Chapter 49: Imminent Bloody Disaster

Wei Yanqiao called out Wei Tianze's name in the depths of her heart with burning anxiety: "Tianze, hurry and have Father find some top-tier healing medicine for my face! You must be quick!" Not a single flaw could be allowed on her face! Otherwise, even if she truly descended as a star of fortune, Xiao Ceyun would never grow close to her again.

Wei Tianze hurriedly responded in a respectful tone, "Yes, Master."

Early the next morning, when Xiao Guizi, the eunuch delivering meals, arrived, he indeed brought along a bottle of supreme healing ointment.

Wang Qianyang quickly applied the medicine to Wei Yanqiao's injured cheek.

With the Empress currently devoting her entire mind and body to the impending birth, and compounded by the fact that Wei Yanqiao had just been punished, no one paid any further attention to Wei Yanqiao's situation. This allowed Wang Qianyang to set her mind at ease and tend to Wei Yanqiao's injuries heart and soul.

The moment that precious medicine made contact with Wei Yanqiao's delicate skin, a bizarre and intense sensation instantly surged into her mind. She felt as though tens of thousands of tiny ants were frantically gnawing at her flesh; dense swarms of them seemed to crawl across her face, bringing an unbearable, itch-inducing, and stinging torment.

This peculiar feeling caused Wei Yanqiao to instinctively knit her brows, her body trembling slightly. Yet she knew all too well that she must not reach out to scratch. She clenched her teeth, fiercely enduring the agony, and silently prayed that the miraculous medicine would take effect as soon as possible, helping her restore her former beauty without delay.

After applying the medicine, Wei Yanqiao sat gracefully at the table, devoutly copying scriptures stroke by stroke.

She asked in her heart, "Tianze, has Song Hanlin taken the bait yet?"

"According to the letter sent by Father, the people around Song Hanlin have basically all come to believe the narrative that you are a blessed star descended from the heavens. However, as for Song Hanlin himself, he still lacks just a tiny bit of heat. It is estimated that once the Empress successfully gives birth to an imperial prince or princess, he will become completely and unwaveringly convinced."

Wei Yanqiao nodded slightly. "Remember to handle this matter with the utmost caution, and do not let the Emperor perceive even the slightest trace of suspicion. The Emperor is naturally suspicious by nature; who knows, he might already be doubting recent events. If Song Hanlin steadfastly refuses to believe it easily, we would do best to remain inactive for now and avoid making any rash moves. Let everything wait until after the Empress gives birth, until the so-called 'star of disaster' makes its descent—then we can seize the opportunity to fan the flames and let this fire burn brightly!"

"Understood, I shall inform Father immediately."

Wei Yanqiao frowned slightly, as if she had suddenly remembered something important. A trace of viciousness flashed across her eyes. "Tianze, go among the common people and find a method for me, or perhaps a special medicinal herb. This herb needs to be able to cause a difficult labor for a pregnant woman, yet without genuinely resulting in a dual tragedy where both mother and child perish. It would be best if it merely made the birth exceptionally arduous and drastically prolonged the labor, while also subjecting the mother to immense suffering."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tianze nodded without the slightest hesitation and replied, "Very well, Master, I will go search for it immediately."

Wei Yanqiao, feeling quite satisfied, calmed her mind to continue copying the scriptures. However, every time she finished copying a volume of scriptures, she would intentionally let a few drops of fresh blood fall onto the pages, giving it the high-sounding name "calamity of bloodshed."

Roughly a month later, Wei Yanqiao received a mysterious medicinal herb.

Wei Tianze explained, "Master, among the common people, this medicine is known as 'fire-roasted lotus seed.' It is said to possess a special property: if consumed when the maternal body is on the verge of giving birth, it can effectively stimulate the body, weakening the contractions of the pelvic floor and thereby greatly prolonging the duration of the labor."

Upon hearing these words, a triumphant smile bloomed on Wei Yanqiao's face as she praised, "Well done!"

In this way, not only would the child born of the Empress be regarded as an ominous star of disaster, but the supremely noble Empress herself would also be forced to endure utter torment and suffer manifold miseries during her delivery.

During the days, Wei Yanqiao dedicated herself wholeheartedly to copying volume after volume of heavy scriptures. At night, she would take out those dried lotus seeds, grind them into a fine powder, and wrap them up securely.

On this day, Wei Yanqiao spoke softly to Wang Qianyang: "When Xiao Guizi comes next time to deliver food, remember to tell him to help me find Qingman and convey a few words to her."

Wang Qianyang asked, "What words should be passed on?"

Wei Yanqiao slowly replied, "I wish to see Qingman, and instruct her to inform the Empress so that the Empress will order her to come and collect the scriptures I have been sincerely and devoutly copying over these past days. Use these pious scriptures to pray for Her Majesty the Empress to safely and smoothly deliver the imperial heir."

Having heard this, Wang Qianyang nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes."

Wei Yanqiao gently unwound the gauze wrapped around her face. Ever since she was injured, she had persisted in changing the medicine without fail and forcibly restrained herself from touching the wound. Now, her face was recovering remarkably well. Aside from the newly grown skin looking slightly tender, not a single scar was left behind. Judging by this rate of recovery, after just a few more days of careful recuperation, it would surely be healed entirely as before.

Three days later, Qingman, whose figure had not been seen for a long time, arrived. As dutifully as ever, she bowed respectfully toward Wei Yanqiao and spoke, "Mistress, I have come by order of Her Majesty the Empress to retrieve the scriptures you have so devoutly copied during this period."

Wei Yanqiao gathered the scriptures she had labored to copy during this time one by one, arranging them neatly upon the table. She raised her head, her gaze falling upon Qingman, and asked softly, "When you came, did the Empress know that your purpose today was to take away the scriptures I copied?"

Qingman nodded slightly in the affirmative and answered, "She knew. I specifically informed Her Majesty the Empress that I was coming to retrieve the scriptures you copied with a heart of utmost piety, so as to pray for divine protection."

Wei Yanqiao nodded, then pulled several sheets of paper from the thick stack of scriptures—pages that bore speckled bloodstains. She pointed her finger at those bloodstains. "When you go to present these scriptures, you must ensure that the Empress clearly sees these bloodstains."

Qingman could not help being taken aback, her face filling with shock as she blurted out, "How could you drop blood upon the scriptures? This is a grave disrespect! Setting aside whether you were truly copying them with piety, the mere act of dripping blood is already an act of desecration against the deities. You had better quickly destroy these blood-stained pages to avoid courting disaster!"

Wei Yanqiao smiled faintly, unconcerned. "Destroy them? Why would I? It is precisely through this action that I want the Empress to understand she will soon encounter a calamity of bloodshed."

Qingman grew even more astonished, staring in utter disbelief as she pressed further, "What calamity of bloodshed?"

Wei Yanqiao turned around, retrieved a small pouch from a nearby cabinet, and handed it into Qingman's hands. "Inside here is the fire-roasted lotus seed I painstakingly ground into powder. You must find a way to make the Empress ingest this medicine before she goes into labor."

Qingman's eyes widened in sheer terror as she stared at the mysterious pouch of medicine in front of her. Her body recoiled instinctively, her hands trembling uncontrollably, utterly lacking the courage to reach out and take it. Her voice quivered as she said, "You... surely you aren't trying to make me use this medicine to poison Her Majesty the Empress and cause a dual tragedy where both mother and child perish? I will never do such a thing!"

Although she had hardened her heart to commit the arson previously, when it came to murder, especially assassinating the supremely noble Empress, she simply did not possess that kind of daring.

"Look at how frightened you are!" Wei Yanqiao's lips curved upward into a disdainful smile as she explained unhurriedly, "This is merely a medicine capable of prolonging the Empress's labor. Since I intend for the Empress to experience a calamity of bloodshed, I naturally must make her suffer a bit. Rest assured, the Empress's time has not yet come; it is not yet her turn to face mortal danger."

Suddenly, Qingman's legs turned to jelly, and she dropped heavily to her knees with a thud, pleading bitterly, "I beg you to spare me! I truly can no longer do this, and I cannot bear any more risks and pressure!"

Wei Yanqiao looked down coldly and condescendingly upon the kneeling Qingman, not a shred of pity in her eyes. She stated frigidly, "Do you think that by pleading with me now, you can secure your own safety? From the very moment you dared to set fire to the Jiaofang Palace, you stepped onto a path of no return, with no possibility of turning back. Only two paths lie before you now: either wholeheartedly assist me in making a comeback and become my capable right hand, or wait for the scandal to break, your crimes to be exposed, and meet a gruesome end with your head separated from your body. Only by relying on my power as your solid backing can you possibly carve out a genuine shred of survival in this perilous court and preserve your life. Otherwise, paper can never wrap up a fire forever; the truth will eventually come to light and pierce through this ceiling one day!"

Qingman's complexion was as pale as paper, her eyes hollow and devoid of spirit. She sat frozen on the cold ground like a shell devoid of a soul.

Indeed, just as Wei Yanqiao had said, she was now driven to a dead end. If the Empress were to discover the close ties between her and Wei Yanqiao, especially knowing that she had followed Wei Yanqiao's instigation to commit arson in the Jiaofang Palace, the Empress would likely tear her limb from limb.

Now she had no other choice but to continue submitting to Wei Yanqiao's manipulation, helping Wei Yanqiao stage a comeback so as to overthrow the Empress. "The Empress's daily food and lodging are managed entirely by Senior Attendant Huiyu. Even though I serve in the Empress's palace, how easy could it possibly be to poison the Empress without anyone noticing?"

Wei Yanqiao said with a sinister chill, "Then you must rack your brains to find an opportunity! Dogs always have moments when they nod off; as long as you are patient enough, an opportunity will present itself. If it truly proves impossible, you might as well make use of Huiyu's hands to achieve your goal. The Empress is about to give birth, and I have already handed the medicine to you. As for whether this calamity of bloodshed can succeed, it all depends on how sincere your heart is."

Qingman bit her lip fiercely, as if having made a resolute decision. She tightly clutched the medicine pouch and the blood-stained scriptures in her hands, and with heavy, dragging steps, walked toward the Jiaofang Palace.

Upon returning to the Jiaofang Palace, Qingman took a deep breath, feigned calmness as she walked before the Empress, deliberately placed those blood-stained sheets of paper right at the top of the stack, and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, this servant has retrieved the scriptures copied by Miss Wei. Please deign to look over them, Your Majesty."