RPAGF Chapter 132 Asking for Details
Chapter 132 Asking for Details
"Master, all the ladies are rushing to Ningshuangxuan one after another! Should we hurry up as well?" Chu An looked up at Shen Zhiyao.
Even though their relationship was not good on weekdays, she was a fourth-rank concubine after all. With such a big incident happening in the harem, not only was the royal heir in danger, but the concubines were also on the verge of life and death. It was reasonable for her to be there.
"Qiuyue, don't follow us in this bloody scene. Zhe Ni, bring me my smoky grey cloak with a mink collar and follow me."
Shen Zhiyao moved very quickly, walking to the bronze mirror while giving instructions. She removed some of her fancy jewelry, took off her hair and tied it into a simple bun, chose plain beige clothes, and even washed off her makeup.
After putting on the cloak, she suddenly became much more solemn. She had a sensitive relationship with Concubine Zhao, so she needed to be extra careful today to avoid being criticized for gloating over other people's misfortune.
Now that there was a sedan chair available, Shen Zhiyao was considered to have arrived early. The atmosphere in the hall was depressing. The inner room where Concubine Zhao was was actually as silent as death. The emperor, empress and queen mother sat at the top with solemn expressions.
After Shen Zhiyao greeted everyone, she stood obediently with Lu Wanyi. The two exchanged glances and both felt that the situation was not optimistic.
The midwife's sighs and words of encouragement came out from the inner room intermittently. The palace maids in Ningshuangxuan all had pale faces. The maids brought in hot water from time to time, and soon a basin of blood-red water would come out.
As soon as Doctor Qiu, the "ghost hand" specially hired by the Queen, came out of the inner room, he was met with the eager gazes of the crowd and felt overwhelmed.
"What's the situation inside?" the queen asked with concern. She was the mistress of the harem, and now that such a serious thing had happened, she seemed very worried.
Doctor Qiu didn't even have time to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He bowed and replied, "In reply to the Queen, I have tried my best to stop the bleeding for Concubine Zhao. The next step of care is particularly important. I need to stay by her side. Only after she survives tonight can her life be completely saved."
The Queen had experienced many disturbances, big and small, in the palace, but it was the first time she had seen someone suffer such a massive hemorrhage. Her eyes were wide open, and she glanced with dissatisfaction at Qi Baolin, who was still kneeling in the corner, and she felt disgusted.
"Okay! Okay! Then you go in and guard it. If you can save his life, I will reward you handsomely!" The Queen Mother waved her hand and promised.
After all, Concubine Zhao was from the Zhao family. If she died in the palace at such a young age, Queen Mother Zhao would feel that she would not be able to face Zhao Qing. It would be fine if she was not favored, but how could she lose her life!
"Yes, I will do my best. Please rest assured, Your Majesty." Doctor Qiu bowed and went back into the inner room.
There was a large curtain hanging in front of the couch in the inner room, separating the imperial physician and Concubine Zhao. Only the midwife, the nanny and the palace maid could enter behind the curtain.
Bo Muxi was still sitting there, his face as gloomy as the bottom of a pot. He didn't like the Zhao family, but he still had to consider the face of his mother's family.
After a long silence, Bo Muxi finally asked in a deep voice: "Who was the servant serving Zhao Cairen and Qi Baolin at the time of the incident? Explain the situation clearly in front of everyone."
Bo Muxi's tone was cold. He did not ask Qi Baolin directly, but let the servants on both sides make statements. It was obvious that he was extremely disgusted with Qi Baolin.
The Queen suddenly added: "Qi Baolin, please wait outside the hall for now!"
The queen was very thoughtful. Bo Muxi looked at her deeply and nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I will kneel outside the hall right now." Qi Baolin was so frightened that his hands and feet were weak. He responded with sobs, struggled to get up, and staggered out.
She walked and sobbed silently. Now, she seemed to have become hated by everyone. She didn't know what fate was waiting for her!
The Queen first glanced at Die Rou, Zhao Cairen's personal maid, and motioned for her to speak first.
Seeing that her master's life or death was uncertain, she seemed very sad. She knelt down and cried: "In reply to the Queen's words... My master felt depressed after dinner... It was a strange season, and there were no flowers in the pavilion, so he wanted to go outside... Take a walk in the garden and see the plum blossoms..."
Die Rou cried more and more sadly, but seeing that the emperor and the empress were obviously impatient, she had to suppress her tears and said, "I didn't expect to run into Qi Baolin who was also walking nearby... She first ridiculed my master, saying that she deliberately used her offspring to frame other concubines... Then... Then she said that my master had a vicious heart and deserved retribution, and that the child might not be born..."
"The master has been unwell in recent days, and he was angry and didn't give in to her. He brought up the fact that she had slandered Concubine Jin and was attacked by Shu Ningxuan. Now it's no different from being sent to the cold palace, and she still has the nerve to provoke... The two of them are arguing more and more fiercely..."
Die wiped her tears and stopped crying: "No one expected that Qi Baolin would suddenly attack and force his way towards my master. Baoli and I pulled hard and slowly but failed to stop him. As a result... Qi Baolin pushed the master hard while pulling, and the master fell into the tree pit..."
"The master's head hit the tree hard, and he fainted on the spot. He just fell straight to the ground, and then... a lot of blood flowed, and it couldn't be stopped!"
After hearing the story, the queen sighed with her hands behind her back, obviously feeling sorry for the two men who could have caused such a disaster just for the sake of a momentary verbal pleasure.
Then he turned to Qi Baolin's maid Baoli and asked, "Was what she said just now objective? Is it different from what you saw?"
Baoli was so frightened at this time. Her master had committed a heinous crime, and as a personal maid, she was afraid that she would not survive. How could she dare to lie for her master again?
She knelt down and kowtowed: "To answer your Majesty, what Die Rou said is true. For some reason, my master's temperament has changed drastically recently and she is very irritable. I saw Concubine Zhao from a distance and wanted to take my master back, but my master became even angrier and insisted on going..."
"I have tried my best to stop her. My master must have a rare mental illness. She was not like this before..." Baoli did not dare to say anything extra. She could only kowtow, hoping for a lighter sentence.
Die Rou was filled with indignation, so she stopped crying and added coldly, "Qi Baolin only picked up those words that hit home at the time, saying that the master was first conferred the title of noble lady, and then promoted to Wanyi, but she courted death everywhere, and was finally demoted to a talented person, and even couldn't advance because of her bad pregnancy. It's a joke to start high and end low like this."
"She even cursed the child, saying that the child's mother was immoral and that even if he managed to get up and down, he might not survive... My master was so angry that she talked back!" Die Rou could no longer speak and began to sob.
"How dare you!" Queen Dowager Zhao slapped the armrest with her palm, her pupils flashing dangerously, veins bulging on both sides of her temples, and she stared at the door like an enraged lioness.