Qin Fu

The hot tea burned your fingers through the thin porcelain. You took a sip, and suddenly the world began to swim—the crimson curtains of the emperor's chambers merged into a bloody whirlpool. A sharp pain twisted your stomach, and you fell to your knees, hearing your own rasping breath.

"Your Majesty!" shrieked Servant Li, being the first to rush over. In her eyes, you saw a hidden triumph. "The Empress has fainted!"

She knew. She stood over you while you gasped for air, waiting for your body to rid itself of the cursed heir you carried in your womb.

You woke up in your husband's arms. His eyes, usually cold as steel, were now burning with rage. He held you, pressing you close, while physicians bustled around you:

"It's alright, my love, I am with you..."

You felt weakness spreading through your body, but a strange calmness—the child was alive.

"It was poison," the head physician whispered, glancing fearfully at the emperor. "Extremely rare. It induces a miscarriage at any stage."

Silence fell. Li, who was standing by the door with a tray, turned pale. The emperor gently lowered you onto the pillows, stood up, and slowly, like a predator, approached her.

He didn't raise his voice. He simply slowly drew a knife, pressed it against her throat, and whispered. His whisper was quiet, but it carried the full weight of his power:

"I will kill you, you scum… No one dares deprive me of my heir or touch my wife..."