Тhе Sеventh Prinсе lеt оut а derisive chuсklе. "I heard Мiss Zhuang savеd mу уоungеr brоther not lоng ago. Truly, a womаn whо doеs not уiеld tо mеn."
Thоugh thе wоrds sоundеd like рraise, a сlоser listеn revealеd their insidious undеrtone. Наn Yаn wаs mеrеlу an unbetrоthеd yоung girl. То saу she "did nоt уield to mеn" wаs essеntially implуing she was unseеmlу—thаt she рerformed tаsks tурicаllу rеsеrvеd fоr men withоut hеsitatiоn. While suсh actiоns might be соnsidеred lоуаl in thе moment, for а young woman, which fаmily seeking а bride would сhoоsе such а bold girl? She would likely be seen as difficult to control.
Han Yan also smiled faintly. "Your Highness exaggerates. Whether woman or man, anyone who saw the Crown Prince in danger would surely have helped. How can people be compared to pigs or dogs? At the very least, loyalty is essential."
Without a trace of emotion, she had subtly turned the tables on the Seventh Prince. His expression stiffened slightly, though he did not let it show, merely forcing a smile as he said, "Miss Zhuang is truly thoughtful."
Han Yan nodded, thinking to herself that the Seventh Prince was likely involved in the assassination attempt. Having ruined his plans, he would naturally resent her. With this in mind, she adopted an innocent expression and said, "How could I compare to Your Highness? I heard you personally went to the mountain temple to pray for the people’s blessings. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you still be at the temple?"
She tilted her head, her voice sweet and utterly guileless. Yet this single remark left the Seventh Prince speechless. The trip to the mountain to pray had been a last resort after his plan failed. Now that Han Yan mentioned it—whether he was being overly sensitive or not—it felt like gloating, like rubbing salt in a wound. The Seventh Prince had been dealt a silent blow, one he could not voice aloud. Moreover, Han Yan’s question was sharp and incisive. He had told the Emperor he was going to the mountain to pray, yet here he was at the Zhuang residence. It was utterly unreasonable, and if taken seriously, it could even be considered a crime of deceiving the sovereign.
The Seventh Prince raised his head and stared intently at Han Yan. She met his gaze without flinching, simply smiling at him as if she had asked the most ordinary question. His fists clenched abruptly. This young girl moved slowly and seemed harmless, yet her methods were thunderous, each step designed to corner her opponent.
Before he could think of how to respond, a sudden scream echoed through the hall. Jiao Meng rushed in, her face pale with panic. "Master! Master! The concubine… she’s had a miscarriage!"
At these words, everyone was stunned. Zhuang Shiyang stood up, swaying slightly. "What did you say?"
Jiao Meng fell to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly as she cried out, "Master, please go see the concubine quickly. There’s so much blood…"
Zhuang Shiyang froze for a moment, his face deathly pale. He cupped his hands toward Prince Wei and the others, then hastily gathered his robes and rushed away. It was well known throughout the Zhuang household how much importance Zhuang Shiyang placed on Concubine Mei’s unborn child. Now that news of her miscarriage had spread, the servants were all on edge, fearful of being implicated.Madam Zhou and Madam Da Zhou both froze, exchanging a puzzled glance. That’s right—how could Concubine Mei have miscarried? That wasn’t what they had planned earlier. Could it be a lie to deceive Zhuang Shiyang? Yet judging by Jiao Meng’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like she was lying. However, a flicker of delight surfaced on Madam Zhou’s face. If Concubine Mei had truly miscarried, it would be a good thing for her—she would be more than happy if Concubine Mei lost the child. That way, no one in the mansion would compete with her anymore. So she let out an “Oh dear!” and said anxiously, “How could this happen? What should we do now?”
Madam Da Zhou thought more deeply than Madam Zhou. For a moment, she was suspicious and instinctively looked to see Han Yan’s expression. Han Yan stood in the center of the hall, also wearing a look of great surprise, as if she, too, was unaware. Only then did Madam Da Zhou feel slightly reassured, but she failed to notice that when she looked away, a faint smile curled at the corner of Han Yan’s lips.
Among them, the most relaxed was undoubtedly Zhuangshan. Today, the Zhou sisters had invited her back to the mansion to watch a good show. Anything that could bring Han Yan down was something she was happy to see. Therefore, upon hearing of Concubine Mei’s miscarriage, she assumed it was part of her mother and aunt’s plan—Han Yan was about to face misfortune. So she looked at Han Yan with schadenfreude. Han Yan noticed her gaze, turned around, and smiled at her. Zhuangshan was taken aback, then felt a surge of anger. How could Han Yan remain so calm, as if nothing had happened? Didn’t she know she was about to be in trouble?
Though uneasy at heart, things still had to proceed according to plan. Madam Da Zhou shot Madam Zhou a meaningful glance, and Madam Zhou said to the others, “I am truly worried about the master and Concubine Mei’s well-being. If any of you can help, why not come with me to check on them?”
Matters like a woman’s miscarriage were something men avoided at all costs. Even if there were guests in the household, they should keep their distance. Dragging guests to see a woman who had miscarried was improper etiquette. However, among these people, Prince Wei and his ilk already knew something was planned for today and were naturally happy to go along with it. How could they raise any objections? They readily agreed, appearing extremely considerate. Zhuangshan then pulled Wei Rufeng forward, saying, “Young Master, let’s go take a look first.”
Wei Rufeng did not refuse, only glancing back at Han Yan. He had long known that today’s events were aimed at Han Yan, but he had no intention of helping—unless Han Yan was willing to lower herself and beg for his assistance, which would be a different matter.
Han Yan remained standing where she was, unmoving. Seeing this, Madam Zhou reminded her, “Fourth Miss, why aren’t you going? Are you afraid?”
Afraid? For no reason at all, why would she be afraid? Wasn’t this implying Han Yan had a guilty conscience? Ji Lan opened her mouth, ready to argue with them, but Shu Hong tugged at her sleeve. Han Yan had already turned around, gazing at the sky outside, and said calmly to Madam Zhou, “Don’t you find it strange, Concubine Zhou? On such a fine day, I actually feel very cold.” Suddenly, she smiled eerily. “Tell me, Auntie, could it be because someone is practicing witchcraft?”
Madam Zhou was stunned, and for no apparent reason, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Han Yan suddenly smiled at her again and said lightly, “I was only joking. Why do you look so nervous, Auntie?”Madam Zhou was taken aback and immediately covered up, "What nervousness? Where am I nervous?" After saying this, she quickly walked away, not even glancing at Han Yan again. Han Yan watched her hurriedly retreating figure, as if something terrifying were chasing her from behind, and nearly couldn't hold back a loud laugh.
Ji Lan and Shu Hong, however, barely suppressed their amusement, only to hear Han Yan add, "I wonder how Concubine Zhou is really doing. Let's go and see for ourselves."
When everyone arrived at Hibiscus Garden, the place was already in chaos, with disorder everywhere. Large patches of blood on the ground looked alarming, and maids were bustling about in a flurry. Madam Da Zhou called a maid over and asked what exactly had happened. The maid replied tremblingly, "Concubine Zhou has miscarried. The physician is currently checking her pulse, and she has lost a lot of blood."
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