After much thought, Qian the physician finally said, "Zhang Fengyi had consumed excessive amounts of the avoidance medicine in the past, which weakened her body and destabilized her pregnancy. Adding to this were the days of exhaustion, and that is why she had a miscarriage after drinking chicken soup containing safflower."
Crocus is a very good medicine. Su Jun adds some crocus to her chicken soup when cooking, which is the custom in the small kitchen of the Eastern Palace.
Regarding the concern about potential harm to the fetus, but Su Jun is not pregnant now, she will have a doctor come regularly to check her pulse for safety.
In that case, compared to the unborn child, it is of course the most important to replenish the body of the Princess Consort.
So when Madam Zhang specifically requested chicken soup from the small kitchen, the staff there prepared it according to the usual method and served it up.
They did not expect Madam Zhang to become pregnant, and as for why they did not ask if Madam Zhang had any concerns, it might be due to various reasons such as lack of awareness or assuming that the pregnancy was still in its early stages.
Of course, that's because Zhang Shiyi is just a minor Concubine.
Taking advantage of the Prince's favor, she came to the small kitchen to show off her power. With the Princess Consort absent, they did their best to please him just because of the Prince's presence, who would want to go out of their way to curry favor?
The staff in the Eastern Palace also have different ranks and positions. The people in the small kitchen are either left behind by the Empress Dowager or given to the Prince by the Emperor, and at the very least, they are trusted confidants of the Prince.
It's fine to please the mistress in front of them, but a concubine of ninth rank also wants to use them. It's really too arrogant and out of touch with reality.
So the bowl of chicken soup with saffron was delivered to Madam Zhang's table, and then a series of events followed, including Madam Zhang's miscarriage and the Prince summoning the physician.
Su Jun had already heard about this from Dongshuang in the morning, and she knew much more about the origin and properties of saffron than Qian the physician.
Madam Zhang only drank two sips of the chicken soup. If saffron has such an effect, the concubines in the harem would have long since stockpiled it.
However, causing a miscarriage is not so simple.
Su Jun said, "Is that what you said to the Prince?"
"I swear by my life that what I said is true, and not a single word has been altered."
Su Jun laughed lightly and said indifferently, "Does Qian the physician not believe that I would dare to take action against your family?"
Qian the physician lowered his eyebrows and remained silent. He was a court physician who could be mentioned in the presence of the Empress Dowager and the emperor.
He indeed feared that Su Jun would harm his grandson, after all, he was old and Su Jun was young. In the future, if Su Jun remembered his family, the prospects for his grandchildren would not be good.
But precisely because of this, he couldn't say anything more.
The court physicians need to learn to keep their mouths shut at the right time.
Su Jun said, "Last night, the Prince came to see me. He believes that it was I who taught Zhang Shiyi rules and regulations, causing her to become exhausted."
Qian the physician had anticipated this, but what followed was a bolt from the blue!
"The Prince attacked me. I have a mark on my face now, and I can't be seen by others. Qian the physician can come closer to take a look and see for himself if he doesn't believe me."
Qian the physician was shocked and looked up, but all he saw were the hanging pearl curtains. He dared not take another step forward.
The Princess Consort has no need to lie, but...
Su Jun said, "Heaven is pitiful, as I have been attending to my grandmother's illness these days. How can something that happened eight or nine days ago be blamed on me? Tell me, whose fault is this?"
Qian the physician knelt down to the ground with a thud, of course, this must be his fault!
The Princess Consort fell victim to an unexpected disaster, leading to trouble in front of the elders. The Prince suffered no good from it, but the Emperor favored the Prince. Ultimately, after tracing back and tracing forward, the mistake could only be laid at Qian the physician's doorstep.
A minor concubine experiencing a miscarriage can only be attributed to her own lack of good fortune.
Qian the physician said that the fatigue was caused by what?
This is to deliberately create discord between the Prince and Princess Consort!
"So can you now specify the reason?"
Qian the physician opened his mouth but eventually spoke: "The Prince loves Zhang Shiyi, and their lovemaking is too intense. Of course, this results in a miscarriage."
The court physicians are all adept at embellishing the truth. Qian the physician is an experienced hand in this field. He thought he had passed yesterday's test and saved the Prince's dignity.
And after learning that Zhang Shiyi had drunk chicken soup with added saffron, he made a spontaneous effort to emphasize the first two reasons, and blamed the Princess Consort for it.
Then, Qian the physician never expected the Prince to act in such a manner!
Oh my God, my ancestors, the Prince is so fond of Zhang Shiyi. Why can't he just make her his concubine?
In the palace, observing who is favored involves considering various factors, with rank being the most crucial.
At that time, Qian the physician was thinking that Zhang Shiyi had been favored by the Prince for a year, but she was only a minor concubine. Although she was favored by the Prince, she still couldn't surpass the Princess Consort. Therefore, although he knew that Zhang Shiyi had been taught rules by the Prince, he never expected this kind of situation to occur.
And!
Don't they themselves know what the Prince and Zhang Shiyi have done?
Why would they do such a thing?
Qian the physician now regrets it. If he had known this was going to happen, last night he might not have preserved the Prince's dignity, but at most he would have been reprimanded a few times or even punished with a reduction in salary.
But now, well...
Is there any precedent in the state for a Prince to beat the Princess Consort?
Thanks to Qian the physician's good knowledge, although he couldn't find any precedent in the current state, he did find an example from the previous dynasty.
But!
But the previous dynasty was a separate entity in the south, and the emperor who did this had a bad reputation not because he beat the queen, but because he was considered a failure as an emperor, unable to govern the empire well.
By comparing the Prince to a former emperor of the country, and comparing our country to a tiny, weak former dynasty, Qian the physician truly lacks insight.
Damn it, what should we do?
Qian the physician dares not imagine what the Empress Dowager would do if she knew about this. A grandson's wife, who had just returned to the courtyard after attending to her elders, was beaten by her husband, and this was because of a concubine.
Ah Ah Ah!
Oh no, please, let my ancestors' graves start smoking greenly!
The ancestral tomb did indeed start smoking greenly, because...
Su Jun said indifferently, "My grandmother's health is poor. I don't want her to know about this. Please prepare some medicine for me. When my grandmother asks why you are here, just say that I caught a cold."
Qian the physician was unwilling in his heart, as this was deceit towards the Empress Dowager, but he really dared not expose it now.
*
The Empress Dowager inquired with concern: "How is my granddaughter-in-law's health?"
Standing at the lower end, Qian the physician heard this familiar appellation and, well, he originally had a bit of an intention to be honest, but now it was completely gone.
"The Princess Consort is fine. Last night, the window wasn't closed tightly, so this morning she coughed a few times."
"How can this be a trivial matter?" The Empress Dowager was displeased, "It's freezing during the cold winter months. Don't let it develop into a serious illness. I have my own physicians here; you don't need to be involved. For this period, focus on nurturing your granddaughter-in-law's health."
After Qian the physician obeyed the Empress Dowager and mentioned Zhang the Concubine, he was interrupted by her.
"I know, she didn't follow the rules, dared to get pregnant early, and this incident is the Prince's own fault."
Qian the physician fell silent. Well, the Prince is of no use now; it seems I have to cling to the Princess Consort's leg.
Just hope that the Princess Consort can truly keep this matter a secret.
Time passed swiftly, and before long, it was the Lantern Festival.
Tonight, a family banquet was held in the palace, inviting only relatives and nobles.
Everyone gathered in the Empress Dowager's palace. Although the atmosphere was lively, everyone was quietly listening to the news. Why wasn't the Princess Consort here?
It was not until the palace banquet began that the Princess Consort did not attend.
Because it was a family banquet, there were no screens to partition the male and female guests.
The moment King Qi entered, his eyes immediately caught sight of the empty seat. He toyed with his wine cup, seeming lost in thought.
