The Empress knew Sun Linhua deserved it and Shen Qianshan did nothing wrong. It was not the first time for her to see Shen Qianshan kill or punish a person. She just couldn’t accept the sudden news.

She paused her hand in the air during dining and smiled. She still looked pale, and her hands were skinny as if they would break easily once being touched. But she managed to eat up the food in front of her.

Sun Linhua was dead? Great. If Shen Qianshan hadn’t killed her, the Empress would definitely take her life in person.

How regretful the Empress was! She regretted that she hadn’t killed Sun Linhua earlier. If the woman was killed earlier, her baby would survive, no matter whom it belonged to.

Thinking of the poor baby, she felt so painful as to fall down the chair with her hands covering her chest and huddling on the ground.

Gusu Liang rushed over in terror, lifted her, and comforted her tearily, “My Lady, please cheer up. We still have hope, don’t we?”

She sneered, looked up at Gusu Liang, and said quietly, “Hope?”

Gusu Liang bit her lips. If her lady was still deeply in love with the duke, they would have another baby. However, it was different now. even though she didn’t want to admit it, there were clear indications that they were not in love anymore.

How could she still have hope? She forced a smile. But for no reason, there was a voice in the heart telling her that she still had hope.

The Empress wrapped herself tightly in the pavilion. Gusu Liang brought an imperial physician hurriedly along the path. She found the flowers lining the path withered and leaves turned yellow. When the wind blew, she was startled by the bleak landscape.

The imperial physician knelt before the Empress with a medical kit on his back and prepared to take her pulse. She observed his face and smiled. The beads of sweat on his face were glistening. If it was not in the cold November, she would believe he was simply sweating.

The imperial physician looked serious, and his hand feeling her pulse couldn’t help trembling. Her casual action, expression, or breath could make him sweat profusely because he was too nervous.

When Shen Qianshan came here, the imperial physician had made a diagnosis. After Shen Qianshan approached and sat down, he met the curious eyes of the Empress.

“Your Grace and Your Highness, I’m afraid… the Princess may be infertile in the future.” The imperial physician lowered his head and said slowly as if he had made up his mind.

Shen Qianshan didn’t say anything or move. He just reached out his hand to hold the Empress beside him. Her face became pale, and then her mind became blank. Unable to breathe, she fell backward. Luckily, Shen Qianshan grabbed her and took her into his arms. His heart ached when he found she had no tears left.

Shen Qianshan used to think the Empress was strong, vicious, and sinister. Whatever she did, he would doubt that she intended to harm someone. Because of that, he even thought that she deserved it when she lost the baby. However, now why did his heart ache, too? It seemed that part of it was taken away, and it ached at each breath.

He knew he was as painful as the Empress. But she was a woman and needed him around.

The imperial physician retreated instantly. He was afraid that he would lose his life if he stayed here longer.

The Empress felt something was blocking her chest. After gulping air, she gave a pale smile and told Gusu Liang who stood nearby and looked pale as well, “No chances. Liang, no chances.”

The Empress lay still on the bed during the next five days and was reluctant to eat anything. Shen Qianshan and Gusu Liang knocked on the door in turn. They knocked loudly as if knocking on her heart, and her temples vibrated with the knock.

She closed her eyes, and no tears could run out of her deep-set eyes.

On the sixth day, Shen Qianshan came here early in the morning and paced back and forth anxiously and restlessly at the door. When he plucked up the courage to knock on the door finally, it was opened inside. The Empress stood at the door with a pale face and deep-set eyes. She looked skinny, and her hair was disheveled. It seemed that a gust of wind could blow her down.

A lump came into Shen Qianshan’s throat. He wanted to take her into his arms, but she stepped back unsteadily and said clearly with a smile, “I know what to do.”

Shen Qianshan was surprised and had a sense of foreboding. She looked scary just like a person possessed by the Devil when practicing Kung Fu. Even her bright eyes seemed to prove he was right.

“Qiang…” His throat was dry. When calling her name, he was shocked. She was the noble Empress. It must have been years since she was addressed in this way last time.

“You don’t need to force yourself. I’ll protect you.” Shen Qianshan said cautiously for fear that she couldn’t stand a slip of tongue.

However, the Empress waved her hand and said excitedly and hoarsely, “Ask Gu Qiang for help. She will have a solution, won’t she?”

Her eyes lit up instantly. Seeing that, Shen Qianshan couldn’t help stepping back. Gu Qiang? She was Gu Qiang herself.

Wait…

It occurred to him suddenly that he crept into the Weiyang Palace with Jin Ye that night and found the diary on the table, and some Chinese characters were written neatly in it: I am you from the past…

He also recalled the changes after he saw the diary. For example, he turned into the Empress’s husband from the single and unrestrained Ninth Duke. If the current situation was caused by what she did in the other world connected by the diary, the deduction of the Empress would be correct. As long as they wrote to Gu Qiang and told her to pay attention to the Empress’s baby, everything could be changed.

It just took him a little time to think about it clearly. He rushed to the Empress and said in a trembling voice, “Yes, absolutely. Let me do it with you.”

With Shen Qianshan’s confirmation, the Empress smiled through tears for the first time. Her laughter was unpleasant to listen just like the rustle when the autumn wind blew a withered tree. It made Shen Qianshan itchy as if a hand was tickling his heart.

A surprising story was spreading in the capital eight years back in time.

It just took a morning to spread the gossip across the capital like a plague.

The Third Prince Shen Zhongbai didn’t enjoy his wedding night with Gu Zhihua. Instead, he ran to a brothel. It was astonishing enough. Unexpectedly, the next morning, Shen Zhongbai took the most beautiful prostitute home. He was humiliating Prime Minister Gu openly.

Though Prime Minister Gu was not a great person, he was an honest official and the Emperor thought highly of him. After he heard the news in the morning, he put on his official robe and hurried to see the Emperor.

It was not a big deal. According to the gossip of some people who knew Shen Qiangwei, the most beautiful prostitute in the brothel was gorgeous of course, but she was exactly the same as Gu Qiang, the first daughter of the Gu Family. Rumors were widespread in different versions and became an increasingly hot topic. More and more people followed it and longed for the truth.

Gu Zhihua woke up in the morning, walked out of the room, and saw all servant girls holding red trays. Lots of things were put on them. She had got married, so she knew these things were prepared for a wedding ceremony.

They just got married yesterday, didn’t they? So many things were prepared today. Did he plan to give her a wedding ceremony to make up for her? Though she didn’t think it possible, there was still a glimmer of hope in her heart.

She grabbed a servant girl who passed by and asked complacently, “What are they used for?”

Looking at Gu Zhihua’s eyes which were as swollen as peaches, the servant girl felt sorry, but she still answered respectfully, “Madam, the Prince will give a wedding feast to Miss Shen today. These things are prepared for her.”

“Which Miss Shen?” Gu Zhihua felt a chill all over. She didn’t believe what she heard. Meanwhile, her mind became blank, and she began to tremble.

The servant girl gulped slowly. She attempted to avoid Gu Zhihua’s sudden rage and answered quietly, “The girl brought back by the Prince last night.”

“From where?” Gu Zhihua held Qing Luo who stood nearby. Her eyes were still swollen, but tears in her eyes were about to burst out now. She didn’t expect that he stayed out all night for a woman.

The servant girl could feel clearly that the atmosphere was different. The new bride was young. She was pretty and still looked like a child. But who was the Third Prince? If he didn’t love a woman, she would live like a widow even if he married her.

Fate was something that couldn’t be explained.

“The Prince brought Miss Shen home from the Manyue Tower.” The servant girl answered in a low voice. Gu Zhihua staggered, and Qing Luo helped her to her feet instantly and sobbed, “Madam, don’t be sad. Your health is important.”

How could she not feel sad? Shen Zhongbai brought a prostitute back on their wedding night. He looked down upon the whole Gu Family. Though she was not the first daughter of the family or the woman he loved, he shouldn’t treat her this way. Even if he didn’t care about her feelings, he needed to spare the blushes of the Gu Family, didn’t he?

“Take me to the Prince.” Gu Zhihua straightened herself up, but Qing Luo stopped her and said in a low voice that could only be heard by them, “Madam, let’s go back. You are clear about the intention of the Prince. Why do you want to humiliate yourself?”