The Girl Who Struggled Through Palace Intrigues to Become the Empress

The atmosphere in the inner chamber seemed to freeze, and everyone fell silent. In this stillness, the cries of the newborn baby sounded particularly harsh.

Noble Consort Xiao, who had just experienced the agonizing pain of childbirth, thought that she would be comforted and cherished by Xiao Jingheng, her husband. In her secret heart, she even entertained the thought that if she gave birth to a noble child, Xiao Jingheng might be delighted and reward her with a higher rank, perhaps even a place as a concubine.

However, she never expected that what awaited her was Xiao Jingheng's inexplicable indifference and the rejection and avoidance of her child by everyone present, as if the baby were a hot potato.

She felt a chill in her heart and couldn't help but pity the child. Determined, she struggled to sit up from the bed and insisted on snatching the swaddling clothes from the nurse's hands.

This was the first time she laid eyes on her child, and at the sight of him, she was momentarily surprised. She was astonished as to why she had given birth to a baby covered in snake-like scales...

Perhaps due to the discomfort of dryness on his body, the child was unusually active, thrashing his limbs about and displaying considerable strength. This made it difficult for Noble Consort Xiao to hold him, and the tearing pain at her nether region became even more pronounced.

Nevertheless, she did not let go; instead, she held the child even tighter.

This was the flesh that she had painstakingly carried for ten months, the flesh that had fallen from her body. How could she despise her own child?

She gently touched the baby's dry and scaly cheeks, the scales-like flakes rough and hard, pricking Noble Consort Xiao's fingertips like invisible blades stirring her heart.

She couldn't stop her tears from falling as she kept mumbling to herself:

"Why is it like this? How could this happen?"

Xiao Jingheng was also eager to know the answer to this question. He lifted his gloomy eyes and stared directly at Consort Chen, whose heart was still unsettled.

"Consort Xiao's pregnancy was under your care. Haven't you been reporting her safety all along?"

"I also don't know why it turned out like this..."

Consort Chen was equally puzzled. Over the past few months, she had taken meticulous care of Noble Consort Xiao, personally attending to every detail, fearing that she might fall victim to someone's scheme.

She couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.

So she shouted outside the door:

"Doctor Qi! What exactly is happening? Is our noble child ill or something?"

Doctor Qi, stooped over, entered the room and replied cautiously,

"Your Majesty, Consort Chen, in my humble opinion, the noble child... seems to have developed snake-scale psoriasis, an ailment brought forth from the womb. However, I have never encountered such a severe case of snake-scale psoriasis in all my decades of medical practice. To ensure a comprehensive diagnosis, I request Judge Chu to come and examine the child together."

Without waiting for Xiao Jingheng to give the order, Jiang Deshun, at first sight of the abnormality in the child, hurriedly withdrew and invited Judge Chu.

Just as Doctor Qi finished speaking, Judge Chu arrived in a hurry.

After exchanging brief pleasantries, he anxiously went to examine the baby in Noble Consort Xiao's arms.

From Judge Chu's shocked expression, Song Zhao could tell that this child's condition was likely to be a troublesome matter.

She also stole a glance at Noble Consort Xiao, who, although tearful, had a flustered complexion and evasive gaze, indicating that she was not completely unaware of the situation.

After a long while, Judge Chu finished a thorough examination of the baby's condition and replied:

"Your Majesty, the young prince is suffering from a severe case of psoriasis," Consort Chen asked anxiously, clutching her chest. "But was Noble Consort Xiao poisoned during her pregnancy?"

"No," Judge Chu shook his head solemnly and replied, "This disease is usually hereditary. The parents must have had the condition for it to affect the child..."

As he spoke, he intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Noble Consort Xiao.

Xiao Jingheng naturally did not have this condition, but as for Noble Consort Xiao...

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that her exposed skin was smooth and delicate, without any signs of the child's symptoms.

However, Consort Chen noticed the flicker in Noble Consort Xiao's eyes and felt something was amiss. She questioned her, "Noble Consort Xiao, are you hiding something?"

Was there even a need to ask?

From the moment the imperial physician mentioned that the child had psoriasis, Song Zhao already understood.

If Noble Consort Xiao didn't have the same condition, why would she bathe two or three times a day?

She probably had a milder form of the disease, concealing it so as not to be noticed.

Consort Chen instructed the palace maids to roll up Noble Consort Xiao's sleeves.

Sure enough, under the clothing that covered her skin, there were clear signs of dryness and flaking, indicating the symptoms of psoriasis.

Although it was not severe, there was still a noticeable difference from normal skin.

Seeing that the truth could no longer be concealed, Noble Consort Xiao choked back tears and confessed, "I didn't know this disease could be transmitted to the prince... I have had this condition for a long time, but I concealed it because I was afraid Your Majesty would despise me."

Upon hearing Noble Consort Xiao's words, Xiao Jingheng's already grim face filled with evident anger.

Instead of comforting her, he reproached her, "Do you realize you're deceiving the emperor!?"

Noble Consort Xiao was frightened and at a loss. She knelt before Xiao Jingheng, holding the young prince, and begged for forgiveness.

And Xiao Jingheng?

He deliberately averted his gaze, refusing to even look at Noble Consort Xiao and her child.

Song Zhao interjected, "Your Majesty, please calm down. If the imperial physicians say this is a disease, there must be a way to treat it. Noble Consort Xiao has shared your bed many times before, and you never noticed anything amiss. It seems that the disease can indeed be alleviated by frequent bathing, as she said. Let the physicians take care of them, and the young prince, being blessed, should see some improvement."

Before Xiao Jingheng could make a decision, Judge Chu interjected with difficulty, "Consort Yi's words are mistaken. Psoriasis is not an ordinary disease. Once it afflicts someone, there is no cure, and they will suffer for life. They can only soak in medicinal water to alleviate the discomfort. Noble Consort Xiao's condition is not severe and poses no major threat. However, the young prince's condition..."

He bowed deeply and lowered his head, offering a respectful salute. "Please forgive this humble servant for speaking frankly. Even with medicinal baths, the little prince's condition of psoriasis will not improve in the slightest. Excessive dryness of the skin will cause it to peel off, and there will often be wounds of various sizes appearing on the body. This will inevitably affect his lifespan. Even if I exhaust all my medical skills and make every effort to treat him, I'm afraid I cannot guarantee that the little prince will live past the age of four or five."

"No matter how difficult it may be, we must find a way to treat him!" Consort Chen suddenly raised her voice, reprimanding Judge Chu. "He is the Emperor's firstborn son, a precious child! If a precious child is ill, even if we have to search far and wide for renowned doctors, we must find a cure for his illness..."

"A precious child?" Xiao Jingheng's solemn retort interrupted Consort Chen's words.

All eyes turned to him, and after a moment of silence, they heard his chillingly cold voice say:

"Go to Consort Xiao's residence in Xiaoyu Palace. Noble Consort Xiao had a difficult childbirth and gave birth to a stillborn child."

[Snake-scale psoriasis, modernly known as ichthyosis. Noble Consort Xiao herself has a mild case of ichthyosis, so she often needs to bathe to alleviate the dryness of her skin. However, as mentioned earlier, she and Xiao Jingheng are close relatives, and the genetic defects are magnified by close-kin marriage, resulting in their child being born with severe ichthyosis. In the middle of the night, I advise my dear readers not to search on Baidu for images of severe ichthyosis, or else you will definitely come back cursing and spitting at me. Remember, don't do it! Listen to my advice!!]