CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 90: THE STORM IS COMING

Therefore, the Second Prince feels both disappointment and hope towards Princess Consort Lan.

As he walked forward, his face remained expressionless.

Lady Lan was accustomed to his demeanor and naturally felt displeased in her heart.

But in front of the Emperor, she had to put on a show.

She reached out to touch his forehead and then pressed it against her own.

"Fortunately, there’s no fever. Your body is most afraid of heat. The sun outside is scorching, yet you still sneak out. Nanny Chai heard you were missing and urgently sent people to find Mother Consort Lan to look for you."

Then she apologized slightly to the Emperor.

"Emperor, Nanny Chai has served the Second Prince since he was little. She was more anxious than anyone when he sneaked out, and she didn’t report it to Mr. Dong for fear of disturbing you while you’re handling state affairs."

"Upon knowing this, I immediately dispatched people to search everywhere."

Nanny Chai cried tears of joy. Lady Lan’s words had pulled her out from the brink.

"Yes, yes, Lady Lan is right. This old servant has long served by Lady’s side, so when something happened, I thought of Lady right away. I beg the Emperor not to be angry. This old servant won’t dare next time."

Seeing this master and servant duo act, the last trace of hope the Second Prince had for Lady Lan was completely eradicated.

He forced a bitter smile.

He despised himself greatly at this moment.

Constantly questioning himself in his mind, what’s there to hope for?

Wasn’t this a result you had known all along?

Afterward, he kept his head lowered and said nothing more.

In his heart, he believed that his father would punish a negligent old servant but not implicate a pregnant concubine who still wielded influence in court.

Thus, challenging might with eggs, defeat is certain.

So he chose silence.

The Emperor glanced at Lady Lan with an expression that carried a disappointment she’d never seen before.

This single look shocked Lady Lan.

Had she said something wrong?

Panic crept into her heart, but she maintained an appearance of calm.

She also stopped speaking more.

For a moment, the entire room returned to the quiet it had before Lady Lan arrived.

However, Qiu Ming, waiting outside, felt a sense of impending storm.

Sure enough, soon Dong Yuzhong arrived with a solemn expression, bringing back two Imperial Physicians.

Upon seeing Lady Lan, his eyes showed brief astonishment, but he quickly regained composure.

"This servant pays respect to the Emperor and Lady Lan."

"Mr. Dong, you are too kind."

Lady Lan is always gentle and friendly, so no one had objections to her conduct.

Having completed the formalities, Dong Yuzhong spoke bluntly.

"Emperor, I brought two Imperial Physicians to thoroughly search the Second Prince’s courtyard and the rooms of Nanny Chai and others. We found quite a few things."

He gestured for someone to display the items.

Centuries-old ginseng, large Dongzhu pearls, jade sculptures the size of an arm—though few in number, each was very precious.

Seeing these, Nanny Chai collapsed instantly.

Even if she had eighteen mouths, she couldn’t explain away this.

A trace of anger and vexation flashed in Lady Lan’s eyes.

Could it be that a perfectly set chess piece was lost just like that?

Mr. Dong spoke expressionlessly.

"These items were found in Nanny Chai’s trunks, whereas the objects in the Second Prince’s bedroom were very ordinary."

He then glanced at Nanny Chai on the ground, feeling she had indeed gone too far.

"Emperor, not even a cup of water could be found in the Second Prince’s quarters."

This statement made everyone realize that Nanny Chai’s neglect of duty and embezzlement charges were undeniable.

The audacity of merely a servant to act so brazenly!

There must be someone of high status backing her.

Lady Lan, thinking of this, could no longer care about her large belly and moved to kneel.

Crying delicately, she said:

"Emperor, it’s my fault. Nanny Chai always took great care of the Second Prince, and now... It’s my negligence that caused the Second Prince to suffer. I beg the Emperor for punishment."

She didn’t shirk responsibility, but by saying this, she meant to sever her ties to survive.

Nanny Chai opened her mouth to speak but considering her entire family outside the palace relied on Lady Lan’s household, she could only own up to it even in death.

Thus, she bowed and apologized to Lady Lan:

"Lady, don’t blame yourself. The old servant’s greed blinded me, leading me to want to keep the rewards meant for the Second Prince. It’s all the old servant’s fault, and I take full responsibility."

Turning to the Emperor, she continued to plea:

"This old servant’s vision was clouded with greed and doesn’t dare to hope for forgiveness from the Emperor or the Second Prince, but my family knew nothing of it. I’m willing to atone with my life, but please don’t implicate the family in my crime."

She finished with a deep glance at Lady Lan.

The meaning of entrusting her family was evident in her eyes.

To avoid suspicion, Lady Lan simply pretended not to notice.

However, Zhuai Yun beside her nodded slightly, and upon seeing this, Nanny Chai felt relieved.

Pulling the hairpin from her head, she gritted her teeth and stabbed it towards her heart.

No one in the hall expected her to die so decisively.

Everyone was frightened out of their wits.

Especially the young Second Prince, who was stunned on the spot.

Even though he despised Nanny Chai and had thoughts of killing her.

Yet witnessing her suicide left a deep mark on his young mind.

Suddenly, he convulsed and fell over.

Fortunately, the Emperor stood nearby and caught his head before it could hit the ground.

Otherwise, this fall would’ve been disastrous.

Lady Lan acted scared by the sight.

Clutching her belly, she cried out in pain.

Instantly, chaos erupted in Qiqing Hall.

Lucky for them, the Imperial Physicians were present and immediately attended to the situation.

Lady Lan, heavily pregnant, couldn’t lie flat now, so Dong Yuzhong quickly asked Zhuai Yun and Zhuimeng to help her to a side chamber to rest.

Doctor Cheng followed to attend to her.

An eight-month pregnancy, if it leads to premature birth, could be very dangerous!

No one dared delay.

Meanwhile, the Emperor placed the Second Prince on the couch by the bright window and summoned Doctor Dou urgently.

He asked anxiously:

"How is the Second Prince?"

Without saying a word, Doctor Dou focused on diagnosing his pulse.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor also fell silent.

Looking at the bleeding Nanny Chai on the floor, his gaze grew colder with hatred.

"Why stand there idly? Get her corpse out to feed the dogs! If anything happens to the Second Prince, I want her entire family buried with her!"

"Yes!"

In his fury, no one dared approach the Emperor.

Afraid they’d get embroiled in the turmoil.

And Doctor Dou, while diagnosing the pulse, furrowed his brow.

Speaking to the Emperor, he said:

"Emperor, the Second Prince fainted due to excessive agitation. There’s no serious harm, and I can use acupuncture to resolve it. However..."