Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Legend of Zhen Huan, Nian Shilan 16

The Emperor and Empress prayed for rain at the Temple of Heaven, and all matters in the palace were entrusted to Nian Shilan, with Consort Jing and Consort Hui assisting from the side.

Nian Shilan didn't bother with the formalities of paying respects to the Empress. Since she finally didn't have to go and pay her respects to the Empress, she didn't want anyone to ruin her precious time of sleeping in.

When the Emperor and Empress returned to the palace, everything was peaceful and uneventful, without any disturbances.

At the same time, three concubines in the harem were pregnant, one of whom was due to give birth around June, and the other around August.

The Emperor made the decision directly: this year, they would not go to the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat; instead, they would spend the summer in the Forbidden City.

Under Nian Shilan's protection, in June, Consort Min gave birth to the Sixth Prince, Hongjing.

Consort Wan still suffered a miscarriage. She herself did not know the reason. One day during her afternoon nap, she suddenly felt wetness under her body. When she woke up, she saw that it was covered in blood.

They immediately summoned Imperial Physician Wen, but the child still could not be saved. The Yonghe Palace was thoroughly searched, but no problem could be found.

Wen Shichu could not find out that the flowers sent by the Imperial Household Department had been sprinkled with medicinal powder by a second-class palace maid from Yonghe Palace.

The flowers behind Consort Wan in Jingren Palace were also sprinkled with another kind of fragrant medicinal powder, but it was covered by the fragrance of the flowers and Consort Wan did not notice it.

That second-class palace maid was naturally the Empress's person. The two kinds of powders were harmless on their own, but when combined, they could cause a miscarriage without leaving a trace.

The Empress calculated the added amount on each day, but by the time Consort Wan miscarried, the medicinal powder on the flowers had long since disappeared and could not be found.

Just in case, the Empress devised a plan to transfer Imperial Physician Wen away, and he only returned to the Imperial Hospital today to continue his duties.

In August, Consort Tian gave birth to the Seventh Prince, Hongyun. Of the three who were pregnant at the same time, only Consort Wan lost her child.

Consort Wan was filled with regret. At first, she didn't take it seriously when she heard that Consort Min and Consort Tian had repeatedly gone to Yikun Palace to curry favor with her.

Now that the two of them are being protected and giving birth safely, but she herself is in trouble, she wishes she could go back to that time and abandon her pride to seek protection as well.

First, Wen Shichu was transferred by the Empress, and then she inexplicably miscarried. She did not believe that this matter had nothing to do with the Empress.

Moreover, since no problem was found in Yonghe Palace, the most likely place to have a problem is Jingren Palace, where I pay my respects every day.

Although she had identified the prime suspect, she was hampered by a lack of evidence and the fact that the suspect was the Empress, so she had no choice but to remain silent.

After recovering her health, she quickly joined the competition for the emperor's favor. It was impossible for her to deal with the empress in her current state, so she could only climb up the social ladder as soon as possible.

Even though Consort Wan and the other two rejoined the competition for the Emperor's favor, the Emperor did not forget Consort Ying. Consort Ying was greatly favored and was promoted to Noble Lady Ying shortly after the New Year.

Qingliang Hall —

Consort Li, dressed in a pink qipao, entered the palace with a swagger, sat down on a chair, and poured herself a cup of tea, drinking it down in one gulp without any ceremony.

"It's still cooler in my sister's Qingliang Palace."

Nian Shilan looked at the fine sweat on Consort Li's forehead and her rosy cheeks, "Are you tired from walking around? Come and rest here."

Consort Li was dissatisfied that the drifting catkin fan was too slow, so she took it and fanned herself quickly, saying, "Yes, I'm tired after walking around for so long."

"What a coincidence! It just so happens to be near Qingliang Palace, so I came over to ask for a cup of tea and rest a bit." Consort Li smiled mysteriously. "Guess what I saw on the way?"

Nian Shilan asked curiously, "What did you see?"

I have a feeling that Consort Li and Consort Jing get along very well now, and they always seem to stumble upon some private matters that others don't.

"Qingying, the Empress's niece, went to pay her respects to the Empress, and the Empress asked the Third Prince to accompany her."