Chapter 182: Everyone Has Their Own Idea

"Who can disagree? Eunuch Li has a discerning eye."

The young scholar was full of grievances and had no one to confide in. As soon as Li Yuande asked, he immediately started to chatter on and on: "That woman's belly is so big it's higher than the sky. She walks with a swaying gait that's quite frightening. Yet she still insists on making this trip to the palace in this freezing weather."

It was referring to Qingzhi, of course.

Li Yuande snorted coldly, "Petty."

"Isn't she just asking to be disliked? If it weren't for Her Majesty valuing the bloodline in her womb, she might not be willing to treat her well."

The young scholar scoffed, clearly not taking Qingzhi seriously.

Li Yuande didn't say anything on the surface, but he was secretly making plans in his mind.

She's already enjoyed all the glory, and even if she gives birth to an imperial heir in the future, it's uncertain whether she can keep her life.

Even without the Empress's intervention, the women in the inner courtyard, especially the one from the Shen family, could easily plot to kill her.

The two were chatting away when someone pushed open the door and came in.

"Oh, Eunuch Li is here too." Xiao Quanzi smiled, quite naturally.

The young scholar wore a bitter face, thinking to himself, "What kind of day is this? I'm so busy running around that I don't even have time to drink a cup of hot tea, and now one or two big shots are coming to me."

Having no other choice, he had to make room for Xiao Quanzi and pull up a stool to sit down himself.

Li Yuande cracked sunflower seeds and greeted him with a smile: "That's right, it's a rare treat, really not easy."

This attitude is completely different from before.

The young scholar watched the two of them having a good time, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

There was no other way; one was someone close to the Emperor, and the other was someone close to the Empress Dowager. Neither of them could be offended.

"I think I heard you talking about concubines and principal wives outside just now. It was quite a lively discussion. Why did you stop talking as soon as I arrived?"

Xiao Quanzi smiled, but perhaps because he had served the Empress Dowager for so long, even his smile seemed to hide a knife.

"Well, it's nothing."

Seeing that Li Yuande didn't speak for a moment, the young scholar quickly chimed in.

Although he wasn't from the Empress's palace and couldn't be too talkative, he still had that much wit.

"How so?"

Xiao Quanzi wasn't in a hurry. He crossed his legs and asked questions slowly and deliberately, determined to get to the bottom of things.

"This..." The young scholar hesitated.

"What's there to hide? We're all working together, why should we show favoritism?"

"That's a good point. You can tell him without any problem. It's private, so nothing bad will happen."

Why didn't you say that earlier? Why are you pretending to be a good guy now?!

Despite his inner grumbling, the young prodigy didn't dare utter a single word in public.

After all, he was nothing but a fart in front of the two great Buddhas.

"Just a few casual remarks, nothing more than that the Crown Prince's concubine was due to give birth in a few months, but neither the principal wife nor the concubines showed any signs of labor."

Upon hearing this, the three men reacted with varying expressions.

They've seen plenty of what happens in the backyard; everyone knows what's going on, but they just choose not to say anything.

Even if you've never eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run?

Xiao Quanzi pondered for a moment, his attention completely focused on no particular concubine: "So, that concubine has also had her pulse checked? Is she alright?"

The young scholar was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to ask about the concubine. He thought hard for a while before replying, "The imperial physician said the treatment is going well, which shows that he has put in a lot of effort."

"That's good."

Upon hearing the definite reply, Xiao Quanzi couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.