Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 481 Half a Fingerprint

Consort Chun gave birth to a prince, and both mother and child are safe.

But because of the shock and the exertion, she was very weak after childbirth. She could only exchange a few words with Meng Shu before succumbing to exhaustion and falling back into a deep sleep.

The midwives took good care of the aftermath and washed Consort Chun's body.

Winter melon soup was made, and Ruizhu brought it in. She thoughtfully prepared a bowl for Meng Shu as well.

When the little prince was born, his cries were weak and faint. Aunt Mei felt her heart tighten when she heard them. She quickly showed the swaddled baby to Meng Shu and then hurriedly took him to the outer room to ask Physician He and Imperial Physician Li Rui to examine him carefully.

Meng Shu had just exhausted a lot of energy. After watching over Consort Chun's bedside and seeing that her breathing was even and her complexion had regained a rosy hue, she was completely relieved and also fainted.

Green Willow, unable to enter the delivery room, paced anxiously outside the door upon hearing this.

Mengzhu and Ruizhu worked together to lift Mengshu to the soft couch by the window in the bedroom. Only then did they notice a row of clear teeth marks on her right arm, which was bent over. Deep bloodstains were visible between the indented teeth marks, a shocking sight.

Mengzhu's tears welled up again.

This was the final moment of Consort Chun's childbirth. Because she had a ginseng slice under her tongue, the cork she had been biting had long since fallen off. In her desperation...

The kindness she showed to the second young lady was something the Marquis of Lin'an could never repay in this life or the next.

Ruizhu sniffed, her nose stinging, and turned to go out to find the imperial physician to get medicine for her injuries. When she returned, she was about to bandage Meng Shu when Meng Shu slowly woke up.

"I'm fine." Meng Shu's voice was somewhat tired. Her gaze gently swept over Consort Chun's bed. When she turned back, she raised her hand and slowly smoothed out her sleeves. A layer of coldness then appeared in her eyes. "Mengzhu, you take good care of Wan'er. Ruizhu, help me to the flower hall."

Ruizhu gently advised, "Your Highness, the bloodstains on your arm look quite bad. You should apply some medicine first..."

Meng Shu slowly stood up, supported by the soft couch. Rui Zhu dared not persuade her any further and quickly stepped forward to carefully help her walk to the outer room.

Mengzhu wiped away her tears, and solemnly knelt down and kowtowed to Meng Shu's departing figure.

Outside, Aunt Mei and Mingyue were keeping a close watch on the little prince. After carefully examining him, Physician He turned to Meng Shu and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Although the little prince was not very energetic at birth, he was not born with a weak constitution. With proper care, he will be fine in a few days."

Meng Shu's heart settled down, and she softly hummed in agreement.

She then stepped forward, her gaze lingering for a moment on the pink face of the infant in swaddling clothes. Just as she was about to step out of the delivery room, her eyes met Li Rui's.

Meng Shu remained silent, supporting Rui Zhu's arm as they walked out. Li Rui followed silently behind, and Aunt Mei followed as well.

The wind under the eaves carried the damp chill of the rain. Meng Shu stood under the eaves, her figure mostly immersed in the heavy night. It was already 9 PM.

"Doctor Li has something to say?"

Li Rui bowed deeply to her retreating figure and carefully reported, "Your Majesty, this humble servant... discovered this morning while on duty that Consort Chun's medical record... shows signs of having been secretly tampered with..."

After listening, Meng Shu turned to look at him and asked, "Based on Physician Li's experience, is it possible to determine the sex of the fetus solely from the records on the pulse diagnosis records?"

Li Rui carefully considered his words before replying in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, judging solely from the strength and weakness of the pulses on the left and right sides, Consort Chun's pregnancy does indeed have a certain probability of being... a prince. However, the art of fetal diagnosis is inherently profound, and it is difficult to be accurate even in five out of ten cases."

Meng Shu remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Green Willow, who had been guarding outside the maternity ward.

Green Willow stepped forward and whispered, "Granny Gui is still being held in the side hall. Two hours ago, Lord Tong took over with his men. But that old hag is very stubborn. She insists that she misspoke and that she did not mean to disturb us."

"What did the Emperor say?" Meng Shu pressed, her gaze sweeping towards the direction of the flower hall in the distance, where lights were still on.

With her eyes lowered, Green Willow reported, "Her Majesty the Empress has already apologized, saying... she bears the responsibility for not disciplining her children properly."

Meng Shu's fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve. She took a purse from her waist and stuffed it into Lü Liu's hand, whispering a few words of advice to both Lü Liu and Aunt Mei.

Then she said coldly, "Imperial Physician Li, come with me to see the Emperor."

Green Willow watched Meng Shu and the other person walk away, then clutched the Lingcui Palace token and turned to head towards the side hall.

......

Fifteen minutes ago, inside the flower hall.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, but the previous solemnity had long since faded.

Upon hearing that Consort Chun and her child were safe, Empress Dowager Zhou stopped her prayer beads, her face beaming with undisguised joy. Empress Dowager Jiang, also radiating happiness, leaned on the table and exclaimed repeatedly, "Heaven blesses us! Ancestors bless us! Another prince has been added to the palace!"

The Emperor's expression relaxed slightly, and a smile appeared in his eyes upon hearing the good news. Seeing Meng Shu enter, his gaze involuntarily fell upon her.

Meng Shu stepped into the flower hall, her tired face shrouded in a chill.

The Empress had just gotten up from the ground and was standing to the side, holding Zhixue's hand to catch her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meng Shu enter and see her walking straight towards her with a cold face. For some reason, she felt a little scared.

As if being stared at by something cold, she subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her sleeve.

Meng Shu stopped in front of her, her gaze fixed intently on her face, staring at her for a long time without blinking. Her gaze was so calm, yet it possessed a chilling power.

The Empress felt a chill run down her spine under the Empress's gaze, a surge of anger mixed with fear rising within her. Adopting the dignity of the Empress, she rebuked in a deep voice, "Consort Jin... what are you doing? How dare you be so disrespectful in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!"

Meng Shu acted as if she hadn't heard him. She turned around and knelt directly before the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, I, Meng Shu, kneel and beg you to do justice for Consort Chun and the newborn prince!"

She knelt on the ground, her back ramrod straight, each word uttered with unwavering resolve. The atmosphere in the flower hall, which had just begun to ease, was instantly pulled back into tension.

The Emperor frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Meng Shu's back and the Empress's pale face, his emotions unreadable.

The concubines in the hall all felt a chill run down their spines, instinctively holding their breath, and their eyes all fell on Meng Shu.

"Imperial Physician Li," Meng Shu called out.

Li Rui knelt down in response, his head bowed to the ground: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Speak." The Emperor's voice was unreadable, yet it made the air in the hall grow even heavier.

"While I was on duty at the Imperial Hospital today, I discovered that Consort Chun's medical records showed signs of being tampered with."

Li Rui paused, then added, "Before I finished my shift yesterday, I locked the medical record in the sandalwood cabinet. I always keep the key close to my body and never let it out of my sight. But this morning, I discovered that while the lock appeared intact, upon closer inspection, there were subtle signs of tampering, and a fingerprint the size of half a copper coin was faintly visible on the edge of the medical record pages..."