At this moment, the one was an imperial concubine in the imperial palace, and the other one was a maiden from the mansion of Grand Commandant. The words of the fat nanny made people believe that Qin Yunuan seemed to gain some troubles again.
Qin Yunuan stood straight in front of the window. She walked towards the nanny calmly after she heard the call from the fat nanny. She gave her a salute and said politely, “I will follow you, please.”
Qin Yunuan went out calmly but those maidens behind started to gossip again. Li Weijun said in a very sharp voice, “Oh, I almost forget. Where is sister Qin. Why doesn’t she stay with us?”
Just for a moment, they arrived at the splendid main hall. Qin Yunuan could feel the solemn phenomenon even she did not come closer to the hall. The Emperor Zhaoxuan, Sima Xiu was sitting at the center. On his right-hand seat, they were Empress Chen, Imperial Concubine Yun, Imperial Concubine Duan and Imperial Concubine Xian. And the back was the inner room where Imperial Concubine Yu was lying. She had taken ginseng to strengthen her body and now was treated by many imperial doctors around her.
A man kneeled. He was Sima Han, who was regarded by many people as an idiot.
He kneeled at the center of the hall with his head lowering and looked very aggrieved. He sobbed and seemed to mutter something like, “Father, you are so ferocious. Why do you hit me?”
It was the first time that Qin Yunuan met with the Emperor in this country. In her last life, she could not see the Emperor as a menial girl. She tidied her clothes and walked into the hall humbly, and then kneeled slowly to give the Emperor a standard imperial salute.
“My name is Qin Yunuan, my respected Emperor and Empress.”
Emperor Zhaoxuan must be a handsome young man when he was young, judging by the appearance of those princes. Now he was nearly fifty years old but still kept a robust body shape. With an imperial robe, Emperor Zhaoxuan expressed a more prestigious and grand temperament.
Now Sima Xiu sat there seriously with his two legs separating slightly and two arrow-shaped eyebrows rising slightly. A profound and serious mark was formed between the two eyebrows.
Qin Yunuan kneeled beside Sima Han, and then observed Sima Xiu and Imperial Concubine Duan who looked a little bit worried. She almost knew what had happened. Sima Xiu wanted to rebuke this impious son who offended Imperial Concubine Yu and scared her, causing her miscarriage.
Shewed people knew the whole thing. At that moment, Sima Han did not touch the body of Imperial Concubine Yu. Sima Xiu aimed to take this chance to educate Sima Han. After all, it would be time to select the imperial concubine for the prince.
“Are you the Third Miss of Qin Family, the daughter of Qin Zhi?” Sima Xiu said in a resonant and profound voice, which expressed his experienced and sharp-witted political life before.
“Yes.”
“I heard from the Empress that you were the nearest one when the accident happened?”
Qin Yunuan felt stunned and answered, “Yes.”
Sima Xiu moderated his serious eyes, “What on earth happened at that time. Tell us what you have seen.”
Qin Yunuan gave a salute again, “At that time, the Fourth Prince was naughty and wanted to eat the red-oil field snails put on the tea table of Imperial Concubine Yu, but he upset the saucer carelessly. And Imperial Concubine Yu felt stomachache and her maidservants aside found that she was bleeding. I don’t know what happened after the imperial doctors came.”
Her words were objective, fair and straightforward. Qin Yunuan did not want to offend someone – no matter who she was, the Empress Chen, Imperial Concubine Yun or Imperial Concubine Duan – before she figured out the truth and the interest thereof.
Imperial Concubine Duan said in a hoarse voice, “Emperor, you know well Han. Though he is a little bit silly, he has never tried to hurt others. For the sake of the departed sister, Emperor, please forgive Han.”
Sima Xiu seemed to take this chance to rebuke Imperial Concubine Duan who spoiled Han, “Humph, he became a bastard just because of your over favor.”
Imperial Concubine Yun raised her pretty eyes, “Imperial Concubine Duan, my sister, Emperor has never said that the Forth Prince did that on purpose. But sometimes, carelessness also could hurt people to death.”
Having heard the sarcasm from Imperial Concubine Yun, Sima Han became a crazy child again. He raised his head and refuted, “You are such a malicious woman. You are telling nonsense. Emperor, please do not believe her words. They are malicious and want me to die. And my mother, she was malicious too.”
Imperial Concubine Duan felt stunned and said quickly, “Han, what are you talking about? Why are you so impolite in front of your father. Don’t you remember what I have taught you? You are wrong this time. Stop talking back!”
Imperial Concubine Yun felt funny, “Wow, Imperial Concubine Duan, my sister, now you also admit that Imperial Concubine Yu is at death’s door and her baby is gone. All are due to the Forth Prince?”
The words of Imperial Concubine Yun had already irritated Sima Xiu. For the first time, he looked at Imperial Concubine Yun with very tyrannical eyes. The Empress Chen added quickly, “Sister, you should not be so loose-lipped even if you were worried about Imperial Concubine Yu. We are all worried.”
Suddenly, the imperial doctor inside the inner room went out in a hurry.
“Emperor, Imperial Concubine Yu now is fine overall, but the baby has been gone,” Imperial doctor Zhao added, “The reason of miscarriage has been concluded.”
Sima Xiu straightened and moved forward his body when he heard the words.
They saw Imperial doctor Zhao took two things put in the sauce held by the servant behind him, and then showed them to Sima Xiu, “They are field snail and gecko. People should not eat the two things together excessively because they will cause abdominal colic. And as for pregnant women, the two things taken together for a long time will become poisonous. It was lucky this time that the accident happened shortly before our doctors came to treat her. Otherwise, besides the baby, Imperial Concubine Yu would be dead possibly.”
Imperial Concubine Yu came from the south region and loved to eat field snail as everyone knew in the palace. She would have a saucer of field snails in each meal, especially after she was pregnant. Gecko was used to add into the medicinal liquor. The palace stored the most expensive and valuable gecko and if there were no particular needs, the Imperial Hospital would not grant the use of this medicine easily.
For no reason, Qin Yunuan thought there must be some plots hidden in this issue. When she was pondering, Qin Yunuan felt strange intensive eyes fell on her constantly. She raised her head and found Sima Ray whose eyes were deep and elusory, was staring at her.
Sima Han who had kneeled for a long time now started to shout, “See! It is not me that hurt Imperial Concubine Yu. It is those field snails. If I had not upset that saucer of field snails, Imperial Concubine Yu might have been sick more seriously.”
“Fourth Prince!” Qin Yunuan could not help but reach her hand to pull the clothes rim of Sima Han to indicate that he should not speak further. Sima Han pouted his mouth and shrank his neck. He glimpsed at Qin Yunuan without a word.
Gecko was taken for a long time together with the favorite food of Imperial Concubine Yu. It was clear enough that there existed some tricks.
Sima Xiu frowned. He did not intervene in the issue of the imperial harem all the time but this time, he should intervene because the accident was involved with his son, “Zhao Quan, investigate the whole thing. In the last half-year, to which palaces did the Imperial Hospital give the gecko. You need to investigate the specific concubine of each palace and the time of distribution.”
In a short time, the manager of the imperial bodyguard Zhao Quan, took back a thin pile of books. He gave a salute and said, “Emperor, the medicine distribution records are here. I have checked them. In the last half-year, Imperial Concubine Xian from Ruixue Courtyard was in serious disease, and Emperor indicated to send her many medicines for nourishment, including gecko.”
Cold sweat emerged on the forehead of imperial Concubine Xian who was silent all the time. To be frank, she just had intercourse with the man she loved at those sick days and would not know what kind of medicines the Emperor send to her. And she did not know why the food of Imperial Concubine Yu would contain gecko which existed initially in his palace.
Imperial Concubine Xian looked at Sima Ray to ask for help unconsciously, but she felt very astonished when she heard the words of Sima Ray.
“She has hidden her malicious heart deeply!” Sima Ray said, “Father, you took in this woman as your concubine from East Qin in view of the surrendering of East Qin and their tributes. But East Qin did not surrender radically. They dispatched Prince Anyang Zhao Huijin to raise the devil in the Royal City. Now The princess of East Qin, Imperial Concubine Yun, wants to hurt the prince.”
Empress Chen waved her hands to stop Sima Ray till he had blamed all on Imperial Concubine Yun, “Stop, Ray, be quiet. Don’t you see your father is sad now? General Meng and General Leng who were responsible for the issue of East Qin were so kind to moderate the attack towards East Qin, so people in East Qin became more barbaric.”
At this moment, Qin Yunuan understood that Empress Chen and Sima Ray targeted at East Qin. She still kneeled straightly on the ground. From her orientation, she could see each of the wrinkles on the forehead of Sima Xiu, and his profound eyes.
Now Sima Han was scared and pulled the clothes rim of Qin Yunuan and hid behind her.
“Big sister, protect me. When father frowns, he will do many scared things. Last time he frowned, he punished me and let people hit my ass. And now, my ass is still painful.”
Qin Yunuan did not know Sima Han was really ridiculous or just pretended to be silly. Actually, he alerted her that something severe was about to happen, and she should prepare well. She knew it.
As expected, Sima Xiu just kept silent for a while and then shouted severely, “Imperial Concubine Xian, the evidence is clear. What else do you want to say?”
Imperial Concubine Xian was panic and limp and then kneeled on the ground. She muttered, “Em…Emperor, you should not treat me like that. I… I….” Imperial Concubine Xian stammered and suddenly vomited by holding the chair with a pale face.
Those Imperial Concubines who gave birth before felt doubt at the vomiting of Imperial Concubine Xian. Imperial doctor Zhao stepped forward to feel the pulse of her under the indication of Sima Xiu. He felt surprised and then reported to Zhao Quan in a low voice. And then Zhao Quan responded in a low voice to the Emperor, “Emperor, Imperial Concubine Xian has been pregnant for two months.”
