Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1118: Chapter 1120: Proving Innocence with Death (Part 1)

Bai Ruozhu looked somewhat stunned at the blood on Fu Yiyi’s dress; she was wearing a smoke-colored horseface skirt today, and the bloodstain was glaring and striking.

She hadn’t exerted much force, yet Fu Yiyi fell so heavily. Was this all for the sake of revenge, even at the cost of losing the Dragon Heir in her belly?

Bai Ruozhu found it somewhat incredible, and her complexion soon turned even uglier. If she found it unbelievable, what would others think? Surely no one would believe that Fu Yiyi would be foolish enough to gamble with the life of the Dragon Heir just to get back at her. After all, once a woman in the Palace gave birth to a prince, her status would change significantly.

Jiu Sheng and two other Imperial Doctors rushed forward, but Bai Ruozhu could no longer intervene, and could only stand still to maintain calm.

Jiu Sheng’s expression became extremely ugly; he was the first to rise, speaking loudly, ”Your Majesty, Lady Fu has been in constant contact with the Soul-soothing leaf, which greatly affected the fetus, resulting in its loss...”

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but be moved; Jiu Sheng was trying to absolve her of blame to spare her from punishment. She had always felt Jiu Sheng’s consultations were like academic exchanges, and she would casually offer him some advice. She hadn’t imagined that Jiu Sheng truly regarded her as a master; otherwise, why would he put himself at risk at a time when heads could easily roll?

”I, I was with child?” Fu Yiyi’s voice was weak, her question filled with pain and surprise as if she truly had no idea of her condition.

But her face quickly contorted with anger, and she glared hatefully at Bai Ruozhu, ”It was you, you killed my child! Aren’t you the Divine Doctor? How did you fail to see I was with child? Why did you push me?”

The other two Imperial Doctors, worried about taking the blame, echoed her, saying, ”Lady Fu fell and hit her belly, which led to the miscarriage.”

The Empress Dowager became agitated as well; naturally, she trusted Bai Ruozhu, but everyone had seen Bai Ruozhu push Fu Yiyi, followed by Fu Yiyi falling heavily and bleeding. This was a difficult matter to clear up.

Bai Ruozhu looked towards the two Imperial Doctors, asking, ”Please tell me, even if Lady Fu didn’t fall today, with her exposure to the potency of the Soul-soothing leaf, how long could the fetus have survived in her womb?”

The two Imperial Doctors were stumped by the question, and after a while, one of them replied, ”If Lady Fu’s constitution was strong and she hadn’t been in contact with the Soul-soothing leaf for long, perhaps the child could have been saved.”

Jiu Sheng’s eyes widened, ”Nonsense. Could you have saved it? Even if you could, the child would have been affected by the drug, damaging the Heart Meridian. Surely you are aware of this?”

The Imperial Doctor, puzzled, looked at Jiu Sheng, saying, ”Imperial Doctor Jiu, why are you so agitated? How can you be sure without trying? I was just mentioning the best possibility.”

Fu Yiyi began to cry, cursing while she wept, ”Bai Ruozhu, you executioner! I knew I shouldn’t have offended you in the past. But I am a daughter of the Fu family; how could I serve you like a slave? It doesn’t matter what you do to me, after all, you once saved my life, but you shouldn’t have harmed the child in my womb. He is the Emperor’s child and shouldn’t be harmed because of me.”

”Lady Fu, please don’t agitate yourself further. What’s done is done; we can only deal with it promptly to prevent a lasting ailment,” said the other Imperial Doctor.

The Empress Dowager nodded hastily, ”First, take care of your health. The matter of the Soul-soothing leaf and the child, I will look into thoroughly.”

The incident today was too sudden, and too coincidental. The Empress Dowager harbored suspicions, but unfortunately, her suspicions fell on Fu Yiyi. Fu Yiyi, unaware, thought the Empress Dowager doubted Bai Ruozhu, and a gleam of pleasure flashed in her eyes.

Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath and said, ”The record of Consort Fu serving the emperor is well documented, but it’s strange that no one knew she was pregnant. And where did Consort Fu get the Soul-soothing leaf from? She hasn’t explained these things. No worries, you are not feeling well now, and no one can force you to do anything, but this matter involves the Dragon Heir and must be investigated thoroughly.”

Having finished speaking, Ruozhu gave the Empress Dowager a deep bow, ”Please, Empress Dowager, issue a decree to find a renowned doctor to examine Consort Fu, to see what exactly is happening with the child in her womb!”

The Empress Dowager’s expression changed again. She could understand the implications in Bai Ruozhu’s words, but when it came to the face of the Royal Family, no one could speak plainly. She nodded and immediately ordered someone to report to the emperor and requested that the emperor find a Divine Doctor to examine Consort Fu.

Upon hearing this, Consort Fu’s face became ashen, and she struggled to rise, crying out in grief and anger, ”Bai Ruozhu, you are too cruel. It wasn’t enough for you to harm my child; now you want to tarnish my reputation. Well, if you have your way, I can only die to prove my innocence!”

After speaking, she tried to lunge at the corner of a table as if she were desperate, but alas, having lost too much blood and weakened, her movements were much slower. She was quickly restrained by a palace maid who was fast and alert.

”My lady, you cannot die. If you die, who will seek justice for the young master? His innocent child should not perish like this. You must not let the wrongdoers succeed,” cried Yin Shuang, Fu Yiyi’s senior palace maid, as she held onto her.

”What else can I do? Even the Empress Dowager believes her. I’d rather die than be slandered by her,” Fu Yiyi exclaimed indignantly.

Yin Shuang rose and rushed to the Empress Dowager, falling to her knees with a thud, ”Your Highness, please see clearly, our lady is innocent. Bai Ruozhu is not only trying to sully our lady’s reputation but also deliberately delaying, under the pretext of investigating the situation, to worsen our lady’s condition so she can never...” never bear offspring again.

Bai Ruozhu looked on with a cold laugh at the tragic duo of mistress and servant. Although she had been shaken by the loss of the child, seeing now how articulate even Fu Yiyi’s palace maid was made the situation seem suspicious.

In an instant, a thought crossed Ruozhu’s mind: Could it be that Fu Yiyi had lost her purity outside the palace, that the child was not the emperor’s, and frightened of the timelines not matching, she dared not announce her pregnancy? Then, using this incident as a pretext, she aimed to dispose of the problem in her womb and take this opportunity to retaliate against her?

At first, there was the Soul-soothing leaf. If Ruozhu had not discovered it, it would have harmed Consort Le. Nevertheless, Ruozhu would not escape involvement and would still be punished. Upon discovering it and coming to investigate Fu Yiyi, the latter had acted impulsively and attacked her. If Ruozhu hadn’t dodged just now, Fu Yiyi might have forced herself upon her, and then fallen to the ground.

Furthermore, if Ruozhu had evaded, and Fu Yiyi hadn’t hit her but instead bumped into the Empress Dowager and then miscarried, potentially injuring the Empress Dowager as well, Ruozhu might have faced double trouble.

Thinking this way, Ruozhu felt even more certain. She addressed the Empress Dowager, ”Consort Fu’s condition requires immediate blood-stopping measures, followed by the expulsion of the impurities in her belly within three hours; that should suffice for a thorough investigation.” She finished and looked at the three Imperial Doctors, ”I’m correct, am I not?”

Jiu Sheng hurriedly nodded, and after some thought, the other two also nodded. Indeed, handling it within three hours was appropriate.