“And then there’s Xia Zhaoxun. Although she’s only a Zhaoxun, she’s said to be very favored. With such a low rank, the fact that she was able to give birth to a son suggests she’s not an ordinary person,” Green Feather said.

"No matter what, we can't rush it," Hongchou said.

Huo San smiled but didn't say anything.

There's no rush. She's the last concubine in the household; if she wants to make a difference, she'll have to go to the palace.

The day after Consort Huo entered the mansion, the results of the competition for the Nan'an Prince's family were announced.

His sons and grandsons were all beheaded; there's nothing more to say about that.

In the end, Shu Chengfeng pardoned his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

However, they were not allowed to return to Nan'an Prefecture; they had to live in the capital.

They are not royalty, and will all be commoners from now on. The confiscated property will not be returned. Each family will receive 100 taels of silver, and whether they live or die is up to them.

Fortunately, with Princess Ping by their side, they weren't left without a place to settle down and make a living.

It was Wang Fu who went all out to get Prince Ping out of his predicament. Now that she wants to take care of her family, Shu Xiufeng didn't stop her.

Seeing that there was no hope of seizing the throne, Consort Xu repeatedly advised him to behave himself.

Fortunately, Consort Xu was not as favored as Consort Lixian, so she offended the Empress less.

Even if it can still be maintained now.

The entire family of the Prince of Nan'an, including his children and relatives, were conscripted into the army; that's what "conscripted into the army" means.

It's quite tragic, but there's nothing she can do; she married the wrong person.

His confidants and former subordinates were all beheaded. Many of them were not brought to the capital but were beheaded directly in Nan'an Prefecture.

The people of Nan'an Prefecture hate him now. They were living a good life when he dragged them into the war, causing countless families to be destroyed and people to die.

So there's no fear that any trusted confidant might run away, or even be unable to escape.

On the day the banquet was to be held, it was not able to take place.

Consort Wan has passed away in the palace.

After she brought up Princess Rongyu's matter, it caused quite a stir.

Then she fell ill, and now she's gone, which is quite natural.

Nobody really cares what happened.

She only had two princesses.

However, Yan Nangui felt that it wasn't the Empress or the Crown Prince who were behind it; either he himself didn't want to live anymore, or it was Empress Dowager Jiang who had done it.

This old concubine must know far too much.

Shu Chengfeng didn't pursue the matter further, following the rules. He even posthumously conferred upon her the title of Imperial Concubine.

And so, he was given a grand funeral.

If this Lady Huo had arrived a few days later, it would have been difficult for her to enter the mansion.

Although the Dowager Consort is not much, she is still the Crown Prince's elder, his grandmother.

Let alone the crown prince, even ministers nowadays don't dare to arrange their own children's weddings.

It will take about three months.

For a more elaborate event, we'd have to wait a year.

This is considered a matter of national mourning, which ordinary people are not required to follow, but officials must be mindful of it at certain times.

As a concubine, Yan Nangui also went to the palace to see her off.

Upon returning, he laughed and said, "Jiang Liangyuan and Qu Zhaoxun had bad luck, and now Huo Liangyuan is also having bad luck." Both of them encountered trouble before they could even serve the emperor after entering the mansion.

It took Jiang Liangyuan a month or two to get married.

Qu Zhaoxun has only served him once so far, and it was a miserable experience.

Jiang Xiang nodded and said, "It's a coincidence."

Yan Nangui smiled, thinking to himself that it was fortunate it was only the Empress Dowager who had passed away. If it had been the Emperor… tsk.

After seeing off Consort Wan, Shu Chengfeng also comforted the two princesses.

It's nothing more than bestowing gifts or similar things.

In the main courtyard, the Crown Princess finally had time to see Physician Huang again.

This time, one hand was enough to confirm, but to be on the safe side, Doctor Huang still used both hands to confirm.

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you on your pregnancy. You are about forty days along."

The Crown Princess was so happy she didn't know what to say, and her eyes even reddened.

Madam He smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Lord Huang." Then she ordered someone to give her a reward.

After receiving the reward, Physician Huang gave a few instructions, noting that the Crown Princess was also currently in poor health.

It requires proper rest and recuperation.

The Crown Princess thanked him and was overjoyed for a while.

That evening, the Crown Prince was invited to the main courtyard.

The crown prince was delighted upon hearing this, for having a child at this time was indeed a good thing.

Since it's less than three months, we won't announce it for now.

But there are quite a few women in the backyard who are very clever; even if it's not announced, people probably already guessed it.

However, the timing of the Crown Princess's pregnancy was really not good.

She was no ordinary person; she was the Crown Princess. That was a far more prestigious position than that of any concubine in the imperial harem.

In these turbulent times, she cannot afford to remain silent.

Just like now, Consort Wan has passed away, regardless of how she died.

As an empress dowager with whom she had a good relationship during her lifetime, wouldn't she have fallen ill from excessive grief?

Although Empress Dowager Jiang had no children, she was still the late emperor's principal wife.

With her falling ill at such a critical juncture, how could the Empress and the Crown Princess dare not attend to her?

You might not pay attention normally, but this is a crucial moment, and there are still rumors circulating outside.

Therefore, the Crown Princess had no choice but to enter the palace to attend to the ailing prince.

Serving someone in illness doesn't require doing anything, like tasting medicine for them. You can do it if you want, or you can have servants if you don't.

But this is tiring.

From morning till night, sometimes even overnight.

Taking care of the sick was a meritorious act, so the Crown Princess was both worried and willing, and there was no other way to avoid being tired.

Not to mention her, even Consort Ye indirectly sent messages to the front courtyard, the gist of which was that she wanted to go and take care of the sick.

Shu Chengfeng, of course, refused.

Why are you getting involved?

Yan Nangui had just finished a bowl of su lao (a type of cheese) when she heard the news and smiled, saying, "Ye Liangdi has a kind heart."

"I'm afraid she couldn't have come up with this herself," Chanyi said.

"I don't know, but now that she's attending to the sick, it's hard to say what her status will be like when she enters the palace later. But I think she doesn't need to be in such a hurry. Can the position of Imperial Concubine really be out of reach?" Yan Nangui said with a smile.

"Ah...this..." Chanyi was a little puzzled: "Logically speaking, she and Consort Su are both Consorts, so they should be eligible for the first-rank Consort position if they enter the palace. But I was thinking that Consort Su has always been favored, so maybe she can be ranked ahead of her?"

“How could that be? Your Highness and His Majesty are at odds now. The Ye family has been fully supporting you, disregarding their own interests. How could someone be allowed to suppress Consort Ye as soon as you ascend the throne? The Empress probably wants Consort Ye to replace the Empress. If this isn't done, and she can't even get the rank of Noble Consort, wouldn't that cause a rift between mother and son?” Yan Nangui said.

“Oh, if that’s the case, then. And… what about Consort Su?” Chanyi asked again.

"If Your Highness wants to maintain balance, then Consort Su will be the Virtuous Consort."

"You...and what about you?" Chanyi asked cautiously.

"Me? I should be a second-rank imperial concubine." Yan Nangui thought for a moment, "I think His Majesty will temporarily leave the positions of Consort Shu and Consort Hui vacant." Without the pits above, wouldn't the struggle be even more intense?

After Shu Chengfeng ascends the throne, he should take good care of his children.

“If we’re counting according to the current ranks, there are only four second-rank imperial concubines, but there are six good ladies,” Chanyi said.

"Yes, so we'll see what His Highness thinks then. In any case, I'll definitely get the second-rank imperial concubine position."