"Amnesia? Was it diagnosed by the imperial physician?"

In a side hall of Qixiang Palace, Xiuning, five months pregnant, leaned on the table with one hand, looking at Chunyu, who had run back to deliver the news, with a look of astonishment.

Chunyu nodded. "The imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital have all examined the Empress's pulse, but they haven't been able to figure out the reason for her amnesia. However, they suspect it may be related to her previous childbirth."

To protect the pregnancy, the Empress suffered a lot before and after childbirth. In particular, she fainted for three whole days after giving birth to the prince, which may have caused some problems and led to her amnesia.

After listening to Chunyu's words, Xiuning simply summoned the system in her mind. She had a premonition that the Empress's amnesia was definitely not a simple case of childbirth amnesia. As someone who had personally experienced her half-sister being replaced by a time-traveling high school student, the Empress's symptoms were very similar to the aftereffects of a time-traveler.

The system replied readily, "The host guessed correctly. The Queen has indeed been replaced by an outsider. This world marked that person as soon as they arrived."

Xiuning continued, "The Empress is twenty-one years old this year. According to the rule that outsiders don't live past thirty, and considering the physical damage the Empress suffered after childbirth, is it still possible for the original Empress to become the Empress again?"

Consort Shu's health was not much better than the Empress's. How could the Empress have fallen in the Imperial Garden? Although the Emperor and the Empress Dowager later attributed the incident to anti-Qing forces, the fact that Consort Shu's Yongshou Palace was once again replaced and purged was undeniable. All these signs prove that Consort Shu was not innocent in the Empress's eyes.

That makes sense. Consort Shu's child was born prematurely, and the Empress was the mastermind behind it all. In the end, it was a case of reaping what you sow.

"According to the system's probability, it is unlikely that Consort Shu will become the Empress," the cold numbers came from the system. As intelligent life forms, their foundation is the absolute calculation of numbers. "The host may not know that Consort Shu's body is showing signs of chronic poisoning. In just three to five years, the symptoms will definitely appear."

Xiuning: ...?!

Great, without realizing it, she had gotten another important piece of information from the system for free.

With a slight upturn of her lips, Xiu Ning leaned back under Chun Yu's puzzled gaze. "The Empress is currently in confinement after childbirth. She won't be out until at least mid-June."

I have a feeling this time it's most likely a boy. Chunyu, have you thoroughly investigated the situation inside and outside Qixiang Palace?

Who is inside the Empress's body is not important to Xiu Ning at the moment, because her foundation does not lie with the Empress. The child in her womb is what Xiu Ning should be most concerned about.

Chunyu bowed slightly, her head bowed, her tone even more resolute than before, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has already investigated Eunuch Zhou's background through the people of Fucha and Xitala."

Similar to daylilies, it ostensibly has some connection to the Cining Palace, but in reality, it originated from the Qianqing Palace.

Unconsciously, Chunyu pursed her lips, glanced at her master whose expression remained unchanged, and continued to report to everyone except Eunuch Zhou.

Xuan Ting, who had been injured earlier, had been sent out of the palace, so the Imperial Household Department assigned them a new palace maid.

The palace maid this time is named Xuan Ying. She is a spy newly sent in by the Hitara clan, so there is no need to worry about her loyalty.

But besides Xuan Ying, other people entered Qixiang Palace, including spies from other people.

However, compared to before the cleanup, these spies were now a level lower in status, and the danger they faced was greatly reduced.

"...In short, there are only a few people who have shown unusual behavior so far. Granny Li has already arranged for people to keep an eye on them. If they exceed the bottom line set by the young mistress, we will contact the Imperial Household Department to replace them with new people."

With Qixiang Palace spending vast sums of money, it would be easy to quietly replace one or two palace servants.

Acting within the default bottom line is a rule that Chunyu learned a few years after entering the palace.

“Well, I’ll leave this matter to you,” Xiu Ning said, no longer dwelling on it. She waved her hand and then mentioned the full moon banquet that was just a few days away. “It will definitely be a grand affair. The rebellion of the princes is raging. You should prepare the gifts in advance. We can’t spoil the Emperor’s mood at this time.”

Upon hearing this, Chunyu nodded slightly, "This servant understands."

...

In early June, the full moon celebration for the eldest son, Bao Cheng, was held at the Qianqing Palace.

For this banquet, Emperor Kangxi also invited his court officials, making it an exceptionally grand occasion.

Xiu Ning sat in her seat, watching Bao Cheng being carried out by the wet nurse and handed to the Emperor, her eyes filled with emotion.

Who could have imagined that the crown prince, who had been officially appointed since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, would ultimately remain just a crown prince?

Knowing the Crown Prince's fate all along, Xiu Ning didn't feel the jealousy that others had towards this child; instead, she remained calm and peaceful.

Xiu Ning was able to keep herself calm, but Consort Nara, sitting behind Xiu Ning, was so angry at the scene before her that her eyes turned red.

Originally, she should have been happy today because Baoqing was going to enter the palace, but things suddenly changed at the last minute, and Baoqing could only stay alone outside the palace.

Her hands were clenched so tightly they turned white. Consort Nara lowered her head, trying to hide her resentment in her eyes so as not to let even the slightest hint of it slip out and affect Baoqing's future return to the palace.

Although she didn't know when Baoqing would be able to come back.

In late June, a few days later than expected, the Empress finally reappeared after her daily greetings.

Her face was the same as before, but Xiuning could clearly notice that the aura around the Empress was different.

It's an indescribable feeling, yet it allows discerning individuals to distinguish between the former empress and the current empress. In other words, she lacks presence!

"Ahem, the reason I invited everyone here today is simply to say that from now on, the greetings will not need to be so frequent; instead, they will be given once every five days."

Hesheli Fangyi's face was still a little pale, and her eyes were not as calm as before. While speaking, she couldn't help but cough several times, clearly indicating that her body had not fully recovered.

Upon hearing the words, no one answered; they simply looked at each other.

“Since Her Majesty the Empress has made this arrangement, we naturally have no objection,” Consort Tong spoke first, her expression calm.

"Your Majesty's decree is hereby obeyed," the other lower-ranking concubines said, rising to curtsy before sitting down again.

"..."

"Your Highness, the Empress has given birth to a legitimate son, and her temperament seems to have improved a lot." Surprisingly, she didn't speak in a sarcastic tone, but instead reduced the number of times she could show off (by coming over to pay her respects).

Chunyu chatted quietly with Xiuning. You should know that, except during her pregnancy, Hesheli Fangyi's daily greetings were always on time, rain or shine.

"Perhaps it's because the young prince is by my side that I'm cultivating my character."

Xiuning replied absentmindedly, then brought up Baoqing, who was being raised outside the palace, saying, "Judging from Consort Nara's expression, it seems unlikely that she will be able to return to the palace."

This is the kind of thing where giving something away is fun for a moment, but getting it back is as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Originally, Baoqing was only able to return to the palace after Baocheng was named the crown prince and his name was changed. At that time, Baoqing was already six years old. When he returned to the palace, he would go to the prince's residence. Consort Nara was just changing places to continue not seeing her child.

As for now, the Empress is still alive, so it remains to be seen what those people will think.