Furong had planted more than one person by the Empress's side. News of the Empress cursing the Imperial Noble Consort and smashing things in her palace quickly spread throughout the palace. The Emperor was naturally disgusted and ordered that all the utensils in the Empress's palace be replaced with gold and silver products. Anything that could be broken was forbidden to be used. He also bestowed various precious items upon the Imperial Noble Consort as a consolation, which made the Empress so angry that she had a stomachache before she calmed down.
Her only hope now lies in the legitimate son in her womb. This child is more advanced than the Imperial Noble Consort's child, and as long as she safely gives birth to the eldest legitimate son, she will have a chance to turn her fortunes around. But now that Furong is in charge of the harem, how could she let the Empress give birth safely? She carefully made arrangements, soaking and fumigating the Empress's bedding and clothing with drugs that could induce miscarriage, and reducing all her allowances as much as possible, waiting for the Empress to lose her temper and cause a few more disturbances, so that she could miscarry without anyone noticing, and then replace those things.
But in just two days, Xu Zifan sent the Empress Dowager back to the palace!
The Empress Dowager's carriage traveled ostentatiously from the temporary palace to the main palace. Several times, she even lifted the curtain to peek out from the bustling streets, ensuring everyone saw that she looked healthy and radiant. This made it impossible for the Emperor to use her illness as a pretext to detain her. When they arrived at Anci Palace, the Emperor was already waiting there. His face was gloomy. He glanced at the Empress Dowager and then stared intently at Xu Zifan, demanding, "The Regent promised not to trespass on the temporary palace again. What does this mean today?"
Xu Zifan said calmly, "The Empress Dowager is in good health and should return to the palace. Moreover, there is good news coming from the palace, so the Empress Dowager should come back to see the little prince."
The emperor astutely realized that Xu Zifan had reverted to his old self as the regent, the one who had absolute authority and forbade him to contradict him. What was going on? Had the Empress Dowager used some means to win Xu Zifan over? Had Xu Zifan decided to no longer assist him or obey his orders?
Standing confidently beside Xu Zifan, the Empress Dowager walked step by step to the Emperor with an air of superiority, smiling at him like a loving mother. "Yang'er, it was my fault in the past for not considering your feelings. Since you love the Imperial Noble Consort so much, then I will naturally take good care of her. She will definitely have a safe delivery this time."
The Emperor noticed that the Empress Dowager had returned to her former gentleness, seemingly still the mother who always cared for him. However, a chill ran down his spine, and he had a bad feeling. He said coldly, "No need for the Empress Dowager to worry. The Imperial Noble Consort is being taken care of by the Imperial Hospital. The Empress Dowager has just recovered, so she should rest more and avoid overexertion to prevent herself from becoming bedridden again in the future."
The Empress Dowager's eyes sharpened. This unfilial son was threatening her, but she trusted Xu Zifan's support, so what did she have to fear? Therefore, she smiled even more kindly, "Yang'er is indeed filial, but you can't let the Imperial Noble Consort handle everything alone. She's pregnant and shouldn't be overworked. Let the Empress manage the palace affairs." She turned to Xu Zifan, "What does the Regent think?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "The Empress Dowager is absolutely right. The imperial heir is of utmost importance, and palace affairs should be managed by the Empress."
For a moment, the emperor felt as if he had returned to the past, when everything was discussed and decided by the Empress Dowager and the Regent, and he was never informed of the decisions; his opinion was never important. His face darkened considerably, and he rose, saying, "The Empress is of questionable character and unfit to manage the six palaces..."
"Aunt! Aunt, you have to stand up for me!"
Before the Emperor could finish speaking, the Empress rushed in like a whirlwind, crying and throwing herself at the Empress Dowager's side. The Emperor was about to reprimand her, but the Empress Dowager spoke first, asking, "My son, what's wrong? Who has wronged you?"
The Empress didn't shed many tears, but she looked extremely aggrieved. "Aunt, the Imperial Noble Consort wanted to kill me and my child. She's a vicious woman! Aunt, you must do justice for me!"
The Emperor frowned. "Insolence! How dare you run away without my orders? And you even dare to spout nonsense in front of the Empress Dowager. What are your intentions? Guards, take the Empress back!"
"Wait." Xu Zifan raised his hand and said coldly, "The imperial heir is a matter of national importance and cannot be lost. Your Majesty should let the Empress finish speaking. If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, the entire court will not be at ease."
The Emperor looked directly at Xu Zifan and said, "I will handle matters in the palace myself. The Regent will govern on my behalf, so there's no need for him to linger in the palace, is there?"
"Yang'er, Zhongqian just said that the imperial heir is a matter of national importance. As the regent, Zhongqian naturally needs to understand this clearly. We can't afford to have someone with ulterior motives around you. Why don't we ask what's going on first?" The Empress Dowager glanced at Moyun, who had followed the Empress in. "Moyun, you speak."
The emperor saw Xu Zifan sitting there drinking tea as if he hadn't heard anything, his attitude completely different from before. The emperor's hands, resting on his knees, clenched involuntarily, suppressing his words of reprimand. His arrogance stemmed from Xu Zifan's willingness to back down, but now that Xu Zifan was no longer willing to yield, he instinctively dared not be too presumptuous. However, he became confused, not understanding what Xu Zifan really wanted.
Mo Yun had already finished her greetings. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," she said, "this servant took two experienced matrons to investigate and found that twenty-one items in the Empress's palace were contaminated with drugs that can easily cause miscarriage. Furthermore, the Empress's palace doesn't even have hot water or charcoal. Now that it's cold, the Empress can only keep warm under the covers, and the palace servants are extremely perfunctory and disrespectful. This servant has already tied up those audacious palace servants and requests Your Majesty's judgment."
The Empress burst into tears again, looking utterly miserable. The Emperor clapped his hands with a cold laugh. "What a fine show. The Empress is always throwing tantrums at the palace servants, so arrogant and domineering, yet now she claims she's been tormented by them to the point of being unable to fight back? When did the Empress become pregnant? How come I didn't know? Not a single person in the entire palace knows about the Empress's pregnancy, yet so many things have surfaced to cause her miscarriage? I think this is a case of the thief crying'stop thief!'"
The Empress was shocked and furious. "Your Majesty, you're still protecting that vile woman? How could I risk my own child?"
The emperor's face turned cold. "Where is your manners? Didn't anyone teach you how to speak to me?"
"That vile woman harmed me so badly, how can I possibly maintain my manners? Your Majesty! If it weren't for my aunt returning to the palace to save me, my little prince would have been killed by that vile woman. You don't care about me, and you don't even care about your own child? Are you really so cold-blooded, disregarding your child's life?" The Empress stood up, pointing to her abdomen and glaring fiercely at the Emperor. Knowing about all the harmful things in the room had terrified and enraged her. Now, she had lost all reason and only wanted to tear out the Emperor's heart to see if it was black!
A hint of a smile flashed in the Empress Dowager's lowered eyes. It was just as she wished; she had gotten such a big handle on him as soon as she returned to the palace. How wonderful!
She held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, gently turning them as she murmured a Buddhist prayer. She sighed, "Yang'er, before returning to the palace, I told myself that as long as the Imperial Noble Consort managed the palace properly, remained obedient, and respected the Empress, I would treat her like my own daughter. But who knew that such a momentous matter would be discovered so quickly? Yang'er, I can turn a blind eye to everything else, but when it comes to the imperial heir, I absolutely cannot tolerate evil. Otherwise, how can I face your father, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Taizu? You mustn't be so foolish!"
Xu Zifan slammed his teacup on the table. "Torture them. Torture them right outside the door. If they refuse to confess, beat them to death."
The Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly. How could she expect to see bloodshed in her palace so soon after returning? This was far too ominous! But glancing at Xu Zifan's face, she remained silent. Xu Zifan's previous coldness had frightened her; she couldn't afford to lose this powerful backer, and she couldn't easily contradict him.
The emperor opened his mouth as if to speak, but Xu Zifan said lightly, "Even tigers don't eat their cubs. Doesn't Your Majesty want to know the truth about the murder of the imperial heir? This is Your Majesty's first imperial heir."
The child was born of the Empress, and was also her firstborn. It would be unacceptable for the Emperor to let the matter drop so easily. If he held real power, he could have firmly ordered everyone to keep quiet and had his own people investigate. However, the Empress Dowager and Xu Zifan's attitudes had brought him back to reality. He hadn't changed at all compared to the past; power was still in Xu Zifan's hands. Whoever Xu Zifan favored, that person could act arrogantly. Now, his mind was in turmoil; how could he possibly stand up to Xu Zifan?
However, he looked at the Empress with suspicion, "Are you really pregnant?"
"Absolutely true!" The Empress calmed down a bit and realized that the Empress Dowager had won over Xu Zifan, so she straightened her back.
Xu Zifan sent for the imperial physician, and the Imperial Noble Consort was also to be present; this matter needed to be investigated thoroughly today. Mo Yun went out to make arrangements, and while no one was looking, she whispered a few words to the maid who had summoned the Imperial Noble Consort. Screams were already echoing in the courtyard; some had already confessed, unable to bear it any longer. Only a few were still stubbornly holding on. She returned to the room, where everyone except Xu Zifan looked unwell. Even the Empress Dowager and Empress, who had been in a dominant position, were uncomfortable; it was truly ominous and too noisy, giving them headaches.
For a moment, the room was silent. After a while, someone came to report from outside. Mo Yun went over, took several statements, and read them to everyone.
It was nothing more than who was acting on orders to embezzle the Empress's allowance; who, seeing others do so, couldn't resist embezzling the Empress's things; who took silver to replace the Empress's bed curtains without knowing they were soaked in drugs; who, seeing everyone neglecting the Empress, followed suit, and so on. No one mentioned the Imperial Noble Consort in their testimonies, but they did mention another second-class palace maid. The Empress Dowager immediately ordered her to be arrested and interrogated as well.
Judging from the confessions, only a few palace maids were involved in the crime; most of the others were simply trying to gain a small advantage or following the crowd. Those who committed the crime didn't know who was behind it and could only implicate the palace maids who gave them the money. The second-class palace maid, when arrested and tortured, remained stubborn and refused to say anything.
Just then, the Imperial Noble Consort's carriage arrived. She stepped down, supported by Qi Hong. Seeing the second-class palace maid, her heart tightened. Qi Hong offered her a comforting helping hand, and she regained her composure. Although the Empress Dowager's sudden return to the palace had caught her off guard, she wasn't so easily caught red-handed.
Her gaze hardened. Before she came, Qi Hong had reminded her that this was a good opportunity, and indeed it was. The Empress Dowager wanted to investigate those who had attempted to harm the imperial heir. If someone were to successfully harm the imperial heir in public now, wouldn't their crime be compounded? She had already drunk the calming soup. Even the imperial physicians couldn't detect anything amiss in her pulse with the fake pregnancy pill; she believed this calming soup would surely help her miscarry smoothly. The Empress Dowager wanted to use this incident to kick her aside and regain power; she would make them suffer in silence. The outcome was still uncertain!