Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Before Shen Ruyin could come to a decision, a palace eunuch she had seen before the emperor knocked on her door, saying that Consort Shu wanted to invite her to the palace.

"Today?" Shen Ruyin was a little surprised. "It's already past noon."

The eunuch nodded somewhat awkwardly, not saying exactly what had happened, but hinting, "His Majesty has granted Lady Xu permission to enter the palace to accompany Her Highness for a few days."

The moment these words are spoken, it means that something bad must have happened.

Shen Ruyin used the excuse of packing her things to go back to her room and flipped through the plot notes she had made with special markings.

She realized after comparing the approximate time that this was the time when Consort Shen discovered that the Empress was not truly virtuous and kind, and had obtained evidence that she intended to harm her son. Therefore, she used her stillborn child in her womb to plot against the Empress.

Shen Ruyin put the booklet back, not daring to delay any longer, and went out the door.

"Yinyin," Su Jinchen rushed over from the front yard, "Why did I suddenly call you to the palace in such a hurry?"

Shen Ruyin looked worried: "I don't know either, but my father-in-law said that His Majesty gave his permission."

"Jinchen," Shen Ruyin said, holding his hand, her eyes slightly red, "I hope nothing has happened to my older sister."

Su Jinchen quickly comforted her: "Consort Shu has always been in good health. Don't scare yourself. For now, we'll have to go to the palace to pay our respects before we know what to do."

Shen Ruyin nodded haphazardly and got into the carriage heading to the palace.

She stared blankly at one spot, seemingly lost in anxious, random thoughts.

But she was carefully planning this matter in her heart.

Given Consort Shen's current age, she is considered an elderly mother. Her condition wasn't particularly good to begin with, and this pregnancy ended in miscarriage before it was even announced to the public. It's highly likely that she had a congenital problem.

But in today's world, no one can understand this statement.

In addition, the Empress did indeed harm Consort Shu's eldest son, whether she did it herself or startled Consort Shu, causing her to lose her unborn child in her shock and anger.

In the emperor's eyes, the empress was always the one at fault.

Therefore, it is normal for Consort Shen to become estranged from the Empress and swore to be irreconcilable enemies.

But it is absolutely impossible to use this to bring down the Empress, who has maintained a good public image.

Therefore, Consort Shu will only be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort as a form of appeasement.

However, these are things that she, the younger sister of Consort Shu who has not yet entered the palace, should not know.

Therefore, upon entering the palace, seeing the eunuch leading her directly to the inner palace, Shen Ruyin, no matter how anxious she was, voluntarily stopped.

“Eunuch, I must first pay my respects to the Empress before I can go to the inner palace. You have gone to the wrong place.”

"This..." The eunuch glanced at her, then looked in the direction of Consort Shen's palace. "Her Majesty the Empress is unwell and is currently recuperating in seclusion. Madam, you should come with us quickly."

“It’s not that I’m making things difficult for you, but it’s just that etiquette cannot be disregarded,” Shen Ruyin said. “Even though Her Majesty the Empress is recuperating, I still have to pay my respects outside the Fengyi Palace.”

"As Consort Shu's younger sister, I should be even more mindful of the rules to avoid causing trouble for her."

"Please take me to Fengyi Palace first, Father-in-law."

“Madam, please follow us.”

"Thank you, father-in-law."

Shen Ruyin lowered her eyelids and followed behind without saying another word.

This eunuch was someone close to the emperor, which means that he was being led directly to Consort Shu's palace. Besides the eunuch wanting to curry favor with Consort Shu, it was probably also the emperor's intention.

But the emperor's mind is always changing.

Today, out of guilt and pity for Consort Shu, I have embarrassed the Empress. Who knows if I will suddenly remember this incident in the future and think that Shen Ruyin is ignorant?

Anyway, she's only just entered the palace and doesn't know anything, so she just needs to stick to the rules.

Shen Ruyin arrived outside the Fengyi Palace and asked someone to announce her arrival.

Finally, Lady Liu, the imperial maid who served the Empress, came out.

"Her Majesty the Empress is ill. Knowing that you have entered the palace, please go directly to Consort Shu's residence."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Shen Ruyin said, her worry undiminished. "Please also take care of your health and avoid overexertion."

Lady Liu nodded and watched her leave before returning to the Phoenix Palace and walking to the side of the Empress, who was sitting upright in the hall.

The Empress opened her eyes: "She's gone?"

“Yes,” Lady Liu nodded. “Our people said that His Majesty personally sent someone to invite her to the palace.”

"You Xingde originally intended to take her directly to Qingquan Palace, but she insisted on paying her respects to you first according to etiquette."

The Empress paused for a moment and said, "She has always been a good person, but unfortunately, I'm afraid she won't come again in the future."

“Your Majesty,” the imperial maidservant looked at her with concern, “You and His Majesty have been husband and wife for many years. His Majesty’s anger today was just a momentary outburst. He will be fine once he calms down. You are the Empress, and no one can shake your position.”

The Queen shook her head: "You don't understand."

"So what if I'm still the Empress?"

"His Majesty's nature is such that he loves someone so much that he wants them to live, and hates someone so much that he wants them to die."

"I knew all of this, but I didn't expect that I hadn't kept it a secret well enough and that I would still be found out in the end."

"My lady..."

The Empress stopped her from speaking: "You may leave now. Let me think about this carefully."

Because the Empress and Consort Shu did not become enemies while they were in the Prince's residence, Qingquan Palace was not actually too far from Fengyi Palace.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Ruyin entered the main hall of Qingquan Palace.

Since the emperor was not present, Nanxing personally came out to welcome her inside.

"Third Miss," Nanxing, who had become a nanny, choked up a little, "please try to persuade Her Majesty."

Shen Ruyin quickened her pace and saw Consort Shu lying on the bed, her face full of sorrow.

"Big sister, I'm here," Shen Ruyin quickly grabbed her hand, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Consort Shen stared at her for a long time, and finally couldn't hold back her emotions. She hugged her and cried, "Yinyin, I'm not a good mother, I'm not a good mother!"

Shen Ruyin's eyes reddened: "This...this is the side of the two princes?"

“No,” Consort Shen said, after crying for a while, she placed her hand on her lower abdomen. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t protect it.”

Shen Ruyin feigned shock, but also advised her, "Big sister, perhaps, perhaps this is just that our fate hasn't arrived yet."

"If this young prince knew, he certainly wouldn't want you to be so heartbroken."

"If you can't bear to part with him, why don't you take care of your health first? We can copy the Rebirth Sutra and offer it before the Buddha. We hope that in the next life we ​​can still be mother and son, okay?"

“You’re right,” Consort Shen said, her eyes red. “I’ve wronged this child. I must transcribe scriptures for him, hoping that we can meet again…”

Seeing this, Nanxing quietly withdrew.

When the eunuch You Xingde, who was waiting outside, saw her come out, he quickly pulled her aside.

"Why does Your Highness sound so heartbroken from crying? Could Madam Su possibly comfort Her Highness and cheer her up?"

Nanxing wiped away her tears: "It's a good thing that Your Highness can cry, given your current state. In the past, Madam Su was always by Your Highness's side during childbirth, so I think you'll gradually recover this time."

You Xingde breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Now I can go back and report to His Majesty."

Before leaving, he specifically instructed: "Madam Su is, after all, a woman of noble birth. You must be careful with some of the news and make sure she doesn't find out."

Nanxing blinked: "Don't worry, Eunuch You, I will keep the people in the palace in check."

After You Xingde left, Nan Xing's face darkened. He went inside and told Shen Ruyin what he had said.

Shen Ruyin frowned: "Big sister, what exactly happened? Could it be that this child was murdered?"

“Yinyin,” Consort Shen nestled against her neck, concealing her expression, “You Xingde is His Majesty’s man. Since he said so, His Majesty must also have this intention.”

“I know you’re smart, but these days, there are some things you have to pretend you don’t know, even if you can guess them.”

"Big sister..." Shen Ruyin couldn't help but call out to her before she seemed to give in, "I know, don't worry, big sister."

“Good sister, your elder sister would never harm you,” Consort Shen said, closing her eyes. “I heard you’re planning to travel with your brother-in-law?”

“Yes,” Shen Ruyin said, seeing that she wanted to hear more, so she was happy to tell her more. “He and I both grew up in the capital, so we wanted to travel around and see what the outside world is like.”

"I've heard that there are many mountains in the southwest. Even if two mountain peaks are far apart, it can take almost a whole day to get to each other."

"I also want to go to the beach. I heard that when the tide goes out, you can find shrimp, crabs and shellfish everywhere."

"Sister, you know I've always loved eating these things, but apart from dried seafood, it's hard to enjoy fresh seafood."

"Since we're leaving Beijing, we can't miss the seaside."

"Also, I've heard that there are snow-capped mountains on the frontier that never melt. Stories say that goddesses live on them, but I don't know if it's true or not."

As Shen Ruyin's voice grew softer, Shen Shufei's breathing also became more even.

She fell asleep.

With Nanxing's help, Shen Ruyin gently placed her on the pillow.

Nanxing breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, Third Miss is here."

"Your Majesty has finally fallen asleep, and I'm afraid she won't wake up for a long time. Please sit in the outer room for a while, and I'll have someone bring you tea and refreshments."

Shen Ruyin shook her head and whispered, "Right now, I have no appetite."

"I'll spend more time with my older sister. It makes me feel at ease."

"When my older sister wakes up later, I'll have dinner with her. Maybe if she sees me eating, she'll eat more."

"They say being able to eat is a blessing, and I hope that my older sister will always be safe and sound from now on."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Nanxing thought for a moment and went to find a travelogue to help her pass the time.

The room wasn't very well lit, so Shen Ruyin read a few pages before putting it down. Eventually, she leaned against the bed and fell asleep without realizing it.

When she woke up, she was met with Consort Shen's gentle gaze.

Shen Ruyin touched her face somewhat embarrassedly: "Big sister, is there something on my face?"

"There's nothing here," Consort Shen said, seeing that she was awake. She also propped herself up with two pillows and sat up against the headboard.

"Just looking at you suddenly reminds me of my childhood in my maiden home."

“When you first started learning manners from Granny Rong, you were so tired that you could fall asleep leaning on me. You haven’t changed much since then.”

“What can I transform into?” Shen Ruyin said. “No matter how I transform, I’m still your little sister, big sister.”

“You’re right,” Consort Shen laughed. “You are Yinyin, that’s enough.”