"I don't want anything, except for you to rest and recuperate. You've just vomited blood, and you need a good rest. We can speak later after you have slept," Ye Jiuge said gently.

"You are leaving?" Imperial Consort Xi's eyes filled with worry.

Great Master Yun's departure had cast a shadow in her heart.

"I am going out to talk to the Dongling Prince about the prescription. It may be challenging to obtain some of the spiritual medicines, and we need to think of a plan. However, you don't need to worry. When you wake up, I will be back as soon as you shout for me." Ye Jiuge knew that Imperial Consort Xi was at her most fragile at the moment, and she needed to comfort her patiently.

"Okay." Imperial Consort Xi nodded slowly. She felt tired and sleepy, and she called for Elderly Lady Zhou to wait upon her so that she could rest.

Only then did Ye Jiuge take her leave and depart the house. Dongfang Que was still waiting outside. His upright posture looked as st.u.r.dy as the evergreen pine. When he saw Ye Jiuge coming out of the house, his handsome face involuntarily showed signs of hope and expectation.

He asked, "How is it going?"

"Your Highness, do you want to chat about the Imperial Consort's illness here?" Ye Jiuge had some things to say that she did not want Imperial Consort Xi to hear.

Dongfang Que immediately understood her meaning. He said, "I have prepared some tea and snacks. Eldest Miss Ye, please do me the honor."

He led Ye Jiuge to his study. Inside, on the table was laid a pot of spiritual tea and a box of rose pastries, just like last time. However, this time, there was an additional plate of peach pastries. Ye Jiuge was not in the mood to try them. After she took a sip of spiritual tea and organized her thoughts, she asked Dongfang Que, "Your Highness, how was Imperial Consort Xi poisoned? Can you tell me in detail about the specific circ.u.mstances?"

"Poison? You say that Imperial Consort Xi is poisoned and not ill?" Dongfang Que looked distracted momentarily before he revealed a knowing look and muttered, "I knew it."

"Since you knew, why didn't you call for a Spiritual Doctor to examine her?" Ye Jiuge asked curiously.

"I did. Imperial Consort Xi consumed all kinds of antidotes and medicine, and Father even obtained a Thousand Mountain's Snow Lotus for her to eat. However, none of them had any effect. Later, all of the Spiritual Doctors said that she was afflicted with an illness." When Dongfang Que finished speaking, a hint of viciousness flitted across his handsome face. He continued, "Those d*mned charlatans have prolonged her condition."

"It's not the Spiritual Doctors' fault that they couldn't tell," Ye Jiuge said.

"What do you mean?" Dongfang Que raised an eyebrow.

"Imperial Consort Xi's symptoms from the poison were suppressed by her illness. So, the Spiritual Doctors thought that she was ill; they were unable to tell that she was poisoned," Ye Jiuge explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Dongfang Que was confused. Is Imperial Consort Xi poisoned or ill?

"Tell me about the circ.u.mstances when she was poisoned first," Ye Jiuge said, returning to the topic. Her suspicion wasn't pleasant, so she didn't want to state the truth directly.

"Elderly Lady Zhou has always served the Imperial Consort. I will get her to tell you!" Dongfang Que called for Lei Peng and instructed him to invite over Elderly Lady Zhou.

Elderly Lady Zhou arrived shortly after.

"Elderly Lady Zhou, Eldest Miss Ye would like to ask you about the circ.u.mstances when the Imperial Consort fell ill. Please tell her carefully and meticulously," Dongfang Que instructed.

"Yes."

Elderly Lady Zhou nodded and began to recall the details of when Imperial Consort Xi had fallen ill. At that time, the Imperial n.o.ble Consort had just pa.s.sed away, and Imperial Consort Xi had fallen ill from her grief. In the beginning, she'd felt distraught and nauseous and had a poor appet.i.te. Later, tumors began growing on her face. The tumors had spread like wild gra.s.s, instantaneously covering half of her face and body. Emperor Xuanwu had been startled and immediately called for Spiritual Doctors to treat her.

The Imperial Consort had taken different types of medicine, but her illness had returned repeatedly. She had continued to vomit and have diarrhea. Finally, her genitalia had bled. The poor woman had become immensely dejected and feared that she would disgust Emperor Xuanwu if it were to drag on. As such, she decided to go to the Emperor Temple to guard the ancestors' graves on behalf of her late maternal grandmother.

Having heard this, Ye Jiuge was momentarily silent before she finally asked, "When Imperial Consort Xi was ill, was her menstruation cycle normal?"

"The Imperial Consort's body has been weak since youth, and her cycle has always been irregular. Sometimes, it would come early. Other times, it would be late. It was also common for it to not come for a few months."

"Why wasn't a Spiritual Doctor called to regulate it for her?" Ye Jiuge asked strangely.

An irregular menstruation cycle was harmful. It could affect the bearing of a child. Imperial Consort Xi was born a n.o.ble, and it should have been easy to instruct a Spiritual Doctor to regulate her menstruation cycle.

"We did, but the Imperial Consort refused to continue with it after a few days." Elderly Lady Zhou looked helpless as she spoke of it.

Imperial Consort Xi had always wished to appear beautiful, and she loved dancing. To maintain a light and graceful figure, she stuck to a strict diet. As such, her menstruation cycle had always been irregular. The Spiritual Doctors' prescriptions increased her appet.i.te so that she could take in more nutrition, so Imperial Consort Xi was unwilling to take them.

It was only after Bai Linglong gave birth to the bright and cute Dongfang Que that she began to consider having a child. At that time, she started regulating her cycle. Unfortunately, before she could conceive a child, she'd been harmed by the Empress's evil scheme.

"I see." Ye Jiuge nodded. This explanation validated her suspicion.

Dongfang Que felt a strange awkwardness as he listened to them talk about menstruation cycles as if n.o.body were around. Seeing that Ye Jiuge was silent, he asked, "Eldest Miss Ye, you haven't told me yet: what illness and poison afflict Imperial Consort Xi?"

Ye Jiuge recovered from her daze. After some deliberation, she said, "If my inklings are right, Imperial Consort Xi suffered from blood stasis in her genitals. This was due to a lack of proper recuperation from her miscarriage. This condition suppressed the poison's symptoms and explains why the Spiritual Doctors didn't realize that she'd been poisoned."

"What did you say?" Dongfang Que suspected that something was wrong with his ears. Miscarriage? What did she mean that Imperial Consort Xi had a miscarriage?

"I believe that Imperial Consort Xi was pregnant before she fell ill. Accordingly, she had a poor appet.i.te, tightness in her chest, and also felt nauseous."

Ye Jiuge did not know what else to say. How is it possible that an Imperial Consort was unaware that she'd been pregnant or that she'd miscarried? Ye Jiuge did not know whether they'd been careless, or if the Empress was simply so cunning that she'd been able to lay layers of traps before Imperial Consort Xi could realize anything.

"Eldest Miss Ye, are you serious? Imperial Consort Xi was pregnant?" With a pale face, Elderly Lady Zhou stared at Ye Jiuge.

"That's right." Ye Jiuge nodded affirmatively.

"Imperial Consort! My poor Imperial Consort!"

Elderly Lady Zhou's lips trembled. Suddenly, she slapped herself fiercely as tears of remorse flowed uncontrollably. As the Imperial Consort's personal nurse, she deserved to die ten thousand deaths for not realizing that the Imperial Consort was pregnant in time.

"Eldest Miss Ye, what is the poison that afflicts Imperial Consort Xi?"