When Yun Rao heard of the incident involving the Imperial Consort, her heart instantly tightened—she didn’t pause to attend to her own emotions and immediately thought of the fetus within her. Indeed, as she had feared, the fetus in the Consort’s womb had unexpectedly slipped down. As the senior official lowered his voice to report the news, Yun Rao clearly noticed An Ziyuan’s body growing slightly stiff. Raising her gaze, she looked at An Ziyuan, seeing his brow slightly furrowed, and knew immediately that this was no ordinary matter. The Consort was carrying her first son, and was the Emperor Yan Jing’s favorite consort—now, this child was at risk. An Ziyuan gently rested one hand on Yun Rao’s shoulder, bowed his head to gaze at her, “You rest here for a while. I’ll go see what’s going on.” Yun Rao stood up, “I’ll go with you.” As a mother herself, she understood the profound sorrow of losing a child; much more so, given that the Consort’s child had passed unexpectedly, and just a few days prior, she had seemed quite spirited. An Zi yuan worried about her health, but Yun Rao shook her head, "I'm fine." She rose, donned a robe, and followed An Zi yuan. "With a firm grasp, De Fei pulled free from Yun Rao's hand. Yun Rao looked at her, slightly puzzled, sensing something was amiss—she recalled the incense delivered that day. An Zi Yuan walked to the bedside, sat on the edge, and gazed at her, his voice gently softened, 'Hold on, don't cry yet. I'm afraid you're feeling so tense. I'll have the matter thoroughly investigated.' Despite her frail body, De Fei managed to sit up, weeping softly, and her delicate form naturally inclined toward An Zi Yuan's chest. At the right moment, An Zi Yuan extended a hand to support her, gently guiding her to rest against the pillow behind her." De Fu's face could not conceal her sorrow; her eyes were half-lowered, and she choked and sobbed, saying, "Since I became pregnant with the Prince, I have been constantly anxious and cautious. I never dared to touch anything not personally brought by Mei Xiang. I've been so careful that I've rarely left the palace, always guarding my health. Even the imperial physician recently examined me and said my condition was sound—there was no sign of any discomfort, and I myself had not felt anything amiss. Yet last night, I began to feel a vague uneasiness. I thought, with the night deepening, it would be better not to disturb the Emperor or the physicians. But then... then... then, this morning, I suddenly suffered severe abdominal pain. When the imperial physician arrived, it was already too late..." Her words trailed off as she quietly wept, her sorrow evident and deeply touching. "Hold on, please. Your health comes first." "An Zi yuan comforted her a bit, asked her to lie down, then stepped back with Yun Rao, and summoned Zhang, the physician specifically assigned to oversee the empress's pregnancy. According to Zhang's assessment, the empress's miscarriage was not accidental—other physicians also agreed with this view, and in Yun Rao's opinion, it could hardly be explained as mere chance. An Zi yuan ordered a thorough investigation into the empress's daily meals, which were prepared by dedicated staff and never handled by anyone else. No medication known to cause miscarriage was found in the meals, and after reviewing the records and conducting interviews, no suspicious elements were uncovered. The meals themselves were entirely unremarkable. An Zi yuan then inspected the empress's living environment, from her clothing and furnishings to the furniture and incense burners. There was still a half-burned incense stick in the burner. An Zi yuan's gaze naturally drifted toward that half-burned incense, his brow slightly furrowed, "Where did this incense come from?" The empress wiped her eyes and glanced at Yun Rao, hesitating before speaking. Yun Rao glanced at the incense, though she couldn't be certain whether it was the one she had sent herself. She spoke softly, "A few days ago, I happened to meet my sister in the imperial garden. My sister mentioned that there were many mosquitoes in her room and that she had little incense. So I arranged for someone to send over some incense, and I even had Bian, the senior physician, examine whether this particular incense would be suitable for her use." An Zi yuan gently pursed his lips, reached out to take the remaining half of the incense, and inhaled deeply. His dark eyes slightly narrowed, yet he remained composed, gazing steadily at De Fei. "Was this incense distributed by the palace, or was it sent by the Moon Princess?" De Fei wiped away a tear and replied, "It was sent by my sister. There's still some left unused in the room." An Zi yuan held the musk incense tightly in his palm, then asked De Fei to bring out all the incense. The incense was soon brought over and laid on the table, with a few remaining. An Zi yuan picked each one up in turn, inhaling deeply. Zhang, standing by, hesitated and then cautiously requested, "Your Majesty, may I examine the incense?" An Zi yuan glanced at him, his expression calm. "Didn't the physician Fan already inspect the incense when it was delivered?" Zhang didn't dare to speak further. De Fei interjected softly, "Indeed, when the incense was delivered, Sister Yun did send Physician Fan to examine these incense." Unintentionally, she emphasized that it was Yun Rao who had dispatched Fan, and in her tone, a subtle implication emerged—making those present feel something more than just a simple statement. Yun Rao observed An Zi yuan's expression and sensed that the incense was somehow unusual. Without thinking, she reached out to take one, only to be stopped midway by An Zi yuan, who spoke in a voice only the two could hear. "Don't touch it." Yun Rao immediately understood. She was pregnant, and An Zi yuan's refusal to let her touch the incense suggested that the incense contained something that could cause miscarriage. De Fei, seeing An Ziyuan so protective of Yun Rao, felt her eyes well up again and began to softly weep. An Ziyuan sent for Bian, the senior physician, without asking him to examine the incense. Instead, he calmly asked, "When the Moon Fei Princess sent someone to deliver the incense to your grace, you personally inspected it. Did you notice anything unusual about it?" Bian hesitated, glanced at Yun Rao, and then suddenly knelt down. "The imperial majesty, I do not know whether I should speak or remain silent." Yun Rao felt a subtle unease at this sudden gesture and instinctively looked toward An Ziyuan, whose expression had grown more tense—Bian’s words seemed to imply that Yun Rao was being implicated. An Ziyuan felt a steady throb of urgency at the base of his forehead, completely unprepared for this unexpected move. His gaze remained fixed on Bian, his voice now more solemn. "Then, until you have thought it through and decided whether to speak, you may remain here and report to the imperial majesty as you see fit. Please retire." "Flat, the physician, did not rise as instructed, but merely lifted his gaze toward Yun Rao," said the attendant. "Report to the Emperor, this incense... cough... cough... cough..." Before finishing his words, he suddenly began to cough violently, clutching at his throat with both hands, unable to speak coherently. Yun Rao glanced at An Ziyuan, who still held the incense tightly in his hands, his sleeves covering his fingers. "What is the matter with you, Minister?" An Ziyuan frowned, his voice calm. "Are you unwell?" No one in the room knew what had exactly happened, only watching in quiet surprise as Flat the physician continued to cough. An Ziyuan's expression grew slightly impatient, and he called out to the attendant at the door, "Come in!" The attendant entered promptly. An Ziyuan said, "Flat the physician is unwell. Have him carried to rest. Zhang, the Imperial physician, please assist in examining him and find out precisely what is wrong." The two imperial physicians were escorted out. An Zi yuan arranged for the incense on the table and the ash from the burner to be collected and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for thorough investigation, then comforted them gently before leaving with Yun Rao. The Empress De was the one the Emperor Yanjing cherished most deeply. Losing her meant losing his own flesh and blood—she would surely demand a thorough investigation. If the Empress insisted that the incense was indeed sent by her, then the Emperor would have no choice but to examine her closely. With this matter now escalating, it wouldn’t be long before even her genuine concern for Xi Yue began to unravel.