Before long, Prince An arrived. It had been a while since anyone had seen him, and he looked thinner, drained of life. His eyes locked onto Meng Wenyao with a cold, sinister glare.Meng Wenyao instinctively clutched the Emperor's sleeve tighter.Sensing her tension, the Emperor gently squeezed her hand to soothe her nerves.
Just then, the Empress Dowager emerged, freshly dressed. Upon spotting Prince An, her smile widened, but as she approached him, her expression suddenly darkened."An'er, how have you been sleeping lately?" she asked, voice tinged with concern and something else—maybe suspicion.
Prince An hesitated. Ever since his coming-of-age ceremony, restful sleep had been a stranger to him.
The Emperor cleared his throat, and the Empress Dowager abruptly changed the subject, hurriedly calling everyone to dinner.The atmosphere grew thick with tension—unspoken words hung in the air as the Empress Dowager seemed to wrestle with herself, repeatedly biting back what she wanted to say.
The Emperor acted as if he held everything firmly under control, showing no sign of concern. But Meng Wenyao was sharp enough to notice a strange pattern: the Emperor would always feed her the dishes he had already tasted. Once, when she tried to pick a dish herself, he accidentally knocked it away.It was clear: he didn't want her to eat anything he hadn't already sampled.
Such a tense dinner, with undercurrents threatening to spill onto the table. Since no one wanted Meng Wenyao to be aware of the brewing storm, she wisely finished her meal quickly and excused herself.The Emperor stayed behind to face the Empress Dowager's interrogation alone.
The Empress Dowager wanted to handle things quietly, away from the Emperor's eyes—to protect the Empress and the child from heartbreak. But when she realized the special medicinal herbs she sent to Meng Wenyao had somehow ended up with Prince An, panic overtook her.
Unable to hold back, she confronted the Emperor:"Your Majesty, did you send the herbs I gifted to the Empress over to Prince An's residence?"
The Emperor smiled faintly: "Yes. The palace infirmary prescribes the Empress's supplements directly, and those herbs your Majesty sent would have gone to waste. So I thought to send them to An'er instead."
Despite being mentally prepared, the Empress Dowager nearly dropped her cup in shock. The moment she saw Prince An's face earlier, she recognized the telltale signs of having consumed those special herbs.
Prince An, alarmed by her reaction, quickly asked, "Grandmother, what's wrong?"
The Empress Dowager hesitated—afraid that revealing the truth would only invite further harm to Prince An from the Emperor. After a moment's thought, she blurted out:"Your Majesty, I've heard that your conjugal affairs haven't been going well. The child born to the Empress… I fear he may not carry the royal bloodline."
The Emperor seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world. He retorted dryly, "Mother, did you have someone eavesdrop outside my chamber?"
The Empress Dowager awkwardly cleared her throat: "I've questioned the palace consorts who served before, and even had the maids inspected. They were all virgins."
The Emperor fell silent. If it were just the Empress Dowager, he might have explained—his health had been poor before, but now he was able to perform his duties.But with Prince An present, he couldn't say anything that would bruise his manly pride."I don't fancy women who pounce on me. That's why I never touched them," he said flatly.
Both the Empress Dowager and Prince An thought the Emperor was just stubbornly denying the truth—but they had to save face for him.
"So, the Emperor has truly favored the Empress?" the Dowager pressed."Of course. There are palace attendants outside the chamber every night. Mother, if you doubt me, you can ask them."
The Empress Dowager wouldn't dare summon them—doing so would be a slap in the Emperor's face, and he had probably coached them beforehand. No useful answers would come from that.
After saying this, the Emperor left. Prince An wasn't convinced and feared the Empress Dowager might believe the Emperor's denials.
"Grandmother," Prince An knelt, sobbing uncontrollably, "please, beg the Emperor to let me leave for a distant fief. I cannot stay in this capital any longer."
The Empress Dowager suddenly understood. She couldn't be sure if the child the Empress bore was truly her grandson, but this prince right here—this was undeniably her flesh and blood.
The Emperor had already turned murderous eyes on Prince An. If he kicked the bucket, it wouldn't be surprising if Prince An was sent over to accompany the Emperor in his solitude.
The Empress Dowager, who hated seeing Prince An cry, clenched her teeth and stamped her foot—ready to hatch a new scheme.
A few days later, the Imperial Astronomer submitted a report claiming recent celestial observations showed the "Dangerous Moon Clashing with the Swallow Moon" omen—explaining why the Empress Dowager's illness wouldn't improve.The cause? The palace's new master—the newly born prince—was in conflict with the Empress Dowager, prolonging her sickness.
The court hadn't seen any new arrivals in the harem for a long time; the only newcomer was the newborn prince.
This clash meant the Emperor's choice to protect the prince was a direct affront to the Empress Dowager.
Removing the prince from the palace would be unthinkable—how could the Emperor let go of his late-in-life heir?
The ministers were caught in a bind. The Emperor was famous for his filial piety; anyone clashing with the Empress Dowager would naturally side with her.But now that the dynasty had an heir, no one dared advise the Emperor to send the prince away.
Sitting on the dragon throne, the Emperor seethed. He wanted to immediately execute the head of the Imperial Astronomy Office—even at the cost of his years of good reputation—to protect his child.
He had explained everything to his mother, but she remained stubbornly obstinate. Using this underhanded tactic, he began doubting whether he was truly her son.
As the court fell into an uneasy silence, a little palace eunuch hurried over and whispered into Xiao Dezi's ear.Normally, the noisy court ignored such interruptions, but today everyone turned their attention.
Under all eyes, Xiao Dezi reluctantly conveyed the news to the Emperor.
The Emperor's eyes widened, unable to decide whether to be angry or joyful. Then, amidst the expectant ministers, he declared loudly:"The Empress is pregnant."
"Ah!" the court gasped.
Could it be that this pregnancy was the real challenge to the Empress Dowager—not the newborn prince?
The ministers breathed easier—if it wasn't the prince, then the throne was secure.
But inside, the Emperor felt troubled. He had another child—a cause for celebration—yet this pregnancy was the one upsetting the Empress Dowager.
Would this force the Empress to leave the palace while still pregnant? How could that be allowed?
Meanwhile, in the Fu Ning Palace, Meng Wenyao had no idea of the political storm brewing.She wasn't actually pregnant—she had taken a false pregnancy pill, intending to use this "pregnancy" to frame Prince An.
When the Emperor came to visit her after court, she learned of the Empress Dowager's illness and the excuse being used.
"Yao'er, rest assured, I will never let you leave my sight."
The Emperor held Meng Wenyao close, making that promise as though sealing a vow.
Carefully, Meng Wenyao asked, "What about the Empress Dowager's health?"
The Emperor stared at her for a long moment but refused to reveal his mother's dirty tricks. He didn't want Meng Wenyao to be scared of the palace intrigues—especially those of his own mother.
The Empress Dowager had been ill for a long time. This time, it was clearly aimed at the prince.If they could just get the child out of the palace, it would be easy to cause the death of a helpless infant.