readsfreenovel Chapter 573: Taking the Pulse Again
Chapter 573: Taking the Pulse Again
Nie Wushuang was brought in in the same way. He felt a little relieved. He was not afraid of not moving, but he was afraid that Emperor Shenwu would leave him alone. Then he would really be unable to do anything.
Nie Wushuang's face was solemn. He thought for a long time after taking the pulse, but Emperor Shenwu didn't wait for him to speak and had him taken away.
"Brother Heng, don't leave! Are you going to keep Ruo Ruo locked up here forever?"
Lan Qingwu asked with sobs what she felt and hugged Emperor Shenwu's waist tightly. Emperor Shenwu had no choice but to hug her tightly and comforted her: "I won't leave!" He did not promise anything else.
After tossing and turning for most of the day, Lan Qingwu was already extremely sleepy and fell asleep unknowingly.
Emperor Shenwu placed her on the bed, which had already been covered with a new set of bedding.
He walked out and entered another room, where Nie Wushuang was kneeling respectfully on the ground waiting for Emperor Shenwu.
The Shenwu Emperor sat at the head of the table, gazing coldly at Nie Wushuang. "I heard you've been quite restless these past few days! Asking the guards for a lot of medical books? And even trying to contact your master?"
Nie Wushuang said helplessly, "Your Majesty, everything I and the guarding eunuchs said is true. This is about the Empress's phoenix body. I must clarify the doubts. I contacted the master to discuss the Empress's pulse."
"Oh? What did you find out this time?"
Nie Wushuang immediately said seriously, "Your Majesty, I have a few questions. First, before I left for the free clinic outside the Imperial City, I specifically checked the Empress's pulse. If the Empress was truly pregnant, I couldn't have been unaware of it at the time. Second, the Empress's menstruation had been normal since she was diagnosed with a two-month pregnancy. This pregnancy seems to have come out of nowhere."
Emperor Shenwu interrupted him: "Other imperial physicians have also said that some women will have their periods even during the early stages of pregnancy! This is not enough evidence!"
Nie Wushuang nodded. "But Your Majesty, this time I carefully examined the Empress's pulse and found that the fetus is strong and sturdy. No matter how weak the mother is, how tossed around, or how emotionally agitated she is, it remains as still as a mountain! This goes against common sense! Especially since I reported to Your Majesty a few years ago that ever since the Empress was infected with the cold poison, I have asserted that it would be difficult for her to conceive again. Even if she did, the cold poison would affect her and the child would likely be born with congenital deficiencies and could not be saved! This is completely different from the current situation! If I was only 10% sure before, then this time I am 30% sure. The Empress is having a false pregnancy!"
Emperor Shenwu stared coldly at Nie Wushuang with his phoenix eyes. "Until I have definite evidence, I don't believe a single word you say! Didn't you ask for a medical book? I'll give it to you! For the time being, you should study the medical book and the Queen's pulse diagnosis carefully. After all, you know that the time the Queen has granted you is limited!"
Nie Wushuang broke out in a cold sweat again. He bowed his head and agreed. Someone came in again, blindfolded him, and took him out. However, this time, he felt that the time he spent back in the room was shorter. Nie Wushuang guessed that the Emperor Shenwu had moved them to a new place of imprisonment. It seemed that he had to hurry.
Emperor Shenwu walked out of the room. Li Zhong was still kneeling on the ground, motionless. A cold look flashed across Emperor Shenwu's face. He stepped forward and kicked Li Zhong to the ground. "Who gave you the courage to pretend to obey? Get out!"
Li Zhong silently swallowed the blood from his lips and quickly knelt down again: "This is all my fault, Your Majesty, please punish me!"
Li Zhong quickly pulled out a package and said, "Your Majesty, this is the dream powder you requested. Just a tiny bit of it in the incense will make you speak the truth unconsciously in your sleep! It's absolutely harmless to the body!"
Li Xiang quickly took the thing. Emperor Shenwu didn't bother to look at him again: "Go and accept the punishment yourself!"
Li Zhong quickly kowtowed in thanks.
Emperor Shenwu had the powder checked and then told Li Xiang to put a little of it in the incense burner.
Lan Qingwu was sleeping soundly on the bed, feeling nothing.
In the side hall of Wenhua Palace, Noble Lady Wen was losing her temper. She swept the only vase in the room to the ground, and there was only a crackling sound. She said in hatred, "Why! Even at this point, Your Majesty still wants to protect that bitch's life! She is pregnant with the bastard! Ah——"
Noblewoman Wen screamed in agony, "Send another person! She must be killed! Your Majesty, the more you try to stop me, the more I want her dead!"
The Third Princess looked at her frantic mother, a trace of heartache flashing in her eyes. She advised, "Mother, I will send another expert to the Hot Springs Royal Manor! Just don't lose your temper again. If this vase is broken, there will be nothing else."
After the prince came out of Qianzheng Hall, he went to Chunfeng Tower outside the palace. In the elegant room, he saw Ruhan who had been wandering outside the palace.
Ruhan's eyes were red, and she was about to bow when she saw the prince. The prince quickly supported Ruhan and said, "Aunt Ruhan, there's no need to be so polite. I'm extremely worried, and I believe you are too. Let's get straight to the point!"
Ruhan nodded and sat down on the chair below at the Crown Prince's request. As soon as she spoke, she confirmed what the Crown Prince was thinking: "Your Highness, the Queen is not at Wenquan Royal Manor. The sedan chair is empty!"
The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed, and Ru Han continued, "My husband, Lan Hao, is a guard. Ever since I couldn't enter the palace for no apparent reason, and the eunuchs in the palace warned me, I guessed something must have happened to the Empress!"
Ru Han couldn't hold back her tears and said, "Something must have happened to my young lady! I didn't know what was going on in the palace, and I was so anxious that Lan Hao kept an eye on the palace gate. He knew many guards on the lower levels, so he asked them to keep a close eye on the gate to see if they could see any servants coming in or out of Fengqi Palace. As a result, that night, Lan Hao and the people watching spotted a palace servant and a group of guards escorting a sedan chair towards Wenquan Royal Manor!"
"Lan Hao didn't dare to miss any clues and kept following from a distance. In the end, he found that there was no one in the sedan chair! If Lan Hao hadn't followed closely, I wouldn't have known that the sedan chair was empty! But His Majesty said that he sent the young lady to the Hot Spring Royal Manor!"
"Your Highness, where is the Empress? Why did His Majesty do this?"
What exactly happened?
The prince soothed her, "Don't worry, auntie. Now that I'm back, I'll get to the bottom of this. You should have some idea of what's going on. I'm afraid this incident is related to the rumors from March!"
"March rumors?"
Ruhan paused, her eyes widening. "That's nothing but nonsense! The Empress and Lord Wang are cousins! I thought the matter had been resolved and the rumors were over. What else could happen?"
The Crown Prince also wanted to know what else had happened, so he immediately said, "Aunt, please take care of yourself outside the palace first and don't do anything unnecessary! Leave the rest to me! Since my mother is not at Wenquan Royal Manor, I can only explore Fengqi Palace again!"
But Fengqi Palace is right under my father’s nose, so it would be even more difficult to enter!
The Crown Prince had a lot of things on his mind. Ru Han didn't say anything more, but just couldn't help but pray: "Your Highness, you must find the Queen!"
The prince would always be moved by these sincerity. Although his heart was very cold and hard, he was influenced by some people again and again.
The Crown Prince said solemnly, "Don't worry! Aunt, Mother's life should be safe! The key to breaking this situation still lies with Father. I will never give up!"
Ru Han left in tears, leaving the prince to ponder quietly, "If I were to send someone to break into Fengqi Palace, who would be the most suitable person to do it?"
Mo Xuan, who was standing behind the Crown Prince, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I'll go!"
The prince looked at Mo Xuan and sighed, "When you were in the martial arts world, you must have enjoyed settling scores and taking revenge, but now you have to get caught up in these conspiracies and tricks here!"
Mo Xuan was a man of few words. He was usually silent, and now he only said one sentence: "Your Highness, my Qinggong is excellent, so please let me go!"
The prince immediately decided: "Alright! We'll act tonight! Remember, after you find out, return immediately. I'll keep the door of my Dongde Palace open for you!"
Mo Xuan nodded and turned back to the Crown Prince. Several more officials from the Dongde Palace came to pay their respects to the Crown Prince.
They came to discuss the Third Prince's recent outstanding achievements in the court.
"In the past few days, His Royal Highness the Third Prince has been repeatedly praised by neutral ministers. I and others are watching and believe that the Third Prince is about to rise to prominence!"
"Furthermore, the officials of the Shi family are no longer silent and have become increasingly active. They've recently snatched away several less prominent positions in the court! Your Highness, should we confront them forcefully in court? We can't let them continue to act so arrogantly!"
The Crown Prince's phoenix eyes were cold and stern, his face solemn. "Foolish! Pass on my order, let them win! Let them be arrogant! Let them have no disadvantages in the court! I will make them all surface!"
After the prince returned to Dongde Hall, he prepared to wash up first and then go to Qianzheng Hall to pay his respects to Emperor Shenwu.
As a result, the Crown Princess came to see him in tears.
The prince couldn't help but feel a headache. He had dealt with a lot of things and was very tired, but he couldn't help but see the pregnant princess.
The Crown Princess came to show weakness, "Your Highness, I am here to apologize! You have been accompanying Zhang Shi every day these days. I feel guilty when I see her. It is because I have not been able to manage the harem well and have made Your Highness worry! I request Your Highness to let the two concubines jointly manage the trivial matters of the harem. I am gradually unable to cope and I am afraid that I will make more mistakes!"
These days, the Crown Princess rewarded Zhang every day and treated her preferentially everywhere. She even promoted Zhang to a position second only to the two concubines. However, the Crown Prince still asked Concubine Jiang to assist the Crown Princess in managing the Dongde Palace harem on the grounds that the Crown Princess was pregnant.
This really hit the Crown Princess's sore spot. She was terrified. She looked at the Crown Prince's preferential treatment of Zhang and his daily companionship, which felt like a slap in the face.
Therefore, the Crown Princess has been treating Zhang Shi better than the Crown Prince these days, and today she even took the initiative to hand over all management rights.
The Crown Princess was concerned that Zhang's pregnancy was too close to her own, and therefore she was very unhappy, but she felt that this time she was truly wronged. The Crown Prince had also observed her behavior these days. He personally supported the Crown Princess and comforted her, saying, "Your health is getting heavier. It would be better to divide the tasks you are doing. The two concubines are only there to assist you. You still have to make the decisions on major matters!"
In other words, the Crown Princess still has to take priority. The Crown Prince doesn't want to test people's hearts and entrust the safety of his pregnant wife entirely to the two concubines. He will never do such a thing!
The Crown Princess finally felt relieved and spoke to the Crown Prince for a while, and then the Crown Prince asked her to leave. "I have to go to Qianzheng Palace, you should go to bed early tonight! I will come to see you when I have time!"