An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

The emperor's tone was unfriendly, and everyone listened with bated breath.

Because the atmosphere was so oppressive, and because the aroma of the melons and fruits was so sweet, An Lingrong, sitting at the very end and always sensitive to fragrances, felt uncomfortable after smelling it for a while. Her nose felt a little sore, and her forehead felt stuffy. She couldn't help but look at the source of the fragrance, which was a few honeydew melons placed on a gilded tray with auspicious cloud and phoenix patterns on a round white jade table carved by the entrance.

I've heard that the Western Regions send envoys to deliver a variety of tributes every year-end. Honeydew melons are especially popular with the concubines in the imperial harem, so every year they make a point of sending more to make it easier for the emperor to distribute as a reward. However, while the honeydew melons are sweet to eat, their smell is rather cloying.

As An Lingrong stared at the tray, she noticed a small flying insect that seemed to have landed on the side of the tray. She found it very strange. The weather was not warm yet, and it was not the right time of year. How could a small insect fly out? Could it be that the Jingren Palace was warm in winter, allowing flying insects to hibernate inside the palace?

An Lingrong was puzzled, but Cao Shi answered loudly, "Your Majesty, it is as the Noble Lady just said, this servant secretly delivered the pills for conceiving a child." Then she kowtowed repeatedly and begged for forgiveness, "This servant deserves to die ten thousand times, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Cao readily admitted to the crime, which made An Lingrong glance at her sideways. She thought to herself that Cao did have some sense of responsibility, and that she had some courage to admit it at a time like this.

Because of this one decision, his life was certainly over. Whether his family would also be implicated was entirely up to the Emperor's whim.

Is Cao a loyal servant, or was she tempted or coerced?

An Lingrong was pondering this when she heard a loud crack from the head of the table!

Everyone present was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. It turned out that the emperor had slammed the string of coral beads in his hand heavily onto the rosewood tea table next to him.

Rosewood is known for its resilience. When ordinary objects are bumped, the sound is dull and only a small dent is left. But now, it is accompanied by the crisp sound of jade breaking.

That string of coral was said to be a tribute item, and it must have been carefully selected and was of the highest quality. An Lingrong felt very distressed when she saw it.

Seeing the emperor's fury, everyone fell silent, and the hall was eerily quiet for a moment.

Su Peisheng hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "Oh dear, Your Majesty, please don't get angry, or you'll hurt your own hand."

The Empress then gently advised, "Many affairs of the court still await your attention. Do not harm your health because of trivial matters in the inner palace."

The emperor's face was ashen, and he ignored the advice of Su Peisheng and the empress, asking in a cold voice, "The palace is heavily guarded. How did you bring these prohibited items in?"

Upon hearing this, An Lingrong finally understood. She had witnessed the Emperor's initial fury upon hearing the commotion, yet he had ultimately maintained his composure and rationality. His current rage stemmed from the fact that the matter had escalated to this point. While harming a concubine was a serious crime, it was ultimately a dispute among women in the harem. However, if the matter extended beyond the palace, and the instigator had managed to easily breach the ironclad defenses of the Forbidden City, that was the true reason for the Emperor's anger.

The emperor's anger was indeed no small matter.

Before Cao could react, the guards behind her were all startled and hurriedly knelt down, saying, "We were negligent and beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

When the concubines saw that the emperor's mind was on this matter, they knew that this was no longer the usual infighting among the concubines in the harem. It had already captured the emperor's attention, and it seemed that things would not end well today. Therefore, everyone fell silent, and the entire room became like an ice chamber, as if there was not a breath of air flowing, as if everything had frozen.

Cao was unaware of what had happened, and her initial courage waned, revealing a hint of panic in her expression.

The emperor was furious, but he did not lash out. He simply stared at Cao Shi with a deep look in his eyes and said, "Tell me, how did you bring these filthy things into the palace?"

Seeing this, Cao dared not hide anything any longer, but her voice was no longer as calm as before, and she answered in a trembling voice, "This servant... this servant has heard that anyone who wants to bring medicine into the palace must go through three layers of palace restrictions and two layers of imperial physicians for inspection."

Therefore, I thought... In the past, when I sent some fruits and snacks from my hometown to Consort Li, the guards only needed to do a simple check. So I specially asked the physician to divide the pills into several different small pills and hide them in different snacks.

After Consort Li receives the food, she only needs to instruct her servants to remove the small pills from the food, roll them into pills the size of those in the copper gourd, and then she can consume them.

Knowing that what Cao was saying was of great importance and could be fatal, Cao became more and more nervous as she spoke, and her voice grew softer and softer. In the end, An Lingrong, who was sitting at the very end, could only hear some words intermittently, but even from those words, she could guess seven or eight parts of what Cao was saying.

Even so, An Lingrong couldn't help but be greatly alarmed; such a meticulous plan indeed. It seemed that Consort Li was determined to succeed in this scheme.

The emperor scoffed, "What a loyal servant! He's certainly put a lot of thought into this." Then, his expression changed, and he said sternly, "You dog, do you know how many lives this medicine has taken?!"

Having just experienced something terrifying, Cao was now even more frightened by the emperor's threat. Her legs trembled, and her heart felt like it was being pounded by a dozen drums. Although her heart was about to jump out of her chest, she didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

Seeing that Cao did not answer, the emperor became even angrier, "Do you know that harming a concubine is a capital offense? If you still refuse to tell the truth, I will punish your entire family!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present paled.

Upon hearing this, Cao was stunned for a moment before finally raising her head. Knowing that she would not be able to leave the Forbidden City today, she felt relieved and let out a long sigh, her expression becoming much calmer.

His voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed sand.

"Your Majesty, this servant entered the General's Mansion in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Emperor Shengzu and became the wet nurse of Consort Li. At that time, Consort Li was only two months old. She was so weak that she could not cry out. She was much lighter than other babies when held in my arms. This servant felt so sorry for her. It took more than half a year of careful care for her to barely catch up with the weight of other children of the same age."

When Cao mentioned Consort Li's past family affairs and spoke somewhat carelessly, the other concubines felt a little embarrassed.

But seeing that the emperor at the head of the table only frowned slightly and did not intend to interrupt Cao Shi, they could only adjust their expressions and continue listening.

Cao ignored the concubines' commotion and continued rambling, "To be frank, although I am a servant, Consort Li has treated me well over the years. She always remembers the kindness of my wet nurse and takes great care of me and my family. Therefore, I consider myself Consort Li's family. Whatever worries Your Highness may have, I will certainly keep in mind."

Your Highness entered the Prince's residence as a concubine years ago, and was promoted to Consort Li two years ago. This servant knows that Your Highness has always enjoyed the Emperor's favor, yet has been unable to conceive for a long time.

The Empress was anxious about this matter, but dared not voice it. Now, seeing several of the newly arrived concubines becoming pregnant one after another, she felt even more distressed and often blamed herself. There were simply too many sycophants and opportunists in the harem; without an heir to rely on, she would inevitably be bullied one day.

These words, though blunt, reflect the innermost thoughts of the women in the imperial harem. They all desired to have a child or two by their side, not because they all held great hope for the imperial power and legacy, but more because they feared the loss of the emperor's favor and the prospect of a life of loneliness and hardship.

Therefore, upon hearing Cao's words, Consort Duan and Consort Jing were both somewhat moved, but they tried their best to maintain their composure, not wanting others to have any ammunition to gossip about later. Consort Hua, on the other hand, glanced at the Emperor with a sorrowful look in her phoenix eyes, her thoughts all conveyed in the emotions in her gaze.

Cao paused slightly, then continued, "I've heard that the imperial physicians in the palace are always cautious in their diagnosis and prescriptions, sometimes even less daring than itinerant doctors in the streets. So, I secretly inquired about folk remedies with Steward Hu. Unexpectedly, our efforts paid off, and I actually found some."

This servant also knows that on the fifteenth of each month, the families of the imperial concubines can send some personal gifts to the palace. This servant took this opportunity to report the matter to Consort Li. Upon hearing this, the Consort was indeed much happier and agreed to let this servant proceed with the matter.

Every fifteenth of the month, I would mix the pills into pastries and send them to the palace. I did this for three months. After Consort Li resumed using them, she did feel much better, and her periods became much more regular. This prescription shouldn't be wrong.”

The emperor frowned slightly, but the empress preemptively asked, "How do you know there's nothing wrong with a prescription written by a quack doctor?"