"Consort Xi is unwell, does that mean Her Majesty the Empress is also in good health? Your servant remembers Her Majesty the Empress entered the palace a few years before Consort Xi."
Baihe's words reminded Emperor Xiaochang, who was hiding in the corner. That's right, the Empress had indeed been by his side the longest. He had married her when he was still a prince, and after they entered the palace, there were subsequent grand and minor selections. The number of women in the harem gradually increased.
"Consort Xi is indeed younger than I, and precisely because of this, she has made significant contributions. When I was not by His Majesty's side, Consort Xi took care of him and gave birth to the Third Prince for him. Nowadays, she merely has a few petty habits and likes to vie for favor. It is only right that I indulge her."
"Your Majesty the Empress, you must not say such things! You are His Majesty's legitimate wife, the one and only Empress of Yulin! Back then, when you were pregnant, if it weren't for Consort Xi..."
"Baihe!"
Empress Zhong suddenly interrupted with a sharp voice, followed by a violent coughing fit, "Cough, cough, cough... cough, cough, cough... That was so long ago, what's the point of bringing it up again..."
Baihe, startled, quickly stopped speaking and patted the Empress's back to help her catch her breath. After a long while, she choked out, "What happened back then is in the past, but Your Majesty the Empress's health deteriorated because of that incident. Your servant feels heartbroken for Your Majesty the Empress every time I think about it!"
Hearing this, Emperor Xiaochang's hands, hidden within his dragon robes, clenched until they turned white.
Even if the Empress didn't say it, could he truly forget?
How could he!
He had seen it with his own eyes, how could he forget that the child had already taken shape when it fell from the Empress's womb?
That was his only legitimate son!
Back then, Consort Xi had just entered the palace and was deeply favored. He was infatuated with Consort Xi's delicate dependence and the girlish charm that the Empress would never possess. He had spent the entire night at Consort Xi's side. Little did he expect that Consort Xi, relying on his favor, would go to the pregnant Empress to flaunt her status.
The outcome was predictable...
The Empress was agitated, suffered a miscarriage, and bled profusely.
Not only was the child in her womb lost, but she would also never be able to have children again.
When the Empress awoke, she clutched his arm tightly, her face ashen, her eyes bloodshot, demanding that he give her child an explanation. However, at that time, he had to support the Diao family to maintain the balance of the court, so he only punished Consort Xi with confinement.
Emperor Xiaochang frowned, thinking carefully about the Empress's reaction afterward, but he couldn't recall anything significant. It seemed the Empress truly didn't have much of a reaction and returned to being the dignified and virtuous Empress she always was.
However, the Empress no longer smiled. For many years thereafter, he never saw her smile again.
Later on, the Empress voluntarily requested him to adopt the Seventh Prince and the Fourth Prince under her. Knowing that every woman desired a child of her own, he agreed without much thought. It was from this point onward that the Empress's face finally began to show smiles again.
So many years had passed in a flash. Recalling the past, Emperor Xiaochang suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
"When I lost that child back then, my heart died with it. For many years afterward, I was in a daze. But I told myself that I absolutely could not fall. I am His Majesty's Empress, and I promised to accompany His Majesty to the end. I absolutely cannot break my word..."
"His Majesty still remembers me, otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Little Seven and Little Four to my care. For these years, I have treated these two brothers as the child I lost. Baihe, perhaps this is fate. Sometimes I think, perhaps Little Seven and Little Four are the children I lost..."
"Your Majesty the Empress, you are right. The Seventh Prince and the Fourth Prince must be the princes who were sent to accompany you in place of the lost prince. With the Fourth Prince about to get married, the Seventh Prince... he will surely be blessed by heaven." Baihe comforted him softly, her voice already trembling with tears.
"My Little Seven will definitely return safely. If something truly happens to him, I will personally go to the gates of hell to bring him back! My son, no one can take him away! Cough, cough, cough..." Empress Zhong's hoarse voice was filled with a firm certainty that was unsettling.
"Your Majesty the Empress, please rest assured, the Seventh Prince will be safe. Your servant heard that Consort Xi also spoke to His Majesty, suggesting that Scholar Zou be sent to Tonglin to treat the Seventh Prince."
"Zou Li, his medical skills are indeed excellent. Consort Xi's health has relied on him all these years. However, when it comes to detoxification, Zhang Shuzhong is more reliable. I was thinking of mentioning it to His Majesty, but I don't want to make things difficult for him. The current court still needs the Diao family to maintain balance. His Majesty has his own difficulties. My life is as it is. I only hope His Majesty can be happy..."
Empress Zhong's voice grew softer and softer, finally fading into silence in the vast imperial chambers.
Emperor Xiaochang, who had already taken a step out, heard that there was no longer any sound from within the chambers and gently withdrew his foot.
After so many years, he never knew the Empress still harbored such deep resentment about the past incident.
Indeed, it was her first and last child. As a woman, as a mother, who could truly be magnanimous?
Emperor Xiaochang knew he had wronged the Empress back then, but he had always believed it was for the country, for the world, for the greater good. Yet now, his once righteous heart inexplicably ached with guilt.
So, the Empress wasn't indifferent to Little Seven's situation. It was because she considered his predicament that she had endured repeated forbearance.
So, in the Empress's heart, he was always the one standing at the forefront.
Emperor Xiaochang glanced into the chambers one last time before turning to leave. Before he had taken a few steps, he heard footsteps in the courtyard.
Emperor Xiaochang: "..."
Forced by the circumstances, he once again hid in a corner.
"Aunt Baihe, Madam Zhang from Huaqing Palace is here," a palace maid announced at the doorway.
Soon, Baihe hurried out. Seeing Madam Zhang approaching, she smiled and asked, "Is Madam Zhang here again on behalf of Consort Xi to visit Her Majesty the Empress?"
"You speak truly, Aunt Baihe. Our Mistress said she has too many tonics in Huaqing Palace, more than she can use herself, so she sent this old servant to bring some." Madam Zhang also wore a polite smile and waved her hand. A few young eunuchs carrying various nourishing medicinal herbs stepped forward.
Baihe accepted the items while looking at Madam Zhang and said, "Her Majesty the Empress is not feeling well and has just fallen asleep. When Her Majesty the Empress wakes up, your servant will surely inform her."
Madam Zhang paused, "Her Majesty the Empress is ill?"