An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor was reading memorials from the southwest.

The southwestern border has been repeatedly invaded, but fortunately, General Nian is stationed there, and things have been much calmer lately.

The emperor flipped through the memorials with one hand and held a brush in the other, contemplating how to write his vermilion annotations.

Xia Zi, who had been waiting outside, suddenly came in to report, "Your Majesty, Zhou Ninghai from Yikun Palace is requesting an audience, saying that Consort Fucha from Yanxi Palace is not doing well."

Although the emperor did not raise his head, his brow furrowed, clearly displeased at being disturbed.

Su Peisheng, being very perceptive, quickly asked, "You've said it all. What do you mean by 'not good'?"

Xia Zi was also very quick-witted. As soon as she heard her master's advice, she quickly added, "Noble Lady Fucha suffered another hemorrhage in the afternoon. According to Zhou Ninghai, the symptoms were extremely dangerous this time. The imperial physician said that her life was in danger."

The emperor looked up and asked, "Which imperial physician is attending to me in Yanxi Palace?"

Xia Zi replied, "It's the Imperial Physician Chang Wenyu, and another imperial physician on duty today, whose name is..." Xia Zi thought for a moment and then answered, "Wen Shichu, Imperial Physician Wen."

The Emperor nodded. The Imperial Physician Chang Wenyu was a renowned gynecologist. In the past, when the Empress Dowager was unwell, she would often summon Chang Wenyu to Cining Palace to examine her pulse. Therefore, the Emperor was somewhat familiar with his medical skills.

He then asked, "Has the Empress gone?"

Xia Zi lowered her head and replied, "Zhou Ninghai said he has already sent someone to invite him."

Such a major incident occurred in the harem, yet the Empress had not arrived. Although the Emperor's expression remained unchanged, he slammed the memorial in his hand shut with a snap.

But when he heard the emperor's question, Su Peisheng understood what the emperor meant. This was precisely the time when the empress needed to take charge of the overall situation in the harem.

Su Peisheng hurriedly said, "I heard that the Empress's headache flared up again this afternoon and she is resting in Jingren Palace."

Upon hearing Su Peisheng's words, the emperor's brow relaxed slightly. He then opened the memorial in his hand, bowed his head, and said, "Go and tell him that I have some important matters to attend to and will be going to Yanxi Palace later."

Since the Empress has not yet arrived, all matters concerning Yanxi Palace will be handled according to Consort Hua's arrangements.

"By the way, instruct the imperial physicians to do their utmost to treat him!"

After the emperor finished speaking, he did not look up again.

Xia Zi didn't know if the emperor had finished giving his instructions, so he didn't dare to get up without permission. He could only quietly look up and steal a glance at Su Peisheng.

With a glance from Su Peisheng, Xia Xiazi immediately knelt down and left.

Everyone says that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, and Xia Zi wiped his forehead as he walked out. But he truly admired his master, Su Peisheng, who could always guess the emperor's thoughts, no wonder he had never been reprimanded by the emperor in all these years.

As she approached the gate, Xia Zi adjusted her clothes again, composed herself, and then opened the palace gate and walked out.

Zhou Ninghai, who was waiting outside the hall, was already impatient, but he dared not offend any of the people serving the emperor. So he could only limp up and greet them with a forced smile, "Eunuch Xia, does His Majesty have any instructions?"

Xia Zi knew that Consort Hua was currently enjoying great favor in the harem, so he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly replied, "Ah, Eunuch Zhou, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. As you know, His Majesty is busy with important matters. I just went in to report, and His Majesty was reading a memorial. It must be something extremely important. His Majesty said that once he finishes his official duties, he will go to Yanxi Palace to see Lady Fucha and have the imperial physicians do their best to treat her."

Then, with a fawning smile, she said, "His Majesty also said that the Empress has not yet arrived at Yanxi Palace, so all matters should be arranged by Consort Hua."

Zhou Ninghai was overjoyed upon hearing this. His master had sent him here to ensure his actions were legitimate, but now it seemed his master had been overly cautious. The Emperor's favor towards Consort Hua was self-evident.

So he quickly thanked them and went back to report.

--------

Chang Wenyu had already delivered a message in Yanxi Palace.

Seeing that Fucha's bleeding had subsided, the palace maids added more blood-tonifying herbs and prepared them for Fucha to take.

However, the imperial physician already knew that the bleeding was slowing down only because the blood in her body had been completely lost. Fucha was only keeping her strength up with a ginseng, but he was afraid she wouldn't last more than a few hours.

When Zhou Ninghai returned, he repeated the emperor's words in front of everyone, and Consort Hua looked smug.

Consort Li seized the opportunity to flatter him, saying, "Your Majesty is very busy with official duties. I heard that a messenger from Sichuan and Shaanxi recently brought back news of the battle situation on the southwestern border. I imagine Your Majesty must have many matters to attend to. However, with Consort Hua in charge here, Your Majesty can rest assured."

Consort Hua knew that the Emperor treated her differently from the others in the harem, not only because of the deep affection between herself and the Emperor, but also because her brother was very capable in the court.

Therefore, when he heard that the emperor was dealing with affairs in the southwest region, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

With her elder brother Nian Gengyao assisting the emperor in expanding the empire in the previous dynasty, and herself helping the emperor manage affairs in the harem, the Nian family was the emperor's right-hand man both inside and outside the palace. Thinking about this, she felt that she was indeed different from the other concubines in the harem, and felt more at ease.

So he called Chang Wenyu over again and instructed him to use the best medicine and do his best to treat him.

Chang Wenyu accepted the order and went out to wait for the consultation with trepidation. The situation was now beyond saving, and they could only take it one step at a time.

After giving these instructions, Consort Hua remained silent, occasionally adjusting the hairpin on her forehead or playing with the jade earring in her hand, calmly waiting for the dust to settle.

Consort Cao and Consort Li both fell silent.

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang witnessed everything, but were constantly alarmed.

Firstly, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, and they only learn about many news from the court after a long time. However, they just learned from Consort Li's words that Nian Gengyao sent a messenger to the palace from the southwest. The emperor just received the memorial today, and the news has already reached Consort Hua's palace. This shows how well-connected Consort Hua's palace is with information channels.

Secondly, Empress Fucha's current condition is due to a miscarriage, and judging from the imperial physician's words, she likely won't last much longer. Even so, the emperor is unwilling to put aside his affairs to check on her, which is truly heartless. Although Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang are currently the emperor's new favorites and are not yet affected by the coldness of human relationships, today's events are still chilling.

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang exchanged a silent glance, their thoughts perfectly aligned.

However, although I feel sorry for Consort Fucha, I have to admit that since ancient times, emperors have been fickle and heartless.

However, just as the hall was silent, a young eunuch suddenly came in to announce, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."

Upon hearing the imperial decree, all the concubines, including Consort Hua, rose to greet her. Although Consort Hua was unwilling, she had no choice but to give up her seat to the Empress since she had arrived. So she gestured to Songzhi and helped herself to the side.

Today, the Empress's face and lips were slightly pale, revealing her exhaustion. It seemed that although she had applied some makeup before going out, it was still impossible to hide her haggard appearance.

Seeing that Consort Hua had already moved aside, the Empress, supported by Jianqiu, slowly walked to the main seat. Only after the Empress was seated did she slightly raise her head and softly say, "Rise, all of you."

However, before the Empress could even begin her questions, a cry rang out from inside the palace, "Your Highness!"

The group exchanged glances, understanding dawning on them. Empress Fucha had passed away.