The Seventh Prince let out a snort: “I heard Miss Zhuang saved my royal brother recently. Truly a woman matching men in valor.”
Though it sounded like praise, upon careful listening, one could hear the undertone. Han Yan was just a young girl who hadn’t even come of age; to say she “matched men in valor” was suggesting she was unruly. These were men’s affairs, yet she handled them without hesitation. While it showed loyalty at the time, what family seeking a daughter-in-law would choose such a bold woman? She would be difficult to control.
Han Yan smiled slightly: “Your Highness exaggerates. Whether woman or man, anyone would surely save the Crown Prince if they saw him in danger. How can people be like dogs and pigs? At the very least, loyalty is essential.”
She had skillfully countered the Seventh Prince’s attack. His expression stiffened slightly, though he managed to maintain his composure, forcing a smile: “Miss Zhuang is truly thoughtful.”
Han Yan nodded, thinking to herself that the Seventh Prince must have been involved in the assassin incident. She had ruined his grand plan, so naturally, he would hate her. Thinking this, she deliberately adopted an innocent expression: “How could I compare to Seventh Prince? I heard Your Highness personally went to the mountain temple to pray for the common people. Speaking of which, shouldn’t Your Highness still be at the temple?”
She tilted her head, her voice sweet and seemingly innocent. But this single statement left the Seventh Prince speechless. Going to the mountain to pray was something he had been forced to do after his plan failed. When Han Yan brought it up now, perhaps he was being oversensitive, but it felt like she was gloating, rubbing salt in his wounds.
The Seventh Prince had been outmaneuvered but couldn’t say anything. Moreover, Han Yan’s question was razor-sharp—he had told the Emperor he was praying in the mountains, yet here he was at the Zhuang mansion. This was difficult to explain away; strictly speaking, it could even be considered deceiving the Emperor.
The Seventh Prince raised his head, staring intently at Han Yan. She neither avoided nor flinched, just smiled back at him as if she had just asked the most ordinary question. His fists clenched suddenly—this young girl, though appearing gentle and harmless, wielded methods as powerful as thunder, every step aimed at destroying her opponents.
Before he could think of how to respond, a sudden cry rang out as Jiao Meng rushed in, her face full of panic: “Master! Master! The Concubine… she’s had a miscarriage!”
At these words, everyone was dumbfounded. Zhuang Shi Yang stood up, swaying slightly: “What did you say?”
Jiao Meng fell to her knees, repeatedly kowtowing while crying out: “Master, please go see the Concubine quickly, there’s so much blood…”
Zhuang Shi Yang froze for a moment, his face turning deathly pale. He cupped his hands toward Prince Wei and the others before hastily departing. Zhuang Shi Yang’s high regard for Concubine Mei’s unborn child was common knowledge in the Zhuang household. Now that news of her miscarriage had spread, the servants were all fearful, and worried about being implicated.
Madam Zhou and Grand Madam Zhou’s gazes also focused sharply, exchanging puzzled looks. How could Concubine Mei have miscarried? This wasn’t what had been planned. Could she have been deceiving Zhuang Shi Yang? But looking at Jiao Meng’s manner, she didn’t seem to be lying. However, a trace of joy appeared on Madam Zhou’s face—if Concubine Mei had truly miscarried, it would be good for her. She had been hoping for this, as there would be no one left to compete with her in the household. So she exclaimed “Aiya!” and said anxiously: “How could this happen? What should we do?”
Grand Madam Zhou’s thoughts ran deeper than Madam Zhou’s. She had a moment of doubt and instinctively looked to see Han Yan’s expression. She saw Han Yan standing in the center of the hall, also appearing quite surprised, as if unaware of what had happened. This somewhat calmed her heart, but she didn’t notice the smile that crept onto Han Yan’s lips when she looked away.
Among them all, Zhuang Yu Shan was the most relaxed. Today was meant to be a show arranged by the Zhou sisters for her to witness, and she was happy to see anything that could bring down Han Yan. Therefore, seeing Concubine Mei’s miscarriage, she assumed it was part of her mother and aunt’s plan, and that Han Yan’s downfall was imminent.
She looked at Han Yan with schadenfreude, but when Han Yan noticed her gaze and turned to smile at her, Zhuang Yu Shan was startled and then felt a surge of anger. How could she be so calm? How could she act as if nothing had happened? Didn’t she know she was about to face misfortune?
Though somewhat uneasy, things still needed to proceed according to plan. Grand Madam Zhou gave Madam Zhou a meaningful look, and Madam Zhou said to the others: “This concubine is truly worried about Master and Concubine Mei. If any of you can help, please come with me to check on them.”
A woman’s miscarriage was something men typically avoided. Even with guests present, they should withdraw. Asking guests to witness a woman’s miscarriage was improper. However, among these people, Prince Wei and his group knew about today’s plan and were happy to go along with it, raising no objections and appearing very considerate. Zhuang Yu Shan pulled Wei Ru Feng forward: “Young Master Wei, let’s go see too.”
Wei Ru Feng didn’t refuse but looked back at Han Yan. He knew today’s events targeted her, but he had no intention of helping—unless, of course, Han Yan was willing to humble herself and ask for his help.
Han Yan stood motionless, prompting Madam Zhou to ask: “Fourth Young Lady, why aren’t you going? Are you perhaps afraid?”
Afraid? Why would she be afraid without reason? Wasn’t this implying Han Yan had a guilty conscience? Ji Lan was about to argue with them, but Shu Hong pulled at her clothes. Han Yan had already turned around, looking at the sky outside, then at Madam Zhou, saying calmly: “Doesn’t Madam Zhou find it strange? On such a fine day, why does Han Yan feel so cold?” She suddenly smiled eerily: “Madam, tell me, could it be because someone is practicing witchcraft?”
Madam Zhou started, suddenly feeling an inexplicable chill down her spine.
Han Yan suddenly smiled at her again, saying casually: “I was just joking. Why does Madam seem so nervous?”
Madam Zhou started, quickly covering up: “What nervousness? Who’s nervous?” She hurried away, not looking at Han Yan again. Han Yan watched her hastily retreating figure, as if something terrifying was following her, and almost couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Ji Lan and Shu Hong were also struggling to contain their smiles as Han Yan said: “We should go see how the Concubine is doing.”
When everyone arrived at Fu Rong Garden, it was already in chaos. There were large bloodstains on the ground that made one’s heart skip, and servants were rushing about everywhere. Grand Madam Zhou called a maid over and asked what had happened. The maid answered tremblingly: “Concubine Mei has miscarried. The doctor is checking her pulse now. She’s lost a lot of blood.”