frightfiction Chapter 54 The Death of Consort Fucha and Duanpin
Chapter 54 The Death of Consort Fucha and Duanpin
Consort Duan, Qi Yuebin, has passed away; this news quickly spread throughout the six palaces.
However, due to her prolonged illness, she had been recuperating quietly in the Yanqing Hall.
Therefore, in this vast palace, her presence was very insignificant and did not attract much attention.
Of the six palaces, only Consort Jing and Consort Wan went to her mourning hall to offer incense.
The chubby orange cat didn't seem to care, perhaps because he had felt a little guilty towards her in the past.
But ever since I learned about Qi Yuebin's underhanded tricks,
Especially when he learned that she dared to reveal the truth of what happened back then in front of Nian Shilan,
This forced Nian Shilan to attempt suicide by hitting her head against a pillar, but she failed and subsequently lost her memory.
The last shred of pity and guilt that Da Pang Ju felt towards Qi Yuebin vanished instantly.
Instead, there was only disgust and anger.
Now that he knows that Consort Duan is dead, Big Fat Orange feels no emotion.
They were extremely indifferent and perfunctory regarding the matter after her death.
Not only were the funeral arrangements extremely simple and meager, but the body was ultimately not even allowed to be buried in the imperial concubine's mausoleum.
Instead, they simply found a remote, deserted place and hastily buried it.
It was as if this former Consort Duan had never had a place in this palace.
It left no trace in the heart of the big fat orange.
Fucha Peiyun was completely indifferent to Consort Duan's death; once Consort Duan turned against her, her fate was already sealed.
What she cared about was how Zhen Huan would deal with the stillborn child in her womb.
Another example is the actions of the empress at Jingren Palace.
Ulanara Yixiu must be quite panicked inside.
She had countless plans in her mind, but the pieces just wouldn't move according to her expectations.
How could she not panic? Fucha Peiyun felt anxious just thinking about it.
The Empress in Jingren Palace was truly in a state of panic at this moment.
The successive heavy blows she suffered made it impossible for her to remain calm.
This time she went to the Temple of Heaven with the Emperor to offer sacrifices.
According to the Empress's original plan, she should have taken advantage of the absence of the Emperor and her "tiger in the mountains."
Consort Hua, this "monkey," will seize the opportunity to act recklessly and become a tyrant.
According to the Empress's plan, Consort Hua would definitely take this excellent opportunity to severely harass and torment the concubines in the various palaces.
Furthermore, the unique Huan Yi Incense in Yikun Palace contains musk, which is harmful to pregnant women.
If nothing unexpected happens, it will lead to miscarriages for Consort Shu and Consort Wan.
In this way, the Emperor will surely be furious and take his anger out on Consort Hua. It is no surprise that Consort Hua will be demoted and lose favor.
However, contrary to expectations, Consort Hua made things difficult for the other concubines, just as the Empress had predicted.
To the Empress's surprise, neither Consort Shu nor Consort Wan suffered miscarriages due to the Huan Yi Incense!
This outcome was completely unexpected by the Queen, rendering all her previous calculations futile.
Furthermore, Zhen Huan had been using scar-reducing gel for a long time during this pregnancy.
Logically speaking, she should have miscarried long ago.
However, to the Empress’s surprise, many days have passed since she returned to the palace, yet there has been no sign of her having miscarried.
This situation made the Empress begin to have doubts and become suspicious of An Lingrong.
Could it be that An Lingrong still cherishes the so-called sisterly bond with Zhen Huan?
On the surface, they flatter me, but behind my back they are hypocritical.
Did Zhen Huan not actually use the scar-reducing gel containing musk?
Even if An Lingrong dared to betray him, Zhang Mi would never!
It should be noted that Zhang Mi had been successfully bribed by the Empress many years ago.
He has served her faithfully all these years and has never made a mistake.
Over the years, many concubines in the palace have been unable to conceive, and even those fortunate enough to conceive a royal heir...
Ultimately, most of them were unable to give birth to a son smoothly, largely because Zhang Mi secretly helped cover it up.
This incident also became a major handle in the Empress's hands to control Zhang Mi.
I doubt that Zhang Mi would dare to harbor the slightest intention of betrayal.
After much deliberation, the Empress finally decided to personally seek out Zhang Mi and get to the bottom of things.
So, without making a sound, she secretly summoned Zhang Mi to a side hall of Jingren Palace.
When Zhang Mi stepped into the hall, he saw the Empress sitting upright, her eyes cold and frosty, sending chills down his spine.
"I have always treated you very well and have never mistreated you in the slightest."
But why is everything going wrong these days, with mishaps occurring one after another?
The Empress stared intently at Zhang Mi, who was kneeling below, and questioned him in an icy tone.
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Zhang Mi was startled and trembled with fear, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He dared not hesitate for a moment, and immediately bowed his head to apologize, his voice trembling as he said:
"Your Majesty is extremely discerning! Your humble servant is utterly loyal to Your Majesty and has never harbored any disloyalty."
They would never dare to harbor any intention of betrayal!
Immediately afterward, Zhang Mi composed himself and continued his report:
"Regarding the scar-reducing gel, I have carefully examined it many times, and it does indeed contain musk."
Furthermore, every time this humble servant takes the pulse of Consort Wan,
They could clearly sense that the musk in her body was accumulating day by day.
Moreover, the fetal breathing of Consort Wan's unborn child was gradually weakening, and a miscarriage was inevitable.
However… as for Consort Wan’s continued pregnancy without miscarriage, this humble subject truly does not understand the reason.”
After saying this, Zhang Mi kowtowed several times to show his fear and loyalty.
The Empress was even more suspicious upon hearing this; she believed Zhang Mi wouldn't dare to lie to her.
So why did Zhen Huan's pregnancy remain stable without any signs of miscarriage?
The Empress sat on her phoenix throne, gently rubbing her throbbing head with her right hand, her brows furrowed.
She was unwilling to accept this, and she would never be able to settle her mind until the truth of the matter was thoroughly investigated.
Thinking of Consort Shu's pregnancy, which was nearing its end,
How could she be willing to just stand by and watch Consort Shu give birth to the child safely!
After much deliberation, having no other choice, the Empress decided to test the waters first.
So she turned to look at Huichun, who was standing to the side, and said slowly:
"Huichun, convey my decree to all the concubines in the palace: starting tomorrow, the custom of paying respects to the emperor shall be reinstated."
Upon hearing this, Huichun quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Having said that, she dared not delay for a moment, and hurriedly accepted the order to convey the Empress's decree to the various palaces.
The Empress gave Zhang Mi a few instructions and then sent him away.
The different palaces reacted differently upon receiving this news.
Upon hearing this news, Consort Hua, Nian Shilan, residing in Lingkun Palace, immediately snorted coldly, her face filled with disdain and disgust.
She now holds this empress in utter contempt.
The moment she saw that old woman, the Empress, she felt an intense dislike for her; she clearly had ill intentions.
I wonder if this woman is up to something bad.
Fucha Peiyun knew from the Empress's actions that this matter was not simple.
It is very likely that this was a test by the Empress, or perhaps more than just a test.
Zhen Huan had her own guesses about this, but this news still filled her with joy.
These past few days she has been looking for an opportunity, whether it's the Empress, Consort Hua, or Consort Shu, she'll try to implicate one of them.
She had lost her baby, but she couldn't let it all go to waste.
But she just couldn't find an opportunity during this period.
The Empress's resumption of paying respects to the Emperor this time was an opportunity given to her.
Upon receiving the news, Zhen Huan and Jinxi immediately began planning how to proceed the next day.
However, Cao Qinmo of Jingyang Palace was very worried about Nian Shilan now.
I'm afraid she might accidentally fall into the trap set by the Empress.
So she rushed to Lingkun Palace and gave Nian Shilan a detailed reminder.
The next morning, the concubines in each palace got up early, dressed, and ate a little before heading to Jingren Palace to pay their respects to the Empress.
The next morning, just as the first light of dawn appeared in the east, the concubines in the various palaces of the palace had already risen one after another.
They carefully groomed themselves, wanting to appear in front of everyone in the most appropriate manner.
It should be known that breach of etiquette is a serious offense.
Some concubines would eat something first to fill their stomachs, so that they would have enough energy to deal with various situations.
Fucha Peiyun, however, was very irritable.
If the Empress weren't still alive and well, she would have told her to stop causing trouble long ago.
As dawn broke, Fucha Peiyun was still immersed in a sweet dream.
He was forcibly dragged out of his warm bed by Wang Mama, who served him closely.
Despite her deep reluctance, she could only fight off her drowsiness due to her status and the rules.
She carefully and slowly got out of bed, her belly protruding.
Afterwards, Ye'er and Xue'er got busy, fetching water for her to wash her face, rinse her mouth, and brush her teeth.
Next came a simple breakfast, although these snacks were quite exquisite.
But for Fucha Peiyun, who was in a bad mood at the moment, it was also tasteless.
After casually placing a few hairpins on her head, Fucha Peiyun had Ye'er help her style her hair into a simple and neat bob, then adorned it with hairpins and a few velvet flowers.
After examining herself in the mirror, just then, Xue'er spoke up at the perfect moment to remind her:
"Your Majesty, it's almost time to pay our respects."
Upon hearing this, Fucha Peiyun nodded slightly.
Then he reached out and took Ye'er's outstretched arm, and slowly stood up.
At this moment, the twins and others who had been waiting outside for a long time had already carefully inspected the sedan chair.
Therefore, Fucha Peiyun sat in the palanquin with complete peace of mind, and was escorted by the crowd towards Jingren Palace.
Along the way, whether it was the little pillar leading the way,
Or were the others carefully guarding the sedan chair?
Everyone was on high alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Especially the little pillar at the very front, who was always watching his surroundings and listening to everything around him.
Fortunately, they were cautious enough to discover in time a thin layer of oil that had been splashed in the middle of the road.
If it weren't for such vigilance, the sedan chair would probably have slipped and fallen when it reached this point.
That would put her pregnancy in danger.
When Fucha Peiyun and her entourage arrived at Jingren Palace, they found that most of the others had already arrived.
Fucha Peiyun first curtsied to Consort Jing, who was of higher rank than her.
Consort Jing was a kind-hearted person, and she would never allow a pregnant woman to perform the proper etiquette.
He quickly helped her up.
"Sister Shupin, no need for such formalities."
Then the others bowed to Fucha Peiyun.