After their minds were read, the entire court trembled with fear.

Chapter 89 Shen Zhiyi: Oh my god, is she dead??

[But could this really be considered the Empress's doing? That can't be right, can it?]

Shen Zhiyi secretly scratched her hair.

But at this moment, the new Consort was trembling with immense anger, her eyes fixed on the Empress, as if she wanted to pounce on her on the spot.

Seeing this, the old emperor shielded the empress behind him, a scene that deeply stung the eyes of the new imperial concubine.

"Your Majesty, she killed our child to win favor! Are you still going to protect her?!"

The old emperor said in a deep voice, "Firstly, the empress has no need to compete for favor, and secondly, there must be some misunderstanding. Why would the empress want to kill your child?"

[This old emperor is truly amazing; he's both a womanizer and a devoted lover, both passionate and faithful. How can a person be so complex?]

Shen Zhiyi couldn't understand it, but...

[Hehe, it's not like I can't figure it out. Maybe the old emperor is like me—I like Kaito Kid, Moon, X-Men, Kirito... Spice, etc. (personalities omitted here), but Spice will always be the main heroine!]

The people present: What? Shen Zhiyi, what are you saying?

The old emperor was shocked and secretly glanced at Shen Zhiyi.

I can't tell.

Consort Zhang was also shocked; she hadn't expected Shen Lang to be like this, but...

She licked her lips, thinking how wonderful it would be to have a group of pretty boys serving her.

When her gaze fell upon the old emperor, Consort Zhang thought: ...He really lives!

The new imperial concubine was initially furious at the old emperor's words, but after hearing Shen Zhiyi's words, she became even more distraught.

Who was that guy? He actually dared to secretly mock her for never being able to become empress.

"Haha, misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"

There's absolutely no misunderstanding; you're simply out of your mind, repaying kindness with enmity!

The new imperial concubine's skin was visibly flushed.

I've finished reviewing all the information regarding the conflict between the new Consort and the Empress concerning their child. The only possible explanation is this: yes, it must be, because the new Consort's child died shortly after birth.

Therefore, it can only be that matter.

After a moment of serious analysis, Shen Zhiyi realized she had made a foolish mistake, but she would never admit it.

At this moment, the new imperial concubine's eyes were visibly red.

The old emperor knew that the new concubine's child had died at birth, and he had given her many gifts to comfort her.

But what does her not giving birth have to do with the Empress?

Shen Zhiyi, hurry up and speak! Stop dawdling!

At that time, the new Consort was still a lowly concubine, and she actually conceived on her first night with the Emperor.

The old emperor proudly raised his head.

That's right, that's him!

[Of course, this has nothing to do with the old emperor; it's simply because this new concubine is highly fertile—that's impressive!]

"Pfft."

A low, suppressed laugh came from all around, and it was unclear who it was coming from.

The old emperor's eyes were sharp as knives, ready to give a good thrashing to the person who dared to mock him.

It turned out to be the Empress. The old emperor felt wronged and grabbed the Empress's sleeve and shook it.

[After becoming pregnant on her first try, the new concubine cherished this pregnancy immensely. To ensure it was a son, she tried all sorts of folk remedies and overdid it during her pregnancy, avoiding any movement for fear of slipping and falling and losing the baby. As a result, her first pregnancy became very large.]

Tragedy struck; the new concubine suffered a difficult childbirth.

Upon hearing this, the new imperial concubine's eyes were filled with both sorrow and resentment.

"My child, my child."

[Don't call your child anymore. With the current medical conditions, it's already a miracle that someone could survive such severe bleeding.]

[Hiss, I get it. Could this guy be holding a grudge against the Queen for telling the midwife to save the mother?]

Shen Zhiyi didn't understand.

[In this choice between saving the mother and the child, if you were in someone else's shoes, you might have saved the child, and then what? Then you died. So shouldn't you be thanking the Empress for saving you?]

The new imperial concubine laughed upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, when I had a difficult childbirth, it was the Empress who ordered the midwife to kill our child."

After learning the whole story, the old emperor crushed the new concubine with a single sentence.

"The Empress did the right thing. Even if I were there, I would have made the midwife save the baby."

The new imperial concubine felt as if she had been struck by lightning. With tears in her eyes, she pointed a trembling finger at the empress.

"What if it's the Empress's child? A child born of the legitimate wife? Would you still protect the mother?"

"What difference does this make from whether the child is born of the legitimate wife or not? And what does it have to do with the Empress? I would protect anyone who comes along. Consort, do you not understand the principle that as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn?"

You should know that when he was still farming, if his mother had a difficult childbirth, his family would always try to save the mother.

Nonsense, you can have another child if you lose one.

But in those days, it was so hard to find a wife after you lost your husband.

However, the old emperor was also well aware that their family's ideas were the most bizarre in the village.

[Holy crap, old emperor, did you peek at my Marxist theory?! This level of ideological awareness is far more enlightened than some of the die-hard feudalists of the 21st century!]

[Sigh, it's a pity that in my world, women only gained a voice on the issue of saving the mother versus the child much later on. But after seeing the new concubine's situation today, with her limited intelligence, even if she were given a voice, she would probably still choose to die. So, blindly saving the mother is still the right way.]

Women are deeply emotional, and pregnant women may even be affected by hormones, which can trigger an overwhelming maternal instinct. In a moment of impulsiveness, some might choose to let their child live while they themselves die.

The old emperor fell into deep thought as he listened to Shen Zhiyi's words.

Unfortunately, I only had the thought for a moment, and then quickly suppressed it.

“Your Highness, witchcraft has always been forbidden in the harem. You hold great power in the harem, yet you fail to set an example. You are demoted to a concubine and banished to the Cold Palace. You shall never step out of the Cold Palace again in this lifetime.”

"Consort Shu, you shall continue to manage the affairs of the inner palace."

Consort Zhang's eyes lit up several times.

She's come to terms with it now. The child is gone, so be it; the man is gone, so be it. It's more comfortable to hold onto the little power she has.

"Cough cough cough."

"elder sister!"

The Empress began to cough violently, and Consort Zhang nervously supported her.

The Empress patted Consort Zhang's wrist to indicate that she was alright.

"Your Majesty, if you are not feeling well, please rest. You may all leave."

Shen Zhiyi looked at herself and saw that Zhang Sheren had left, so she followed suit.

Not long after, the old emperor also came out and returned to the Zichen Hall to deal with the memorials.

As night fell, the old emperor, who was preparing to send the two back, suddenly had a mental breakdown.

[Holy crap, he's dead???]

The old emperor, Zhang Sheren, and Chen Decai pricked up their ears: Who died?

[So, the new imperial concubine is just going to be sent away like that?]