Three years later, good news finally came from the harem. Even Emperor Liang Yuan, who was indifferent to Consort Duan, was somewhat excited, and a large amount of rewards flowed into Ningyue Palace.

Consort Duan was extremely careful with this hard-won child, fearing she might fall into someone's trap, and was filled with gratitude towards Wuyou. If it weren't for Wuyou's advice and the prescriptions for conceiving, given her meager favor with the emperor and her poor health—she would never have been able to conceive even if she only had one day a month.

Because of this matter, Consort Duan followed Wuyou's lead completely, confiding in her and wholeheartedly becoming a member of Consort Xian's faction. Consort Liu and Consort Chun saw the benefits Wuyou brought, and through this incident, the relationship between Consort Xian's faction became even more stable and unbreakable.

Although she was inwardly disgusted, Bai Yiran still had to maintain the dignity of an empress and accept the gifts from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. During her morning and evening greetings, the smile on her face was barely perceptible. Privately, Consort Liu often teased Bai Yiran about this, making it a source of amusement between them.

Logically, the Empress should take care of a pregnant concubine, but Bai Yiran clearly didn't want to take on this responsibility and used her charm to smooth things over. Emperor Liang Yuan let her have her way and pushed the matter onto Wuyou, making Wuyou take care of Consort Duan's pregnancy, and incidentally promoting both of them in rank.

The Empress Dowager had promised Consort Wuyou a position long ago, but Bai Yiran kept it a secret. Consort Duan had been a Consort for many years and was pregnant, so her promotion was only natural.

As Consort Duan's pregnancy progressed, her belly grew larger. Every morning and evening, she could feel Bai Yiran's burning gaze fixed on her, which made her feel uneasy.

When Bai Yiran mentioned this to Wuyou in private, Wuyou smiled and comforted her, but she knew very well that Bai Yiran was clearly getting restless.

In order to help her daughter develop amazing dance moves and graceful dance steps, Madam Bai secretly gave her daughter a drug containing musk, hoping to make her body light and flexible.

Madam Bai thought she had controlled the dosage perfectly, but little did she know that she had already capsized in the gutter, ruining her daughter's life.

Unfortunately, the mother and daughter failed to realize the seriousness of the situation. Madam Bai brought Bai Yiran a bunch of random pregnancy-stabilizing medicines. Whenever Wuyou went to Fengyi Palace, she could always smell a medicinal scent, a faint but noticeable presence, which included many precious herbs.

These medicines are all excellent for inducing pregnancy on their own, but if you drink them bowl after bowl without a proper dosage, some of the herbs will interact negatively, and the consequences are predictable.

After ten months of pregnancy, Consort Duan gave birth to Emperor Liang Yuan's eldest daughter, Ping An, smoothly. Emperor Liang Yuan was overjoyed and doted on his daughter like a precious jewel, which also made him value Consort Duan even more.

When Consort Liu and Consort Chun saw the refined and composed eldest prince and the adorable Princess Ping'an, their inner desires stirred. After all, who wouldn't want a child of their own? If they couldn't keep the emperor, surely they could keep a child!

Thus, the two high-ranking concubines used all their skills to keep Emperor Liang Yuan. Both were pampered young ladies raised in noble families. Although their talents could not compare to Bai Yiran's, they were unique and managed to win some of Bai Yiran's favor.

Bai Yiran felt a sudden sense of crisis and tried her best to win over Emperor Liang Yuan. She drank bowl after bowl of fertility-enhancing medicine without any restraint.

Those who heard the news couldn't help but secretly laugh and sneer. The Empress, as the principal wife, was behaving like a servile concubine, truly disgracing a lady of high birth. It was truly baffling what had bewitched the Emperor, making him so fond of such a woman.

At Princess Ping'an's first birthday banquet, singing and dancing filled the air. Dancers dressed in red gauze moved gracefully across the banquet, and amidst the clinking of glasses, they sang and danced, creating a harmonious and prosperous scene.

Wearing a light blue palace dress, with delicate features and a smile on her lips, Bai still sat in the main seat. Her face was heavily made up to cover her pale complexion, and she looked no different from usual.

The Empress Dowager held her granddaughter in her arms, her face full of affection. She praised Consort Duan in her words and encouraged the concubines in the harem to have more children, promising them great rewards in return.

Finally, she added, "The imperial concubine selection is coming soon, and the palace will be taking in new talents. You all need to work hard."

Those who heard this couldn't help but be slightly stunned, surprised by the rapid passage of time. However, they didn't show much emotion. Although they wanted the Emperor's favor, they weren't to the point of loving him to death. The arrival of new concubines in the harem might be a good thing for them, as it would be good to share some of the Empress's favor. Only Bai Yiran's face turned ugly upon hearing this, and her resentment towards the Empress Dowager grew even stronger.

Seeing this, Wuyou, dressed in a pink palace dress, smiled slightly. When she saw her son looking at her curiously, she said it was nothing, patted the child's fluffy head, and urged him to eat more.

Over the course of three years, not a single concubine in the harem shared Bai Yiran's sentiments, and she had no wise mentor to guide her. Bai Yiran valued the emperor's favor as much as her life itself, thus creating a vicious cycle.

At this point, Bai was still seen by everyone as nothing more than an empress who couldn't give birth to her own child, a domineering emperor, and a jealous empress. She was no longer the beautiful and beloved empress she once was.

In her previous life, Bai Yiran, though still clinging to Emperor Liang Yuan, was not as sickly as she is now. She would occasionally persuade the emperor to visit other concubines' palaces. Although it was just for show, she did it well and did not have the bad reputation she has now.

Therefore, even though Bai Yiran died young, in the eyes of the world, she was still an empress with an excellent reputation, while Bai Wuyou, the successor empress, was inferior in every way and lived in Bai Yiran's shadow all her life.

In Wuyou's view, Bai Yiran's good fortune lay in her untimely death, at the height of their love and at the peak of her beauty, leaving an indelible mark on Emperor Liang Yuan's heart.

If Bai Yiran were to grow old, he would not believe that Emperor Liang Yuan would still be so devoted to him.

"Ugh..." A sound of dry heaving came from above, followed by Emperor Liang Yuan's concerned voice, "Yiran, what's wrong? Quickly summon the imperial physician."

Bai Yiran's expression softened upon hearing this, and the maid beside her, sensing the situation, replied with delight, "Your Majesty, Her Highness is pregnant."

"Really?" Emperor Liang Yuan's handsome face lit up with ecstasy. This was his legitimate son! Yi Ran was finally pregnant.

"It's true, the imperial physician said it's been more than two months." Bai Yiran felt comforted seeing Emperor Liang Yuan so happy, and her tone became even gentler.

"This is wonderful news! Yiran, you have a child, you have a child..." Emperor Liang Yuan laughed heartily, his words and actions revealing boundless love, showing just how happy he was with this child.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty the Empress!" Wuyou and the concubines bowed and offered their congratulations, putting on a very good show. Consort Duan clenched her handkerchief, forcing a smile. Today was his daughter's first birthday banquet, but the Empress had stolen the spotlight. How could he not be furious?