Knowing full well that being in a bad mood is not good for the pregnancy, she still said those things to upset her princess. If the emperor really forgives the concubine of Prince Jin for her reckless words, her princess's feigned miscarriage will turn into a real miscarriage.

Shen Wan hadn't expected that Shen Ying's pregnancy wouldn't be a protective charm at this critical juncture. Indeed, marrying an unvirtuous wife brings misfortune to three generations. If Shen Ying were still the principal wife, then the child in her womb would be born as the legitimate heir. If it were a son, according to the previous agreement to marry Fu Shu as a secondary wife, whoever gave birth to a son first would be established as the heir.

With a mother who is so wicked and takes favoritism and perversion of justice for granted, it's no wonder she can raise an upright son. The Emperor was so angry with Shen Ying that he refused to even give the child in her womb the status of a legitimate son.

The transformation of the principal wife into a concubine was already a heavy blow to Shen Ying and the old lady; the transformation of the legitimate son into an illegitimate son would definitely drive the old lady half to death with anger.

Just then, Chun'er came running in, grinning, "Your Highness, the old lady was so angry when she found out that Second Aunt had been demoted to a concubine by the Emperor that she vomited blood and fainted on the spot..."

The old lady was so angry she almost vomited blood, yet she still had a smile on her face. If outsiders saw this, they would surely gossip, but she couldn't control herself and couldn't suppress the smile.

Shen Wan was no different, but Yin Shuang was a little worried, "Is she faking illness again?"

...possibly.

Although the Buddhist hall was burned down and we can't move there anymore, we still have the estate, so the old lady can move there to recuperate.

To prevent this possibility, the illness had to become so severe that the patient could not leave the residence.

Even if it's an act, it's probably not far from being real.

The old lady had high hopes for Shen Ying. Now, Shen Ying was about to get the position of Prince Jin's heir, but she suffered a setback. Even being pregnant couldn't appease the emperor's anger. It would be almost impossible for her to regain her position as the principal wife in the future.

However, there was something else that made Shen Wan feel uneasy.

Shen Ying was demoted to a concubine and found to be pregnant. Empress Song used this as an excuse to ask the Emperor to rescind his order and restore Shen Ying to the position of principal wife. This seems normal, but don't forget that Fu Shu's child was aborted by Empress Song when she failed to scheme against her.

Fu Shu lost her child, and the Duke of Zhongguo's family already harbored resentment. The Emperor's demotion of Shen Ying was a good way to make amends to Fu Shu. However, Empress Song wanted to protect Shen Ying's position as the principal wife. The Second Master's career was basically over because he had a mistress and an illegitimate child. The Second Master could not provide Xie Jingyin with any assistance. Empress Song's actions of provoking the Duke of Zhongguo's resentment for Shen Ying were truly irrational.

When Xie Jingyin married Fu Shu, Empress Song was completely biased towards Fu Shu. She didn't even allow Shen Ying to participate in the wedding banquet for Xie Jingyin and Fu Shu. She even sent people to keep an eye on her to prevent Shen Ying from doing anything bad in secret.

Why did Empress Song's attitude change so drastically as soon as Shen Ying became pregnant, completely disregarding Fu Shu's feelings?

No, this isn't just disregarding her feelings; it's clearly rubbing salt into Fu Shu's wounds.

Empress Song was a person who was most adept at judging the situation and knew how to make choices.

Shen Wan's intuition told her that Empress Song was not only trying to make her happy, but that she truly valued the child in Shen Ying's womb, so much so that she didn't even care about the feelings of Fu Shu and the Duke of Zhongguo's family.

Could it be that Xie Jingyin's injuries these past few days have rendered him unable to have any more children?

But I haven't heard anything about Xie Jingyin getting injured recently.

Shen Wan recalled the scene at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, where Fu Shu miscarried and was carried away by Xie Jingyin, her skirt stained with blood.

Could it be... that Fu Shu can no longer have children?

Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

If Fu Shu can no longer have children and Shen Ying is demoted, then Xie Jingyin will never be able to have a legitimate son in his life. Although a son born out of wedlock can be fostered under Fu Shu's care and presented as a legitimate son, how can a son born to someone else be the same as one born to oneself? Especially since Fu Shu's child was aborted by Empress Song.

Empress Song didn't care whether Shen Ying had the status of a principal wife; what she wanted to protect was that the child in Shen Ying's womb was born of the legitimate wife.

Thinking of Fu Shu, Shen Wan felt a chill run down her spine. If it weren't for Eunuch Yuan and Xiao Xizi, she would have been the one who got into trouble that day.

Shen Wan was so angry that she went into labor. In addition, with Shen Ying as a foil, Shen Wan was able to influence Xie Jingyan without showing favoritism, which made the emperor value her even more. The emperor immediately ordered Eunuch Yuan to go to the storeroom to select some rewards and tonics and personally deliver them to the Ling Prince's residence, and also to visit Shen Wan.

Phoenix Palace.

Empress Song returned home furious, and when she sat down on the phoenix throne, her face turned green with rage.

Granny Du quickly served tea to Empress Song, saying, "Your Majesty, have a cup of tea to calm your anger..."

Empress Song grabbed the teacup and smashed it on the ground.

The palace maids inside were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud, not daring to breathe.

Empress Song was so angry that her eyes turned black. "The Salt Commissioner of Liangjiang was caught stealing salt permits and making a profit. The evidence is irrefutable. Can her scolding of Princess Ling change the Emperor's determination to severely punish the Salt Commissioner of Liangjiang?!"

"To indulge in a moment of verbal sparring, she has ruined her position as the principal wife. What kind of fools surround my son?!"

Empress Song was already furious, and when she learned that the Emperor had bestowed a whole bunch of gifts upon Shen Wan, she was even more furious.

The other day, the Prince bestowed two large boxes of gifts upon the Princess Consort of Ling. The Prince himself went to the storeroom to select them. The two large boxes were filled to the brim with fine things. How full were they? Not only were the empty boxes filled with other things, but even the porcelain vases were filled with pearls of various sizes!

The four or five boxes of gifts were stuffed into two large boxes by Prince Ling.

Yesterday, I bestowed a belt upon Prince Ling.

Today, another reward was bestowed upon Princess Ling!

Why doesn't Your Majesty just give the entire palace to Prince Ling and Princess Ling?

Empress Song's face turned green with rage.

Shen Wan was happy that Shen Ying was demoted, but the happiest people were Fu Shu and the Duke of Zhongguo's mansion.

For Fu Shu, this was like a pie falling from the sky, completely stunning her.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!