“We don’t have any solid leads yet,” Wumian said with a frown. “His Majesty has ordered Lu Zhong to investigate thoroughly, and Guifei is also looking into it. But with so many people in the pace yesterday, I fear this won’t be easy to unravel.”

  The Empress Dowager shook her head. “Li Fei isn’t worth pitying, but the perpetrator must be found and punished severely. Otherwise, what happens next time someone targets another consort?”

  Wumian agreed, though she couldn’t help thinking, You’re preaching to the wrong person. I don’t handle pace affairs anymore.

  Still, the Empress Dowager’s disdain for Li Fei was palpable.

  As Wumian exited Yining Pace, she suddenly muttered to herself, “Now I understand why Jiang Zhaorong became a Zhaorong.” Yes, she lost a child.

  But could the death of a child alone merit such a dramatic promotion? Rising straight into the ranks of the Nine Consorts? It had always seemed odd.

  Turns out, the Empress Dowager had opposed Li Fei’s elevation back then. Now it all makes sense.

  Li Fei had once stood out alone, too brightly. So with her daughter’s death, Jiang Zhaorong had been lifted alongside her. A neat little bance.

  Four years ago, Ying Qionglou had ruled with a youthful impulsiveness. Was it simply because he became emperor too young?

  Of course, the emperor still had to comfort Li Fei. Though the incident hadn’t been fully investigated yet, nearly everyone in her residence had already been taken away for questioning.

  Only a handful of her most personal attendants remained—and even they were under rotating interrogation.

  Whatever the truth, Li Fei’s reputation had already taken a devastating hit.

  On that point, Wumian and Guifei were surprisingly aligned: if Li Fei couldn’t keep herself upright, she couldn’t bme others for trampling on her.

  Earlier that day, Li Fei had wept in the emperor’s arms. After that, Imperial Physician Zhang had checked her pulse again and simply said that she needed to rest.

  After she took her medicine and fell asleep once more, Ying Qionglou asked outside the chamber, “How is she? Will this affect her in the future?”

  Imperial Physician Zhang hesitated. “Her system is severely weakened and cold in nature. She’ll need substantial nourishment and a long period of recovery. As for future pregnancies… well, with women, the more anxious they are, the harder it is to conceive. Her foundation was already weak. I would say she’ll need at least three to five years of rest. Even then, it may be difficult for her to conceive again.”

  What he didn’t say was this: Even if she does get pregnant again, she likely won’t be able to carry the child to term.

  But no one could predict the future. That part was beyond even a physician’s reach.

  Ying Qionglou frowned, but he’d already guessed as much.

  After Imperial Physician Zhang left, he returned to Taiji Pace. It might be a holiday, but that didn’t mean there was nothing to do.

  By dusk, Lu Zhong arrived with news.

  Finally, a lead.

  After all, they were only interrogating pace maids. Even without torture, a few rounds of questioning were enough—someone always slipped.

  One maid named Cuiwen was so terrified upon entering the disciplinary room that she wet herself on the spot. From then on, she spilled everything like beans from a broken jar.

  “Well?” Ying Qionglou asked.

  Lu Zhong looked oddly speechless. “Your Majesty… according to Cuiwen’s confession, the Great Cold Pills were likely mixed in.”

  “Expin,” the emperor said, setting down his brush and stretching his neck.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. After Li Fei began spotting st time, she grew deeply anxious about a miscarriage. Several of her maids admitted that she’d been obsessively worried about not bearing a prince. So… she turned to an old remedy—something said to help ensure the birth of a male heir. These pills were purchased from an apothecary outside the pace. We’ve already retrieved the remaining pills from her residence.”

  Ying Qionglou’s face darkened as he looked at the ornate pillbox. “Send it to the Imperial Medical Bureau. Have them examine it. And how were the Great Cold Pills mixed in?”

  “They don’t know, Your Majesty. They specute that it may have been a packing error at the pharmacy.”

  A btant lie.

  What a coincidence, hmm?

  The situation had now spread beyond the pace walls.

  As for those so-called “male-child guarantee pills,” they had existed for centuries. And for centuries, they’d been useless. If they didn’t cause harm, that was the best outcome. But in many cases, they did cause harm. The belief in them persisted only due to survivor bias: a woman who gave birth to a son after taking them would swear they worked. Those who bore daughters? People would say they didn’t take them correctly, or just conveniently ignore them.

  That someone like Li Fei—ranked second among the pace consorts—would believe in such nonsense… was truly beyond words.

  What made it worse was that imperial consorts were strictly forbidden from taking outside medicine, let alone bringing such substances into the pace. It was a serious offense.

  What if the pill had been poisoned? What if it was intended for the emperor?

  Lu Zhong inwardly sighed. Li Fei’s favor might have reached its end. She’s made a mess of things all on her own.

  Her anxiety and desperation were understandable. Even the cleverest people could make terrible decisions under pressure.

  But in the imperial harem, no one would pity you for that.

  That night, Ying Qionglou didn’t say anything. He waited for the final verdict from the Medical Bureau.

  They moved fast. By the next morning, the report was in.

  Of the twelve pills in the box, three had been consumed. Of the remaining nine, five were confirmed to be Great Cold Pills. The other four were common tonics—not harmful, but not particurly helpful either.

  And in Li Fei’s case, with her already weak and cold-prone constitution, even those supplements could be detrimental.

  Ying Qionglou was furious. “Summon Guifei at once.”

  Lu Zhong turned to leave.

  “And summon all the concubines of the inner pace,” the emperor added. “Have someone else inform them. You—go and invite the Empress.”

  Lu Zhong acknowledged the order with a bow. In a case like this, Guifei isn’t escaping responsibility either.

  If Li Fei could smuggle medicine into the pace under Guifei’s watch… that alone was a failure. And a serious one.

  Tsk.

  At this point, since the Emperor had summoned her, Wumian naturally understood it was about Li Fei—most likely, the investigation had yielded results.

  She dressed in a pale yellow gown, threw on a cloak, and made her way to Taiji Pace.

  She wasn’t the first to arrive—several others were already there. Guifei had arrived just before her.

  Wumian greeted the Emperor with a bow.

  “Come sit,” Ying Qionglou said.

  Wumian walked forward and took the seat beside him. They were currently in the main hall of Yinguang Hall, which was quite spacious.

  Once seated, the consorts all rose to greet her.

  “You may all be seated,” Wumian said calmly.

  “Has Your Majesty had breakfast yet?” she then asked the Emperor.

  Ying Qionglou shook his head.

  “That won’t do,” Wumian said with a slight frown. “No matter what’s going on, Your Majesty can’t skip breakfast. How about this—I’ll join you for a light meal. Not all the sisters have arrived yet anyway, so let’s eat something while we wait, and discuss the matter once everyone is here.”

  Mainly because I haven’t eaten either, she thought. You called too early.

  “Alright,” Ying Qionglou agreed, standing up. “Let’s have something to eat.”

  Wumian nodded, and the two of them left the main hall together, heading toward the east wing.

  The kitchen staff had already prepared food for the Emperor, so as soon as he said he was ready to eat, the dishes were quickly brought in.

  Wumian didn’t request anything specific—she just asked for some soup-based dishes. Everyone knew by now that the Empress preferred soups and light broths. Since she was eating at Taiji Pace today, the kitchen had made sure those were ready.