When there was no tiger in the mountain, the monkey was king.
This was probably referring to the Xichang Emperor Concubine.
Ever since the young master committed suicide, Hua Yuan rarely visited the Xichang Emperor Concubine. No one knew what he was busy with every day, and he was very mysterious.
Without Hua Yuan's interference, the Xichang Emperor Concubine's days were very comfortable. All the servants in the mansion treated her as their most precious treasure. The old officials would often send their wives over to visit her, and the gifts they gave her were all precious and rare.
The days of being worshipped and fawned upon by others was before the fall of Xichang Kingdom.
The Xichang Emperor Concubine regained the feeling of being above everyone else and almost forgot all the unhappiness and hardships she had suffered.
However, she was soon unable to be happy. The delayed pregnancy almost caused her to lose her form.
Nausea and vomiting, dizziness and fatigue, drowsiness and salivation …
One symptom after another found her and took up almost all of her energy.
When she finally got used to it, her swollen legs and ugly marks on her stomach made her feel disgusted.
The first time she felt the movement of the fetus, this disgust reached its peak.
Looking at her balloon-like belly, the Xichang Emperor Concubine would often wake up from nightmares. In her dreams, she would dream that she had given birth to a monster with three heads and six arms. This monster had three eyes, four mouths, and each foot only had two toes. It could speak the human language the moment it was born …
Every time she had nightmares, this monster would use its limbs to burst open her belly and climb out with a hideous smile. It would open its mouth and devour her organs clean.
Every time she woke up screaming, she would realize that she was covered in cold sweat and her stomach was in pain.
The doctor did not dare to use strong medicine because the fetus in her belly was too precious. He could only use a mild sedative to help her sleep.
After a few days of rest, the nightmares and night sweats had clearly weakened.
The maid carefully asked for her opinion. "Madam, the weather is very good today. Do you want to take a walk in the courtyard?"
The Xichang Emperor Concubine slept until dawn, which was a rare occurrence. Her irritable mood had greatly improved, and the maid who served her also heaved a sigh of relief.
If this continued, they would go crazy before the Xichang Emperor Concubine gave birth.
Emperor Concubine Xichang had eaten an exquisite breakfast and was in a good mood. When she looked up and saw the golden sunlight shining down from outside, she was instantly excited.
With one hand on her waist and the other on her round belly, she walked slowly with the help of her maid.
As her body was too heavy, Xichang's Empress Concubine felt tired after walking one round. She returned to the house and leaned lazily against the table.
In order to pass the time, Xichang's Empress Concubine deliberately looked for a maidservant to chat.
"Is there anything new out there recently?"
The maid thought about it carefully and said, "I didn't hear anything special."
"What about Counselor Hua?" The Xichang Empress Concubine probably felt that her question was too straightforward, so she pretended to hide it and explained, "He is, after all, the most valued minister of the Old Master. The Old Master is fighting on the frontlines, and the matters in the rear, including the mother and son, are entrusted to him. That is why I asked this question. I don't know why, but I've been so flustered these past few days. I've been having nightmares about terrible things in the middle of the night … "
Of course, Xichang's Empress Concubine would not say that she had dreamed of giving birth to a monster. Instead, she said that she had a nightmare because she was too worried about An Cui.
The maid did not suspect anything. She said, "Counselor Hua? I've heard a little about it. I've heard that Counselor Hua hasn't been himself lately … "
Xichang's Empress Concubine's eyebrows twitched.
"What's not himself?"
"Usually, Military Counselor Hua was gentle and courteous. However, after the Young Lord passed away, he seemed to have changed into a different person. Not only was he irritable, he even … even whipped the servants who made mistakes to death." The maid, who did not know the inside story, could not help but sigh. "That's true. Counselor Hua has been Young Master's disciple for many years. If the Young Master commits a mistake and is trying to escape punishment … Counselor Hua will definitely be affected."
The maid was straightforward and almost said that the Young Master had committed suicide to escape punishment. This was a taboo that everyone kept to themselves. If she said the wrong thing, she would lose her life. Fortunately, she stopped in time, and Xichang's Empress Concubine did not blame her for speaking out of turn. That was how she managed to keep her life.
Xichang's Empress Concubine revealed a hint of mockery.
An Cui's adopted young master had died at Hua Yuan's hands. It was good enough that he did not wake up laughing in the middle of the night. How could he be sad?
As for the maid's "easily angered" and "whipping" … these changes were not a huge change in temperament in Xichang's Empress Concubine's eyes. It was clear that Hua Yuan had revealed his true nature. He was finally willing to tear off the mask of a gentleman that he had maintained for so many years and return to his true self.
"Apart from that, is there nothing else?"
Xichang's Empress Concubine stroked her belly from time to time. She felt sleepy.
The gossipy maid revealed a troubled expression. Xichang's Empress Concubine caught it and said, "If there's anything, just say it. Don't beat around the bush and be secretive. It's better if you say it now. It's better than if I somehow hear it in the future and alarm the little ancestor in my belly. "
The maid gritted her teeth and said, "Madam, I heard some bad news two days ago. It's said that the situation at the frontlines is not good."
Xichang's Empress Concubine's heart tightened as she asked, "Not good? How is it not good? "
"How would I know? I only heard it from a martial artist with some connections. I'm not too sure about the specifics." After the maid finished speaking, she pleaded, "Madam, these things cannot be spread. If the head nanny finds out, I'll lose my life."
Xichang's Empress Concubine replied casually, "I know. I won't tell anyone."
She thought that the situation at the frontlines was not good. That was also within Hua Yuan's plans, so she was not worried at all.
Who would have thought that Hua Yuan was already a complete lunatic? Others could not predict his next move at all. His operations were a mystery.
When the news that An Cui had been killed by Jiang Pengji as a sacrifice came back, Xichang's Empress Concubine was still dumbfounded.
"Who did you say died?"
Xichang's Empress Concubine held her belly with one hand with difficulty. She grabbed the maid's hand with the other, her long fingernails digging into the maid's flesh.
The maid's expression was hideous from the pain, but she did not dare to scream or shake off Xichang's Empress Concubine's hand. She could only grit her teeth and hold on.
The messenger paused, and his voice could not help but lower.
"Our lord is dead."
Dead?
An Cui was dead?
Even though Xichang's Empress Concubine was already mentally prepared, she was still shocked when she heard the news.
No matter how bad An Cui was, he was Xichang's Empress Concubine's greatest support at the moment.
Her support had suddenly fallen. She was a sensitive and thoughtful pregnant woman, so her state of mind was naturally different from that of a normal person.
"How did he die?"
The messenger did not seem to want to answer this question, but he had no choice but to.
After all, An Cui's death was too humiliating for a noble.
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