Supporting the Empress Dowager as they walked along the paths of the plum garden, Su Su saw that the snow piled on both sides of the palace road had not yet fully melted.
Under the sunlight it glittered with countless tiny points of light. The Empress Dowager, having only just begun to recover from illness, walked a little slowly.
Su Su was more than willing to match her pace, though her thoughts had already flown ahead to the plum garden that was about to become a place of trouble. She only wished they could keep walking like this forever, so she would not have to face it.
After a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager gently patted the arm Su Su was holding. Her voice, hoarse from illness and carrying a trace of complexity that was hard to detect, sounded softly.
“Su Su, last time… I wasn’t able to help you leave the palace. Do you resent your aunt for it?”
Su Su paused slightly at the question, then shook her head. Her tone was calm and sincere.
“Aunt, Su Su has never resented you. It was Su Su who was immature and willful in the past, causing you no small amount of worry. Things being as they are now is actually quite all right.”
She meant it from the bottom of her heart. Though her dream of leaving the palace had been shattered for the time being, she had also seen many things more clearly. She was no longer the foolish girl who only knew how to drown herself in love.
The Empress Dowager glanced at her from the side. Seeing the serenity in her expression and no hint of pretense, she felt somewhat reassured and sighed.
“It’s good that you can think this way. Then I can be at ease. Since the emperor has promoted you in rank, it shows that you still have a place in his heart. Now that you are in the palace, settle your mind and serve the emperor well. If you can soon extend the imperial line and bear a prince, then in the future… you will have something to rely on, and you may rest easy.”
Her words carried both earnest expectation and the considerations of an elder. As Su Su listened, bitterness welled up in her heart. Bear a prince? Rest easy?
Aunt, do you know that perhaps today right before our eyes the other imperial heir in whom you place such hopes may meet with misfortune? And that your niece standing before you may once again become the target of all accusations, cast into an abyss of utter ruin? When that time comes, will you still believe me? Will you still think the emperor holds me in his heart?
She could not voice these thoughts. All she could do was lower her eyes and answer softly, “Su Su understands.”
As they spoke, the plum garden came into view. Though these were late-blooming plums, the garden had been carefully planted with different varieties, so many of the trees were still adorned with red or white blossoms, proudly blooming amid the biting spring chill. A cool fragrance drifted through the air. The concubines had already arrived.
When they saw the Empress Dowager’s arrival, they hurried forward to pay their respects. For a moment, hairpins swayed, pendants chimed, and soft laughter filled the air a seemingly harmonious scene on the surface.
The Empress Dowager mustered her spirits, accepted their salutations, and exchanged a few polite words such as “The spring scenery is delightful; enjoy yourselves together.”
Then, supported by Lady Duan, she went to rest in the warm pavilion at the place of honor. The concubines dispersed as instructed, forming small groups of three or five to admire the flowers and chat.
Su Su deliberately chose a quiet corner away from the crowd, yet one that allowed her to survey the entire scene. Her gaze swept the area unobtrusively, and she soon spotted Princess Consort Zhuang of the Prince Ning.
She stood alone beneath a white plum tree, her eyes vacant, her complexion even paler than the blossoms themselves. Her hands were clasped tightly before her, her entire body like a bow drawn taut, as if it might snap at any moment.
She looked less like someone who had come to admire flowers and more like someone awaiting punishment.
At that moment, Chunlan quietly moved close to Su Su’s ear and spoke in a voice lowered to the utmost.
“Your Highness, just as you predicted. The little eunuch, Xiao Luzi the one who once served at Consort Zhuang’s residence and was later transferred to Changxin Palace snuck into your bedchamber in a furtive manner and lingered near the wardrobe. He was spotted by Qiuju. He stammered that he was there to clean. Qiuju has already ordered men to seize him and detain him in a side room.”
A sharp light flashed in Su Su’s eyes. Someone from Consort Zhuang’s palace, sneaking into her bedchamber at such a critical moment just like in her previous life, they were trying to frame her again! They must have intended to secretly plant those harmful items in her quarters!
“Well done,” Su Su immediately instructed in a low voice. “Find two absolutely trustworthy, quick-handed people to guard him closely. Do not allow him to come into contact with anyone, and do not let him pass anything along. Search him thoroughly, as well as his living quarters. When the banquet is over, I will personally return to question him.”
“Yes, Your Highness. This servant will make the arrangements at once.” Chunlan accepted the order and withdrew silently.
Even if they had caught Xiao Luzi, it would be impossible to convict him of acting under Consort Zhuang’s orders. As long as he refused to admit it, it would instead look like Su Su herself was framing Consort Zhuang. They could only wait until she returned to interrogate him and see how things stood assuming she would even have the chance to return to Changxin Palace.
No sooner had she dealt with this unexpected incident than Su Su saw Mu Hanyan walking toward her at an unhurried pace. In this life, because of their previous interactions, their relationship though not close was far more relaxed than the sharp hostility of the past. At the very least, she could now speak calmly with Consort Wan.
“Consort Su is also admiring the plums here?” Mu Hanyan’s voice was as cool as ever, but her tone was gentle.
Su Su gathered her sleeves and returned the greeting. “Consort Wan, I wish you peace. The red plums here bloom later, yet they possess a unique strength of character.” She did her best to keep her expression natural, though alarms were already blaring in her heart.
Consort Zhuang’s target was Mu Hanyan. Her drawing close to Su Su was no good sign. Su Su did not wish to have too much contact with her and intended to exchange a few polite words before finding an excuse to leave this source of trouble. Leaving too abruptly would not be appropriate, after all Mu Hanyan had helped her a few days ago.
The two chatted lightly about the plum blossoms for a few moments. In the distance, beneath the white plum tree, the Princess Consort of Ning watched…
Standing side by side, Su Su and Mu Hanyan presented a striking contrast. As Princess Consort Ning looked at Mu Hanyan’s waist and abdomen where the curve was not yet obvious but already carried a hint of softness the struggle in her eyes grew even more intense.
Subconsciously, she touched the cold, hard golden filigree incense ball hidden in her sleeve. Her fingertips trembled. She had lost her own child, and the pain had pierced her to the bone. But if she truly followed her elder sister’s instructions today and harmed Consort Wan’s child, then once the matter came to light, it would not be her crime alone it would also implicate the prince.
The prince had treated her so well… She could not… she could not, for the sake of revenge, drag him into an abyss of eternal ruin as well. At this thought, a trace of resolve flashed through her eyes. Quietly, she pushed the incense ball deeper into her sleeve pouch, completely abandoning any intention of using it.
Consort Zhuang, who had been secretly observing Princess Consort Ning all along, saw this retreat and a look of expected contempt and viciousness flickered across her eyes. As expected useless trash! A child born of a songstress could never rise to the occasion: soft-hearted, weak-willed, incapable of accomplishing anything great! Fortunately, she had already prepared a backup plan!
Her gaze shifted to Mu Hanyan, who was speaking with Su Su. The corner of her lips curved into a cold smile. The time was about right.
Just then, after only a few words with Su Su, Mu Hanyan suddenly frowned deeply. Her face turned visibly pale, and she instinctively reached out to clutch her lower abdomen, her body swaying slightly.
“Elder Sister Wan, what’s wrong?” Su Su was startled and immediately stepped forward to offer support, carefully mindful of propriety and not actually touching her.
“I… I don’t know why, but suddenly I feel a sinking pain in my abdomen…” Mu Hanyan’s voice carried weakness and confusion. She had always been in good health why all of a sudden? Fine beads of cold sweat had already formed on her forehead.
Su Su’s heart began to pound wildly. It’s happening! Consort Zhuang really took matters into her own hands! They still hadn’t managed to avoid it. She immediately raised her voice, urgent yet not panicked. “Quick! The imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician at once! Empress Dowager, Elder Sister Wan is unwell!”
The imperial physician, who had been waiting not far outside the Empress Dowager’s warm pavilion, heard the call and immediately rushed over with his medicine chest. At the same time, Su Su proactively stepped back several paces, maintaining a clear distance from Mu Hanyan, her gaze calm and open as she watched the physician step forward to examine her.
The physician dared not delay. He crouched down at once to take Mu Hanyan’s pulse. Moments later, his expression changed drastically. He withdrew his hand, knelt, and reported: “Reporting to the Empress Dowager Consort Wan… Consort Wan is with child! However… however, her pulse is currently chaotic, her qi and blood surging upward it is… it is a sign of miscarriage!”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire garden fell silent.
The consorts were first stunned by the revelation that Mu Hanyan had been pregnant without a word, their eyes instantly filling with jealousy and bitterness. Then, upon hearing the word “miscarriage,” that jealousy swiftly transformed into a complex, hard-to-describe excitement tinged with morbid anticipation.
Princess Consort Ning, Zhuang Shuran, was struck to the core. She stared in disbelief in Consort Zhuang’s direction. Elder sister… elder sister had still made her move! Even though she herself had not acted, she still… A chill shot straight from her feet to the top of her head.
“What?!” Supported by Lady Duan, the Empress Dowager looked toward the imperial physician, her face full of shock and disbelief. Her sharp gaze swept over the deathly pale Mu Hanyan and finally landed on Su Su, who had just been standing closest to her. Could it be… could it be Su Su…?
At that moment, a palace maid beside Mu Hanyan seemed to suddenly react. She thrust out her finger toward Su Su and cried out sharply,
“It was her! It was Consort Su! She was just holding my lady and talking to her she must have done something to my lady! I beg the Empress Dowager to seek justice for my lady!”
The accusation was like cold water poured into boiling oil, instantly exploding. The Empress Dowager looked at Su Su, her expression unbearably complex filled with shock, disappointment, and a trace of pain she could not conceal.
She could not believe that the niece who had just told her she held no resentment, who had seemed so understanding and considerate moments ago, had in the blink of an eye become entangled once again in a plot to harm an imperial heir! And this time, it was the first child conceived since the emperor’s ascension!
As the garden erupted in uproar, with all eyes fixed in different ways, Su Su was just about to defend herself when a cold, authoritative voice rang out from the entrance of the plum garden, like ice shattering all the noise:
“What is going on?”
Everyone turned toward the sound, only to see that Emperor Li Qianche had arrived at some point, standing with his hands clasped behind his back at the garden gate, his expression calm. The moment he received the Shadow Guards’ report, he had come at once.
Yet his gaze swept over the scene like a frigid abyss, finally settling on the pale-faced Mu Hanyan surrounded at the center and the isolated Su Su standing off to one side.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” The crowd hurriedly knelt.
Li Qianche did not tell them to rise. He strode forward, his eyes quickly assessing Mu Hanyan’s condition, his face darkening as if storm clouds could drip from it.
“What are you all standing there for? Immediately carry Consort Wan to the nearest palace hall and do everything possible to save her! Summon all on-duty imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau at once!” His voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority and a tightly restrained fury.
The attendants immediately and carefully lifted Mu Hanyan, who had already curled up in pain, and hurried away.
Only then did Li Qianche look around at the garden full of brilliant blossoms and the consorts harboring different thoughts. He issued a cold command:
“Seal off the plum garden. Until the matter is fully investigated, no one is to leave without permission.”