Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 35
Little Xingzhi, soft and drowsy, rubbed his eyes, not knowing where he was. He subconsciously thought it was Su Zhiruan who had come to sleep with him and to sing him a lovely song. He stretched out his little hand and grabbed the fingers of the person in front of him. The child’s voice was particularly tender, his body smelling of milk, “Empress… mommy, hug…”
Noble Mei stopped short, staring blankly at the child before her.
For a moment, she also felt somewhat reluctant to proceed.
Since entering the palace, she had never seen such a big and tender child within the Imperial Family. There had only been the former Prince who had three Princely Heirs, but those heirs were exceptionally mischievous, which made her not very fond of children. However, now, seeing Su Zhiruan’s son, she involuntarily felt a twinge of mercy.
This thought passed in an instant, and she raised her dagger again with a cold smile, “Don’t rush, once you’re gone, your whore of a mother will follow! In the next life, be reborn into a better situation—ah—”
The loosely closed bedroom door was suddenly flung open!
The dagger in her hand was knocked to the ground!!
All eight windows shattered simultaneously with a loud “bang—”
Immediately, splinters exploded everywhere as Hidden Guards rushed in and surrounded Noble Mei!
“Ahhhhhhhh—” On the ground, Noble Mei, no longer caring about anything, screamed as she picked up the dagger and attempted to stab Little Shen Xingzhi—
In the nick of time, Su Zhiruan sprinted over with the fastest speed, picked up the child, and took the stabbing herself!
“Ruanruan! Ruanruan! Xingzhi! Xingzhi!” Empress Dowager only felt a gust of wind beside her as Su Zhiruan rushed over and held her child tightly!
Little Shen Xingzhi was stunned for a moment. He was still young, but he knew his mother was in great pain, and he could do nothing but start to cry.
“…Empress…” Su Zhiruan’s shoulder was stabbed, her face pale, blood dripping onto the floor, but Little Shen Xingzhi in her arms was well protected, “Empress, let nanny hold Xingzhi for a moment, I’m afraid…”
Empress Dowager immediately came forward to hold Shen Xingzhi tightly, her expression showing great urgency and distress, “Ruanruan, don’t panic! Empress Dowager will find the Imperial Physician for you immediately! You—”
“Bitch!! Bitch! Su Zhiruan! I tell you! You are just a servant! Why should you rank above me! Why! You deserve to die! I want you and your bastard! All of you—down to hell—” At this moment, Noble Mei had gone mad. Her eyes were splitting, and her face twisted into a strange smile, emitting a despair and maliciousness.
Su Zhiruan leaned against the wall, blood copiously flowing, her complexion pallid.
This time wasn’t about childbirth, and the Newbie Gift Package wouldn’t minimize the pain at her shoulder. She felt her consciousness blurring.
The last memory before she completely passed out was seeing Shen Qi come with a large number of Imperial Guards, giving a cold order.
“Men! Criminal Mei—drag her out immediately and beat her to death with sticks! After death, throw her body at the Burial Mound!”
“You all investigate thoroughly whoever was involved behind the scenes in her attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince and harm the Empress! If there are any results, report immediately!”
Before Su Zhiruan completely lost consciousness, she felt a sudden calmness around her, followed by being held tightly by a familiar and warm embrace. The person gently called her name, and she felt tears falling on the back of her hand, forming dots. She wanted to hold him tightly but had already completely passed out.
Men don’t shed tears lightly, but it’s a pity it wasn’t yet the time to grieve.
Many people present witnessed this scene, and they unanimously shut their mouths.
Who says the imperial family is heartless?
The Empress, after all, is the apple of the Emperor’s eye.
To witness such affection in the Imperial Palace, they could die without regrets in this lifetime.
Shen Qi thoroughly investigated the assassination attempt. He had contacted some people from Jianghu to smuggle in hypnotic and poisonous substances into the palace. Even though this attempt was unsuccessful, imagining those poisons made Shen Qi feel a chill, thinking that beating Noble Mei to death with sticks was letting her off easy.
With this precedent, Shen Qi was terrified of another such incident in the harem, so he decided to follow the previous method, dismissing all remaining concubines from the palace, only keeping those who chose to become female officials and had decent capabilities, after several screenings of their family backgrounds and such.
A day later, Su Zhiruan woke up.
Shen Qi and the Empress Dowager immediately went to see her, and even Little Shen Xingzhi was clinging tightly to her fingers, staring at his mother without blinking, fearful that she would fall asleep again and not wake up.
“Ruanruan, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling well? Does it hurt? I’ll carry you off the bed, or better not move.” Shen Qi asked a series of questions, and when he saw Su Zhiruan’s eyes open, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Empress Dowager brought a large batch of precious medicinal materials and treasures, and personally went to Huguo Temple to pray for an amulet and various talisman papers, which she now instructed the palace attendants to consider in Su Zhiruan’s dietary restrictions.
“I am much better, Your Majesty. How is Xingzhi? How is Xingzhi doing?” she asked, craning her neck to look.
“Xingzhi is fine, don’t worry,” Shen Qi extended his fingertips, looking at her bandaged shoulders and neck, afraid that she might be in pain, he retracted his hand halfway through, feeling indescribable emotions, as if he was a survivor of a disaster. Seeing her faint, his heart had collapsed in that moment, nearly breaking down, “Ruanruan, I was really scared this time, so afraid of losing you. Without you, what’s the point in guarding several children, guarding an empty bedroom…”
“It’s okay, my husband, I am here, am I not? Everything is fine!” Su Zhiruan began comforting him instead.
This level of pain was something she had never experienced in Small World; the pain from a stab wound made her face still look pale and bloodless.
Previously, the Childbirth System would minimize her pain during childbirth to the lowest, but it would not alleviate the pain when not giving birth. She lay there for a while, and Shen Qi hurriedly called for the Imperial Physician to come and take her pulse.
Last night, she had sustained physical injuries, treated by a female medical officer, without checking her pulse to see how her overall health was.
The Imperial Physician came in a rush to check her pulse, and the Empress Dowager also walked in anxiously.
No matter what Su Zhiruan thought, she didn’t expect the Imperial Physician, with a solemn expression after taking her pulse, to say the following words:
“Congratulations to the Emperor and both of you Ladies—Empress, you are pregnant again!”
The Empress Dowager and Shen Qi had not expected at all that she was pregnant again!!
And, it was diagnosed during the time she was injured.
Everyone’s mouths were agape as though they could fit a duck egg inside.
Touching her stomach incredulously, Su Zhiruan couldn’t believe what her ears were hearing!
Although Shen Qi had always been taught to be upright and polite, he disregarded his image at this time, stepping forward to grasp Su Zhiruan’s hand, uttering the first sentence that nobody had anticipated.
“Ruanruan! Recover from your injury quickly, let’s proceed with the coronation ceremony! I can’t wait!”
For a while afterward, Su Zhiruan indeed benefited from the unborn child, cunningly obtaining a convenience from the system.
She bound herself to the Childbirth System, and in the Newbie Gift Package, during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum, she would not experience any discomfort or pain.
Pregnant and with an injured shoulder, she was considered having physical discomfort during pregnancy.
After all, that was clearly stated in the gift package; even if the system was surprised by her brazenness, it was of no avail, and Su Zhiruan’s shoulder quickly recovered.