Bai Pin is dead, but someone must continue to deal with what she left behind. So Princess Consort Yi said to Doctor Cheng. "Doctor Cheng, you’ve worked hard taking care of Bai Pin. Go back and rest, I will report the things here to the Emperor myself." Doctor Cheng felt uneasy, but he had nothing to say. He glanced at Bai Pin, lifeless on the bed, and said with regret. "Yes, your humble servant takes his leave." After Doctor Cheng left, Ruyi brought people forward to cover Bai Pin with a white cloth, then instructed to arrange the funeral matters. Such was the case in the main room, and Princess Consort Yi and the others felt it was inauspicious and did not want to linger. So they stepped to Lady Chu’s chamber. Then, they looked at the scattered idle people in the room, gave Ruyi a glance, and saw her lead them to withdraw. Lady Chu naturally understood that Princess Consort Yi wanted to speak with her alone. But before she could open her mouth, a slap from Princess Consort Yi landed. Lady Chu did not guard against this move, and until the slap landed, bringing a burning pain to her cheek, she was jerked back to reality. A crisp and decisive "slap" sound. Outside, Ruyi and Ruhuan, guarding the door, wore very solemn expressions, while the original people in Lady Chu’s courtyard were kneeling, one by one, not daring to utter a sound. "Your Highness, why is this?" Lady Chu held her cheek, appearing utterly incredulous. She planned to use the ruse of self-harm but was immediately seen through by Princess Consort Yi. "The blood on Bai Pin is almost dry, and only now do you send someone to call me? Lady Chu, if you are tired of living, don’t drag me and the Liu Family down with you! Wretch!" Having said this, she gave her a kick. Though not as harsh as Lady Chu’s kick to Yingshuang, it still made Lady Chu suffer some pain. Her right arm hurt badly, something Lady Chu, raised in pampered luxury, had never endured before. But in her heart, she dared not express her anger toward Princess Consort Yi. The power of the Marquis of Northwest was apparent to concubines like her from the Northwest. Thus, no matter how dissatisfied she was in her heart, she had to feign supplication. "Your Highness, spare me, spare me, indeed, I had a mind to let Bai Pin suffer, but who knew she couldn’t hold on, and even her child, it’s not my fault!" "Huh, still trying to argue? You and Bai Pin weren’t on good terms just for a day or two. The Emperor specifically instructed you to take care of Bai Pin’s fetus, is this how you took care of it? If you anger the Emperor, how many heads do you think your Chu Family has to spare?" Mentioning calamity to the family truly frightened Lady Chu. Ignoring the pain in her arm, she immediately kneeled and crawled to Princess Consort Yi. Clutching the hem of her robe, she spoke anxiously. "Your Highness, our Chu Family is loyal to the Marquis of Northwest, please don’t disregard my life or death." Seeing her in such tears and snot, Princess Consort Yi was disgusted. However, as much as she detested it, she acknowledged, as Lady Chu just said. The Chu Family indeed held a vital position for the Liu Family. Even if she stirred immense trouble here, she had to consider her family. Otherwise, the death of one Lady Chu was trivial, but if discontent arose in the Chu Family, it would be quite a problem. After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, she asked Lady Chu. "Before Bai Pin died, was there anything unusual, like someone visiting, bringing something, or anything she had eaten?" With Princess Consort Yi’s hint, Lady Chu’s muddled mind finally cleared for a moment. Immediately, she spoke hurriedly. "Your Highness, Yi Changzai came to see Bai Pin and brought a little shirt, after Bai Pin touched it, she started having stomach pains and bleeding. It must have been something she put in it, which caused Bai Pin’s trouble. Your Highness, it really has nothing to do with me." Hearing this, Princess Consort Yi’s attention shifted. As she thought of the little shirt, countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Seeing Princess Consort Yi remain silent, Lady Chu grew anxious. She feared for her life, and feared implicating her family. Her heart was in her throat, waiting for Princess Consort Yi’s response. After a long while, Princess Consort Yi suddenly spoke. "Even if I found you a scapegoat, don’t think you can so smoothly distance yourself. Bai Pin’s death with her child; punishing a mere Yi Changzai, how could the Emperor’s wrath be quelled!" Upon hearing this, Lady Chu panicked, afraid it would indeed implicate her family. Regardless of anything else, she immediately revealed a shocking secret. "Your Highness may not know, but this child might not be imperial seed!" Princess Consort Yi was evidently shocked by her words, but seeing Lady Chu’s determined expression, she immediately retorted. "Watch your tongue, saying such things requires accountability, otherwise, even I can’t protect you, understand?" Princess Consort Yi did not threaten Lady Chu, but in her foolishness, she disregarded anything else, straightforwardly expressed her suspicious thoughts. "Doesn’t Your Highness find it strange? Bai Pin’s pregnancy roughly started at the end of February, but during that period, I lived with her daily. If she had really received imperial favor, why would I know nothing? That’s the first point." "Also, there’s the matter of Lin Wanyi’s twins, kept so secret, if not for her giving birth to a boy and a girl, one child might have been executed. If the Emperor didn’t want his child harmed by palace rules, wouldn’t he seek a proper identity for him? Conveniently, Bai Pin was pregnant, and the Emperor acknowledged the child, Your Highness, is this truly coincidence? That’s the second point." "As to whether Bai Pin had an affair with a guard or someone else, I didn’t find out. But in recent days, her dazed appearance, did she have the arrogance of carrying an imperial fetus? She ate less than I did daily, was that how one protects an imperial fetus? That’s the third point." Lady Chu was usually brazen but that didn’t mean she was truly as foolish as a pig. She could see through some things. The only thing that displeased her was that in this situation, the only one holding all advantages was Lin Wanyi. While the rest of them merely flowed with the tide, acting as her footmen. After listening, Princess Consort Yi seemed a bit belated in realizing. She was indifferent to the Emperor, so those not threatening the Third Prince were of no concern to her. But now it was different, if Lady Chu’s suspicions were true. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽 Bai Pin and her unborn child were merely backups for Lin Wanyi, this had to put Princess Consort Yi on guard. The Emperor held Lin Wanyi dearly, indicating he wouldn’t treat their child badly. Lin Wanyi now had a son, making her more confident than when she was just Lin Guifei. Thinking this, she resolved in her heart the mindset of rather mistakenly killing a thousand than missing one. The killing intent flashed in her eyes, then spoke to Lady Chu shortly thereafter.