Zong Zhengjin walked in sync with her pace, slowly strolling along and listening to her ramble on about irrelevant things, occasionally responding with a few words.

  "Your Majesty, the peaches are almost ripe, aren't they?"

  She suddenly changed the subject, and Zong Zhengjin couldn't help but laugh. After thinking for a moment, "I guess so, but I think peaches will be sweet after a while."

  "The Emperor" Su Jing held his arm and shook it back and forth, without saying a word.

  Zong Zhengjin knew what she meant, raised an eyebrow, "Want to eat"

  "Yes, Your Majesty is indeed clever, you guessed it right away," Su Jinglian hastily chimed in, flattering and pitifully, "can I?"

  "Alright," Zong Zhengjin smiled and patted her little head.

  She mentioned peaches, if he still can't guess then he's stupid.

  "Ah!" Su Jing pulled him forward, but suddenly slipped and fell backwards.

  Zong Zheng was just about to turn around and hand over Su Shunian when he heard her exclamation, and as she was about to fall to the ground, he firmly wrapped his arms around her.

  A series of movements happened in an instant, and he unconsciously used his lightness skill.

  "Your Majesty, I have a stomachache." Su Jingyi had one hand grasping his neck and the other covering her abdomen, her face contorted in pain.

  Zong Zhengjin was startled and held her even tighter, "Xuan Taoyi."

  Su Shunan had not gone far and hurriedly responded, personally running to the hospital.

  Zong Zhengjin didn't care about anything else and carried her towards the Zi Chen Hall.

  "Don't be afraid, I'm here, nothing will happen," Zong Zhengjin put her on the bed and coaxed her in a soft voice.

  Su Jing sniffled and grasped his hand, placing it on her belly, "Really?"

  Zong Zhengjin sat on the edge of the bed, nodded slightly when he heard this, and gently rubbed her belly, "I guarantee."

  Su Shun and his party moved quickly, and soon after arriving at the Zichen Hall, they brought the imperial physician over.

  "Your humble servant pays his respects"

  "Come quickly and take a look at Zhen Xiurong," said Zong Zhengjin before he could finish speaking.

  Li Taizhen realized the severity of the situation and didn't dare to think about it anymore. He hastily stepped forward, took out his tools, and carefully felt the pulse.

  "No need to worry, Your Majesty. Zhenxiu has been frightened and her fetus has been disturbed, but there is no great harm done. With good care and rest, she will be fine. If you are still concerned, I can prepare some medicine to calm the fetus and ensure a safe pregnancy."

  Su Jing suddenly realized she was overestimating herself and that startled the child in her womb, leaving her speechless.

  Zong Zhengjin let out a sigh of relief, only to discover that his back was already drenched in sweat, cold and dripping. "If you can take good care of it, then do so, no need to take any medicine for now."

  Medicines are poisonous in three ways; taking too much medicine is always bad.

  "Your humble servant will take his leave first," said Li Taizhen with a bow and backed out.

  Others also hastily retreated, and the hall was left with only two people.

  Su Jingxiang felt somewhat embarrassed, "Your Majesty, I..."

  Zong Zhengjin didn't take this to heart, he was thinking of something else. Upon hearing her words, he came back to his senses, pinched her small hand and indicated that she didn't need to say more. "It's alright, I won't blame you."

  If it were then, if he hadn't reacted quickly or hadn't pulled her back in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

  To be honest, he was a bit happy that she had really put her heart into this child and valued him. Perhaps his mother queen had been the same way before.

  "You rest for a while, I'll have someone bring you some food."

  Su Jing nodded and lay down, "Mm."

  Zong Zhengjin saw her closing her eyes and gazing for a while before getting up and walking out.

  As soon as he left, Su Jing opened her eyes and was wide awake. She had no intention of sleeping. These people were really too much, they couldn't be guarded against. Then, whose handwriting was it?

  "Is she really all right?" Zong Zhengjin asked in a low voice from the front row.

  "Your Majesty, there is no serious harm done. She has only suffered a shock, which has disturbed the fetal energy."

  "Production is possibly flawless"

  Li Taizhen hesitated and didn't dare respond casually, thinking of a suitable phrase in his mind, "This..."

  "To be honest," Zong Zhengjin tapped his fingers on the table, his voice was faint.

  "Your Majesty, Zhen's age is still young, and childbirth will be even more difficult for her than for ordinary people. She will surely suffer more."

  "Can you guarantee her safety?" Zong Zhengjin was impatient with his ambiguous words, only wanting to pursue an answer.

  Li Taizhen hastily knelt down on the ground, "Your humble servant can only do his utmost."

  Zong Zhengjin coldly snorted, "That's just not guaranteed."

  "Your Majesty, forgive our crime," said Li Taizhen, his head bowed to the ground, hardly daring to breathe.

  The hall was quiet for a long time before Zong Zhengjin finally spoke up, "You can go down first."

  "I obey your orders," he said, as he stood up, his legs felt a bit weak and trembled slightly as he walked out, his palms were covered in cold sweat.

  Soon, Su Shuang walked in, "To report to Your Majesty, I found many goose egg stones on that road, all of which were crushed into small pieces and polished smooth. It's likely that Zhen Xiurong accidentally stepped on them."

  Many paths in the palace are paved with cobblestones, both for viewing and anti-skid purposes. However, each cobblestone has undergone several inspections before being placed on those roads. Most of them are white, and people with good eyesight can see clearly at a glance. Moreover, they have been fixed firmly and cannot be easily moved.

  It's clear at a glance that such small pebbles wouldn't pass inspection, so it must be someone intentionally doing this.

  Zong Zhengjin glanced at the goose egg stones he had brought up and placed on the tray, each one was exquisite in appearance, either yellow or green, if they were placed on that road, it would be as if there were flowers all around, only people might not even notice.

  "That is the road back to Donggong Palace"

  Su Shun thought for a moment, "That's right, after leaving the Taihe Hall, if you want to return to the East Six Palaces, it is the most convenient path, and also the one that all the masters usually take."

  Zong Zhengjin furrowed his brow, if he didn't take her with him before leaving today, then according to her temperament, she would definitely choose to walk that road, even if there was a carriage chase, the eunuchs lifting the sedan chair might slip and fall, thus also achieving her goal.

  But she followed him, and it was also a temporary decision to choose walking. The Taihe Temple is on the west side of the Zichen Temple, and they still have to walk that way back to the Zichen Temple, the difference being one walks and the other takes a carriage.

  "Your Majesty, the closest one is Chuxiu Palace, and then there's Guanrou Palace. On the side of Lianhu Lake, there are also Ganquan Palace and Xianfu Palace."

  Dongliu Gong was implicated, and four people were involved, but it cannot be ruled out that it was done by someone from Xiliu Gong.

  "Let Shu Gui Fei investigate one by one, this time I will absolutely not tolerate any more deceit, rather kill mistakenly than let one go," Zong Zhengjin said coldly without a hint of emotion.

  Su Shun's heart skipped a beat, fearing that the Emperor was truly enraged this time. Those people were really blind, choosing to stir up trouble at this critical moment.

  He responded with a murmur and Su Shun walked out calmly.

  Zong Zhengjin tapped his fingers on the table in rhythm, "You go investigate too, and be sure to give me a result."

  "Understood," a figure flashed by.

  Cining Palace

  "Empress Dowager," Liu Moumou walked in, made a curtsy, glanced at Shangguan Mei sitting beside her, and said with her head bowed, "Just now, news arrived that Fang Zhenxiu had a miscarriage when she was on her way back to the Zichen Palace with the Emperor."

  "What's wrong?" asked Magistrate Ouyang hastily.

  Liu Moumou shook his head, "I heard it's not a big deal, but it seems like someone has tampered with it. The Su Shunxian faction found many goose eggs and the Emperor is ordering an investigation."

  Shangguan Mei couldn't help but feel a sense of loss upon hearing that nothing was seriously wrong.

  Ever since the last time because of Su Jing's fault, she was not only demoted several ranks in a row, but also banned from footwork, not only wiping out her hard work for several months, but also thoroughly losing face.

  Later, she was with Su Jing, and in other people's eyes, she was one level lower.

  None of these were things she was willing to tolerate.

  The empress glanced at her and said lightly, "Why must you be like this? This time may not work, but there will be a next time. There will always be a successful one."

  From the moment Su Jing had a bun in the oven, it was equivalent to handing over her soft underbelly. Throughout her pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing process, she always had to be on guard against others secretly plotting against her.

  For these onlookers, what they don't lack is time.

  "I've long taught you that joy and anger should not be revealed on your face. With this expression of yours, if others were to see it, they would naturally be able to guess what's on your mind, and thus you'd inevitably be taken advantage of, and won't live a long life."

  Shangguan Mei pouted, "Grandmother, I'm just resentful. Why can Su Jinglian enjoy the emperor's favor and bear his child?"

  The empress dowager stared tightly at her eyes, trying to discern something from them, until Shangguan Wan'er felt uneasy and pretended to be nonchalant.

  The Empress Dowager snorted, "I see, you have feelings for the Emperor, don't you?"

  "Grandma" Wang Mei was startled and quickly stood up.

  The empress dowager shook her head, "I just said that joy and anger should not be revealed on one's face. Looking at you now, I can truly confirm that my guess was correct."

  She picked up the teacup and took a sip, "You are Ah Yin's granddaughter, Ah Yin only wants what's best for you. Let me advise you, give up as soon as possible. The Emperor has no emotions, he won't respond to you. In the end, it will be you who suffers."

  Shangguan Mei flowed down two lines of tears, walked up front, knelt in front of her knees, "Grandma, you have to help me"

  The empress gazed at her face, which was 80% similar to that of her own daughter, and thought of her deceased daughter. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. "I will certainly help you," she said. "With me around, your life will be one of wealth and glory. Don't worry."

  "But you gain something, you lose something too. Because of your identity, the Emperor will never love you or dote on you, but also because of your identity, you don't have to worry for this lifetime."

  Shangguan Mei wiped away her tears and shook her head, what she wanted was not these things.

  "If you don't give up, I won't be able to help you either."

  Palace Concubine (Yi) / 33 / 33265

  Gong Shu