Chapter 379: Chapter 374: Imperial Concubine
The words of Wang Yaqing struck directly at Wang Yaning’s heart. She had heard from her concubine aunt about the events of those years; at that time, Mrs. Zhang was the favorite of her father, having given birth to both the illegitimate son and daughter, making even the newlywed Lady of the house take a step back.
But when she was ten years old, Mrs. Zhang was suddenly discovered to have had an affair with the Coachman. In a rage, her father stripped Mrs. Zhang of her clothes and executed her before the servants.
After the death of Mrs. Zhang, the days of her elder brother and illegitimate sister in the mansion became increasingly difficult. Later, she heard that the two could no longer endure the abuse from the servants and fled in the middle of the night. Ten days later, the government found two corpses, swollen and rotten in a river, wearing the clothes of the mansion’s servants, and their body shape similar to that of her elder brother and sister. She used to believe they both were...
"What exactly happened back then?" Wang Yaning couldn’t help but imagine a grand drama as she thought about it, and the scars on Wang Yaqing’s face were shocking to behold. How did she get those?
"What happened?" Wang Yaqing sneered, "All of this was nothing but our dear Lady’s conspiracy. My concubine aunt never had an affair with that Coachman, and I didn’t run away with my elder brother. We were knocked unconscious and taken away. If I hadn’t awoken early, I would have ended up decapitated like my elder brother. These scars are from that time." The malice in Wang Yaqing’s eyes deepened as she spoke.
Suddenly, she turned her head and looked at Wang Yaning with mocking eyes: "You’re just luckier than me. If the situation with the struggle for the throne hadn’t been unclear at that time, do you think you would have entered the Emperor’s Imperial Palace and smoothly given birth to the Second Prince? Now that Wang Yajing is pregnant, of course you, Wang Yaning, are useless. Does she need to worry about your concubine aunt anymore?"
With each step of Wang Yaqing’s pressing questions, Wang Yaning felt increasingly unsettled, and her face grew more and more unsightly.
"Look, just because Wang Yajing is pregnant, our dear Lady couldn’t wait to throw your concubine aunt out of the Marquis Mansion. What if her daughter actually gives birth to a son? What if in the future the Second Prince becomes a threat to Wang Yajing’s child?"
With Wang Yaqing’s words, Wang Yaning clenched her fists: "What do you want me to do?"
"What to do? Naturally, you must ensure the child in Wang Yajing’s womb is never born." Wang Yaqing said sinisterly.
Wang Yaning turned pale with fear: "That’s the Heir. What if someone finds out?"
"No one will find out. And do you think I could have entered the heavily guarded Imperial Palace like this?"
"Who? Aside from you, who else wants to stop the child in Wang Yajing’s womb from being born?"
"That’s not for you to know. Think for yourself about what to do. You and the Second Prince might still have a chance, but it’s uncertain whether your concubine aunt can wait with her illness dragging on." After Wang Yaqing spoke, she walked away, vanishing silently into the night.
"Master, everything has been done as you ordered." Wang Yaqing, having evaded the guards, arrived at a relatively secluded palace, speaking to a tall man.
"Very well, you may leave." The man’s voice was magnetic, but with a hint of weariness.
Wang Yaqing hesitated: "Master, if you clearly have the power to easily dispose of the child in Wang Yajing’s womb, why do you need to use Wang Yaning?"
The man did not turn around, yet chuckled softly: "I just want to see the Wang family’s own dogs biting each other. Leave now. Since I promised to avenge you, I will not deceive you. Mrs. Wang is yours to deal with when the time comes."
"Thank you, master."
"Imperial Concubine, there’s been an incident at Cining Palace." That day, Ye Qiu was reviewing petitions when the little eunuch Xiao Guizi suddenly burst in, unfazed by the pile of petitions on the table.
He was promoted from the Imperial Bird Department by Ye Qiu last year, possessing some cleverness and intellect, and after observing him for a while, Ye Qiu felt reassured to use him by his side.
"What happened at Cining Palace?" Ye Qiu asked.
"Consort Wang had a miscarriage."
"Oh?" Ye Qiu’s pen paused, "What exactly happened?"
"It is said that today, Lady Wang Yaning went to Cining Palace with the Second Prince to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and happened to meet Consort Wang as well. After walking a few steps, the Second Prince suddenly didn’t want to be held by the wet nurse and insisted on walking by himself. Somehow, he bumped into Consort Wang’s belly. The Imperial Physician has already gone to Cining Palace, and the Emperor also hastily dismissed the morning court."
"Then let us also go and have a look." Ye Qiu put down his pen and casually straightened his attire.
When Ye Qiu arrived, Fang Pin, Yue Zhaoyi, and others were also there. Consort Hui, being pregnant, was not suitable for such places. The Emperor and Empress Dowager Wang sat at the head, their faces showing an anxious expression.
Standing was Lady Wang Yaning, with the Second Prince’s wet nurse and the head palace maid kneeling on the ground, their faces pale as death: "Your Majesty, please spare our lives, Empress Dowager, we have troubled the people. It was the negligence of us servants that failed to take good care of His Second Highness. We beg for Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager’s forgiveness."
"Forgiveness? With what can you seek forgiveness?" Empress Dowager Wang was fierce-faced, "The Second Prince is still young, don’t you understand? Why didn’t you watch him more closely? Now that Consort Wang has lost the Heir in her belly, and her own life and death are unknown, how many lives do you have to request forgiveness?"
"Empress Dowager, it is truly because the Second Prince is at an age where he is very active. We servants couldn’t stop him!" The wet nurse’s body was shaking like a sieve, tears and snot mixed together on her face.
"We offer our respects to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor." Ye Qiu stepped forward to salute.
Ji Fei looked at Ye Qiu with an ashen face, opened his mouth, and his expression was very exhausted: "Imperial Concubine has arrived, please have a seat. Consort Wang has not yet out of danger, the Imperial Physicians are still trying to save her."
"This old body thought that the Imperial Concubine had control over all matters of the harem and was well-informed. Unexpectedly, you were the last to arrive." Empress Dowager Wang was in a sullen mood today, wanting to lash out at anyone she saw.
But Ye Qiu did not want to become her tool for venting anger: "Indeed, the palace affairs were a bit busy today, hence the palace attendants didn’t dare to disturb."
"Is it really that they did not dare to disturb you, or is there some hidden truth?" Empress Dowager Wang began to suspect everyone and everything. How could it be such a coincidence that the Second Prince bumped into Consort Wang? Did the Imperial Concubine have a hand in this? Or were the wet nurse and the palace maid actually people from the Imperial Concubine?
But it also seems implausible, even if the Imperial Concubine had great abilities, she could not control one’s heart. The Second Prince is just a two-year-old child, what could he understand? Who knew he would suddenly bump into Consort Wang’s belly at that moment?
"Empress Mother, the matters of the Imperial Concubine are assigned by me. Don’t make wild guesses. I understand that you are very worried about Consort Wang’s belly. I promise you that as long as she is safe, I will certainly not mistreat her in the future," Ji Fei sincerely assured.
But Empress Dowager Wang’s mood could not lift, the child was gone, what use was this promise?
Empress Dowager Wang swept over everyone with a heavy heart and suddenly noticed the smile at the corner of Lady Wang Yaning’s mouth that had not yet dispersed.
Could it really be that none of this was an accident? But why would Lady Wang Yaning target her own sister? Empress Dowager Wang suddenly felt on the verge of collapse. To guard against everyone else, could it be that the danger was actually beside her all along?