An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Lady Fucha has passed away.

The young eunuch who had been waiting outside Consort Fucha's bedchamber hurriedly ran to the side hall, knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Fucha has passed away."

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned and let out a long sigh.

However, before the Empress could speak, the eunuch outside the door announced in a drawn-out voice, "The Emperor has arrived."

Both Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang's eyes lit up.

Today's events came very suddenly, and there are many suspicious points. However, the Empress, who is unwell, clearly has no interest in asking about this matter. Although Consort Hua acted arrogantly and put on airs for a long time, she actually didn't care about Fucha's death. The others were just there to make up the numbers. If the Emperor hadn't come, it would probably have been a hasty affair.

Recently, a series of incidents have occurred at Yanxi Palace. What exactly is the reason behind these events? Now that the Emperor has finally arrived, perhaps he will offer a different perspective on the matter.

After the emperor sat down, he spoke to the empress first, saying, "I heard that the empress has just arrived, so I will ask her as well." Seeing that the empress looked haggard, the emperor gently placed one hand on the back of her hand and said softly, "I heard that you have a headache. There are always troubles in the harem, and you must be having a hard time."

The Empress had expected the Emperor to question her about her lateness, but she was surprised by his tender words. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "As the Empress, it is only right that I take care of the harem. Your Majesty need not thank me."

Consort Hua, who was standing nearby, was displeased, but considering that it was not appropriate to show her displeasure in this situation, she quickly reminded him, "Your Majesty, Consort Fucha has passed away. What do you think we should do next?"

The Emperor nodded slightly. "Consort Hua is right. A noble lady has passed away in the palace. I do need to see how these officials are doing their jobs!"

Everyone in the hall was startled.

"Who examined Consort Fucha's pulse today?" the Emperor asked in a deep voice, looking at everyone.

Ever since the Emperor entered, Chang Wenyu had been kneeling tremblingly in the hall. Now that he heard the Emperor speak, he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the one who treated Consort Fucha today was your humble servant, Chang Wenyu, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy."

"Oh, it's you again. Were you there when Lady Fucha miscarried that day?"

Chang Wenyu replied, "Yes, that day Consort Fucha suffered a miscarriage. I happened to be in the Empress Dowager's palace taking her pulse, so I was summoned to Yanxi Palace to treat Consort Fucha."

"Good, I remember asking you about Consort Fucha's situation a few days ago."

That day you told me that Consort Fucha was well and eating normally. So why did she suddenly suffer from postpartum hemorrhage today? Tell me the reason.” The emperor asked each question slowly, his tone not loud, and he didn’t seem to have much emotion. But everyone present, whether the concubines sitting to the side or Chang Wenyu kneeling below, felt a chill run down their spines. An invisible sense of oppression made it hard to breathe.

"Your Majesty, Consort Fucha did indeed show some improvement a few days ago. I also adjusted the prescription based on her pulse. I heard from the palace maids who served Consort Fucha that she was in much better spirits during those days," Chang Wenyu quickly replied.

"Where are the people serving Consort Fucha?" The emperor's words remained calm, but the oppressive atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly suffocating.

"This servant, Cui'er, greets His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the ladies of the palace." Cui'er's eyes were already red and swollen from crying, and her voice was very nasal, indicating that she had just finished crying.

"Is what Judge Chang said correct? Has your young master improved in the past few days?" The emperor nodded slightly and then asked.

"Your Majesty, my lady was still experiencing occasional bleeding half a month ago. I specially asked Physician Zhang to examine her. After taking a few doses of medicine, she has improved, and her daily diet is also better than before."

"Very well, then let me ask you, when did Consort Fucha begin to have problems?" the emperor continued.

So Cui'er then recounted to Wen Shichu everything she had just told him: how Fucha was feeling in the morning, how she ate at noon, and how she fell ill after her walk.

Although Wen Shichu already knew about this matter, he hadn't had time to explain the situation to Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang because Consort Hua arrived so quickly. Now that Cui'er had recounted it, Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang understood the whole story more clearly.

After Cui'er finished speaking, apart from the emperor at the head of the table, whose face remained unchanged, the empress sitting beside the emperor and the concubines sitting below were all shocked upon hearing about the change in Fucha's condition. This was probably a true case of fortune and misfortune changing at any moment.

Who could have imagined that Consort Fucha, who was pregnant and enjoying immense pregnancies, would unfortunately miscarry after six months of pregnancy? Just when it seemed that her health would be excellent after recuperation, a hidden danger of losing her life was planted.

"Judge Chang, in your opinion, Consort Fucha's health has deteriorated rapidly. What is the reason for this?" the Empress asked.

Before Chang Wenyu could speak, Consort Hua also spoke up, "Only today did I realize that Consort Fucha's illness is so complicated and difficult to cure."

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this matter is indeed very strange." Among the concubines in the harem, only Consort Hua could interrupt the Empress's question in this way, but the Emperor did not find it inappropriate and did not even lift his eyelids.

Consort Hua narrowed her phoenix eyes, looking Chang Wenyu up and down, who was already covered in sweat. She continued casually, "Chang Wenyu, tell me, the diagnosis of Consort Fucha's illness is inconsistent, and the symptoms are quite different. Is it because your medical skills are not good enough, or is there something you are hiding?"

Consort Hua's voice was soft, but every word she uttered was like a sword.

This is not hard to understand. Chang Wenyu was the most trusted imperial physician of the Empress Dowager of Shou Kang Palace. Since the Empress Dowager and the Empress were from the same clan, the Empress would often summon Chang Wenyu to the palace to treat her whenever she felt unwell. He was highly valued by both Shou Kang Palace and Jing Ren Palace.

There may have been a mistake in the execution of this matter, and it's hard to guarantee that it won't implicate more people.

Therefore, when Consort Hua heard the Empress's words, she showed a mocking expression and went straight to ask the most crucial question.

At this moment, the emperor seemed to notice that the string of beads in his hand was quite different. He lowered his eyes and examined the emerald green jade beads with great interest.

For a moment, the hall was completely silent; the sound of hair falling could be heard.

Chang Wenyu knelt in the hall, his head covered in sweat.

This is a dilemma with two opposing ends; no matter which answer you give, your life is in danger.

Seeing that Chang Wenyu didn't know how to answer, Consort Cao suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Her slender, delicate fingers twirled the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes sparkling as she glanced at Consort Hua and gave her a slight nod.

Consort Hua's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Consort Cao said, “It’s strange, I’ve heard that postpartum hemorrhage in women usually occurs during childbirth. If there are no other medications to induce bleeding afterward, even if there is occasional spotting, such a dangerous symptom will not occur.”

After saying that, he lowered his head and pondered for a moment, as if he were calculating the days. After a while, he said again, "Now that I count, it has been more than a month since Consort Fucha miscarried. How could she suddenly have such dangerous symptoms?"

"Could it be... that there's some hidden story behind this?" Consort Cao frowned slightly as she looked at the Emperor, her expression a mixture of worry and allure.

Consort Li observed this, inwardly cursing Consort Cao for not being from a prestigious family and never missing an opportunity to be a seductive vixen. On the surface, however, she maintained a pleasant demeanor, saying, "So, Imperial Physician Chang, what prescriptions have you been using on Consort Fucha these past few days? Would you like to bring them over for me to see?"