The Empress Dowager naturally said nothing about this.

She was actually hoping the Empress Dowager wouldn't interfere, but then she thought, it wouldn't be good for Consort Xiang to have too much power.

"There are many troubles in the palace, and I am not in a good mood either. At first, I was very sad because of the death of Consort Duanyi Jing. I should have been quiet, and I have kept vigil for her. The Emperor is a heartless man, and he doesn't seem to care about me at all."

"That makes sense. The emperor is the emperor, and Consort Duanyi Jing is just a concubine."

"Now you're having a big celebration for your princess's birthday. It's one thing for the adults, but aren't you worried about ruining the child's good fortune?"

The Empress Dowager's words were quite harsh.

It means that someone had died before, yet Consort Chenhui was still celebrating her daughter's birthday, which was not good for the Seventh Princess.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager was once the Empress, while I am but a concubine. Naturally, I do not know how Your Majesty the Empress should act." Yan Nangui smiled and said, "However, even if I do not know, I know that all children born in the harem must call Your Majesty the Empress 'Mother'."

"If it were the Empress who had passed away, which prince or princess would not be observing mourning? How could they dare to hold a grand birthday celebration?"

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is extremely kind-hearted and always thinks of Consort Duanyi Jing. After all, she is Your Majesty's niece. However, His Majesty once said that the position of Consort Duanyi Jing would remain vacant while the Empress was alive. When Consort Jing passed away, His Majesty was saddened and posthumously conferred the title of Consort Duanyi Jing. But she is still a consort, not the Empress."

"And I am also a first-rank concubine, how much difference is there between a Noble Consort and a Consort Hui? One concubine's daughter is observing mourning for another concubine. Is this what happens when Her Majesty the Empress is no longer here?"

"Consort Chen Hui, you have quite the sharp tongue! I certainly can't out-argue you. Someone like you, who even defeated Rong Ning, is certainly not someone to be trifled with. Even if it diminishes your own fortune, it's your own daughter's fortune that's being diminished. But I would also like to advise you, since you gave birth to a princess, you should keep a low profile. Right now, His Majesty dotes on you. But His Majesty won't dote on you forever."

The Empress Dowager said angrily.

"The Empress Dowager is quite right. The Seventh Princess is His Majesty's own daughter. Whether she is blessed or not depends on how well His Majesty treats her." Yan Nangui said coldly.

"There is one thing I don't understand. When Consort Jing gave birth to twins, she damaged her health. The imperial physician said that if she were to become pregnant again, it would inevitably harm the mother's health, and if she were to give birth, the mother's life would be in danger. I have also heard that she has been taking medicine for the past two years to prevent pregnancy. How could she suddenly become pregnant? How could the medicine of a Noble Consort be so easily compromised?"

"Consort Chen Hui! How dare you!" The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

She was furious, and naturally everyone had to kneel down.

Yan Nangui then said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Consort Jing was your niece, a close relative. It is understandable that you are saddened by her passing. However, it would be best to investigate these matters thoroughly. If it was truly an accident, that would be one thing, but what if someone had plotted against her? Wouldn't that leave all the sisters in the harem unable to live in peace?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly for my sister. She was wronged. The Fourth Princess and the Fifth Prince are crying every day; they are truly pitiful," Ye Lingyi suddenly said.

Consort Jia also said, "I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. Consort Jing is truly wronged."

Originally, it was Consort Chen Hui who was talking back, but Ye Lingyi's words changed the tone.

When Consort Jia joined in the fun, the nature of the matter completely changed.

The Empress Dowager was so angry she nearly fainted, but if she pursued Consort Chen Hui, she didn't know what else that woman might say.

"Since there are doubts, I will investigate them myself. You may all return home. Consort Chenhui has disrespected the Empress Dowager, so I have no choice but to punish you. You will be confined to your quarters for a month to reflect on your actions. You may come out again after the New Year," the Empress Dowager said.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness." Consort Chenhui expressed her gratitude with exceptional sincerity.

After everyone left, the Empress Dowager angrily asked, "Who in the Imperial Hospital has a death wish?"

Xiangqu sighed and advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It must be that His Majesty is suspicious. Perhaps His Majesty knows something..."

The Empress Dowager paused: "I... only wanted her to give birth to a healthy prince. I've gone to great lengths, isn't it all for her own good?"

Xiangqu agreed, but thought to herself that the Empress Dowager's actions had ultimately led to the death of Consort Jing.

On the other side, Consort Jia followed Yan Nangui and asked, "How did you know, sister?"

“I didn’t know at first, but it suddenly occurred to me. A few years ago, when Consort Jing gave birth, although I wasn’t there, I asked her about it in detail afterward. She drank several bowls of labor-inducing medicine, basically drinking it to death. She suffered severe bleeding after giving birth, and if it weren’t for the excellent skills of the imperial physicians, how could she have survived? She already has a son and a daughter. Why would she disregard her own health and force herself to become pregnant again?”

"To protect herself, she would have taken contraceptive medicine after serving the emperor. So how did she get pregnant again? When the Fifth Prince was injured, she clearly didn't know she was pregnant. If she did know, she wouldn't have reacted like that, would she?"

"I was just saying it casually, but you saw the Empress Dowager's reaction, didn't you?" Yan Nangui sneered.

"Yes, it's really too... What is the Empress Dowager trying to achieve?" Consort Jia sighed.

“She was unwilling to accept it. She was born into a noble family and served as empress for decades, but because of the late emperor’s unreasonable behavior, she was suppressed by Consort Zhen. She suffered too much humiliation. Although she was empress, she was unhappy in every way.”

"Now that she's the Empress Dowager, our Emperor isn't one to submit to injustice. Nor is he blindly filial. Even Consort Jing couldn't replace the Empress. She gave birth to a prince who was sickly. When she was Empress, she couldn't be in charge because of the late Emperor. Now that she's the Empress Dowager, she still can't have absolute authority."

"The Empress Dowager has probably become obsessed with making a child of the Ye family bloodline the Crown Prince. That's why she disregarded Consort Jing's health. A sickly fifth prince and a disfavored consort who is also now sickly, who are they bothering? How could she be schemed against by others? She was tricked to death by her own aunt. I'm afraid that before she died, because her son was seriously injured, she didn't have time to think about anything else, and she died in a daze." Yan Nangui shook his head.

These words sent a chill down Consort Jia's spine.

Yan Nan returned to Zhaochun Palace and, after offering incense, said, "Ye Lingyi understands now."

“Ye Lingyi has always been a smart person, and because of that incident, she has been out of the public eye for several years. If she wants to live well, she should naturally understand how to proceed in the future,” Yan Nangui said.

“Yes, the Empress Dowager’s attitude these days… this servant is truly worried,” Jiangxiang said.

"It's alright. Since I was the one who brought this up today, someone will inform His Majesty. His Majesty can't possibly ignore it," Yan Nangui said.

Although we can't do anything to the Empress Dowager, at least we can make her upset for a while.

As for the future, all she needs is Shu Chengfeng's support.

Nothing else matters.