The Rise of a General's Daughter-in-Law Doctor

Chapter 278 The Death of the Empress

Several imperial physicians were still standing at the entrance of the inner palace, so Dongfang Jincheng proceeded even more cautiously.

However, for some reason, as he approached the inner palace and hid behind the screen, only peeking through the gaps to see the scene inside, the midwife suddenly spoke up: "Aunt Jingfang, the Empress is having a difficult childbirth. Go outside and tell the imperial physicians to prepare thousand-year-old ginseng."

Without hesitation, Jingfang turned around and went to find the imperial physician. However, as soon as she left, the midwife's expression changed, and she knocked Jinhua unconscious, who was wiping the Empress's sweat, with a single blow. The Empress looked at Jinhua falling and asked the midwife in surprise, "Who are you? Why did you do this?"

Unfortunately, due to the long labor, her voice was hoarse and she didn't have much strength left, so her voice naturally didn't carry.

However, Dongfang Jincheng, who was hiding outside, could not see clearly through the screen. He only saw Jinhua standing in front of the Empress's bed. Although he was puzzled, he did not know that the Empress was in danger.

The midwife snorted coldly, but her voice changed to that of a man: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry."

Then, he put a pill into the queen's mouth.

The Empress desperately tried to vomit the pill.

The midwife watched coldly and said, "Don't waste your energy. This medicine melts in your mouth. Just give up on this idea."

The empress seemed to understand something at this moment. She closed her eyes, endured the abdominal pain, and said desperately, "He sent you."

The midwife said coldly, "You have only yourself to blame. You saw what you shouldn't have seen and took what you shouldn't have taken."

The Empress could feel that she was about to die, and two lines of clear tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jingfang came in at this moment and saw Jinhua kneeling by the bed. She quickly went over and asked, "What happened?"

Seeing that the Empress was no longer moving, the midwife assumed that the Empress had died, and then pretended to be sad and said, "The Empress had a difficult childbirth and has passed away."

Hearing the midwife's words, Jingfang couldn't believe it. She had only gone out to say a few words, and when she returned, the Empress had already passed away.

She didn't notice Jinghua's condition and kept shaking the Empress, crying and calling out, "Your Majesty, don't frighten me, please wake up."

Unfortunately, no one replied to her.

Seeing this, the midwife left the inner palace and went outside to tell everyone the news of the Queen's death.

But as soon as he left, the empress, who had been dead, suddenly took a deep breath. The empress's action startled Jingfang, who was weeping by her bedside.

She then stepped forward with delight: "Your Majesty, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Empress grabbed her by the collar, pulled her close to her mouth, and whispered, "Run! Go get the letter and tell the Emperor the truth."

After saying this, the empress seemed to exhale her last breath and never woke up again.

Dongfang Jincheng, behind the screen, kept watching the scene inside, but he was too young and only thought that his mother was tired and had fallen asleep.

The Emperor rushed in at that moment. Seeing the Emperor enter, Dongfang Jincheng thought he could go in now, so he also came out from behind the screen and followed behind the Emperor.

Once inside the inner palace, she threw herself onto the Empress, innocently calling out, "Mother Empress."

The Emperor was somewhat surprised to see Dongfang Jincheng, but he had no time to pay attention to him at the moment.

Arriving at the Empress's bedside, and confirming that she was truly lifeless, he knelt before her bed, as if his soul had left his body, repeatedly saying, "It's all my fault, I'm the one who harmed you."

Dongfang Jincheng then realized that his mother had died.

Six-year-old Dongfang Jincheng couldn't believe that his mother was really gone. He said, "You're talking nonsense. I just saw Mother talking to Aunt Jingfang. Mother is not dead. You are all bad people."

No one present paid attention to what Dongfang Jincheng said. Only the midwife understood the meaning behind Dongfang Jincheng's words and looked around.

No, there was no sign of Jingfang anywhere. He then realized that Jingfang had likely left on the Empress's orders.

Knowing that the Emperor must not see Jingfang again, the midwife knelt down and cried as she said, "Your Majesty, if Her Majesty the Empress had tried a little harder, she could have given birth. However, Jingfang and Jinhua whispered something in Her Majesty's ear, and Her Majesty suddenly lost her strength, which led to the difficult labor."

Upon hearing the midwife's words, the Emperor angrily asked, "What did you say?"

The midwife seemed to be frightened by the emperor's imperial power, and said in a trembling voice, "What I said is true. After Jingfang and Jinghua finished talking, they seemed to have a quarrel. Jingfang knocked Jinghua unconscious and ran away. I was busy delivering the baby for Your Highness and didn't have time to chase after her."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor looked around and indeed did not see Jingfang.

After the midwife finished speaking, as if she had made a decision, she said with a touch of tragic solemnity, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is the truth. This old servant failed to protect Her Majesty the Empress and the young prince. This old servant is willing to die to atone for my sins and comfort the spirits of the Empress and the young prince in heaven."

After saying this, he kowtowed deeply to the Emperor, then stood up and rammed his head against a pillar in the inner hall.

The movement was swift and ruthless, and blood splattered from his forehead instantly. The scene was so terrifying that everyone present was stunned, and some timid palace maids even screamed and fainted.

Dongfang Jincheng was only six years old and had never seen such a bloody scene before. He was so frightened that he fainted on the spot.

The midwife was prepared to die, and could be said to have died on the spot.

The Emperor frowned, not because he thought the midwife was particularly loyal, but because he felt something was amiss, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He ordered Dongfang Jincheng to leave, and had Jinghua arrested and severely interrogated. He also sent people to search for Jingfang's whereabouts.

Jingfang ultimately couldn't withstand the severe torture and died in prison the next day.

Jingfang, having received the letter, was about to return to the palace when she saw soldiers everywhere on the street, holding up her portrait and asking passersby if they had seen her.

She clearly heard a soldier say, "Report this person immediately upon seeing him; he is the murderer who killed the Empress."

Jingfang didn't know how she had become the murderer of the Empress, but she knew that she absolutely could not go out now.

So she hid the evidence again and hid herself away, planning to give it to the emperor when he left the palace that day.

Because of this incident, Dongfang Jincheng had a high fever for three days. When he woke up, he was as weak as a porcelain doll, as if he would break at the slightest touch.

After the Empress's funeral, the Emperor noticed that Dongfang Jincheng's health was deteriorating and worried that he wouldn't be able to hold on. However, the imperial physicians had already examined him, but there was no improvement. Just then, the Emperor's senior brother, the sword immortal Situ Nanqiao, came to the capital, and the Emperor asked Situ Nanqiao to take Dongfang Jincheng as his disciple.

At this point, Dongfang Jincheng left the capital and only returned to be the prince of Dongfang when the border became unstable at the age of fifteen.