Su Jun's expression was stunned, as the embroidery needle pierced through her forehead band, exposing half of its length. She held the half-inch needle still without moving.
The brightness outside the hall had penetrated through the windows, illuminating Su Jun's confused gaze.
A sudden chill swept through her heart without warning.
Liking Crown Prince Qi in the past and now being unable to forget her younger brother-in-law are two different matters.
Su's father was a serious scholar of Confucianism. Su Jun, in her early years, was enlightened by her father, and she was fully aware of the three principles and five constants.
Before she could think further, Madam Zhang pulled back the curtain and walked out, and the Empress Dowager had awakened.
The Empress Dowager lay in bed, looking well-rested and full of vitality, while Su Jun appeared more like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.
"How thin you have become?"
Su Jun touched her face, feeling no fleshiness there. "In winter, the weather is cold, and I have eaten less, so I might have lost some weight," she said.
These days, the Empress Dowager had been semi-sleeping and semi-awake, but now she felt better. Seeing Su Jun's appearance, she hurriedly asked her to go rest.
"The Empress Dowager had already fully recovered. "There's no need for worry anymore, you should quickly return to the palace and rest. From now on, you don't have to come pay respects to me anymore. You are still young and cannot develop any health issues."
Su Jun returned to the Eastern Palace and had not even sat down for a moment when she heard that Dong Shuang was requesting an audience.
So urgent?
Dong Shuang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Zhuang Fengyi had a miscarriage."
Su Jun was surprised, "A miscarriage?"
Dong Shuang said, "It happened last night. The Prince immediately sent for a imperial physician, and it kept him up all night. This morning, the child was still lost."
Su Jun: "How many months pregnant was she?"
Dong Shuang: "At least two months."
Two months……
Calculating the time, that was when the Crown Prince was on his way to pay respects to the Emperor Taizu.
That time point was indeed quite convenient.
Su Jun thought of the commotion she heard last night and said, "Which imperial physician was it?"
"Doctor Qian."
Doctor Qian is good at retaining pregnancy, and since Zhuang's miscarriage, it should be found him.
However, Doctor Qian is also skilled in nourishing the Empress Dowager's body and lowering fever...He has been at Xining Palace for the past few days.
In fact, the emperor is filial, and all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau are stationed at the Cining Palace.
During this period, any ailment or discomfort among the concubines and royal children and girls in the palace could only be endured, and they dare not go to Xining Palace to find imperial physicians.
Fearful that the emperor would take notice and keep it in mind, resulting in some retribution.
Only the Crown Prince has the confidence to request imperial physicians from the Cining Palace, but to ask for treatment for his minister who is ill...This physician is still skilled in lowering fever.
This has become quite delicate.
The elders inviting the imperial physicians to come is a sign of their concern for the young generation.
However, if the Crown Prince does this, there will be suspicions of disobedience to his parents.
Su Jun asked, "Was Doctor Qian's visit to the Eastern Palace a secret one?"
Dong Shuang said, "No, last night's commotion was quite loud, and many people came to inquire secretly what had happened."
Su Jun said, "Then let those who know the ins and outs not be barred from finding out. The Crown Prince doesn't mind. What am I hiding for him?"
Dong Shuang hesitated, "This might not be well-received by the concubines in the palace."
Where is it that they don't like it?
Probably hatred.
In terms of primogeniture and seniority, the Great Qi has always been like this. Even if the consorts in the palace are unwilling, they have already acknowledged this reality.
The royal princes may feel resentful in their hearts, but in the end, they can only sigh, "Who is it if it weren't for the fact that I am not born of the Queen?"
But they were fine with the Crown Prince's concessions. However, even a minor Vassal of the Eastern Palace climbing over their heads was too much!
The Concubine Empress threw several tea cups and her chest rose and fell violently.
The nursemaids wanted to go up and reason, but it would only add fuel to the fire.
After the Concubine Empress vented her anger, she had another crying fit.
She acknowledged herself to be a concubine and dared not show any airs as a stepmother in front of the Crown Prince.
In the previous dynasty, there was no such a suppressed Concubine Empress as she is.
But in front of the Crown Prince...even if she were the Crown Princess, she would accept it.
But how could a minor Vassal like her be on her head?
They are all concubines of the same level. She is a Vassal of the ninth grade, and she dare escape from the abortifacient pills and get pregnant in front of the Crown Princess.
For such a bastard, the Crown Prince would go to the trouble of asking for an imperial physician for her.
What about her child?
She had caught a cold recently and dared only to secretly ask for some formulas from the pharmacy of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He is also a royal prince of great importance and wealth.
"Master, you can't think narrowly. If the Empress Dowager knows that Your Highness has a cold, she will definitely have imperial physicians come see him."
The Concubine Empress sneered coldly, "Ha, does she have even a glimpse of the Emperor's grace in her eyes? This woman has won the favor of Emperor Zhong and is ruthless. Does she really care about her offspring?"
The Concubine Empress, tears streaming down her face, murmured, "Even if he were the emperor, does he really care?"
Too much of a thing will no longer be precious.
The Great Qi royal family is full of descendants, and every emperor has more than a dozen surviving sons who reach adulthood. Only a very small number of princes can receive actual fiefdoms.
The others are mostly idly spending their days in the capital.
Such unequal treatment is why the Crown Prince looks down upon them.
Today, a new batch of porcelain was changed in all palaces.
*
Su Jun massaged her forehead, feeling a sharp pain, and was about to go rest.
The Crown Prince burst in abruptly, "Poisonous women!"
Su Jun stared at the Crown Prince's embroidered brocade round robe, with his curses echoing in her ears.
The Crown Prince surrounded by scholars, when he was angry, the words he spoke were not vulgar. But people of learning knew how to curse the most pointedly when they insulted others.
Su Jun hesitated for a moment, and her ears became a whirlwind of dizziness.
The Crown Prince first called her a poisonous woman, unable to bear the Zhuang family, and harming the child...None of these things had any impact on Su Jun.
Then she heard the Crown Prince say she lacks manners and does not uphold her womanly virtue... Su Jun denied it. She had been carefully observing etiquette since her marriage, and there had never been a time when she had acted inappropriately.
But the Crown Prince was listing one incident after another involving her and Crown Prince Qi.
Su Jun blinked, feeling weak today. She had spent most of her energy caring for her illness for days.
And her emotions had been off all day.
Su Jun had never been so calm before, as if all her emotions had been stripped away, leaving her without the energy to care.
If emotions can be counted, it should be a feeling of annoyance.
To be bored with such a life, and to be bored with everything.
She said calmly, "You're right, I did meet someone in secret, but not just once. The number of times is too many to count."
"Throughout the palace, everyone knows. Does the Crown Prince not know? Even if it's been ten years, for the past ten months, how many times did I meet with Chu Huan, and I can't count it myself!"
"Not only did I meet him, he even carried me on his back. We practiced calligraphy together, ate meals, and watched lanterns..."
"Bang——"
Su Jun was hit off to the side, her cheek burning hotly and tasting of blood in her mouth.
It must have skinned her.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager spared her the obeisance, so no one else would know about this matter.
At such a time, Su Jun could still think calmly about whether it would be seen by others.
From her childhood to adulthood, no one had ever touched her even with a single finger.
When she made mistakes, at most she would be scolded by Su Father with a few words, and even being punished with kneeling was reluctant, making her eyes filled with tears.
Su Father would awkwardly stop talking and instead coax his beloved daughter.
With such pampering, it was truly by nature that Su Jun had not gone astray.
An affluent family background, being young and in the prime of her life, having a married life...not a weak personality.
Su Jun should have fought back. If it had been made public, even if a young married couple had a disagreement, the elders could only console them.
At most, Su Jun would be punished with house arrest and copying books. The emperor was determined to create a good story of mutual benefit between sovereign and subject with Su Father, and the Su family could at least bear it in this dynasty.
However...
Su Jun mentioned Chu Huan.
