Chapter 427: Chapter 430: Miscarriage
Hua Manman turned her face away, pretending not to have heard what Hua Qingqing said.
’This must look really rude,’ she thought. ’Perfect for my idiotic persona.’
However, in Hua Qingqing’s eyes, her younger sister’s behavior was just a sign of shyness, which she found utterly adorable.
Wen Zhaorong, unwilling to be ignored, spoke up to make her presence known.
"What a coincidence meeting you here. Why don’t we find a place to sit down for some tea and a chat?"
Hua Qingqing smiled faintly. "I’m sorry, but I have some private matters to discuss with my younger sister alone. It wouldn’t be convenient for an outsider to be present. You understand, don’t you, sister?"
Wen Zhaorong was put on the spot.
She was momentarily speechless.
But she quickly regained her composure and said with a smile.
"You two can go talk first. I’ll just sit nearby for a while. Come find me when you’re done. I don’t mind waiting."
She had it all planned out.
Once they reached Moon Viewing Pavilion, she would just have a little something to eat, then pretend to have a stomachache and ask for Doctor Liu to be summoned.
She had bribed Doctor Liu long ago, and she even had leverage over him. He would surely side with her and push all the blame onto Hua Zhaorong.
By then, with both a witness and evidence, how could Hua Zhaorong possibly clear her name?!
Meanwhile, Wen Zhaorong herself could use this opportunity to win the Emperor’s pity and make him compensate her doubly.
However, things did not go as she had planned.
Hua Zhaorong adamantly refused to take Wen Zhaorong back to Moon Viewing Pavilion.
The two sides were at a standstill.
Suddenly, Hua Manman had an idea.
She furrowed her brow slightly, pretending to be unwell. "I’m a little dizzy. Maybe I didn’t eat enough for breakfast."
Hua Qingqing fell for it and immediately supported her, saying urgently.
"Come back with me first. I’ll have someone summon an Imperial Physician to check on you."
Hua Manman nodded in agreement.
Seeing that the two of them were about to leave, Wen Zhaorong grew anxious and quickly reached out to stop them.
"Wait..."
Hua Qingqing, concerned for her younger sister’s well-being, was in no mood to feign civility with this woman. She immediately pushed her hand away, clearing her path.
She hadn’t used much force, but to her surprise, Wen Zhaorong went along with the motion, stumbling and falling to the ground!
Wen Zhaorong’s face went deathly pale with pain.
She clutched her abdomen, curling into a ball and letting out a painful groan.
Then, a trickle of dark red blood flowed down her leg.
Gasps of alarm rose from the surrounding palace maids.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
...
「In the Imperial Study Room.」
The Emperor was discussing matters with several ministers.
Li Ji sat to the side, listening.
As he listened, he couldn’t help but start yawning.
By his third yawn, the Emperor finally couldn’t take it anymore. He turned to Li Ji and asked in a gentle voice.
"Are you tired? Would you like to go rest for a bit?"
Li Ji propped his cheek up with one hand and said languidly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I’m just a little sleepy. It’s nothing. Please, carry on. Don’t mind me."
The Emperor looked as if he wanted to say something but held his tongue.
He actually hadn’t expected Li Ji to suddenly come to the palace.
At first, he’d thought Li Ji had some important business, but after entering, Li Ji hadn’t said a word. He just sat off to the side, looking as if he had come specifically to listen in on their discussion of state affairs.
This made the ministers present feel rather uneasy, afraid this troublemaker was about to stir up some new mischief.
Every time Li Ji yawned, the ministers couldn’t help but glance at him.
This frequent distraction was severely affecting the efficiency of their discussion.
That was why the Emperor had suggested Li Ji go rest next door, hoping to get him out of the way.
Unfortunately, the Emperor didn’t get his wish.
Li Ji refused to leave, continuing to yawn one after another.
The ministers were constantly distracted.
Seeing that the meeting could not continue, the Emperor had no choice but to adjourn it early.
The ministers took their leave, not forgetting to cast a furtive glance at Prince Zhao before they left.
They really couldn’t understand it. Prince Zhao usually never meddled in affairs, so what had gotten into him today? To actually come and listen in on their discussions... could it be that he wanted to start interfering in court politics?
The ministers had barely left when Zuo Ji rushed in.
"Your Majesty, terrible news! Wen Zhaorong has had a miscarriage!"
The Emperor’s expression changed.
He immediately sat up straight. "What happened?"
Zuo Ji recounted everything he had found out, down to the last detail.
"I hear that Wen Zhaorong happened to run into Princess Consort Zhao while she was out for a walk."
"The two chatted for a while, and then Hua Zhaorong arrived."
"No one knows what happened between the three of them, but Wen Zhaorong suddenly fell."
"This servant doesn’t know the specific details."
"In any case, Wen Zhaorong is bleeding. The child is likely lost."
"Does Your Majesty wish to go take a look?"
When Li Ji heard that the matter involved his own Princess Consort, all his sleepiness vanished in an instant.
He shot to his feet and asked urgently.
"Is Princess Consort Zhao hurt? Where is she?"
Zuo Ji quickly replied, "Princess Consort Zhao is fine. She and Hua Zhaorong have both gone to Agarwood Pavilion."
Agarwood Pavilion was Wen Zhaorong’s residence.
After Wen Zhaorong fell, she was immediately sent back to Agarwood Pavilion.
Hua Qingqing had originally wanted to send Hua Manman out of the palace before dealing with Wen Zhaorong, but Hua Manman refused.
Hua Manman deliberately put on a spoiled air and huffed.
"I just got to the palace and I haven’t even had a cup of tea! I’m not leaving just like that. Don’t even think about sending me away!"
She remembered that in the original text of *Palace Intrigue*, Wen Zhaorong had also suffered a miscarriage and pinned the blame on the female lead, Hua Qingqing.
Because of this, Hua Qingqing was wrongly accused and suffered a great deal.
Although the truth was later revealed and Hua Qingqing’s name was cleared...
...the suffering she had endured before that could not be reversed.
Hua Manman didn’t want Wen Zhaorong’s scheme to succeed.
’As a witness to the incident, I have to stay in the palace to testify for Hua Qingqing.’
When the Emperor and Prince Zhao arrived at Agarwood Pavilion, they heard Wen Zhaorong’s cries coming from the bedroom.
"My baby, my baby!"
Her voice was so miserable that the Emperor’s heart ached to hear it.
Hua Qingqing and Hua Manman stepped forward to greet them.
However, the Emperor didn’t even spare them a glance and rushed into the bedroom.
Hua Qingqing lowered her eyes, appearing dejected, but her heart was actually calm and untroubled.
Seeing that Manman was safe and sound, Li Ji could finally relax.
He said in a low voice, "Didn’t I tell you to be careful? How did you still get tangled up with that kind of person?"
When he said "that kind of person," his tone was filled with disgust, as if he were talking about something unclean.
Hua Manman quickly tugged on Prince Zhao’s sleeve and reminded him in a whisper.
"She’s one of the Saint’s concubines, after all. You should show some restraint."
’We’re still on her territory.’
’Even if you’re going to badmouth someone, you should at least wait until you’re home behind closed doors to do it quietly.’
’Who’s as brazen as he is?’
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