Chapter 179 Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace: Bai Ruiji 6

Only then could they be considered imperial concubines; before that, their attire was inferior to that of the wives and concubines of the imperial family and high-ranking officials.

My gaze fell on Consort Xian beside Consort Jia. Good, I missed one. This person has a unique hairstyle.

At the head of the table, Yonglian teased Yongzhang, who was sitting on the Empress Dowager's lap.

Jingse was shy and not very familiar with the Empress Dowager. She hid by the Empress's side and refused to go to the Empress Dowager no matter what the Empress said.

The Empress Dowager then looked at the eldest prince, Yonghuang, who was some distance away from her, and asked, "Yonghuang, why don't you seem close to the Imperial Grandmother?"

"Grandmother, I have caught a cold and dare not get close to you," Yonghuang said, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

The Empress Dowager asked in confusion, "Oh dear, look how plump Yongzhang is, and Yonglian has grown quite a bit taller these days, but why is Yonghuang so thin?"

Yonghuang's wet nurse stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the eldest prince has been losing his appetite and playing since before the New Year. He ran out into the snow without being seen and caught two bouts of cold."

The Empress Dowager looked at the wet nurse and her face turned cold. "No matter how young the eldest prince is, he is still a master. It is only you servants who have failed to serve him properly."

"How could the master be at fault? The eldest prince is the emperor's eldest son, so we must serve him with utmost care."

"This servant knows her crime, this servant knows her crime." The wet nurse quickly knelt down to confess her sins.

The Empress Dowager sighed, "If any of these imperial grandsons falls ill, I worry. Only when there are enough imperial heirs can the dynasty be considered prosperous and flourishing."

"Now that it's the New Year, a new year brings new beginnings. You are all so beautiful, you should work harder to produce offspring. Your Majesty, am I right?"

The Emperor bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is right."

Empress Dowager: "The eldest son and the legitimate son are both noble, but whoever gives birth to your first prince after your ascension to the throne will be even more noble."

"Alright, you may all leave now. I need to speak with the Emperor and Empress."

"Your Majesty/Grandson takes his leave."

Feeling the gaze sweep over her again, Bai Ruiji thought to herself, "Are they really that curious about me? They've looked at me so many times already."

After leaving Cining Palace, Consort Jia smoothed her headdress and said in a seemingly cheerful manner, "If we're talking about who's most likely to give birth to a noble son, it should be Consort Mi. After all, no one can compare to Consort Mi's favor."

"The fate of having children is a matter of destiny; it's not certain who will give birth to a noble child."

Consort Mi smiled and didn't contradict the Empress Dowager, since she was now considered one of the Empress Dowager's people.

Consort Chun was worried about Yongzhang, so after saying goodbye to everyone, she returned to Xiefang Palace with the princes and princesses.

Consort Hui looked at Consort Chun's retreating figure and asked in confusion, "Why does Consort Chun look so worried?"

"It must be for the sake of the Third Prince," Consort Xian said slowly. "The First Prince is the eldest son, the Second Prince is the legitimate son, and now the Fourth Prince, although not yet born, is already a destined noble son."

"Only the Third Prince is ordinary, so Consort Chun is bound to worry about the child's future. In fact, as long as he is a prince, he is noble. What does it matter whether a child is noble or not?"

“That’s not how it works,” Consort Jia retorted with a charming laugh. “Whether a son is noble or not depends mainly on the will of those above. If they consider the first son after the ascension to the throne to be noble, then he is a noble son.”

"What Consort Jia said makes sense. Well then, it's freezing cold in winter, and I can't stand the cold, so I'll be leaving now."

After Consort Hui finished speaking, she boarded her palanquin and left. It was so cold, why didn't she hurry up and instead started chatting? They weren't afraid of the cold, but she was!

"Respectfully seeing off the Imperial Concubine." The concubines curtsied.