Tang Qingwan had just fallen asleep after taking her medicine. Cui Yunchu stepped forward quietly and tucked the quilt in gently around her.
In the flower hall, the imperial physician was reporting Tang Qingwan's condition to the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess injured her health in the previous miscarriage, and she is not fit to conceive. Even if that accident had not happened, the child she was carrying would have been very hard to keep."
"What do you mean?" The Crown Prince grabbed the imperial physician's collar, his eyes bloodshot.
"Your Highness." The imperial physician's voice was trembling, "The Crown Princess's body is no longer suited for pregnancy. Even if she manages to conceive, the baby will almost certainly be lost."
Especially after going through another miscarriage now.
The imperial physician was shaking all over, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess has hurt her very foundation. It is already a great fortune that she managed to hold onto her life. Even if you kill this subject, there is no other way I can offer."
The Crown Prince froze, his face streaked with deep grief, and slowly released the imperial physician.
The imperial physician immediately grabbed his medical box and scurried away without looking back.
"It is I who have harmed her," he thought. If he had not been so useless, she would never have ended up like this.
The Crown Prince slumped into a chair, holding his head in utter anguish.
He knew very well how much Qingwan had longed for a child, especially after the last miscarriage.
"Your Highness, the most important thing right now is the Crown Princess's health. All other matters can wait, there is no rush," Shen Xiabai consoled him from the side.
Cui Yunchu stood nearby, watching the Crown Prince coldly without saying a word.
She did not believe that he was unaware that her cousin had been drinking medicine day after day. Every medicine has some toxicity, and no matter what it is, drinking it for a long time will harm the body.
Now that her cousin's health has completely collapsed, it is hard to say whether the Crown Prince will take another consort.
The Crown Prince slowly lifted his eyes, his empty gaze fixed on the scene in the courtyard, as if his very soul had been torn out of him.
"Lord Shen, it seems I have no hope left."
Prince An's power has long surpassed his own, Qingwan's health has been damaged beyond repair, and the imperial physician's words made it perfectly clear: not to mention conceiving a child, even keeping her alive is a blessing.
His path has become far too narrow.
Shen Xiabai fell silent for a long moment before speaking to comfort him, "Nothing is set in stone yet, Your Highness. Do not trouble yourself with unnecessary worries."
The Crown Prince let out two hollow, bitter laughs.
Just then, a plump woman who was being supported and guided by a servant came hurrying over in a flustered rush.
"Big cousin, how is my cousin?" Cui Yunfeng was so pregnant that her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and Prince An was carefully hovering by her side, repeating over and over for her to slow down.
The Crown Prince's gaze fell on the two of them, his eyes filled with irrepressible envy.
Cui Yunchu reached out to support Cui Yunfeng and said, "She just took her medicine and fell asleep."
Cui Yunfeng nodded, her eyes red, and craned her neck to peer inside a few times, but did not step in.
The worry on her face was impossible to hide.
"How did this miscarriage happen all of a sudden?"
Cui Yunchu said, "It was an accident."
With Cui Yunfeng present, Prince An was on his best behavior. He patted the Crown Prince on the shoulder to console him, "There are better days ahead, Brother Emperor. Do not lose heart."
The Crown Prince glanced at him coldly, "Thank you."
Prince An sat down next to the Crown Prince, looking completely relaxed and at ease, but his eyes never left Cui Yunfeng, as if he was constantly afraid that she might lose her balance.
Some movement came from inside the room, and Cui Yunchu immediately walked in. Tang Qingwan had woken up at some point, and a maid was trying to feed her medicine.
Tang Qingwan turned her head away, frowning, refusing to drink it.
"Your Highness, you need to nourish your body. How can you recover if you do not take your medicine?" The maid was so anxious that she was almost in tears.
Hearing the noise, Tang Qingwan turned her head back and looked at Cui Yunchu as she walked slowly in, and gave a faint smile. "Yunchu, you're here?"
Cui Yunchu looked at her silently. The woman who had once been so imposing and full of spirit now looked haggard, her eyes filled with dead, hopeless despair, as if only her body was still alive.
She had overheard the imperial physician's words earlier.
Cui Yunchu's heart sank.
She stepped forward to take the medicine bowl from the maid's hand and tried to feed it to her herself. "Drink this."
"I've been drinking it for too long. I don't want to drink anymore," Tang Qingwan said.
Cui Yunchu frowned. "Once you nurse your body back to health, you won't have to drink all those old medicines anymore."
Tang Qingwan still turned her head away, refusing.
"It's no use. I can't drink it anymore," her voice was soft, but brimming with utter despair. "Yunchu, the situation is settled. I am useless now." She had lost every last bit of value and hope she had.
She must be the most useless Crown Princess that ever lived.
Among the three sisters, she ended up being the most useless one of all.
Cui Yunchu's chest felt tight, and she said nothing.
Yes, the situation was settled. The Crown Prince's household had no chance to turn things around anymore.
An heir was her cousin's greatest hope, and now that hope had turned to dust.
"Maybe that child is angry with me, taking revenge on me. I owe it a life."
"Cousin!" Cui Yunchu's voice sank slightly.
She closed her eyes, forcing down the uncomfortable feeling in her chest. "First you need to get better. Once your health is restored, I will go with you to Anshan Temple to perform a memorial service for the child, and pray to the Buddha to bless it."
Tang Qingwan stared at Cui Yunchu for a long moment, then gave a helpless smile. "It will never be able to forgive me."
She tugged at her quilt, curling up her body. Silent tears trickled down from the corners of her eyes, and the sight was so heart-wrenching that it made anyone watching ache for her.
Her gaze was fixed blankly on a spot in the room, when suddenly a fluffy head peeked into view. Cui Yunfeng was only showing half her face, and when her eyes met Tang Qingwan's, she quickly ducked back, as if afraid of being spotted.
Tang Qingwan said, "Yunfeng, why don't you come in?"
Cui Yunfeng frantically waved her hands at the servant girl beside her from outside.
The maid hesitated and stepped forward. "Your Highness, Princess An says you must have misseen her. She is not here."
The Crown Princess was ill, not blind. How could anyone believe such a lie when a whole living person was standing right there?
Tang Qingwan actually curved her lips into a faint smile. "Yunfeng, come in."
Cui Yunfeng hung her head dejectedly, sighed, wrapped her heavy fur cloak tighter around herself, and then shuffled slowly into the room.
"Cousin."
Tang Qingwan's eyes drifted over her belly, which was half hidden under the cloak, and she smiled. "Why were you hiding outside? Did you not want to see me?"
Cui Yunfeng shook her head hurriedly.
She was only afraid that seeing her like this would make her cousin even more upset.
"Come here," Tang Qingwan beckoned to her. "Let me touch your belly."
Cui Yunfeng's eyes were red as she walked slowly forward, loosening the tight grip she had on her cloak to reveal her full, rounded belly.
Tang Qingwan's hands were deathly pale as she carefully rested them on the bump. "It's so wonderful."
"Cousin, once you get better, you will have your own too."
Tang Qingwan smiled faintly. "I will never get that chance."
Cui Yunfeng kept trying to comfort her, but Tang Qingwan only smiled noncommittally. No matter what was said, she refused to take that bowl of medicine, saying only that it was far too bitter, and that after drinking it for so long, she truly had had enough.
Cui Yunfeng was growing extremely anxious.
"Cousin, was your miscarriage really just an accident? Is there anything suspicious about it? Did someone deliberately harm you?"
Cui Yunfeng's sudden question made Tang Qingwan freeze.
Cui Yunfeng's eyes were full of suspicion. "Cousin, tell me the truth. Was it... was it Xiao Yi?"
