and further away and his figure completely disappeared did Zhao Qiyan dare to stand up.

He quickly reached out and carefully helped Yun Shang up. He cast his gaze on her water-soaked dress, his brows filled with concern and worry. He asked softly, "How are you? Were you accidentally hurt by the broken porcelain pieces just now?"

Seeing that Yun Shang didn't answer immediately, he immediately asked, "Did I scare you?"

Yun Shang took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down.

It is true that when the emperor was angry just now, the powerful pressure was really frightening, but fortunately, her mind was still firm and she was not really scared out of her wits.

So, she gently shook her head, smiled and said to Zhao Qiyan: "I am fine, Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. Let's go back home early."

Yu Ruyi followed the two men carefully, walking out step by step.

When they were about to step out of the gate of Lanyue Pavilion, Zhao Qiyan suddenly stopped without any warning.

He leaned slightly to the side, his cold gaze like an arrow darting towards Lin Zhiyi, who was currently greeting Qin Yao with concern. His words stabbed with icy frost, "Since Concubine Lin is so devoted to Princess Cheng, why don't you just go to Prince Cheng's mansion and become a concubine?"

After a brief pause, he smiled coldly and continued, "Oh, no, I'm afraid that won't work. Princess Cheng already has two concubines. If you go, you can only be a concubine at best."