The crowd rushed down the steps in a frantic swarm. Liu Che gathered A’jiao into his arms, only to find her expression shifting from a dazed blankness to mounting terror.
"Blood!" Mianfu cried out, unaware of the hidden plan as she reached A’jiao’s side.
Liu Che’s heart leaped in his chest. He looked down and saw a small pool of blood staining the ground. For a moment, his mind went utterly blank.
A’jiao was even more panicked than he was. It suddenly occurred to her that ever since she had occupied the body of "Chen Wan," she hadn't experienced her monthly cycle... Even if Lord Yunhe wasn't in her womb, she feared someone else might have been!
She gripped Liu Che’s lapels with a deathly clutch, gasping for air. "Summon the Grand Master of the Imperial Physicians! Quickly!" Fear gnawed at her heart, and tears began to fall, uncontrollable and real.
After a period of chaotic turmoil, A’jiao was carried into the inner bedchamber of Wenshi Hall. Li Yan remained kneeling outside, her face ashen.
Nanke and Mianfu stood guard over A’jiao, drawing layer upon layer of heavy curtains around the bed. Liu Che could only sit outside the thick veils, watching female physicians hurry in and out in a blur of motion. Mianfu and Nanke emerged repeatedly, carrying basins of bloodied water to hand off to the waiting palace servants.
A’jiao’s faint, rhythmic whimpers of pain drifted through the air, tugging at the heartstrings of everyone in the room. Before long, a female physician stepped out from behind the curtain, her hands still stained with red. She knelt. "Your Majesty... the Empress's pregnancy... it is lost."
Liu Che closed his eyes and slumped back. Yang Deyi quickly wiped his own tears and moved to support him.
After a moment to steady himself, Liu Che moved to push past the curtains, but Yang Deyi hurriedly blocked his path. "Your Majesty, it is inauspicious to enter right now!"
His footsteps faltered. Leaning on Yang Deyi, Liu Che spoke in a hoarse, choked voice. "Jiaojiao, I didn't mean it! You must believe me! I... it was because... Jiaojiao, you aren't the only one in this palace who loves me. I cannot stay by your side alone every single day. I am the Emperor... I..."
Li Yan crawled on her knees toward the curtain, weeping. "Your Majesty, it was only a moment of uncontrollable emotion that led me to offend you. I beg you, for the sake of my own deep affection, do not let this create a rift between you and the Emperor. If you are angry, take it out on me alone. Even if I must die, I—"
"Then go ahead and die." A’jiao’s voice drifted out, ethereal and hollow.
The room fell silent as everyone wondered if they had misheard. Li Yan froze.
The woman on the bed let out two soft, weak laughs, her voice devoid of strength. "I will not believe words that are merely tossed off the tongue. Your Majesty, you know how... how I came to be by your side. If she can die and then come back to life, only then will I believe her."
He knew... and so he did not dare to argue. Liu Che looked toward Li Yan, only to see her looking back at him with tear-filled eyes, the very picture of soft, bullied innocence.
Seeing that the Emperor remained silent, Li Yan began to sob softly. How could the dead return to life? Lady Chen was clearly using this opportunity to dispose of her.
A’jiao laughed again. "Look at her. She doesn't dare. If she doesn't even believe in her own 'deep affection,' why should I?"
Liu Che’s expression instantly turned feral as he glared at Li Yan. Li Yan felt the air leave her lungs for a moment, her mind racing with the thought of whether she should pretend to bash her head against a wall to silence Lady Chen’s accusations.
The scene reached a stalemate.
Suddenly, there was a movement behind the curtain. Liu Che watched as A’jiao lunged out, standing directly before him. Her face was streaked with tears, yet she smiled. "Liu Che, it was never, ever because you couldn't bear to disappoint someone else's 'deep affection' that you betrayed me. You are simply... nothing more than a man lusting after a pretty face! You pushed me down with your own hands. You killed our child. Ha! Hahaha!"
Liu Che was terrified by the manic look in the woman’s eyes. He involuntarily stumbled back several paces.
As Liu Che fled the room in a daze, only A’jiao’s personal attendants and the imperial medical staff remained. A’jiao let out a cold snort and allowed Nanke and Mianfu to help her back inside.
After a few steps, A’jiao reached down to hitch up her trousers and whispered, "Oh dear, it’s flowing again!" Sure enough, her light-colored undergarments were stained red once more.
The two maids quickly ushered the others out to change A’jiao’s clothes and menstrual belt. When they had first seen that the blood pack on their mistress's leg hadn't broken, they had been terrified. Fortunately, when the female physician arrived, she diagnosed it as the arrival of her monthly cycle. The two girls had then deftly poured the blood from the pack into the basin of hot water to complete the ruse.
A’jiao clutched her lower abdomen, groaning in genuine discomfort. Falling down such a long flight of stairs hadn't caused any injuries thanks to her thick winter clothing, but it had certainly jolted the menses out of "Chen Wan," which had been absent for over a month.
According to the script Huan Jiujun had prepared, she was supposed to be carried into the bedchamber and cry in pain all night without saying a word, making the Emperor suffer from intense guilt. But she hadn't followed it. Instead, she had added her own scene. Watching Liu Che’s panicked retreat, she felt the improvisation had been quite effective.
It was a stroke of luck, really! Though it had given her a proper fright for nothing.
Once her menstrual belt was changed, A’jiao glanced at the female physician outside. She had originally thought that when Huan Jiujun said he had "bought off" the duty medical assistant and the female physician, he meant with money. She hadn't expected him to "buy them off" with talismans. It was much more efficient; in these people's memories, she truly had suffered a miscarriage. Even if someone investigated later, no flaws would be found.
Recalling the rest of Huan Jiujun’s script, A’jiao rubbed her face to maintain a weak yet stubborn expression. She commanded, "Return to Yunguang Hall." She paused, then added, "Throw Li Yan into the Storm Chamber." Li Yan hadn't actually harmed her yet, so she would spare her life for now.
Liu Che watched as A’jiao stubbornly boarded her carriage, the procession disappearing into the heavy snow toward Yunguang Hall. A’jiao’s words had ignited a fire in his heart, yet he had nowhere to vent his rage.
He heard that A’jiao had sent Li Yan to the Storm Chamber. A’jiao was soft-hearted after all; she hadn't even demanded Li Yan’s life under such circumstances. Reflecting on it now, he regretted not killing Li Yan in front of A’jiao just moments ago. If he had, A’jiao surely wouldn't have said those infuriating things about him being a lecher who killed their child.
"Your Majesty! For tonight, please make do in the side hall." Yang Deyi bowed slightly behind him, treading carefully so as not to trigger the Emperor’s temper further. The scent of blood in the main bedchamber wouldn't dissipate quickly; it was no place to sleep.
"To the Hehuan Pavilion." Liu Che flicked his sleeve and turned away. The snow was so heavy that the carriage lights in the distance were already obscured. Then, more flickering lights appeared from another direction.
Yang Deyi squinted into the distance. Only when the carriage drew near did he realize it was the Empress’s procession.
Wei Zifu sat in her carriage, sighing inwardly. She had kept Liu Yong at the Pepper Chamber Hall to sleep tonight, but the child had developed a fever, preventing her from coming sooner. She wondered how "Chen Wan" was doing.
She had heard there was a dispute with the Emperor and that she had tumbled down the steps of Wenshi Hall. Those steps were not short; she feared... Wei Zifu knit her brows, thinking that "Chen Wan" was truly too reckless.
Jinyu whispered from outside, "Your Highness, it is Lady Chen’s carriage."
Wei Zifu said, "Stop. Go and inquire."
"Understood," Jinyu replied. she stepped forward to intercept A’jiao’s carriage. "May the Empress enjoy longevity without end."
A’jiao clutched her throbbing abdomen, feeling utterly exhausted. Nanke stepped forward to block Jinyu, while Mianfu offered a polite bow.
Jinyu asked, "Her Majesty the Empress heard that the Lady had an accidental fall and came specifically to see... My Lady, is there any great harm?"
Upon hearing this, Mianfu began to rub her eyes, though she couldn't quite force out a loud sob. She replied, "Thank you for the Empress's concern. Our Lady... *sob sob sob*..." She resorted to covering her face and faking a cry. Fortunately, the light was dim and the two groups were a fair distance apart.
Nanke added urgently, "Your Highness, our Lady is extremely weak right now and must return to rest immediately."
Wei Zifu spoke gently, "In that case, sister, go back and rest well. Do not be too grieved. You are still young; there will always be other opportunities in the future."
Nanke and Mianfu returned the salute, and the procession moved on. Jinyu frowned as she turned to Wei Zifu. "Your Highness, this Lady Chen..."
Wei Zifu sighed. "She is a pitiful one. Come, we are already here; let us go to Wenshi Hall to see His Majesty."
However, upon arriving at Wenshi Hall, they were stopped by Yang Deyi. "Your Highness, His Majesty is deeply grieved at this moment and does not wish to see anyone. Please show your understanding."
Wei Zifu maintained her soft expression and asked, "Master Yang, how did it happen? Why did Sister Chen and His Majesty come to a dispute?"
*Sister Chen?* Yang Deyi’s eye twitched. "To answer Your Highness, it was an unfortunate coincidence. That girl Li Yan from the Music Bureau... she was singing a new tune for His Majesty and exchanged some sharp words with the Lady, which incensed her..." Yang Deyi kept his eyes lowered. The Emperor likely wouldn't see Li Yan again, but he wondered what the Empress intended to do with her after sending her to the Storm Chamber.
"This... Li Yan was far too presumptuous!" Wei Zifu was somewhat shocked.
"Indeed. Li Yan has already been ordered to the Storm Chamber. Alas, it is the Lady who is to be pitied... to have finally conceived a child, only to... sigh!" Yang Deyi sighed again.
Wei Zifu asked a few more questions, but it wasn't appropriate to linger. She asked Yang Deyi to convey her words of comfort and then turned to leave.
Liu Che lay alone on the brocade couch in Hehuan Pavilion, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. His mind was filled with the image of those basins of bloodied water being carried out from behind the heavy curtains.
He rose and paced the hall, picking up one object and then another, as if he couldn't feel at ease unless he was making some kind of noise.
Yang Deyi was old, and usually left the night watch to his disciples, but tonight’s events were so sudden that he feared the younger ones wouldn't serve well. He stood guard outside personally.
It wasn't until the fourth watch that the hall finally grew quiet. He thought he could finally catch his breath, but then, a faint sound of weeping drifted from within.
Guo Tun looked at his master in surprise, but Yang Deyi simply shook his head.
Another two hours passed before the sounds finally ceased entirely.
Liu Che’s sleep was fitful, haunted by many dreams.
One moment, it was the time of his and A’jiao’s wedding. A’jiao was so bright and dazzling, saying with total confidence, "I am the only one Che’er loves!" He had laughed and agreed, "Yes, yes, yes!"
A moment later, A’jiao was frowning slightly, tugging at his sleeve and asking, "Che’er, am I the person you like most?" He seemed to think for a moment, then patted her hand and said, "I will, don't overthink it."
Then, in a flash, A’jiao was standing before him, her face deathly pale. She spoke as if using every ounce of her strength, asking him, "Che’er, tell me, do you love me? Have you ever loved me? Husband, Che’er, let’s go live somewhere else, just the two of us. Let’s go to Shanglin Park, or Ganquan Palace?" In the dream, he had already grown tired of those words. Hearing them made him impatient, and he barked, "Aside from thinking about these things all day, can you do a single thing that pleases me?"
...
Liu Che jerked awake from the dream. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep again.
"Yang Deyi!" His voice was hoarse.
Yang Deyi carefully pushed the door open and entered, trying his best not to let the cold wind follow him. "Your Majesty, you’ve slept for less than half an hour. Would you like to rest more?"
Liu Che stood up. "To Yunguang Hall."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 暴室 | Storm Chamber | A place in the palace where disgraced or low-ranking women were sent to do hard labor (often laundry) or undergo punishment. |
| 太医属 | Imperial Medical Department | The official bureau of physicians serving the imperial court. |
| 医丞 | Medical Assistant | A high-ranking official within the Imperial Medical Department. |
| 乐府 | Music Bureau | The government office responsible for music, poetry, and entertainment. |
| 上林苑 | Shanglin Park | A vast imperial hunting park and garden. |
| 甘泉宫 | Ganquan Palace | A secondary imperial palace used for summer retreats or religious ceremonies. |
| 医令 | Grand Master of Physicians | The head of the imperial medical staff. |
| 亵裤 | Undergarments | Specifically refers to inner trousers or bloomers. |
| 月事带 | Menstrual belt | A traditional sanitary item used during menstruation. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
The Han Dynasty Empress is a Ghost | Chapter 107 | A Fateful Fall | Novela.app | Novela.app
