Yan Yunning slowly moved to the side of Imperial Physician Wen, using her handkerchief to cover her lips, and quietly asked, “Imperial Physician Wen, in a situation like this — could it lead to a miscarriage?”

She was worried she would be blamed by Consort Wu!

Although Emperor Xuan appeared unconcerned about Consort Wu and the child she carried, that child was still his imperial heir.

And Emperor Xuan was not happy with her either — if Consort Wu insisted that she and her elder sister had deliberately harmed her, Emperor Xuan might well seize upon this as a pretext.

“Crown Princess, this old official cannot say for certain.” Without having examined her, Imperial Physician Wen dared not make rash pronouncements.

Yan Yunning watched as a maid brought in a soft couch, Consort Wu carefully helped to lie down upon it, and several imperial physicians gathered around her to administer acupuncture and take her pulse. She pressed her lips together and stepped back a few paces.

The faint smell of blood pervaded the hall. Consort Wu on the soft couch bit her lips tightly against the pain.

Yan Shiyao’s fingertips trembled, a look of panic on her face. She had not used any force — she had only given Consort Wu a light push. Why… why had it come to this?

“Burn some moxa leaves, then bring the hemostatic elixir and have Consort Wu take it,” said the imperial physician assigned by Emperor Xuan to care for Consort Wu, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. He then instructed Xiao Dai to bring in a beaded curtain to screen off the view of others.

With a maid waiting inside the curtain, the imperial physician, through the brocade fabric of Consort Wu’s garments, pressed on her lower abdomen and monitored the fetal pulse.

Consort Wu’s fingers, tipped with scarlet nail lacquer, gripped Xiao Dai’s hand. When she felt the physician’s palm press upon her lower abdomen, a low sob escaped her throat.

The Emperor had casually assigned her one imperial physician — while the other consorts with child had all been attended by female medical officials. When Empress Xuan had been carrying the Crown Prince, seven or eight medical officials had seen to her exclusively. Why was it like this for her?

After the moxa was burned and the hemostatic elixir was taken, the fetal position gradually stabilized.

The culprit Yan Shiyao also let out a breath of relief.

Consort Wu gritted her teeth, not about to let the matter rest.

Her maid could only go anxiously to fetch Emperor Xuan to preside over justice.

At that moment, the Imperial Study was also quite lively. Xuan Yanyu sat in the imperial throne chair, picked up a drafted imperial edict and handed it to Chief Eunuch Feng.

He had come to the Imperial Study to find his imperial father but had not found him, so he had finished reviewing the morning’s memorials submitted by the ministers, and had drafted an edict along the way.

Chief Eunuch Feng took the edict, opened the silk scroll, and presented it before Emperor Xuan. Emperor Xuan, upon reading the contents of the edict, was so furious he nearly fainted.

He had only just conferred the title upon Shiyao, and now he was to rescind the decree — was this child’s play?!

He was just about to reprimand Xuan Yanyu when a guard entered the hall and reported: “This subordinate pays respect to Your Majesty and the Crown Prince. The maid of Consort Wu requests that Your Majesty visit the Medical Institute — Consort Wu nearly suffered a miscarriage due to the Crown Princess and the Youle Commandery Princess, and requests that Your Majesty see justice done for Consort Wu.”

The man on the imperial throne chair leapt to his feet with a whoosh, his voice solemn: “Nonsense. How could the Crown Princess be involved?”

“Your Highness, this subordinate also does not know the details — it is what Consort Wu’s maid reported.” The guard replied with a trembling voice.

Emperor Xuan raised an eyebrow, walked over to Xuan Yanyu, gave him a large-handed push to one side, and settled himself into the chair unhurriedly. In a good mood he said, “The Crown Princess is of deficient virtue and has harmed Our imperial heir — why not abolish her title along with Youle’s?”

The man raised his eyes. “Imperial Father — is it your imperial heir? And harmed your imperial heir?”

When Consort Wu had fallen pregnant, his imperial father’s behavior had been unusual — he had sent people to investigate Consort Wu, and it turned out Consort Wu was quite audacious, having adulterated the imperial bloodline. If he could uncover it within the Xuan Palace, his imperial father most certainly would have discovered it long ago. So why had his imperial father not dealt with Consort Wu?

Moreover, his imperial father seemed to have known from the very beginning that the child in Consort Wu’s womb was not his — otherwise, upon learning that Consort Wu carried an “imperial younger brother,” his imperial father could not have reacted this way.

“Xuan Yanyu!” Emperor Xuan bit back his words, slapping the imperial desk.

Was this something that could be said aloud?!

A series of heavy thuds of kneeling resounded through the Imperial Study as the waiting maids and eunuchs covered their ears and dropped to their knees.

“Your son is here.” Xuan Yanyu cupped his hands in a salute, lifting his eyelids to cast a teasing glance at Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan drew a sharp breath. “If you speak recklessly again, We will not spare you.”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

“Youle will not be abolished. We will settle this matter. Conversely, if you wish to abolish Youle, then the Crown Princess will be abolished along with her.” A cold light flashed in Emperor Xuan’s eyes.

Xuan Yanyu’s brow furrowed deeply. “Imperial Father, is Consort Wu still of use to you?”

Emperor Xuan curled the corner of his mouth. “Indeed. We intend to wait until Consort Wu gives birth to the imperial son, then abolish your title of Crown Prince, and raise Our little imperial son to succeed the throne.”

Xuan Yanyu curved his lips into an amused smile. “Imperial Father, you speak of this so openly in front of your son — are you not afraid that your son will ensure your little imperial son never sees the light of day?”

“Get out!” Emperor Xuan hurled a memorial, which landed at Xuan Yanyu’s feet.

This time Xuan Yanyu did not even bother to pick up the memorial from the floor — he turned and left the Imperial Study.

Emperor Xuan widened his eyes. “Is he angry with Us now?”

Chief Eunuch Feng retrieved the memorial from the floor, wiped it with his sleeve, and placed it on the imperial desk. “Your Majesty, you told His Highness you would abolish his title — he may be feeling distressed, hence his behavior.”

Emperor Xuan’s eyelids drooped, and he said helplessly, “If We say We will abolish him, does that mean We truly will? If We truly intended to abolish him, would We tell him in advance?”

Chief Eunuch Feng sighed. “Your Majesty, that depends on how His Highness takes it.”

“Go to the treasury and select objects that ladies favor, as gifts for the Crown Princess.” After pausing half a breath, Emperor Xuan narrowed his eyes. “They are to be bestowed in front of Yuyu — and praise the Crown Princess while you are at it. Elevate Consort Wu’s rank, restore her original palace chambers, tell her she has been wronged, and that We will visit her tonight.”

“This servant obeys.” Chief Eunuch Feng received the verbal decree, and cautiously asked, “Your Majesty, to what rank shall Consort Wu be elevated?”

Emperor Xuan flipped through a memorial, and a peculiar smile curved his lips. “Consort — bestow the title character ‘Jian.'”

Chief Eunuch Feng stole a glance at Emperor Xuan. The title character ‘Jian’ — the character for a mountain ravine?

That did not sound particularly auspicious.

“Furthermore, go and reinvestigate Shiyao — find out whether she is truly the youngest daughter of General Yu.” Emperor Xuan added.

The State Preceptor was also not in Xuanzhao — there was no way to consult him.

“Understood. This servant obeys.” Chief Eunuch Feng dared not ask further and withdrew.

——

Consort Wu’s elevation to the rank of Consort came without an investiture ceremony, without bestowed gifts — she received only a title character and was moved out of the cold palace, restored to her original chambers from her days as a Noble Lady.

Emperor Xuan’s reasoning was that she was now with child and her fetal position was unstable, so all formalities were waived.

Because of the title character, Consort Wu was mocked by everyone once more — though fortunately, in recent days, Emperor Xuan had been visiting her every day, and had explained the meaning of the title character to her.

Emperor Xuan had said that the reason he bestowed the character ‘Jian’ was because he felt her temperament was like that of a deep mountain ravine — serene and secluded, possessing an otherworldly quality unlike anyone else in the Xuan Palace.

Emperor Xuan had said she was the most uniquely singular person in all the Xuan Palace, and that this title suited her perfectly. When Emperor Xuan put it this way, Consort Wu felt the title was actually quite fine.

Moreover, Emperor Xuan had told her that as long as she gave birth to an imperial son, she would be elevated directly to Imperial Noble Consort.

Imperial Noble Consort — that would make her nearly equal in standing to Empress Xuan herself.