Lotus nodded confidently, "Don't worry, Your Highness, this servant will keep a close eye on that Taoist priest Liu."

Gu Jiangli closed her eyes and began to rest.

As expected, Liu Bufan did not disappoint her. That afternoon, Hehua came to tell her that Liu Bufan had gone to Chengen Hall.

After hearing this, Gu Jiangli's face revealed a sinister smile, "Now, it's up to Consort Shu to decide what to do."

————

Cheng'en Hall.

In the empty hall, only Consort Shu and Liu Bufan remained.

"Shu Ziming, congratulations! You're pregnant again. The Emperor must be very kind to you."

Liu Bufan stared at Consort Shu's lower abdomen with a sarcastic expression.

Like Gu Jiangli, she is now showing signs of pregnancy.

The thought that both women were bearing children for the emperor drove him mad with jealousy.

"Didn't you, Consort Shu, say that the Emperor couldn't have children? What's going on now? Not only is Consort Xian pregnant, but you're pregnant too."

When Consort Shu saw him arrive, she was first startled, then her eyes filled with tears of grievance.

“Bufan, I was framed by Gu Jiangli and demoted to the rank of Consort by His Majesty, who also ordered me to be confined to my quarters for a year. I don’t have Gu Jiangli’s seductive beauty. Besides having a child, what other way can I make His Majesty look at me again?”

Liu Bufan countered, "Isn't the emperor's sense of guilt enough to ensure your future security? For the sake of that child, you will always have a place in his heart."

Consort Shu shook her head frantically: "No, no! His Majesty has been completely bewitched by that vile woman. No matter what I say, he will no longer believe me."

“A year? That’s extraordinary. A year from now, Gu Jiangli’s child will already be born. How could His Majesty possibly still remember me?!”

"If I can't have a child like Gu Jiangli, what awaits me is a lifetime in the cold palace!"