Chapter 313: The Heart-Plucking Case

"She is the niece of the Minister of War and has been practicing martial arts with her brothers since she was young. Her health is much better than yours or mine, yet she died in difficult labor..." Zhen Zhen did not continue, but with Qingfeng's intelligence, she could naturally guess that there must be a reason behind this difficult labor. Qingfeng did not reply, waiting for her to continue. She saw a flash of emotion in Zhen Zhen's eyes that seemed like sarcasm and fear, and after a long time, she said again: "That child was raised by the Western Empress Dowager. At two months old... he passed away, dying of a fever."

Yan Hongtian only has one son to this day. Qingfeng had already guessed that the child must have died prematurely, but to lose him at only two months old left her with an indescribable feeling, a dull, aching heartache.

"Children are too fragile." A cold sneer curled the corners of Zhen Zhen's mouth: "Especially in this harem. Even if it wasn't a fever, accidents are inevitable, and there are simply too many accidents in the palace."

Both of them fell silent. The child in her arms was perhaps hungry and began to squirm gently. Qingfeng handed the child to Zhen Zhen, still trying to persuade her: "Hiding in the Cold Palace is not a solution. Even if you haven't been discovered in the last year or two, the child will grow up slowly. What will you do then?" Proving that this child is Yan Hongtian's child after so many years will not be easy. Besides, would the Empress not try to kill him then? I fear she would be even more desperate for him to die.

Holding the child lovingly in her arms, Zhen Zhen's heart softened. A gentle, tender smile appeared on her face unconsciously. Reluctant to take her eyes off the precious treasure in her arms, she looked at Qingfeng beside her and replied meaningfully: "I don't think the harem will always be like this." Although she could not fully guess the Emperor's thoughts, the Emperor could not let the Empress do whatever she wanted in the harem forever. The structure of the harem would surely change, and Qingfeng's appearance might make this variable come sooner.

There was a strange look in Zhen Zhen's eyes that Qingfeng did not quite understand, but Zhen Zhen had already lowered her head again, looking lovingly at the child in her arms.

Looking at the two of them, Qingfeng felt even more helpless and sighed: "The harem cannot change overnight. Once you and the child are discovered, and without Yan Hongtian's protection, with the Empress's methods, you would be gone without a sound..."

Tightening her hold on the baby, Zhen Zhen suddenly interrupted Qingfeng: "Then I will accept that fate."

"You..." Qingfeng wanted to say something, but after opening her mouth, she was left speechless.

"I entered the palace eight years ago and enjoyed favor for five. Being able to fight the Empress for so long is certainly not all due to luck. If I hadn't been pregnant, distracted, and lax in my defenses, she wouldn't have been able to topple me so easily." As she spoke, Zhen Zhen suddenly raised her hand and grabbed Qingfeng's wrist, her tone somewhat impatient yet persistent: "Qingfeng, I know I owe you a lot today. As long as you don't hand me and the child over and do your best to protect us, my influence in the palace... will all be yours."

All mine?

Qingfeng's brows furrowed tightly. She naturally knew that it was extremely difficult to seize power in the harem. If she took over the influence in Zhen Zhen's hands, it would be much easier for her to deal with the Empress. However, she would not be blindly optimistic. Zhen Zhen herself should be very clear that those so-called forces only submitted because they relied on her noble status. Now that she is in the Cold Palace and has almost no chance of making a comeback, those who used to take orders from her will naturally find other backers. If Zhen Zhen does not hand them over now, she will not be able to control them either. It was just that once she took over, she would owe her a huge favor. If she didn't take it... she was about to give birth herself, and with her current lack of support, could she protect herself and the child?! After weighing it in her heart, Qingfeng gritted her teeth and replied: "I promise you."

With Qingfeng's agreement, Zhen Zhen felt relieved, and her body immediately relaxed. Wu'er quickly supported the mother and child, secretly happy. For many years, her master had only defended and never attacked, but Qingfeng was not that type of person at all. If she gave birth to a son in the future, she would likely have a fight with the Empress. With her keeping the Empress in check, her own master would be relatively safe.

The sunset lost its color, and night gradually fell. There were no lights in the room, and the doors and windows were tightly closed. Each of the few people had their own thoughts, and no one spoke again. The dim tone of the room became even more oppressive.

"Master, the medicine sent by Imperial Physician Lin." The door was gently pushed open, and Fuling's soft voice broke the silence of the room.

Qingfeng came back to her senses and reached out to take the medicine bowl. The medicine was already a bit cold. Looking at Fuling's grave expression, Qingfeng guessed that she had probably heard what she and Zhen Zhen said outside the door. That was fine; it saved her from having to explain. Fuling was her person, and she would need her to handle things in the future. Seeing that it was nearly 7:00 PM, Qingfeng pondered for a moment and said softly: "Fuling, go clean up the bloodstains in the sedan chair, then find the sedan bearers and have them wait outside the courtyard."

Fuling nodded, lit the candles in the outer room, and a faint light shone into the inner room. Fuling looked unobtrusively at Zhen Zhen, who was leaning comfortably against Wu'er on the bed, caressing the baby in her arms. Fuling's brows furrowed again. She had made up her mind to dump the influence in her hands along with all the trouble onto her master. Protect her and her child? Easier said than done...

Fuling stood still for a long time. Qingfeng naturally guessed that she had concerns and sighed softly: "Go." Fuling suppressed the worry in her eyes, turned around, and retreated.

Scanning the messy room, Qingfeng called out loudly: "Ruyi."

Ruyi walked quickly into the room, and Qingfeng whispered in her ear: "Pour the bloody water into the begonia bushes. Burn all the blood-stained bedding, cloth towels, and anything else stained with blood in the room. Bury the ashes in the soil. Do not leave a single trace. Do it now."

"Yes." Ruyi cleaned up quickly, and Qingfeng handed the medicine to Wu'er: "Feed her the medicine." This time, no one needed to force it. Zhen Zhen held the child with one hand, took the medicine bowl with the other, and drank it in a few gulps.

The plain bed sheet was stained with blood, and Zhen Zhen's blood-stained clothes could no longer be worn. Qingfeng brought a new set of palace attire, handed it to Wu'er, and took the child from Zhen Zhen's arms, saying: "Wu'er, help her change her clothes."

After Zhen Zhen changed her clothes and Ruyi cleaned the bed, the baby in Qingfeng's arms began to cry for some reason. Perhaps because he was too young and weak, the crying was soft, like a kitten's meow. The child squirmed in her arms, drilling toward her chest. Qingfeng was at a loss: "Why is he crying?"

Zhen Zhen smiled slightly and replied: "Maybe he's hungry." As she spoke, she took the child back and sat on the bed, uncovering her collar. Qingfeng stood at the head of the bed, feeling a bit awkward, and coughed lightly: "Hurry up, it's almost time for the banquet."

Qingfeng walked out of the inner room. Wu'er finished packing Zhen Zhen's changed clothes and handed them to Ruyi. She wanted to walk in, but Qingfeng stopped her and said: "I will send them back in a moment. You go ahead now and wait at the intersection in front of the Cold Palace."

Although she really wanted to stay by her master's side, she could only follow Qingfeng's arrangements. Wu'er replied "Yes" softly and retreated quietly.

Qingfeng waited in the outer room for a while, and the kitten-like crying of the child stopped. Looking past the screen, Zhen Zhen was looking down at the little head buried in her chest. Her face was still pale as paper, her slightly messy hair stuck to her forehead, and the smile on the corner of her mouth was peaceful and satisfied. It was a beautiful picture, but Qingfeng felt an inexplicable irritation. She walked quickly out of the stuffy room, and the night breeze mixed with the scent of begonias in the courtyard slightly soothed her restless heart.

Qingfeng stood in the courtyard for a while. Fuling returned from outside the hall after finishing her tasks. She stood behind her, wanting to speak several times, but finally asked uneasily: "Are you... really not planning to tell the Emperor?"

Qingfeng's back stiffened, and her low voice carried a hint of hesitation: "For now... keep it hidden. Although Zhen Zhen and her child are safe, I deceived the Emperor and brought them out of the Cold Palace to give birth in the Qingfeng Palace, which still breaks the palace rules. If the Empress makes an issue of it, I will still be unable to escape punishment. Furthermore... I really need to borrow Zhen Zhen's influence. The struggle for heirs in the harem seems much more complicated than I originally thought, and... much more dangerous."

Although Qingfeng said this, there was another voice in her heart. In fact, she didn't tell Yan Hongtian now because she wasn't sure of his thoughts. She didn't know what he was thinking. Her eldest sister and younger sister finally had their own destinations, and she had this concern in her own belly. She no longer had the heart to fight Yan Hongtian. It was hard to ease their relationship, and she didn't want to destroy this hard-won peace. Better not to take risks if she could avoid them.

But, could it really be so easy to hide from the Emperor's eyes? Fuling opened her mouth, but it finally turned into a "Yes." After standing in the courtyard for a while, seeing that the time was almost up, the two walked into the inner room.

Zhen Zhen was still sitting on the edge of the bed holding the child. The child had fallen asleep after being fed. Qingfeng discovered that this child was very quiet; except for crying when hungry, he slept the rest of the time. That was good; it wouldn't be easily discovered.

Fuling was worried that Zhen Zhen would be seen holding the child while walking back to the Cold Palace, so she carefully found a bamboo basket, lined it with thick cotton cloth, and covered it with a bamboo lid. Carrying it in her hand, it looked like a food box and was not eye-catching. Zhen Zhen felt heartache watching Fuling carefully put the child into the basket, but she had to admit that Fuling's plan was indeed thorough. Sighing softly, with Qingfeng's support, Zhen Zhen hid in the large sedan chair again. This time, with her young child by her side, she felt much warmer inside.

After settling the mother and child, Qingfeng also entered the sedan chair. Fuling lowered the curtain, and after checking that everything was done, she opened the hall door to let the sedan bearers carry the sedan out. The sedan moved toward the Ganyang Hall. When they reached a turn, a low cry suddenly came from inside: "Stop the sedan!"

The sedan bearers paused. Fuling approached the sedan and asked softly: "Master, what's wrong?"

"The shaking of the sedan makes me feel unwell." The voice from inside was very weak. The sedan bearers had a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads. They were carrying the large sedan with eight people and weren't walking fast; it shouldn't be shaking. They looked at Fuling for guidance. Fuling thought for a moment and said: "I will open the curtain so you can get some air, and then we will go, okay?"

"That's fine."

The person inside did not get angry, and the sedan bearers secretly breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the sedan gently.

"You all step back."

"Yes." The sedan bearers didn't think much of it and quickly retreated several yards behind the sedan, standing by the side of the road with their backs to it, waiting. The sickly, delicate appearance of Consort Qing was not something they could look at.

Making sure they had retreated far enough and would definitely not see the situation here in the night, Fuling gently lifted the curtain. Qingfeng got out of the sedan first, looked left and right to make sure no one was passing by, and nodded to Fuling. Fuling reached into the sedan and helped Zhen Zhen down.

(End of chapter)