Chapter 178 Rumors

The third princess was born prematurely, so there was no grand celebration for her third-day celebration. Furthermore, the one-month celebration coincided with peace talks with Tsarist Russia. Therefore, only a small banquet was held at the Yuanmingyuan Garden, inviting members of the imperial harem.

Perhaps the Emperor felt guilty, so although the banquet was simple, the gifts sent to Shenmei Manor were much more generous. He also bestowed upon the Third Princess the full name "Moyaqi" on the spot, which means longevity. This was the most simple blessing from the father to his premature and weak daughter.

At the same time, in order to emphasize the unity of the Manchu and Han people, she was given the Han name "Hejia" according to the titles of her two older sisters, hoping that the little princess's life would be peaceful and beautiful.

As the first princess to have both a Manchu and a Han name, no one dared to complain about her lack of favor with the Emperor during her third-day celebration and full-moon banquet. Therefore, Shen Meizhuang was very grateful for the Emperor's thoughtfulness.

“Moyaqi, Hejia…”

"Sister, are you relieved now?" An Lingrong smiled as she watched Shen Meizhuang holding the little princess and softly calling her name back and forth.

"Having a child makes it hard to bear seeing her suffer even the slightest grievance. Fortunately, the Emperor also cares for her." Shen Meizhuang gently patted her daughter's frail body, her eyes full of love.

"The older sister is happy, but the younger sister is a little worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Shen Meizhuang looked up and asked An Lingrong with concern.

"Of course I'm worried... I'm worried that now that the little princess has two names, I won't know which one to call her?"

An Lingrong smiled broadly, her obviously teasing tone causing Shen Meizhuang, who was paying close attention, to chuckle: "You, you're so mischievous..."

"I'm innocent! I was genuinely worried about the little princess!" An Lingrong pretended to be aggrieved, but as she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh.

"My lord."

As the two were laughing and joking, Caiyue, who was beside Shen Meizhuang, and Zisu, who was beside An Lingrong, walked in together, their expressions somewhat strange.

"What's going on?" Shen Meizhuang frowned slightly as she looked at the two people who had originally gone to get their meals together.

Caiyue and Zisu exchanged a glance. Should Caiyue speak first, since this was indeed Xianyue Pavilion of Chenmei Manor?

"We two servants just went to the main kitchen to get our meal, and we heard the palace servants in the garden spreading a message."

"What news? Why are you being so hesitant?" Having survived numerous assassination attempts and finally given birth to her daughter, Shen Meizhuang was now extremely wary of any rumors circulating outside.

"They say it is, they say that Consort Duan has taken a fancy to the dragon's child in Consort Cao's womb."

"Consort Duan?" Shen Meizhuang was somewhat surprised. She had known all along that someone else would want to raise Cao Qinmo's child, but she had never thought of Qi Yuebin. "Doesn't Consort Duan have the Second Prince?"

"Has this news spread far and wide?" An Lingrong sensed a conspiracy and couldn't help but ask.

“Yes,” Zisu nodded and stepped forward to add, “It is said that all the other concubines have biological children, but Consort Duan only has an adopted son. Therefore, she is the most suitable person to adopt Consort Cao’s child.”

"this……"

Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, both with a thoughtful look in their eyes.

"Where did this news come from?" An Lingrong pressed. Although she wasn't very familiar with Consort Duan, based on her limited understanding, even if Consort Duan really wanted to adopt Cao Qinmo's child, she didn't seem like the kind of person who would be so impatient.

Caiyue's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "This servant heard that during the princess's full moon celebration, palace maids who had been transferred from various places to work gathered together and chatted. With so many people around, the rumor somehow got out that they had personally witnessed Consort Duan's maid, Jixiang, giving Consort Cao some medicine to help with pregnancy..."

"Outrageous!" Thinking of the child in her arms, Shen Meizhuang lowered her voice. But she couldn't suppress her anger. What idle gossip among the palace servants? Clearly, someone was using Moyaqi's full moon celebration as a pretext. Spreading rumors at the banquet showed they didn't respect her and Moyaqi. "Using such despicable tactics at the full moon celebration!"

An Lingrong was also very angry. The faces of the two young mistresses darkened, and the other servants in the hall were also uneasy, remaining silent and not daring to speak.

"Who do you think did this, sister?" Shen Meizhuang, unable to swallow her anger, clearly wanted to find the mastermind behind it all.

"It must be because of Consort Cao's unborn child. Consort Duan is indeed a suitable candidate, as rumored. Perhaps someone wants to eliminate Consort Duan in advance?"

After listening to An Lingrong's words, Shen Meizhuang pondered for a moment and gently shook her head: "You also said that the rumors make sense. How can we know that it might be Consort Duan who released the news in advance to deter other people who are eager to make a move?"

An Lingrong hesitated for a moment: "This... Consort Duan wouldn't be so reckless, would she? To put it bluntly, this news is just guessing the Emperor's intentions."

Shen Meizhuang frowned, suddenly recalling what happened at Prince Xun's celebration banquet: "Who in the palace doesn't know about Consort Ning's instigation of the Second Prince? Consort Duan is, after all, just a foster mother, and perhaps she's worried about being implicated... Given her long-standing relationship with the Emperor, how could the Emperor blame her for her reasonable request?"

Upon hearing this, An Lingrong somewhat agreed: "However, I still feel something is amiss. With such a grand display, isn't Consort Duan afraid of making things worse?"

"Who can say for sure? Let's wait and see. There might be others taking advantage of the situation..."

"Bang!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't get upset and harm your health."

Looking at the shards scattered on the ground, Qi Yuebin took two deep breaths. He thought to himself, "Has it been found out? Who spread the rumor?"

"This servant is incompetent. There were too many people and too many palace servants at the princess's full moon banquet, so it was impossible to find the source."

Hearing Jixiang's apology, Qi Yuebin, who had expected it, wasn't angry. He waved his hand and told her to stand up: "With such a powerful arm, including me and Consort Hui, it's normal that we can't find out."

"Your Majesty, I think the person behind this is definitely trying to compete with you for the custody of the imperial heir. She won't be able to hold back for long and will definitely come forward."

Jixiang racked her brains, trying to analyze the people behind Qi Yuebin.

Qi Yuebin shook his head and sighed helplessly: "This scheme is not just targeting the unborn dragon fetus, it's trying to drive a wedge between me and Hongyun. If Mei Qiyue weren't so stupid and under my constant supervision, I would have thought it was her doing."

"This..." Reminded by Qi Yuebin, Jixiang also thought of the Second Prince Hongyun and couldn't help but show a troubled expression. "What should we do?"

"Now I'm in a bind," Qi Yuebin said, sitting in her chair with a grave expression. "Hongyun and the imperial heir... Now that things have come to this, I must take Cao Qinmo's child..."

The outside world's turmoil did not disturb Yuan Yuxiu, who was taking care of her pregnancy. Now everyone's attention was focused on the outcome of Cao Qinmo's pregnancy, and in a corner where no one paid attention, Yuan Yuxiu, who was nearly eight months pregnant, was living a very comfortable life.

"Your Highness, Consort Fang has gone out again. She's always running around, eyeing everyone. Doesn't she know she's hoping to bump into the Emperor?"

Hearing the complaints of the palace maid beside her, Yuan Yuxiu smiled gently: "It's alright. She's reached the age to serve the emperor, so it's only natural that she's anxious. Don't worry about her..."

"Your Highness, you're just too kind. Every time the Emperor comes to see you, she barges in under the pretense of wanting to eat. Does she really think no one knows what she's thinking? The Emperor must have seen through her true colors, which is why he doesn't like her..."

"Alright, you are our master after all, stop talking." Yuan Yuxiu quickly spoke up to stop her, seemingly not caring at all about Fang Jiayichun's actions. She touched her belly and smiled faintly. Why bother arguing with someone who never sees the sun?