Not only did she miscarry, but she might find it difficult to conceive again in the future. She couldn’t accept it no matter what.

"Please, try to relax." Xiqiu softly comforted, "The Empress doesn’t have anyone in charge around her now. If you also fall ill, how could she bear it?"

Madam Le nodded and sighed, "She really is a child of misfortune."

Xiqiu did not speak. Given her position, it was not appropriate for her to visit the palace, and saying too much would be counterproductive.

"She is alone in the palace without anyone to talk to, and her worries will only grow heavier each day. What can we do?" Madam Ruan lamented.

Xiqiu thought for a moment and replied, "Perhaps we could send something to entertain her?" Madam Ruan’s eyes lit up and she looked at Madam Le, "Sister-in-law, I think Fourth Madam’s idea is good. When the Princess entered the palace, she had a curly-haired lion dog with her. Why don’t we send one to the Imperial Concubine as well? What do you think?"

Madam Le wasn’t focused on this matter and nodded absent-mindedly, "You handle it as you see fit."

Xiqiu and Madam Ruan exchanged a glance and both fell silent.

After sitting for a while longer, Madam Le and Madam Ruan took their leave and boarded the carriage. Madam Le leaned against the side of the carriage as if all her strength had been drained, closing her eyes and unwilling to speak. Madam Ruan softly asked, "Sister-in-law, everything’s been in chaos. I haven’t asked you carefully, how could such a good situation lead to a miscarriage?"

Madam Le did not move but suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint appearing as she spoke coldly, "Last night when she was in pain, she told me that when Nanny Mao by the Empress’s side supported her, she elbowed her abdomen with force... I’m not sure what kind of cunning strength she used, but she fainted without even managing a cry."

Madam Ruan’s face changed color, and her nervous voice couldn’t help but lower, "Does she mean that Nanny Mao did it on purpose?" Madam Le nodded solemnly with a harsh light in her eyes.

"It’s truly hard to guard against!" Madam Ruan was also angered to the point of turning pale, "Ever since we learned she was pregnant, I’ve worried day and night, never expecting such an inevitable disaster!" An incident like this, without evidence, would be useless to tell the Emperor, and might even result in the Empress making counteraccusations, a loss without a gain.

Madam Le kept a cold face, her sharp gaze penetrating the gently fluttering carriage curtain in the wind, and added, "This isn’t just about this incident." She turned to look at Madam Ruan, "Although the miscarriage happened, she was alright except for feeling weak. Later, the Imperial Physician brought a bowl of medicine, which I personally fed her. After taking it, the bleeding wouldn’t stop..." Later, they said her body was damaged, and it might be difficult to conceive.

Madam Ruan couldn’t help but shiver. They were born into a family of wealth and nobility, and such things in the house were not uncommon, yet she couldn’t help but feel a chill. Whether these tactics emerged spontaneously or were premeditated, they were chilling enough to make one’s teeth clench with anger.

"The Emperor doesn’t even investigate this matter!" Madam Le squeezed her fists in anger.

Madam Ruan slumped against the side of the carriage, pounding the carriage seat and saying, "...this is just too arrogant, acting with impunity." As the saying goes, even a dog in the house looks at its master before biting, yet Empress Shen strikes without reservation, clearly ignoring their presence.

Madam Le squinted her eyes.

Bihuai collected the tea cups and dishes and left. Xiqiu wandered aimlessly in the courtyard after leaving the room. Le Xiu now enjoyed the greatest favor in the palace. It’s said that during her pregnancy, the Emperor stayed in her palace every day. Such favor would naturally arouse envy, but if she were to claim that the Empress was orchestrating things behind the scenes, she had some doubts.

Although Le Xiu’s influence had grown, and her family’s power was comparable, it would be understandable if the Empress wanted to eliminate her. However, she was the Empress, head of the Six Palaces, and if she had intentions, there would be plenty of opportunities. There was no need to make it so obvious, especially since the incident happened in her own palace, and was caused by the Eldest Prince. If something went wrong, everyone would first suspect her. Such an uncalculated approach made it hard for her to believe it was the Empress’s doing.

Then who could it be?

Xiqiu thought of all the concubines in the palace with offspring, but came up with no answer.

She sighed deeply. The turbulence of the harem was always closely linked with the court, and all she wished was for her family to remain unaffected.

In the afternoon, Le Xiu dismissed all the palace servants at Le’an Palace. Alone in the hall, she hung a white silk from the beam, intending to commit suicide. Fortunately, her close female official, Jinyu, sensed something was wrong and pushed the door open, rescuing Le Xiu in shock. The Emperor rushed over without even changing his court attire, and Le Xiu wept uncontrollably in his arms.

However, she didn’t blame anyone throughout, and the Emperor, touched, stayed with her in Le’an Palace every night for several nights, not leaving her side.

The Empress also inquired about the medicine and illness and even wanted to bring the Eldest Prince to apologize, though she was stopped by the Emperor. But as the mistress of the harem, her actions had already demonstrated her magnanimity and compassion, winning her praises in the court for being virtuous and capable.

"Emperor!" Lord Wu bowed his head and advised word by word, "The Eldest Prince is still very young, but he is already so decisive in his actions. The Emperor need not worry!" After speaking, he glanced at the Emperor.

The Emperor tightly furrowed his brows, leaned against the dragon throne, and rubbed his forehead, saying, "If as Wu Aiqing says, I could confidently entrust Jiangshan to him in the future, but..." Clearly, he was not satisfied.

Lord Wu then glanced at Lord Zhang, who was about to speak when Lord Zhang preempted, "If the Emperor is indeed worried about this, I have an idea."

The Emperor paused at his words, opened his eyes to look at him, and asked, "Zhang Aiqing, please continue." Lord Zhang briefly pondered and replied, "In my humble opinion, since the Emperor has already decided to educate the Eldest Prince, why not select one or two mature and steady children from the families of courtiers as study companions? People are influenced by their companions, and with mutual association and guidance from a teacher, there will surely be benefits!"

Lord Zhang was suggesting that people are influenced by their peers. By choosing a couple of well-behaved, well-educated older children to accompany the Eldest Prince in his studies and growth, over time, the Eldest Prince would also be influenced. Moreover, if the Eldest Prince were closely associated with the children of influential ministers, they would surely be useful to him in the future. This method truly offers all benefits and no harm.

"This method is excellent!" The Emperor clapped his hands, eyes bright, and continued to ask, "Then according to Aiqing, which families’ children possess the exemplary virtues to fulfill this role?"

Lord Zhang glanced at Lord Wu, then continued to speak, "In my humble opinion, Lord Shen’s eldest son is most suitable. He is of similar age, and as a close relative, is naturally more suitable than others." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

At these words, the Emperor nodded slightly but did not respond further, casting his gaze toward Lord Wu. Lord Wu raised an eyebrow and said, "If I remember correctly, the eldest son of Lord Shen isn’t even five years old this year. Isn’t he a bit too young?"

"Then what is Lord Wu’s suggestion?" Lord Zhang retorted.

Lord Wu stroked his beard, shaking his head, "I don’t have a suitable candidate in mind!"

Opposing the suggestion but unable to propose a better one, Lord Zhang, exasperated, looked at the Emperor, who waved his hand and said, "There is no need for the two Aiqings to argue. Why not have officials of rank two or above in the court report their appropriately aged children to the palace for consideration, how about that?"