"Oh my goodness! Could Miss Ling Shan have had a miscarriage?"
Amid the chaos in the waterside pavilion, a sudden hush fell.
Everyone's eyes turned to Ling Shan, whose pale face starkly contrasted with the bright red stain on her skirt.
A sense of foreboding welled up in their hearts. It seemed that this day was not going to end well.
"Someone, go and summon the imperial physician at once!"
Wang Chengbi's face darkened. She gritted her teeth as she stared at the red stain on the ground. A flicker of satisfaction crossed her eyes, but unease welled up in her heart.
This wasn't supposed to be how her plan unfolded.
But now, in full view of everyone, she had personally pushed this lowly maid to the ground. Ling Shan had hit a table and chair and lost her child...
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Chengbi's cold and fierce gaze landed on Concubine Cui, who feigned concern. Her look seemed as if it could pierce through the other woman.
Concubine Cui, seemingly oblivious, nodded slightly with a smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
That bitch Cui! Who was she trying to fool with her act of gentleness and virtue?
Wang Chengbi was sure that Concubine Cui hated Ling Shan to the core. Now that Ling Shan had fallen out of favor and suffered a miscarriage, Concubine Cui must be secretly gloating. But here she was, pretending to be a good person!
She was just a mere noble concubine. So what if she came from the prestigious Cui family of Qinghe?
In the harem, it was not up to this bitch to dictate things!
However, since she had pushed Ling Shan to the ground first, if she were to stop the summoning of the imperial physician, the charge of harming the imperial heir would surely be pinned on her.
Wang Chengbi gritted her teeth in hatred and shot a resentful glare at Concubine Cui, but she did not say a word to stop the order.
The blood was a deep red, and Ling Shan's breaths were faint. It was obvious that the fetus in her womb was doomed.
Before the smugness and satisfaction could surface in Wang Chengbi's eyes, a furious roar came from outside the waterside pavilion.
"Get out of the way! If anything happens to Shan Shan, I'll chop off her head!"
The atmosphere in the pavilion instantly turned frosty. No one dared to make a sound.
Judging from the emperor's furious and murderous words, it seemed that there would be more bloodshed in the pavilion today.
Among them, Wang Chengbi's eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. Her heart was in a complete mess.
In the blink of an eye, Jun Wuyuan's tall and imposing figure appeared. His handsome face was clouded with anger.
"Shan Shan!"
Jun Wuyuan's face was cold and solemn. His eyes trembled slightly.
He rushed forward quickly and wrapped his arms around Ling Shan. His voice was cold and angry. "Summon the imperial physician and seal off Qingyun Terrace!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Everyone in the pavilion knelt down in a flurry, trembling with fear as they pleaded for mercy.
"Your Majesty..."
Ling Shan's face was deathly pale. She leaned weakly against Jun Wuyuan, her voice soft and pitiful.
"My stomach hurts so much... Am I going to die soon..."
"Don't be afraid, Shan Shan. I'm here."
Jun Wuyuan's eyes darkened. He held her gently and comforted her in a soft voice, as if he were trembling with fear.
Even though he had known about this drama in advance, his heart still skipped a beat when he saw it with his own eyes.
Especially when he saw the red stain on her skirt, he couldn't help but wonder what he would do if such a thing really happened one day.
The malicious intent of the perpetrator was real. No matter what the outcome was, he would surely not let the culprit go.
"Don't be afraid, Shan Shan. You'll be fine."
Jun Wuyuan's voice was gentle as he comforted her over and over again. But his cold and fierce gaze swept across the people still kneeling on the ground.
His tyrannical and cold gaze was like a sharp blade, cutting through them inch by inch.
The timid ones were already trembling in fear. They didn't even dare to lift their heads.
Fortunately, Jun Wuyuan's cold and fierce gaze soon landed on Wang Chengbi, who was kneeling at the front.
There were still tea stains on both sides of her skirt, and the ground around her was littered with broken porcelain cups. Upon closer inspection, one could see her slightly trembling back.
"Concubine Xian, is this what you call holding a flower-viewing banquet to pray for the Empress Dowager?"
The scolding words came straight at Wang Chengbi without a trace of the softness and tenderness he had shown earlier.
Wang Chengbi felt a sharp pain in her heart. The contrast only made the humiliation more unbearable.
"Your Majesty, this concubine..."
Wang Chengbi tried her best to raise her head proudly, not letting the hot tears in her eyes fall. She bit her lips and replied.
"Your Majesty, this concubine admits to her negligence in handling things. But it was all because Miss Ling Shan damaged the imperial gift. This concubine just wanted to teach her some rules.
Unexpectedly, Miss Ling Shan was so disrespectful and caused such a commotion in the waterside pavilion. This concubine..."
Jun Wuyuan glanced at the wilted Qiongtai Yulu peony that had already been tidied up. He instantly understood the reason.
"Is that all?"
[I knew Concubine Xian was stupid, but I didn't expect her to be this stupid!]
Jun Wuyuan felt insulted.
He had been so worried just now. Even though he had made all the preparations in advance, no one could predict what would really happen, right?
But now, looking at Wang Chengbi, who still showed a hint of indignation and hatred, Jun Wuyuan was truly incredulous.
"Presumptuous! The things I bestowed upon Shan Shan are not for you to comment on!
Let alone the fact that Shan Shan only damaged it. Even if she threw it away, it would still be my pleasure. Who do you think you are?"
"Your Majesty..."
Wang Chengbi's eyes instantly turned red. She looked at Jun Wuyuan with a pale face.
She seemed to have never expected Jun Wuyuan to speak to her like this. Her eyes were filled with hurt and tears.
"Concubine Cui, you tell me."
Wang Chengbi's heart skipped a beat. She bit her lips and held back her tears.
That bitch!
Concubine Cui's voice was gentle. She looked like a noble and elegant lady as she told the whole story fairly and impartially without any personal bias.
Finally, she pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment before adding.
"Your Majesty, this concubine and the others think that Miss Ling Shan might be pregnant, which is why... she lost so much blood. But please don't worry, this concubine has already sent someone to summon..."
"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty, and to..."
"Shut up and examine her pulse quickly!"
Doctor Zhang's gray beard trembled. He quickly closed his mouth and stopped bowing. He stepped forward to examine Ling Shan's pulse.
As soon as he saw the blood on her skirt, Doctor Zhang's heart sank. He had a bad feeling.
After feeling her pulse, he didn't even need to examine it carefully. The weak and obvious pulse told him everything.
He had long heard that Miss Ling Shan was highly favored by the emperor.
But he never expected that this favor would turn out to be a deadly poison.
Doctor Zhang's hands began to tremble. Under Jun Wuyuan's almost murderous gaze, he felt extremely miserable.
Why did he have to be on duty today? And why was he summoned here?
Why did such a life-threatening incident have to happen to him?
"How is she?"
Doctor Zhang tried his best to suppress the tremor in his throat. He knelt on the ground with a thud. "Your servant is incompetent. This young mistress... she had a miscarriage..."
With a loud bang.
Jun Wuyuan casually grabbed a cup of hot tea and smashed it to the ground.
The splashing hot tea and fragments happened to fly towards Wang Chengbi, who was stubbornly holding her head high with unwillingness.
"Good! Very good!"
Jun Wuyuan's face was terrifyingly cold. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with a cold and murderous intent.
"Concubine Xian, for attempting to harm my eldest son, your crime is unforgivable. Someone, strip Concubine Xian of her rank and banish her to Jiyuan!"