The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Tang Meiren's smile gradually stiffened as she twirled her handkerchief with her slender fingers: "Then, I won't shop anymore. I'll accompany my sister for a walk."

Ning Shuyan sensed that Tang Meiren's every word implied she wanted to come with her, and a vague unease crept into her heart. She subconsciously glanced at Tang Meiren's lower abdomen, wondering if something was wrong with the child in her womb.

Seeing Ning Shu remain silent, with a complex expression on her face, Tang Meiren said again, "Then let's go."

Ning Shuyan sorted out her thoughts. Why was she in such a hurry to leave the pear orchard? Could there be some kind of conspiracy?

Ning Shuyan suddenly cried out, clutching her head and swaying slightly. Ziying quickly supported her, exclaiming in surprise, "What's wrong, Mistress?"

Ning Shuyan leaned against Ziying and whispered, "I don't know why, but I feel a little dizzy." Ning Shuyan tightened her grip on Ziying's hand, her nails seemingly digging into her wrist.

Ziying looked at Ning Shuyan with some confusion, and after a while, she reacted and said, "Then, Miss, you can rest here for a while."

Tang Meiren asked with concern, "Is my sister alright?"

Ning Shuyan forced a smile and said weakly, "I should be fine after sitting for a while, so I can't go shopping with you, sister."

Tang Meiren's face was shrouded in a dark cloud, as if she was deep in thought. She remained standing there, her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Ning Shuyan looked at her suspiciously. Sure enough, there was a problem, or perhaps there was something wrong with her stomach?

At this moment, Tang Meiren's expression suddenly changed. She stared straight at Ning Shuyan, her eyes flashing like cold arrows: "Sister, stop pretending."

Ning Shuyan's gaze suddenly turned cold, and she stood up. A cold smile played on her lips: "What is Consort Tang plotting this time?"

Consort Tang suddenly sat down on the ground, and the palace maid next to her shouted loudly, "Help! Consort Tang has fallen! Where is anyone?"

Sunlight fell upon her, yet Ning Shuyan felt no warmth whatsoever, only a bone-chilling cold rising from the depths of her heart. The harem was far more terrifying than she had imagined; had she been framed like this?

Tang Meiren's lips curled into a strange smile: "You should consider yourself unlucky. If you hadn't come out, you wouldn't be here today."

Before long, eunuchs and palace maids arrived.

Since Consort Tang became pregnant, she was allowed to ride in a sedan chair. After leaving the Pear Garden, Consort Tang sat in the sedan chair, her face tightly scrunched up, clutching her lower abdomen and letting out painful groans.

Ziying's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. Looking at Ning Shuyan helplessly, she said, "Miss, what should we do?"

Ning Shuyan narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "We must meet force with force and water with earth. We must remain calm, especially in times like these."

She paused for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "Since it has already happened, we have to go to the Jade Lotus Palace, otherwise we'll look guilty."

This incident naturally alarmed the entire palace, and soon the Empress and the higher-ranking concubines arrived. Seeing the shockingly red blood that had been presented, the Empress's expression immediately turned sour.

The imperial physician emerged with a sorrowful expression, knelt before the Empress, and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent. The child in Consort Tang's womb has been lost."

Ning Shuyan's brow twitched slightly; she knew it was true.

So, was Tang Meiren's pregnancy a hoax?

That's impossible. False pregnancy is a serious crime, and it will be discovered eventually. If it were truly a false pregnancy, why would she target a concubine of lower rank and no threat to her, instead of the favored concubine?

I'm afraid this Tang beauty's child is long gone, and she's looking for a scapegoat! So she can only pick on someone easy to bully.

Just as she was deep in thought, the palace maid beside Consort Tang pointed out that it was Ning Shuyan who tripped her mistress, causing her to fall and miscarry.

The Empress stared at Ning Shuyan in astonishment, her face filled with disbelief, and asked heavily, "Consort Ning, is it really you?"

Ning Shuyan clenched her fists, her long nails digging into her palms. The pain seemed to rouse her spirits and make her more composed.

She knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I did not bump into Consort Tang, nor did Consort Tang fall. She just sat on the ground and complained of a stomachache."

The palace maid beside Consort Tang quickly said, "You're talking nonsense! If you hadn't tripped our mistress, why would she be sitting on the ground?"

Ning Shuyan calmly said, "May I ask the imperial physician a few questions?"

The Empress nodded with a stern face.

Consort Zhuang looked at Ning Shuyan thoughtfully, wondering why she was asking the imperial physician.

Ning Shuyan looked at Physician Zhang: "I remember you were the one who took care of Consort Tang during this pregnancy, Physician Zhang, right?"

Physician Zhang lowered his head and said, "That's right."

"Has Tang Meiren's unborn child remained healthy?"

Physician Zhang broke out in a cold sweat. He gently wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered, "It's stable. Consort Tang's pregnancy has been stable all along."

Ning Shuyan clearly saw that his eyes were evasive, and he didn't even dare to look up. Wasn't that a sign of guilt?

"Imperial Physician Zhang, as an imperial physician, you must not aid and abet evil. You must be responsible for your words. There are many things that cannot be guaranteed to be foolproof."

The calm voice sounded like a hammer blow to Physician Zhang's heart. Without even looking up, he could feel needle-like eyes staring at him, and his hands trembled involuntarily. He knew Ning Shuyan must have discovered something.

Consort Ying's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled, "Could there be something fishy about this?"

Physician Zhang immediately kowtowed: "This humble subject would not dare to lie. But why does Your Highness ask such a question?"

The Empress's eyes held a complex expression. "Consort Ning, do you have something to say?"

Ning Shuyan bent down, and the white jade hairpin and pearl earring at her temple made a crisp and cold sound as they collided, which made Ning Shuyan even calmer.

She suddenly remembered that when she paid her respects yesterday, Tang Meiren's face was very pale. Could it be that she had already miscarried at that time?

"Your Majesty, I suspect that Consort Tang miscarried before today. I beg Your Majesty to search the dregs of the medicine Consort Tang took to prevent miscarriage in the Jade Lotus Palace these past two days."

Ning Shuyan thought that if she had miscarried a couple of days ago, she would have had to drink medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, which was different from medicine to prevent miscarriage.

The Empress's eyes narrowed, and she said in a deep voice, "This is the imperial heir; you cannot speak nonsense here."

At this moment, Consort Tang was helped out by palace maids, swaying precariously. Her face was deathly pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked exactly like someone who had just suffered a miscarriage.

She suddenly knelt down, pointing at Ning Shuyan and crying bitterly, "You tripped and fell, causing a miscarriage, and now what do you want to do?"

After saying this, she looked at the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do me justice! If there had truly been any problems with my pregnancy, would I still be able to pay my respects to you every day, and would I still be able to hide this fact?"

Seeing that the situation was unclear and the Empress could not find out the truth in a short time, she said to Consort Tang, "You may rise first. This matter will not be wronged against anyone."