His hand, raised high, halted mid-air as if only now had he realized the gravity of the situation.
At the same time, Su Zhiruan's condition on the ground was not good at all.
The incident had unfolded too quickly, almost in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
The Empress Dowager, having witnessed everything, immediately rose from her seat and shouted, "Someone call the Imperial Physician!"
The ministers and the Imperial Relatives dared not move, and the scene descended into a tense yet chaotic order.
The wine jar had been aimed directly at Shen Qi, but Su Zhiruan had intervened. Her arm was struck heavily, and shards of porcelain gashed her arm, from which blood profusely flowed. Her originally delicate face instantly turned pale.
Shen Qi did not stand up; his gaze was icy cold.
This look, Su Zhiruan had never seen in this world before—it was a glaring murderous intent. His voice was chilling to the bone as he coldly ordered, "Someone—"
"Your servant is here!" The Imperial Guard outside the palace immediately stepped forward, surrounding Prince and the Princely Heir.
"Prince, Princely Heir, intentionally attempting assassination, speaking insolently, conspiring and rebelling, strip them of their ranks, and throw them into the great prison!" Shen Qi ordered coldly while half-supporting Su Zhiruan.
Not even one among the crowd below dared to speak, and even their breathing had become much shallower at this moment.
The scene left only the wretched screams of Prince and the Princely Heir, as the Imperial Guard showed no mercy, stripping them of their clothes right there.
Realizing his situation, Prince panicked and tried to run toward the front, shouting as he ran, "Emperor! Emperor! It was my fault for speaking out of turn, please spare me!"
Shen Qi didn't give him a single glance.
"Emperor! The Imperial Physician has arrived!" A group of doctors from the Imperial Hospital hurriedly advanced with their medical kits.
The leading Imperial Physician knelt down to perform a salute, "Emperor, allow your humble servant to examine your injuries."
"I am unharmed; check her first," Shen Qi carefully placed Su Zhiruan aside, his expression filled with urgency.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager spoke up without even thinking, "So many doctors! You two check her, and you two check the Emperor! Do I have to personally teach you even in such a minor issue?"
The doctors quickly acknowledged.
The Concubines in the harem breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Shen Qi was unharmed, but upon seeing how anxious Shen Qi was for Su Zhiruan, envy began to stir within them.
The Noble Consort felt dissatisfied and stepped forward voluntarily, standing beside Shen Qi, her voice becoming much more charming, "Emperor, how do you feel now?"
At that moment, Shen Qi did not want to deal with the Noble Consort, "Step aside, the physicians are busy!"
His words also deterred the court ministers and princes who wished to come forward to check on him.
At that moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on Shen Qi. Regarding Su Zhiruan, they deemed her just a palace maid, even if she did block the wine jar for Shen Qi, that was what a servant ought to do.
Even the Empress Dowager's gaze was solely on Shen Qi; as for Su Zhiruan, everyone's attitude was one of indifference, not placing much importance on her.
But who could have expected that just then, the Imperial Physician taking Su Zhiruan's pulse suddenly screamed.
"Ah!"
"This... This! She is actually..."
Another Imperial Physician treating Su Zhiruan's arm injury rolled his eyes at him and then hurriedly said, "How audacious, making such noise in front of His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The Imperial Physician who was taking Su Zhiruan's pulse, as if he hadn't heard, turned his head, his face filled with terror and shock, mixed with a trace of excitement, "Your Majesty! When I was taking her pulse, I found that this young lady's pulse—"
Shen Qi immediately stood up, his eyes dark and agitated, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, "Speak! What about the pulse?!"
"Your Majesty! This young lady—it's a pregnancy pulse!"
A pregnancy pulse!
Those simple words stunned everyone at that moment.
Even including Su Zhiruan, who was lying on the ground, oblivious to everything.
Almost instinctively, her hand fell to her lower abdomen.
"What did you say?" Shen Qi paused, seemingly in disbelief, and asked again.
"Great joy for Your Majesty!" The physician who had just rolled his eyes immediately took Su Zhiruan's pulse again, and after raising his head, his eyes showed the same shock, disbelief, and excitement as the other physician, "This young lady is indeed pregnant!"
"The pulse is stable; the child is being well cared for!"
"What!!" Hearing this news, the first to react was not Shen Qi, but the Empress Dowager. Her composed expression could no longer be maintained. Her face turned to shock, then quickly to joy as her eyes widened, and she immediately descended from her high seat, her expression ecstatic as she flung her sleeve, "Are you saying, Miss Susu has a pregnancy pulse? She has been with the Emperor all this time! Yes! The time matches! This is confirmed now, oh my, my imperial grandson!"
Before Su Zhiruan could react, the Empress Dowager slid a bracelet off her own wrist and placed it on Su Zhiruan's uninjured arm. Her demeanor now bore no trace of the Empress Dowager's authority, filled only with smiles and kindness, "After so many years, I never thought it would be you, truly a blessing for our Wang Dynasty, a Heaven-sent daughter for our dynasty!"
The Emperor's favoring of Su Zhiruan was basically no secret, whether it was among the common folk or the ministers, everyone enjoyed discussing the affairs of the Royal Family and harem.
Which concubine received favor, who received what reward, everyone knew it all.
These were no secrets, let alone the fact that Emperor Shen Qi exclusively favored a Palace Maid for a month and a half.
Whether it was the commoners hearing rumors or the word of mouth, many different versions even emerged amongst them, some said the Emperor didn't want to grant her a title, only wanting a one-time encounter, while others said, the Emperor couldn't bear her leaving and by not granting her a title, he could keep her by his side forever.
Who would have thought that this month and a half of favoritism would unexpectedly result in the Imperial Family's first Heir!
Prince Zhang stood with his mouth agape, foolishly at a loss for words.
He had felt that he had a chance to turn things around, as currently, among the entire Imperial Family, only he had three sons. Suppose the Emperor was truly incapable, then his sons could possibly stay in the Imperial Palace as Crown Prince to be tutored, and eventually, he could reap the benefits of a fisherman.
Who would have thought it was precisely because he got carried away, drank too much, and coincidentally targeted the woman who could conceive a Dragon Descendant.
Prince Zhang collapsed onto the ground, now with no chance of turning the tables anymore.
The concubines in the harem witnessing this scene all gaped, some even stunned into silence.
The most shocked among them was the Noble Consort. In the past, she felt her status was the highest among the women in the harem, plus being the niece of the Empress Dowager, she definitely had a higher chance of having offspring compared to other concubines, and was the most likely to become the Empress.
But now, Su Zhiruan came out of nowhere!
Shen Qi watched as Su Zhiruan was helped to her feet surrounded by a crowd. He was somewhat dazed, gazing at the girl's clean, pure face filled with a worried expression—she was worried about him.
Such a foolish girl!
Pregnant and with an injured arm, the first thing she did upon standing was to worry about him.