"You're lying to me, aren't you? Ah, you're lying to me, aren't you?" She was smiling, but tears were streaming down her face. She shook her head desperately, refusing to accept the fact: "The baby is still in my womb, how could it be gone? Your Majesty, you can't joke with me."
A knowing smile appeared on her face, as if all her hopes were pinned on him, and she longed for him to say something that would put her at ease.
But he couldn't do it. He couldn't deceive himself any longer. He sighed softly, "Really... it's gone..."
Her smile vanished abruptly, and even the last glimmer of hope disappeared. Consort Xin's fingers loosened little by little, and her head felt as if it had exploded.
My heart is filled with only one thought: My child... is gone...
"I'm sorry, I failed to protect you and your child. It's all my fault..." Seeing her panicked appearance, the emperor felt his heart clench. He reached out and embraced her, murmuring to himself.
She froze for a moment, then burst into a deafening shout: "No, no..." Her tone was resolute, as if the sky had fallen.
"My child will be alright, you're lying, you're lying..."
Tears fell like beads from a broken string, the scalding tears landing on his shoulder and quickly soaking his clothes.
Her child, her child... just like that, gone! No, she couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe it!
--
She cried for an unknown amount of time before finally collapsing into the emperor's arms.
However, she did not sleep well. It was as if she were in a frozen wasteland, surrounded by people, but she could not feel any warmth. Countless people were snatching her child. She wanted to ask for help, but she could not open her mouth.
She woke up with a start, covered in a cold sweat.
The first thing she saw was a face filled with worry. It was Meng Wan, who had been guarding the bedside. Seeing that she was awake, she hurriedly came forward to check on her: "Your Highness, how are you?"
Consort Xin seemed to be stunned for a moment, staring blankly for a while before tears welled up again.
"Wan'er—" She didn't want to be so sorrowful, but she couldn't help it. Whether her eyes were open or closed, her heart and mind were filled with thoughts of her child.
Seeing this, Meng Wan felt a pang of sadness. She stepped forward and hugged Consort Xin, sighing softly, "Your body is still very weak. How can you shed tears? It will leave you with a chronic illness."
He reached out and took a handkerchief to wipe her face, offering words of comfort.
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because these words made Consort Xin's tears flow even more profusely. Two streams of hot tears fell like beads from a broken string, falling in a continuous stream, as if they couldn't stop.
Seeing this, Meng Wan felt sad, but she couldn't show it in front of Consort Xin. She could only grit her teeth and endure it, but held her hand and said softly, "Your Highness, I know you are sad, but what's done is done. Crying like this will only hurt your health and won't change anything."
Consort Xin gritted her teeth, "But my child... is gone just like that. It's all Consort Hui's fault, it's all that vile woman's fault..." Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Just thinking of Consort Hui's face made her grit her teeth in hatred.
It was her, she killed the child.
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan trembled slightly and let out a barely audible sigh. Her grip on Consort Xin's hand tightened, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "His Majesty has already dealt with Consort Hui, which can be considered revenge for the child in Your Highness's womb. Your Highness, please accept this loss with compassion!"
Consort Xin was also stunned, staring blankly at Meng Wan for a long time, and then suddenly threw herself into Meng Wan's arms, her tears instantly flowing.
Perhaps because Meng Wan had also experienced the pain of losing a child, she felt very sad when she saw Xin Pin in this state, as if she had been reminded of the suffering she had endured in the past. She returned to the palace in low spirits and lay down fully clothed without even having dinner.
She couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. The image of Consort Hui crying kept flashing before her eyes, making her extremely agitated and anxious.
When Huangfu Mi returned, he saw Meng Wan lying there tossing and turning. He placed the porridge that Mu Ci had prepared by the bedside, squatted down, and patted her cheek. When she opened her eyes, he smiled and said, "Mu Ci said you haven't had dinner yet. I've made some porridge. Get up and have some!"
Meng Wan was in a state of turmoil when she saw him return. She immediately sat up, grabbed his arms, and threw herself into his embrace, crying out, "Huangfu Mi—"
Her helpless tone clearly indicated extreme distress. Huangfu Mi knew it must be because of Consort Xin's child. He sighed, hugged her, and said, "It's too late to be sad now. Just rest well and spend more time with Consort Xin these next few days."
Meng Wan would have done this without him even having to tell her, but just now, lying there thinking about Consort Xin and the child, she began to feel guilty.
"Huangfu Mi, do you think this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been feeling unwell today, and if I had gone to the palace early to be with her as usual?"
This girl...
Huangfu Mi frowned, and his hands suddenly tightened: "Fool, this was an accident. You didn't expect it to happen so coincidentally when you weren't in the palace. How can you be blamed?"
"But..." Meng Wan was still blaming herself, unable to feel any better. However, she couldn't think of anything to say after a long time. In the end, she could only raise her head and look straight at Huangfu Mi.
"So you think it's none of my business?"
"Mm." Huangfu Mi nodded.
Meng Wan bit her lip: "Then can you tell me ten times that this has nothing to do with me?"
...
Huangfu Mi was speechless for a moment. This girl was really very sad, which was why she made such a childish request for him to do something even more childish, telling him ten times that this matter had nothing to do with her.
No way!
"Can you please stop thinking about it? If you keep being so upset, I don't think Consort Xin will recover before you fall ill again."
After a firm and merciless rejection, Meng Wan sighed softly. Oh well, what difference did it make whether she said it or not? She wanted to blame herself anyway, and what others said wouldn't matter.
Pushing aside the food box on the table, he lost his appetite even more, turned around and lay back down, staring blankly at the pitch black outside the window, unable to say anything more.
Huangfu Mi stood by the bedside, watching her. He knew she was sad, and his own heart sank. This girl was truly heartbroken! It seemed he couldn't just sit and wait; he had to do something to cheer her up!
The next morning, she went to the palace. After the morning court session, she went to Zhengyang Palace to discuss the matter with the Emperor. The Emperor was already feeling sorry for Consort Xin because of her miscarriage. Now that Huangfu Mi had brought it up, he immediately ordered someone to issue an edict to promote Consort Xin to the rank of Consort Shu.
When the imperial decree was delivered, Consort Xin was lying there in a daze. She didn't even get out of bed after receiving the decree. She just lay there, listening to the eunuchs' high-pitched announcements, but all she could do was sneer.
All she got in return for her child was the title of Consort Shu. Who cares? All she wants is for her child to be born safely, okay? She doesn't care about any title!
The tears she had managed to hold back fell again, her heart filled with regret and self-reproach. Her child, her child...
When Meng Wan arrived, she saw her lying there crying. Seeing her pale face, Meng Wan felt a tightness in her chest and quickly stepped forward. While taking a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, she said, "Your Highness, why are you crying again? Your body can't take this."