Time passed quickly in the strange atmosphere, and it was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye. The emperor gave a special banquet to the ministers and also bid farewell to the Ninth Princess who was about to get married.
The Zhou family also received the invitation. The old lady on the female side was unable to attend, and no one else was allowed to attend. Shen Xingwan had to go alone.
She especially wore the New Year's attire from Xiling, a long blue dress with colorful butterflies and flowers, with pearl tassels hanging from her waist, and a sapphire blue hairpin on her head.
"Let's go." Shen Xingwan said softly. She hadn't dressed up like this for a long time.
After entering the palace, she mingled among the concubines and first went to see the Queen Mother. Everyone looked at her with a look full of gossip.
Shen Xingwan had a cold face, looking untainted by worldly matters.
The Queen Mother was in a good mood and had been talking to several old ladies.
Not long after sitting, the banquet was about to begin. Everyone left one after another and went to Taichu Hall.
The Taichu Palace was brightly lit, and all the female guests were sitting on the left side. As soon as they entered, the palace maids came forward to guide them, and Shen Xingwan's seat was fairly close to the front.
She was assigned to the same table as Mrs. You, who had just lost her daughter. It was hard to say that it was not intentional.
As soon as I sat down, many people looked over.
Mrs. You, who was still very high-spirited a month ago, looked quite haggard. She took the initiative and said, "Miss Seventh, we meet again."
Shen Xingwan said softly, "My condolences, madam."
The two said a few polite words and stopped talking. This disappointed those who wanted to see the show.
Qi Han was still the last to arrive, and there was a loud shout of support.
Shen Xingwan watched with cold eyes and drank all the wine in the glass. The more glorious he is now, the worse the consequences may be.
The banquet became lively. Qi Han's position was the leader of the officials. He sat alone in his seat without saying a word.
"The Queen Mother has arrived!"
Everyone stood up and saluted, and the Ninth Princess helped the Queen Mother to sit on the throne.
The Ninth Princess is still dressed in red today, but unfortunately there is no trace of joy on her face.
The emperor arrived last, holding the imperial concubine in his arms.
Concubine Zuo was dressed gracefully and luxuriously, but the most eye-catching thing was her obviously swollen belly.
Almost everyone's eyes were focused on his belly, covertly or covertly, and many people secretly speculated whether the emperor would really let her give birth to this child.
Concubine Zuo subconsciously covered her belly with her wide sleeves, with a numb expression on her face.
The emperor sat down on the throne and said, "Sit down, I will have fun with everyone today."
After three drinks, the emperor suddenly looked at Qi Han, "I heard that you recently lost your concubine?"
Qi Han stood up and replied, "Yes."
The emperor smiled and said, "I hope you will get married as soon as possible and give birth to an heir. In the future, you will marry the child in the concubine's belly and become my in-laws."
As soon as these words came out, the whole hall fell into silence.
Qi Han's face became colder and colder, "Your Majesty is joking."
"I never joke. Why is the child born in your concubine's belly not worthy of being called your father?" The emperor made a pun.
Qi Han's eyes were almost murderous, and Concubine Zuo felt her stomach hurt.
During this period, she woke up from her dreams every night and lived in fear every day.
The Ninth Princess was almost restless next to the Queen Mother.
The emperor asked Shen Xingwan, "What do you think, Miss Zhou?"
Shen Xingwan, who was innocently affected, smirked, "Everything your Majesty said is right."
The emperor laughed heartily, "I believe that the regent will treat the child in the concubine's belly as his own."
If that happens one day, it will probably be the biggest scandal in the royal family.
Everyone smelled the coming storm, and the emperor was so crazy that he didn't care.
In suffocating silence, the party continued.
The ninth princess drank several glasses of wine and felt depressed.
Concubine Zuo was in terrible pain in her stomach, but she didn't dare to say a word and could only endure it. She felt warm liquid left behind, and when she looked down, she saw blood on the hem of her skirt.
The palace maid next to her also noticed something was wrong, and knelt down with a bang, "Mother... there is so much blood..."
In the chaos, Concubine Zuo raised her head and forgot about Qi Han, but Qi Han never looked at her.
This is their child, just gone...
The Queen Mother immediately said, "Tell the imperial doctor to carry the person back to the side hall."
Concubine Zuo was quickly taken away, and a small pool of blood could be seen under her seat.
The emperor said regretfully, "I sincerely hope that this child will be born safely, but it is a pity."
I don’t know what the officials think, but the eyes of many female relatives looking at Qi Han have changed.
Shen Xingwan only felt that this winter night was getting colder and colder, and another life had become a victim of this political struggle.
With such a big incident happening, of course the banquet could not go on.
Before the emperor left, he specifically asked Qi Han, "Ai Qing, won't you go see the imperial concubine? After all, she and her child are gone?"
Qi Han turned around and left without giving the emperor any face.
The emperor looked at his back and smiled even brighter.
A group of people were sitting outside the palace waiting for the news. Inside, the imperial concubine screamed heart-breakingly, making everyone's scalp numb.
About half an hour later, the imperial doctor tremblingly said, "Your Majesty, I have not saved your child."
The emperor didn't react much to the expected ending. After the inside was tidied up, he walked in without any hesitation.
The strong smell of blood made people sick, and the imperial concubine lay dying on the bed.
The emperor looked at her and spoke slowly, "I really hope that this child will be born. It will be more interesting to be born than to die."
Concubine Zuo closed her eyes and told herself that this child had suffered when he came into the world, and it would be better if he left.
The emperor was not ready to let her go, and smiled nervously, "This child can die in the hands of his father, and it is considered a worthy death. Concubine, don't you think so?"
Concubine Zuo's eyes widened instantly, revealing a look of disbelief.
The emperor said softly, "My concubine, who do you think wants this child to die the most now, and who is the most disadvantageous to this child's birth?"
Concubine Zuo firmly grasped the quilt under her body and bit her lip without speaking.
The emperor left the room and stood for a while.
Sure enough, painful cries erupted in the room, and the emperor curled his lips. This was just the beginning.
The Ninth Princess was trembling all over and her face was frighteningly pale. "Brother, are you telling the truth?"
"There is no need for me to tell lies about this matter..."
The Ninth Princess covered her mouth and ran away, unable to accept that Qi Han actually killed her child.
Overnight, rumors of parricide at a banquet at the Regent's Palace spread throughout the streets, and his reputation among the people had almost hit rock bottom.
After Bai Ling told her about the rumors, he couldn't help but ask, "Is it true?"
Shen Xingwan said, "It's not important anymore. What's important is that the emperor is probably planning to kill the enemy."
She estimated that the short-term peace could only last until the Ninth Princess got married.
When the Ninth Princess gets married and the emperor makes his last move, it's time for them to fall out.
"Miss, what are you going to do?" Bai Ling asked.
"Watch the show and then run away." Shen Xingwan said.
Of course, since they have joined forces with the emperor, it would be best if they could crush Qi Han to death.
