As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent. Everyone looked at each other in dismay, only feeling that Concubine He was being so out of line.
The emperor's good mood was completely ruined by her. Concubine He had clearly drunk quite a bit of wine today to act so out of line.
Concubine He, thinking of the decline of her natal family, was bent on embarrassing Song Jinyu.
Concubine Shu spoke leisurely, "Alas... what shall we do? Sister He has drunk too much..." Great! Concubine He was really seeking her own doom!
Hearing her mention Heyi, Concubine Jia said coldly, "I wonder where Concubine He got the news that His Highness the Crown Prince is ill?"
"My son is ill, yet Concubine He seems to know about it earlier than I do?" Although the queen also harbored deep hostility towards Song Jinyu, bringing up the Crown Prince's hidden ailment was bound to arouse the emperor's suspicion.
At this moment, the Crown Prince wished he could kill Concubine He!
Princess Heyi roared angrily, "Are the imperial physicians just good-for-nothings? How could they not know when the Crown Prince got ill?"
The queen and several concubines all spoke up one after another. Gradually, Concubine He calmed down and felt a bit guilty. After all, the news that the Crown Prince was ill was yet to be confirmed. In a moment of pleasure, she had tried to drag Song Jinyu into trouble.
Little did she expect that she had become the target of everyone's criticism.
The emperor's face darkened. Concubine He panicked and knelt down, "Your servant didn't mean it like that!"
Prince Yu, Zhongli Mingye, stood up and bowed to the emperor, "Father, your son has never heard that the Crown Prince is unwell. Moreover..."
"The princess only has a smattering of medical skills. As a young girl, she can't be said to be highly skilled in medicine."
"However... Concubine He's claim that His Highness the Crown Prince has a hidden ailment needs to be carefully considered. Who could be plotting against the Crown Prince behind the scenes?"
With these words, the blame was shifted onto Concubine He.
The Crown Prince quickly stood up, "Your son hurt his arm while practicing archery a few days ago."
"This minor injury has already been treated by the imperial physicians. There's no need to trouble my sister-in-law!"
With just a few brief sentences, the awkward situation was defused. Zhongli Mingye gave Concubine He a fierce glare. Just then, Concubine Xue coquettishly laughed, "Sister is so interesting, Your Majesty..." She snuggled up to the emperor and whispered a few words in his ear, "I'm so tired..." Her delicate hand gently traced circles on the emperor's thigh.
The emperor couldn't help but tense up. Immediately, he ordered that Concubine He be reprimanded for her out-of-line behavior after getting drunk. Her title was downgraded from "Concubine" to "Consort", and she was placed under house arrest for a month to reflect on her actions.
Concubine He was so frightened that her legs went weak. She knelt on the ground. Prince Yu calmly drank the wine in his cup and casually glanced at Concubine Xue.
Then he whispered to Song Jinyu, "You haven't eaten anything. Is the food not to your taste?"
"No... no. I'm just not in the mood to eat." Song Jinyu was hoping that the emperor would leave soon. Her face was a bit pale. She had really forgotten.
It was just a few days late, and she had completely forgotten about it.
Zhongli Mingye chuckled softly, "When we get back later, I'll feed you..."
"..."
By the time they left the palace, it was already midnight.
The carriage clattered along the official road of the imperial city. The sound was especially clear in the silent night. "I saw that your face looked so bad. Is it because of Concubine He?"
His face kept getting closer. There was a wild and predatory look in his eyes. "No... don't..." Song Jinyu felt more and more uncomfortable. Cold sweat broke out all over her body.
Niaoniao was getting anxious outside. She had been careless too. Counting the days, it hadn't come a few days ago, so it must be her period.
Zhongli Mingye leaned closer to her, "Don't... what?" His voice was deep. His gaze on Song Jinyu became more and more intense.
He reached out and pulled her towards him, pressing her close to his body. "What's wrong? Hmm..."
Ah!
At this moment, it felt like being in ice and fire at the same time. She put one hand on her lower abdomen and pushed the other hand against Zhongli Mingye's chest. "I'm a bit... uncomfortable."
Her delicate voice rang out in his arms. The faint sweet fragrance made Zhongli Mingye's eyes gradually turn hazy. "Where... are you uncomfortable?" He nipped at her pink earlobe and whispered.
Song Jinyu: "..." She was thinking about how to get out of this situation. Obviously, the man beside her had no idea what had happened to her.
"Alas..." To punish her for being distracted, Zhongli Mingye bit her.
Unable to bear it any longer, she pushed him hard. "I... my period... is here!" She was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Zhongli Mingye looked completely puzzled. "What is 'period'?"
"..."
By the time she had sorted herself out and was lying in bed, she was so ashamed and angry that she didn't want to say a word!
Niaoniao held back her laughter and boiled some ginger syrup. "Your Highness, please have some."
Ignoring her, Song Jinyu was so embarrassed that she wanted to suffocate herself. Zhongli Mingye had carried her out of the carriage and gotten blood all over his hands!
He was so frightened that he thought Song Jinyu was injured and quickly called the mansion's doctor. Now, it was probably the whole mansion knew that she was on her period!
At that moment, Song Jinyu felt like dying. In all her years, she had never been so embarrassed!
Not only was Zhongli Mingye's hands covered in blood, but his clothes were also stained.
"My Lord, she just needs to drink the ginger syrup, avoid cold food as much as possible, and get plenty of rest..."
The mansion's doctor carefully gave his instructions. Zhongli Mingye felt it wasn't enough. "What else should she pay attention to?"
The doctor helplessly replied, "She can't have sexual intercourse..."
It was the first time Zhongli Mingye had learned what "period" was. He felt a bit uncomfortable. He walked into the bedroom. Song Jinyu was already asleep.
He couldn't help but find it funny. What a commotion this day had been. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her sleeping face. Gently, he reached into the covers and placed his hand on her lower abdomen. It was a bit cold. He used his internal energy to warm it.
The doctor said that she had pent-up emotions and was under a lot of stress, which had caused her period to be delayed. She needed to be carefully taken care of. He felt a bit self - reproachful for no reason. She had been feeling so uncomfortable at the banquet, yet he had failed to notice.
He had even given her cold food.
So women had periods? He blushed slightly. He had thought she was injured with so much blood...
"Mmm..."
Song Jinyu mumbled in her sleep. He leaned closer, wanting to hear what she was saying. Unexpectedly, she suddenly turned her head, and her red lips brushed against his face.
Zhongli Mingye looked at her and remembered what had happened at the banquet. Now, there were quite a few people in the palace with malicious intentions towards her.
Concubine He definitely couldn't be left alive...
His phoenix eyes gradually turned cold. How dare they plot against his woman.
That night, the Crown Prince's mansion was also in turmoil. The Crown Princess, who had long been disappointed in the Crown Prince, went straight to her own chamber. Whether the Crown Prince was ill or not had nothing to do with her, did it?
The Crown Prince, Zhongli Chengze, was already furious because Concubine He had brought up his hidden ailment today. Now that the Crown Princess was ignoring him, he was even more annoyed.
But he had no choice. If he were to make a fuss about the Crown Princess at this time, he would surely be impeached by the censors again, not to mention Lord Shen.
Therefore,
he urged Ouyang Jinse to investigate the spiritual root base on Tianmen Mountain.
That spiritual medicine could restore his male virility. The Crown Prince didn't want to be an emperor with a hidden ailment for the rest of his life.