Chapter 58:

Time did not pass very long, but to those waiting here, it felt like an eternity. To them, each moment dragged by like years.

No one could tell exactly how long had passed when the imperial physician finally stepped out, his face filled with shame.

In that moment, various thoughts raced through the minds of the people present.

However, most of them were relieved.

“How is she?” the Empress Dowager asked hastily.

The two physicians hurriedly knelt down: “We have failed in our duty. Although we did our utmost, we were unable to save the young prince. Fu Guibin has lost her child and suffered some physical damage. With proper care over a period of time, she will surely recover.”

They all understood how much the emperor had cherished this child. No one could have predicted this tragic outcome.

Then they heard the Empress Dowager sigh deeply.

“I am tired. Leave this matter to the emperor. Ah Gui, help me back to the inner chamber to rest.”

The Empress Dowager slowly rose, looking frail and dispirited.

The Jing Emperor looked at her with concern: “Mother, take care as you go. Gui Mama, attend to the Empress Dowager carefully; do not be negligent in the slightest.”

“Yes.”

Gui Mama helped the Empress Dowager away. The Jing Emperor hurried into the inner chamber, and everyone understood that he was going to see Fu Guibin.

Yunlan knelt at the door: “Your Majesty, my mistress is asleep, and this room where a woman has miscarried is no place for a man to enter.”

Layue looked at Yunlan and understood her meaning. In their country, there had long been such a rule: men must not enter the room of a woman who had miscarried or given birth, as it was considered inauspicious. If the emperor ignored Yunlan’s objection and entered now, any future misfortunes might be blamed on this act.

Moreover, it was also possible that the emperor himself might feel uneasy about it.

Thus, Yunlan was indeed loyal, and her loyalty was directed toward Fu Jinyao.

“How can I feel at ease knowing she lies inside like this? Besides, how could I possibly care about such trivialities?”

If it had not been for the incident a few days ago when Chunpin insisted on keeping the emperor from entering to avoid catching the illness, Yunlan might have yielded today. But because of that previous incident, she now realized that her mistress was unconscious, Yunsue was injured, and she alone remained unharmed. She had to protect her mistress.

She could not allow her mistress to fall under suspicion.

She kept bowing: “Your Majesty, if my mistress were awake, she would certainly not allow you to enter. Now she is still unconscious. Please, Your Majesty, even if you do not consider yourself, please think of my mistress.”

Yunlan’s words were poorly chosen. Not only others, even Layue detected the flaw in her reasoning. After all, Fu Jinyao was unconscious, and for a maid to think of these things was already commendable. But now she was expected to block the emperor himself, which was a difficult task.

Indeed, the emperor’s expression changed slightly, but soon returned to normal.

“Fine. Later, arrange for Fu Guibin to be moved back to Zhuxuan. As soon as my concubine awakens, you must immediately send word to me. And you must tell her that I will surely seek justice for her, and for our child.”

He cast a cold glance at everyone present and admonished them sternly: “Since the new group of palace ladies arrived, there has been endless turmoil in the palace. There are matters I had no wish to address, but you have left me no choice but to intervene. Those of you who are senior should not assume I am oblivious to your schemes. And do not delude yourselves into thinking that if another diverts my favor, it was ever rightfully yours to begin with. If it can be taken away, it merely proves your own inadequacies. As for the newcomers, do not presume that youth and beauty grant you license for reckless behavior. This is not your family home. If the cases of Consort Xian and Lady Zhou fail to serve as cautionary tales, I will not hesitate to make an example of one among you—a sterner warning for all to heed.”

(Note: “Xian妃” is rendered as “Consort Xian” following historical naming conventions for imperial consorts, while “Lady Zhou” retains the title “Lady” as a junior palace attendant. The translation preserves the original’s authoritative tone and layered warnings, adapting classical Chinese rhetorical devices into natural English equivalents.)

His words were calm and not particularly harsh, yet everyone felt a bone-deep chill.

Everyone was aware that the Noble Consort Xian was now confined to the Cold Palace, and the mere thought of what fate might befall Lady Zhou sent shivers down their spines. Many couldn’t help but tremble involuntarily.

Lai Xi waved the dust brush in his hand: “My lords and ladies, please take your leave.”

This was a clear signal for them to depart.

Although the emperor had not ordered an investigation, no one felt any relief. Just because he had not ordered an inquiry did not mean the matter was over. The emperor simply did not wish to hear their excuses.

No one could guess what Fu Jinyao would say when she awoke.

Thinking of this, many could not suppress their hatred.

They feared that Fu Jinyao might specifically target someone.

And as for Lady Zhou, what could be uncovered from her interrogation remained to be seen.

As she hurried back, Layue caught a glimpse of Bai Xiaodie, who, though keeping her head lowered, had a strange curve on her lips. A chill ran through Layue’s heart.

Without dwelling, she quickly returned to Tingyu Pavilion.

Layue knew this incident would not implicate her. Lady Zhou and she were not on good terms, and the former had even attempted to assassinate her. Moreover, she had not been near Fu Jinyao when she supposedly stumbled. Thus, she was not involved in either incident.

What she needed to do now was to remain quiet and wait for the emperor to investigate and reach a conclusion. Stirring the soup with a spoon, Layue mused that being emperor was no easy task. Every day, he had to scheme against ministers, consorts, and brothers. Not only that, but he also had to take on the role of a detective.

“My lady, this incident is too frightening. You must be more careful in the future,” Jin Xin muttered.

Who wouldn’t be afraid? Probably no one in the palace could sleep soundly tonight.

“Some things, no matter how carefully you guard against them, you cannot always prevent,” Layue replied.

After a moment’s thought, she instructed: “Tell everyone in our palace, no one is to spy on Zhuxuan. Right now, both the emperor and the Empress Dowager are furious. If you do too much and Fu Guibin’s people catch you, our Tingyu Pavilion could find itself in trouble even if we have done nothing wrong. The case of Lady Xin today is a good example.”

Jin Xin quickly agreed and went out to warn the others.

When she was alone, Layue began to carefully think through everything that had happened today. Each event had occurred very quickly, too fast for her to think clearly and respond rationally. She had only been able to follow the flow of events instinctively. She realized that she had been wise to keep her distance from Fu Jinyao. That child’s fate was too unstable, and too many people had their eyes on him.

To avoid becoming a target for others, she had to keep her distance and remain cautious.

Today had indeed proven that to be the case.

Did Lady Zhou have any connection to the subsequent events? How exactly had Fu Jinyao lost her child? As Layue thought carefully about the people who had been near Fu Jinyao at the time, she realized she could not rule out any of them as suspects—not even Yunlan.

Indeed, no one had said that Yunlan could not be the one who had tripped Fu Jinyao.

And then there was Bai Xiaodie. That strange smile of hers had genuinely unsettled Layue.

In her view, Bai Xiaodie was the kind of person who was artificial and pretentious, but not particularly scheming. Even when she tried to frame someone, her methods were clumsy. Yet, just now, that fleeting glance had made Layue question her own judgment. Was Bai Xiaodie really as she seemed?

Thinking back to the time when Chen Yulan had urged her to take that path where exotic incense had been placed to frame her, she recalled seeing Bai Xiaodie and Chen Yulan speaking closely together. Also, Bai Xiaodie had provided evidence in Chen Yulan’s demotion, yet the two had later reconciled, which was strange indeed.

These incidents, tangled together, made Layue increasingly uneasy. Was Bai Xiaodie not as guileless as she appeared?

Or was she, like Layue, hiding her true nature and only showing the side she wanted others to see?

Actually, in their past lives, they had not interacted much. Before entering the palace, they had met a few times. Later, while Layue was in the palace, Bai Xiaodie had been in the Shen family. She had heard of Bai Xiaodie’s gentleness, but had never truly known her character.

Later, through various intelligence reports, she had learned that Bai Xiaodie was considered unchaste.

In truth, she had never really understood Bai Xiaodie—not even in their past lives, right?

Layue pinched herself hard. Bai Xiaodie was someone who now required caution.

She carefully reviewed every encounter she had had with Bai Xiaodie, recalling each incident in detail. Layue’s face hardened. If it had not been for that casual glance of hers today, she might have underestimated this person in the future.

Was Bai Xiaodie involved in today’s events? And was it she who had caused Fu Guibin’s fall, leading to the miscarriage?

Layue grew restless. She opened the window slightly for fresh air and stood by the window to clear her mind.

For now, she could only watch and wait.

Tao’er lifted the curtain and entered: “My lady, will you rest tonight or…?”

Layue had no desire to wait for the outcome after Fu Jinyao awoke.

She had experienced similar feelings before and could empathize with Fu Jinyao’s pain. Yet, although she felt sorrow for the loss of the child, she had no intention of helping Fu Jinyao. She was no saint; she could only protect her own loved ones. As for others, she truly could not be responsible for them.

Moreover, Fu Jinyao probably did not want her interference.

This child was destined to meet such an end. No matter how carefully he had been guarded, he would never have come into this world.

The palace struggles were always this cruel.

Layue concealed her sorrow.

Hadn’t she known this all along? Hadn’t she already anticipated everything that might happen? Although the details might differ, the outcome would never change.

At that time, her own child had not survived birth, as his death served as the final blow to bring down Consort Xian.

Now, Fu Jinyao’s child had not survived because his maternal grandfather was the current prime minister.

There is always a price to pay for everything gained.

Perhaps Fu Jinyao did not yet understand this today?

Or perhaps she would rather remain ignorant forever?