Chapter 213

By the time the news reached Shen Fu and she regained her senses, it was already being talked about everywhere.

After all, the Emperor had not yet begun to issue orders for punishment, and Shen Qingru had suddenly died; no matter how one looked at it, the matter was suspicious.

Shen Fu tried to stand up several times, but in the end, she sat back down. Clenching her palms tightly, she took a few deep breaths: "How did the person die?"

The young eunuch knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed firmly against the floor: "H-hanged..."

"The servant who went to deliver food early in the morning discovered it. I heard that the person was hanging from the door beam, and by the time they were discovered, the body was already stiff."

Shen Fu's standing body went completely limp.

Hanged...

The Emperor's kick yesterday had already sent Shen Qingru vomiting blood, leaving her half-dead.

In that state, Shen Qingru could barely even stand, let alone climb up to hang herself.

Furthermore, based on Shen Fu's understanding of Shen Qingru, even in such a desperate situation, Shen Qingru would not be willing to die like this.

This was clearly aimed at someone. Did it even need to be said?

A wave of pain shot through Shen Fu's arm. She tapped the tabletop rapidly with her uninjured hand, her tone carrying a hint of irritation.

"Does the Emperor know?"

"He knows," the young eunuch knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately: "The concubines of the inner palace have all gone there now."

"Mistress, what should we do?" Hearing Shen Fu's explanation just now, Zisu was completely panicked.

It was truly a case of fearing something and having it happen.

Shen Qingru had died so suspiciously; even if she were foolish, she knew this matter was aimed directly at their Mistress.

"What do you mean, what should we do?" Shen Fu, on the contrary, calmed down very quickly.

"Sh-Shen Qingru is gone, everyone, everyone will likely suspect you, Mistress," Zisu's face was filled with obvious worry: "The concubines of the inner palace have all gone over; should we go there too, Mistress?"

"Why should I go?"

Shen Qingru's death was clearly aimed at her. Once Shen Fu was certain of this, she actually stopped worrying.

The person behind this clearly wanted to make her panic; the more this happened, the less Shen Fu could afford to lose her composure.

"Do you all think I should go?" Shen Fu sat down and tapped her fingertips on the table a few times.

"This servant feels that Mistress should go," Zisu was still frightened, "This matter wasn't done by us; if Mistress doesn't go, they will certainly suspect it was done by Mistress!"

At the thought of this, Zisu was filled with indignation. She didn't know who had such a black heart, to actually use such sinister schemes to frame her Mistress!

"What do you think?" Shen Fu smiled at Zisu, then turned her head to look at the young eunuch on the ground.

The young eunuch knelt on the ground, realizing the Mistress was asking him, and raised his head to glance at Shen Fu: "This servant actually thinks it is better not to go."

"Oh?" Shen Fu raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

Her eyes held a smile as she looked at the person on the ground, the corners of her eyes carrying a distinct amusement: "Why is it better not to go? Tell me."

The young eunuch lifted his head from the ground, first glancing rapidly at Zisu, before smiling at Shen Fu:

"This Commoner Shen had already been so thoroughly cast aside by the Emperor; her death should have been quiet and unnoticed. But ever since the discovery of Commoner Shen's death this morning, the matter has been spread everywhere."

The young eunuch was not old, and he was a thin, dark-skinned boy, but his voice was unexpectedly pleasant, appearing quite out of place with his appearance.

"So what?" Zisu stood behind Shen Fu and asked: "Isn't everyone outside still suspecting that our Mistress did it?"

"The innocent are self-evidently innocent," the young eunuch had moved past his initial shock and was now completely calm.

"If it wasn't done by Mistress, then it wasn't done by Mistress," the young eunuch said: "What use is it for others to talk until their lips are worn thin?"

"That is twisted logic!" Zisu stomped her feet in anger: "Are we just supposed to act like we don't know and let others talk?"

"We can't plug the mouths of others!" The young eunuch remained smiling.

"What does it matter if Mistress goes now? Or doesn't go? The faces of those people in front of others and behind their backs are likely different," the young eunuch said: "If we care more about their thoughts, we are actually falling into their trap!"

"It is better to ignore it and not care. Let them say whatever they want; we will just act as if we don't know. After some time, seeing that this trick is useless, naturally no one will use this to talk anymore."

"Besides, Mistress is currently injured; no one will think it is a fault if you don't go!"

After finishing his remarks, the young eunuch carefully raised his head and smiled at Shen Fu: "These are just this servant's humble opinions; Mistress, please just listen to them."

Shen Fu had been watching him from the start, and now, seeing these arguments, they had spoken right to her heart.

Everything she wanted to say, this young eunuch had just said it all.

The person behind this wanted to use public opinion to suppress her, and what Shen Fu needed to do now was exactly what this young eunuch had suggested.

Ignore it, don't care; after some time, when those people see she doesn't care, they naturally won't use this matter to gossip in front of her.

Furthermore, if Shen Fu went and saw Shen Qingru's corpse, how would she face it then?

Should she cry, or should she laugh?

If she cried, it would clearly be too fake. Shen Qingru had already pretended to have a miscarriage to frame her; if Shen Fu went and had a big cry, anyone would think it was too fake.

But if she didn't cry, she would definitely be caught by others' tongues.

At this moment, those gathered there, besides the Emperor, were surely either crying or putting on an act.

Everyone was wearing a mask; if Shen Fu went now, she would either be watching a play or have to perform in it herself.

Why should she bother going?

"Get up," Shen Fu was very satisfied with the young eunuch's answer. Injured in one hand, she could only use the other arm to hold the teacup, lowered her head to take a light sip of tea, and asked: "What is your name?"

The young eunuch was clearly stunned, standing in place for a long time before he managed to reply: "Th-this servant is called Baoning; you can also call this servant Xiao Guizi."

"Xiao Guizi." After young eunuchs enter the palace, their names are taken at will by the managing eunuchs.

Shen Fu murmured the name Xiao Guizi, then said: "Xiao Songzi is injured; for this period of time, you will follow me."

If a master is willing to call you by name and remember your name, that means they are promoting you.

How could Baoning not understand? He stood blankly in place, waiting for a long time before immediately kneeling down, his tongue tied with excitement: "This servant thanks Mistress."

Xiao Guizi was thin and dark, looking as if he had never been fed enough. Shen Fu let Zisu go down to arrange a place for him to stay and specifically ordered her to get him two sets of new clothes.

When Zisu returned, she was still saying: "That young eunuch didn't know how happy he was, constantly calling me Sister Zisu."

With outsiders gone, Zisu was clearly a bit more relaxed. Shen Fu sent the palace maids in the hall away before handing the tonic in her hands to Zisu: "His mouth is certainly sweet."

"His brain works well, he is clever, and with that glib tongue, this Xiao Guizi is quite a character."

"Little Mistress, you want me to drink it again?" Zisu's face was bitter; so that was why the Little Mistress had sent the other servants in the room away just now.

Zisu looked at the large bowl of medicinal tonic before her, her face crinkling with worry: "But His Majesty specifically ordered that you drink it. If you stuff it into this servant's mouth at every meal, how can this be?"

Shen Fu truly did not want to drink this cloyingly sweet tonic, so she coughed once and pretended not to hear.

"Just drink it first."

How could Zisu dare to disagree? She held the soup bowl and swallowed it in small sips.

"But Little Mistress..." As the medicinal soup went down, Zisu felt quite pleased.

"If the Little Mistress doesn't go to see the death of Commoner Shen, we don't care what outsiders might think of us."

Zisu asked cautiously: "But what should the Little Mistress do about His Majesty?"

This question stumped Shen Fu.

Shen Fu did not care in the slightest what others thought. However, she had to care about what His Majesty thought.

All the favor and glory of her life rested upon His Majesty; if His Majesty were to doubt her because of this matter, or even... grow distant from her.

Then Shen Fu would have gained nothing and lost everything.

"I don't want that either." Shen Fu sighed deeply and raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

But looking at her injured arm, Shen Fu was filled with helplessness. If it were ordinary times, she could have used a beauty trap to pay His Majesty a visit, but with her muscles and bones injured, going would likely be useless.

"Things do not go as I wish."

Shen Fu spoke flatly: "We are about to set off to return to the palace; we shall take it one step at a time."

Shen Qingru had died just like that, without a sound.

She had just committed a grave error, and it was exactly when His Majesty felt disgust toward her.

Coupled with the fact that all the palaces were busy preparing to return to the capital, Shen Qingru's death was only publicized for a few days, and once it was seen that no waves were stirred, those discussing it gradually dwindled.

Before leaving, Shen Fu had heard a word or two. It was said that His Majesty couldn't be bothered to manage this matter and had handed it over entirely to Noble Consort Rong.

Yet, Noble Consort Rong had ultimately still had her buried as a commoner, burying her right there in Yuquan Mountain; it was, in the end, a subtle gesture of giving her a shred of dignity.

The carriage had been traveling on the road for a day, and Shen Fu felt dizzy from sitting in the carriage.

"What is wrong, Little Mistress?"

Every time the carriage traveled for a while, Shen Fu would vomit once; they hadn't even been on the road for half a day, and now she had vomited until even her stomach acid was about to come up.

Seeing Shen Fu clutching her throat again, looking miserable, Zisu immediately had the people outside bring in a rinsing basin: "Little Mistress, why do you keep vomiting?"

Shen Fu was truly miserable from vomiting; after getting up, she quickly used cold tea to rinse her mouth and immediately waved her hand for someone to take the basin away.

"I don't know either. Since I got into the carriage, I've been dizzy three or four times."

Shen Fu was so miserable that tears came out, and she took a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes.

"Dizzy from the moment I got in the carriage." She lowered her head to look at her injured shoulder, guessing in her heart that it must be because of the injury.

Her constitution had been weak since childhood, and now with such a heavy injury to her arm, it was naturally different from how she felt when she arrived.

As for vomiting the moment she got into the carriage, it was truly the first time for Shen Fu.

Seeing Shen Fu clutching her throat again, Zisu hurriedly brought the Cooling Ointment she had borrowed from someone else to Shen Fu's side.

But it would have been better not to bring it; once she did, Shen Fu clutched her throat and vomited even more miserably.

"Stop the carriage, stop the carriage!"

Zisu could only shout toward the outside; this carriage was already barely keeping up at the very back, and if it stopped again, it would likely fall behind the procession.

"What is to be done?"

Zisu looked at the Little Mistress with a face full of worry. Just as she was fretting, there was a knock on the carriage door.

"Little Mistress Shen Fu, Little Mistress Shen Fu."

Zisu opened the window, and her eyes lit up when she saw who it was: "Imperial Eunuch Lin?"

"Imperial Eunuch Lin, why have you come?" Zisu said, leaning half her body out to look toward the very front.

Shouldn't Imperial Eunuch Lin be by His Majesty's side at the very front?

Lin An wore a smile on his face, his gaze looking inside through the window: "It was His Majesty who sent this servant."

"His Majesty heard that the Little Mistress was unwell, so he sent me to invite the Little Mistress over."

Lin An said, pointing to the soft sedan chair behind him, smiling: "Little Mistress, please come with this servant."

When Shen Fu was carried step by step in the soft sedan chair to His Majesty's imperial carriage, she was still dazed.

It wasn't until her cheek was gently pinched that she finally snapped out of her trance.

"What's wrong?" His Majesty was sitting right beside her, a teasing smile on his face: "Don't you recognize me?"

These past few days he had been busy with the return to the palace and hadn't gone to Shen Fu's place during the day. He had only snuck over to see her twice at night.

Shen Fu was quite something; she was quiet and didn't come to find him at all.

Xiao Yu felt unhappy thinking of this. He tightened his grip on Shen Fu's cheek until she felt the pain and covered her face to dodge him; only then did he stop.

"Your Majesty..." Shen Fu covered her face, her tone murmuring.

Xiao Yu looked her up and down before asking: "I heard you aren't feeling well and have been vomiting?"

His Majesty's tone carried obvious concern; Shen Fu looked at His Majesty's face and nodded obediently.

"There is a little, but Your Majesty need not worry."

Just as she finished speaking, His Majesty smiled. He pointed casually at the Imperial Physician in the corner of the imperial carriage and waved his hand: "Let the Imperial Physician examine you."

"It is just some vomiting, Your Majesty need not be too concerned." Shen Fu still wanted to explain, but looking at His Majesty's gaze, she could only obediently extend her hand.

The Imperial Physician had already been waiting on the side, clearly having been called by His Majesty in advance.

He knelt halfway on the ground and reached out toward Shen Fu; when his fingertips landed on Shen Fu's wrist, he couldn't help but take two extra looks at her.

"What is it?"

Xiao Yu had been waiting on the side the whole time, looking at the Imperial Physician's eyes and asking, "Is there some problem?"

Shen Fu was also a bit nervous; seeing the Imperial Physician not speaking, her heart skipped a beat.

"Imperial Physician..."

"The time is too short, this servant's pulse-reading is somewhat uncertain..." The Imperial Physician was clearly unable to make up his mind, and only spoke cautiously after deliberating for a moment.

"Why not wait until we return to the palace, and have His Majesty let Imperial Physician He of the Qianjin Department take a pulse reading?"

The Imperial Physician's words were vague, but both Xiao Yu and Shen Fu clearly heard the subtext.

The time was too short... coupled with He Baokun of the Qianjin Department—regardless of other pulse readings, this Imperial Physician He was an expert at identifying a pregnancy pulse!

"You..." Xiao Yu looked at Shen Fu, the emotion flashing in his eyes unclear whether it was surprise or something else.

He shouted toward the outside of the carriage window: "Return to the palace quickly!"