PDLP Chapter 145 Asking for help
Chapter 145 Asking for help
The Jingren Palace was filled with the fragrance of fruits and melons. It was spring now and the fruits and melons were not yet ripe, but the Imperial Household Department still rushed to purchase a large amount of fruits from the south and sent them to the Jingren Palace in the name of the Queen's "thriftiness".
Xia Dongchun, however, had no intention of looking at the plates of precious fruits. She knelt before the Queen and begged, "Queen, please save me."
The Queen sat on the couch and sighed: "Didn't you say that your father had been dealt with?"
Xia Dongchun's eyes were filled with tears and her shoulders were trembling slightly, just like a dodder swaying in the wind and rain, which made people feel pity for her.
Unfortunately, she was facing the queen instead of the emperor.
"After the incident with Noble Lady Fucha, the Imperial Household Department sent two deputies, making it difficult for my father to do his work. Nanny Chen's son, who was originally imprisoned by my father, escaped a few days ago. As a result, Nanny Chen in the Ministry of Punishment is out of control! My father sent a message to me, asking me to find a solution quickly."
The Queen's eyes flickered. Escaped? This Xia Wei was indeed as stupid and useless as her daughter.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Xia Dongchun seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw: "My Lady, the only way to cover up this matter is to get rid of Aunt Liu!"
Before the Queen could speak, Jianqiu, who was serving beside her, said, "Chen Ma is now under the supervision and interrogation of Su Peisheng. He is close to the Emperor, so it will be difficult to get rid of Chen Ma in his hands!"
"What should we do? Once this matter is leaked, my mother's family may be in dire straits!" Xia Dongchun didn't care about the dignity of a concubine. She crawled to the queen's feet using her hands and feet, hugged her legs tightly, her eyes full of despair and fear.
A flicker of disdain flashed in the Empress's eyes. She gently kicked Xia Dongchun's hand away and looked at her coldly. "When Noble Lady Fucha had a miscarriage last time, your father was already implicated. I sent someone to help your father, saying that the guard had a personal grudge against the Fucha family. They removed your father so he could continue to hold his position as a lieutenant. Now he wants me to save him? I don't know if you're working for me, or if I'm working for you!"
Xia Dongchun's heart sank upon hearing this, and a look of disbelief crossed her face. She had originally thought that the Empress would, considering they were in the same boat, help her through this difficult time. But now it seemed that the Empress had no intention of offering any assistance. Anxiously, she said, "Your Majesty, I was acting on your orders to harm Concubine Hui and the Sixth Prince. Now that the truth has been revealed, you cannot just ignore me!"
The Queen's expression instantly darkened. She looked at Xia Dongchun coldly and said, "According to my order? Then tell me, when did I ask you to harm someone? Do you have any evidence or witnesses?"
Xia Dongchun froze in her place upon hearing this, tears still on her face, but she had forgotten to cry. Her eyes were wide open. After a long while, she came to her senses and cried, "Empress, I am loyal to you. Please save me and my family!"
After saying this, he kowtowed continuously, and his forehead hit the ground with a bang.
The queen sat in the chair, frowning slightly, with a hint of impatience in her eyes.
Jianqiu looked at the Queen's expression, walked forward, pulled Xia Dongchun up, and comforted her softly, "My dear, it's not that the Queen doesn't want to save you, it's just that the Queen is powerless!"
Xia Dongchun raised her head, tearfully looking at the Queen, then at Jianqiu, her eyes filled with despair and helplessness. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out. Her body involuntarily collapsed to the ground.
Seeing that the time was almost right, the Queen slowly spoke, "The Emperor values offspring. If you can conceive a dragon seed, even if the matter is exposed in the future, the Emperor will forgive your father's sins."
"But I have taken Xiji Pills, so I can't get pregnant!" Xia Dongchun raised her head and said in a daze.
"I'm not asking you to actually give birth. I just want the dragon seed to stay in your belly for a few months to save your father!" The queen said, then she pulled out a piece of paper from the book and handed it to Xia Dongchun. "This is a pregnancy-maintaining prescription that I spent a lot of money to obtain. Just take a few doses of the medicine and you'll be pregnant. The emperor hasn't found out about you yet, so you should seize this opportunity!"
He added, "Whether you and your father can escape this disaster depends on this one move!"
Xia Dongchun's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. "But the Emperor hasn't summoned me to his bed for a long time!"
Seeing her foolish appearance, the Queen was furious. She suppressed her impatience and said, "If the Emperor doesn't summon you to his bed, then you'll have to find a way! You're so lithe now that you'll be able to learn any dance skill instantly. There will be an opportunity in a few days. It depends on you whether you can seize it or not!"
Xia Dongchun took the prescription and made a secret decision.
After she left, Jianqiu continued to talk to the Queen, "Your Majesty, Concubine Xia is truly foolish. Why do you keep saving her?"
Since Xia came out of the cold palace, nothing she did had the desired effect. The Queen was extremely disappointed in her. "She and her father can no longer be saved. Of course, I must make use of her to the fullest while there is still time. Currently, Concubine Hua, Concubine Hui, and Concubine Wan are all difficult to deal with in the palace. If Xia gets pregnant and has a miscarriage, she might be able to drag one or two people down with her. Naturally, I must help her!"
After that, the Queen asked again, "Jianqiu, have you gone to see Noble Lady Wen? How is she?"
Jianqiu smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, that noble lady Wen is dying. She's been unconscious all day and won't eat or drink. In my opinion, she doesn't have much time left!"
The Queen was still a little worried. "Didn't the Imperial Hospital send people to research new medicine?"
"Yes! I heard from Doctor Zhang that Wen Shichu and thirty people worked for several days to develop a new medicine, but they only got a small amount of the medicine and used it on Lady Wen. However, it is still unknown whether it is effective."
"Alas, I think the medicine is working." The Queen pressed her brow, her head aching slightly again. "Carbuncle doesn't last long. There's no news from Yanxi Palace yet, which means An Lingrong is slowly recovering."
She understood pharmacology and was very familiar with common injuries. "All the preparations have been wasted. What a shame."
Jianqiu quickly stepped forward to help her massage her, then said, "Your Majesty, our spies have been sent out of the palace. Now that we have no one there, the information we have gathered is somewhat inaccurate."
"Let Xia keep an eye on it!"