Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the cause to lie with Noble Lady Rou herself. The Imperial Physician said the child she was carrying should have been a princess, but she wanted to give birth to a prince, so she had her family bring in some so-called fertility medicine when they visited her in the palace, hoping to turn a princess into a prince. Well, look how that turned out. She lost her life instead.

I truly did not know where she found the nerve to despise having a princess. The only pity was that poor child. I handed all the evidence over to His Majesty, and he was furious.

I suspected His Majesty’s fury was not only for that pitiful child, but even more because Noble Lady Rou’s family had smuggled medicine into the palace without anyone noticing. This time, an unborn princess had been lost. But what about the future? Would others use the same method to harm living imperial heirs? Or even His Majesty himself?

Everyone implicated in the matter was sentenced by His Majesty to be beheaded in public on the charge of murdering an imperial heir. Even those in Noble Lady Rou’s family who knew nothing of it were sentenced to exile. As for me, I once again tightened the palace rules and imposed strict checks on anyone entering the palace.

Something like this absolutely could not be allowed to happen again. After thoroughly cleaning out informants in every quarter, the year was once again drawing to an end. Winter was especially cold this year. I had people find white fox fur in the storerooms and make Tun’er a cloak, then used what was left to make him a hat. He was still young and not very tall; from a distance, he looked like a round white ball rolling through the snow. He was terribly adorable.

I also reminded the consorts in every palace, especially those with imperial children, to take proper care. In this freezing weather, the children’s health had to be watched at all times.

Now that the Second Prince and Third Prince were a little older, they were at the age when they bounced around full of life, so Consort Kang often brought them to visit me. The two identical chubby little boys looked just like children from New Year paintings.

When Tun’er was that age, he had been just as adorable. But seeing two identical ones was even more novel to me. These days, Consort Xiang was busy looking after her own child and had not done needlework in a long while, so I had people imitate the clothes she once made for Tun’er and make a few outfits for the two boys as well.

All the consorts in the palace found it amusing. Even His Majesty liked it.

By the year’s end, Tun’er no longer had to study every day, so he sat before me practicing characters by tracing them in red ink. I thought of how His Majesty had once spoken to me about appointing the Crown Prince. A whole year had passed, and I still did not know when he would bring it up again.

Was I unwilling to accept it? Of course I was. But he was the emperor. What could I do?

At moments like this, I could not help being grateful that the Fourth Prince was frail. At the beginning of the twelfth month, he caught a chill and burned with fever for several days. The people of the Imperial Medical Institute did not dare close their eyes. They finally managed to save him, but the chief physician said the child likely would not live long either.

Lately, I noticed that His Majesty had been visiting Lady Xue less often to see the child. He preferred going to see the healthy princes and princesses.

I supposed he was afraid that if he saw the child too much and grew attached, it would hurt when the child died young. But did he not think that this was the child Lady Xue had struggled so hard to bear for him? He could actually bear to do it.

He claimed he loved Lady Xue most, but perhaps this was all an emperor’s love amounted to. Loving one person did not stop him from fathering children with others. For me, as Empress, that was a good thing. But for Lady Xue, it was misfortune.

The first month passed peacefully. But at the beginning of the second month, Attendant Lin accidentally miscarried-a child even she herself had not known about.

When the palace maid came to report it, I was teasing Consort Xiang’s Second Princess, and for a moment, I did not even react.

Only after asking carefully did I learn that Attendant Lin had been strolling through the Imperial Garden with Attendant An, Noble Lady Ning, and the others. She had accidentally stepped on some unmelted snow and fallen. Only no one had expected her to be pregnant.

“Do the Imperial Physicians not take wellness pulses regularly?” I asked. This rule had been in place for a long time, but if someone did not want the Imperial Physician to announce it early, it was not hard to conceal. However, ever since the incident with Noble Lady Rou, His Majesty had thoroughly disciplined the Imperial Medical Institute. With Attendant Lin’s abilities, she naturally would not have been able to hide it.

“It had only been a month. They likely failed to diagnose it last time.”

“Why would there be piled snow in the Imperial Garden? What are the sweepers doing?” I said.

It had snowed last night, but it was nearly noon now. How had they still not finished clearing it? And those women too-why had they gone out instead of staying warm in their rooms?

“The Noble Consort said the plum blossoms in the southeast corner of the Imperial Garden looked lovely, so she did not let anyone disturb the snow there.”

That was right. I remembered Lady Xue mentioning it when she came to pay respects this morning. At the time, I had thought it a trivial matter and let her have her way. Who could have known someone would run into trouble there?

Attendant Lin and the others had probably heard Lady Xue’s words, found it interesting, and gone to see for themselves.

“Your Highness knows how young ladies from scholarly families are. They love admiring flowers and snow most of all,” Consort Xiang said.

“Eee-ya!” the Second Princess in my arms cried along with her.

I patted her gently. Yes. “This is my fault too.”

“What does this have to do with Your Highness? I suppose everyone has their own fate,” Consort Xiang said.

“Has His Majesty gone to see her?” I asked.

“Not yet. His Majesty is having lunch with the Noble Consort today.”

“Go and inform His Majesty,” I instructed.