Having sent everyone away, the Empress could no longer hold herself together! "It’s really... one wave hasn’t settled before another has risen!" Sister Ji said, "Your Highness, this old servant sees that the Emperor still harbors suspicions towards you..." The Empress was impatient. "But I didn’t do it when she fell! She has offended so many people, why should it fall on me!" But you are the Empress! Sister Ji thought. In the eyes of others, who else but you would wish for Noble Concubine Shih not to give birth to a prince? Moreover, it’s an open secret that you and Noble Concubine Shih have never gotten along well! This situation is really difficult to resolve! The Empress said, "But Sister Ji, the Emperor has already stopped the investigation! The people from the Punishment Department have all been released!" The incident of the Palace Maid biting her tongue to commit suicide had already been covered up by Zhao Junyao, unknown to anyone in the Harem. "Why did the Emperor stop the investigation! I didn’t do it means I didn’t do it! I want to clear my name!" Sister Ji said, "Your Highness... In this palace, there is no true innocence; as long as the Emperor believes, that is innocence!" The Empress had nothing to say. Filled with indignation, to whom could she appeal for justice?! Xia Ruqing’s sources of information were still not quick enough. It wasn’t until after lunch that she received the news. "Honored Lady Xi has been attending to the Emperor’s breakfast and didn’t come back until almost noon?" Xiao Xizi nodded. He actually didn’t want to talk about this; after all, it might make his master uncomfortable. But since everyone in the palace was talking about it, his master would find out sooner or later, so it might be better to know sooner! Xia Ruqing thought for a long time, then said thoughtfully, "The Emperor is really cunning!" Xiao Xizi was a bit confused. "What do you mean, my Lady?" Zi Yue, however, understood and smacked Xiao Xizi. "How can you be so slow, what day was it yesterday?" Xiao Xizi slapped his forehead. "It was the beginning of the month yesterday!" The beginning of the month is the Empress’s day; apart from the Empress, whoever serves the Emperor overnight is unlucky! If Honored Lady Xi not only served overnight but also accompanied the Emperor for breakfast and stayed in Zhaochen Palace all the way until almost noon... This is outright... Xia Ruqing smiled a bit. "The Emperor’s move was a direct slap in the face! Could it be... That fall of Noble Concubine Shih, was it really the doing of the Empress?" As she spoke, she nodded. "Even the Emperor thinks so, it must be true! I’ve always thought the Empress was clever; how could she do such a foolish thing this time!" Zi Yue then said, "She must truly be feeling the pressure!" Xia Ruqing just chuckled softly. "Forget it. Whether it was her or not, it has nothing to do with us!" With that, she picked up Da Bai, who was rubbing against her leg. "Come on! Let’s see how our vegetable garden is doing!" Saying this, she added, "By the way, that bamboo grove by my window has been a bit slanted recently. Have some workers come over and straighten it out!" "Yes!" Xiao Xizi quickly agreed. The master and servants headed to the vegetable garden in the back courtyard. The lotus pond in the garden was ready, just waiting for the lotus roots to be planted. Other vegetables had been planted as well. They were all frost-resistant vegetables, which can withstand the winter; they had already been watered, and some had even sprouted. "Once September passes, it will get cold. It’ll be hard to get fresh vegetables outside," Xiao Xizi said. In reality, there was no shortage of large radishes and cabbages outside, but the Imperial Kitchen would not buy these! They might taste good, but they don’t look appealing! The Royal Family values protocols and appearances! Xia Ruqing wasn’t so particular. "If it tastes good to me, then it’s good. After all, no one can tell me what to do in this little world of mine! This winter we’ll have fresh vegetables; I’ll even take you all to have hot pot!" Zi Yue and Xiao Xizi had seen it in previous years; it’s delicious! They cheered immediately. Even Da Bai in her arms let out a MEOW in agreement. Xia Ruqing leaned against a tree, looking up at the square piece of sky above her. She sighed. "Sometimes, even if you’re trapped in a cage, you have to find a way to live!" Zi Yue said, "My lady, you are not trapped in a cage! The Emperor goes out every year; naturally, you will have your opportunities!" Xia Ruqing smiled but said nothing. Foolish girl, she thought, the selection for consorts is next year. Who knows how many years I can remain favored! However... given any slightest chance, she would fight to the very end! Lowly, is it? Then she would be an indomitable cockroach, tenaciously, stubbornly, living a good life! When the time was right, she would have a child. With a child, she would be secure; she... would have made it through! Everything would get better, slowly but surely. She had all the time in the world, didn’t she? The Little Prince was born on the sixteenth of August. It has been over half a month now, and Noble Concubine Shih still hadn’t left her confinement. Judge Zhang went to see the Little Prince every day, diagnosing his pulse and treating him with acupuncture. But how could he cure the disease of the five softs? Half a month had passed, and the Little Prince hadn’t cried even once. No crying, no laughing, not a trace of expression on his face; he just lay there dull and speechless. Noble Concubine Shih couldn’t bring herself to believe it and kept shaking a rattle in front of her son. The JINGLE-JANGLE of the rattle echoed, but the Little Prince didn’t even move his eyes. Instead, his mouth became more crooked, and the drool flowed longer and longer. Angry, Noble Concubine Shih threw the rattle aside, collapsed on the other side, and began to sob. Crying was still better; there had been times when even the Imperial Physician was scolded. This time, if it were not Judge Zhang and someone else, they probably would have been berated as well. Ying Yue felt uncomfortable. "My lady, take care of yourself! You’re still young..." Noble Concubine Shih angrily grabbed the blanket. "Young? How am I still young? The selection for consorts is next year! No matter how young I may be, I can’t compare to the even fresher buds... The child didn’t make it; the Emperor must be very angry... Half a month has passed, and he hasn’t even wished to glance this way!" The Emperor is probably reluctant to look because he can’t bear it, Ying Yue thought to herself. Seeing the child , wouldn’t it be even more painful for him? "Ah..." she sighed. Faced with this situation, she didn’t know how to console. Ultimately... it’s a lack of blessing... Bearing a child was so difficult, and Noble Concubine Shih just couldn’t keep it. Whom to blame? All the Imperial Physicians said it was because the Noble Consort was too overbearing and emotionally unstable, which had harmed the child. How could the Emperor not be annoyed? With a sigh, Ying Yue still said, "My lady, the Emperor has already issued a gag order; nobody inside or outside the palace knows about this! Please don’t think too much, just focus on recovering well!" Noble Concubine Shih remained silent. What was there to say now, after all? Dıscover more novels at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Days passed by one after the other. Because of the gag order, no one dared to mention the matter again. In the end, everyone knew: if it’s useless, it’s just useless; discussing it over and over didn’t make much sense. The Empress was happy for a while, but then she just couldn’t be happy anymore. On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, the Empress Dowager was ill and had closed her doors, seeing no one. Noble Concubine Shih was still in her confinement and didn’t come out either. The Empress then called all the other women from the Harem. "We’ll hold a simple banquet to mark the occasion!" Everyone sitting below agreed in unison.