As soon as she stood up, she didn't let go of his hand. For the first time, Xuan Ling felt Sheng Xiyan's attachment to him.

But she asked, "Your Majesty, is the little prince still in Zhaochun Palace?"

After entering the palace for half a year, she could probably guess some things. Shen Wanrong was in a coma, so the child must have been taken somewhere else.

"What does Yanyan mean? ...After Shen Wanrong wakes up, I will have someone take the child to meet her."

Sheng Xiyan placed her little face in her big palm and praised her, "Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler."

Xuan Ling smiled helplessly. He originally thought that she held his hand because she was reluctant to let him go.

He really couldn't bear to leave her.

Xuan Ling dealt with the matter overnight as the court affairs had been delayed for two days.

The next day, there were still many reports from the imperial court.

He was busy until nightfall. At dinner time, Queen Duan came to pay her respects and stood by her side to serve the meal.

"I've been busy these past two days and haven't had time to ask, is Shen Wanrong awake?"

Queen Duan scooped a spoonful of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and placed it respectfully in front of Xuan Ling.

"He woke up for a moment, then fell unconscious again. I carefully consulted the imperial physician about Shen Wanrong's physical condition. It was really not good, so I took the little prince to Jingren Palace to take care of him. Fortunately, everything is ready in Jingren Palace, and the wet nurses are very experienced..."

Xuan Ling chewed slowly, "When Shen Wanrong wakes up, take the child to her. If she can see the child, it will be good for her recovery."

"Yes, I understand."

Empress Duan was cautious and did not dare to say directly that she wanted to raise the little prince, for fear of arousing the suspicion of Emperor Xuanwu. The emperor was most suspicious of the greed of his subjects.

The children in the harem are not just children, they are also involved with other forces.

Empress Duan changed the subject and said something that would make Emperor Xuanwu happy.

"Your Majesty, Sister Sheng made the greatest contribution to Shen Wanrong's childbirth. I would like to ask Your Majesty to promote her."

Xuan Ling didn't say anything. After the meal, Eunuch Fu served tea and waited for the dragon ditch to be washed.

He stood up and walked out of the inner hall, where he drank tea on the soft couch.

Empress Duan said with a smile, "Sister Sheng saved the little prince and Shen Wanrong. I think it would be better to promote her two jade ranks, from Xiuyuan to Jieyu. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Usually, concubines of meritorious officials would be promoted skipping ranks. Empress Duan thought that Xuan Ling would be very satisfied with what she said.

But unexpectedly, the emperor said: "I want to promote Sheng Xiuyuan to Zhaoyi and grant her the title of 'Chen'."

Empress Duan was shocked. The word "Chen" means the North Star, which refers to the emperor or the palace or the throne.

Therefore, this title has an extremely high and noble status.

That’s fine, but from the fifth-rank Xiuyuan, there are Wanyuan, Jieyu, Shuyuan, Guiyuan, and Cai to the second-rank Zhaoyi, skipping four levels in between?

"Your Majesty, Zhaoyi is only below the rank of Concubine. I have no other intentions. I am just worried that if Sister Sheng is promoted so much, the other concubines in the harem will be dissatisfied and vent their anger on Sister Sheng, which will be detrimental to her future in the palace.

Moreover, Sister Sheng has only been in the palace for over half a year, so it is difficult to convince the public."

Xuan Ling picked up the teacup and drank while looking at the gold windmill on the ice jar.

"Promote Dun Shuyuan to Guiyuan."

Empress Duan said with a smile, "Dun Shuyuan was very competitive. She was promoted to Guiyuan, then demoted to Shuyuan. This time the Emperor has shown mercy and promoted her again. I'm sure she will be very happy."

She knew without asking that Emperor Xuanwu must have promoted Dun Guiyuan because General Dun valued him highly.

"Also, promote Shen Wanrong to Concubine."

"I understand."

Empress Duan observed the expression and continued:

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. Why not promote Sister Sheng to Shuyuan first? This way, she will be promoted from the lower nine concubines to the upper nine concubines. It will be a clear promotion without being too conspicuous. What do you think?"

Xuan Ling said, "I'll think about this matter again."

Queen Duan talked about the main purpose of her visit today.

“Your Majesty, I have always wondered why Shen Wanrong had such a large baby and a difficult delivery.

"I've carefully questioned Yue Li, who serves as my personal attendant, over the past two days. She said that Consort Shu and Consort Liang often sent me nourishing meals, which was well-intentioned. However, Shen Wanrong's appetite increased significantly in the last few months, which is why the baby grew too big."

Xuan Ling asked, "What did that palace maid say? Court Judge Wang is in charge of the medicinal food. Has he checked?"

"Both of them have been examined and found to be fine, but a few days ago, another palace maid named Qiu Miao suddenly fell ill and died, which is extremely unusual."

Xuan Ling put down the teacup, "Does the Queen suspect that someone added something to the meal to stimulate Shen Wanrong's appetite?"

"I have this doubt."

"Go and investigate, and report to me whatever you find."

"I understand."

Coming out of the Yangxin Palace, Empress Duan got on the phoenix chariot and smiled with a look of confidence.

Qing Dai said, "Your Majesty, you have already planted the seeds of evil intentions in the Emperor's mind that Concubine Shu and Concubine Liang are up to no good. If you do so, the Emperor will definitely hand the little prince over to you to raise."

Queen Duan murmured, "There is still one who is the most difficult to deal with."

"Your Majesty, are you talking about Concubine Jia?"

Behind Concubine Jia is the Empress Dowager, but Emperor Xuanwu is wary of the power behind the Empress Dowager, so logically speaking, he would not give the prince to her.

Dun Shuyuan became arrogant again because she was promoted to Guiyuan.

After accepting the imperial gift, he said proudly, "I've been promoted step by step, and that witch Sheng Xiyan is so angry that she wants to be the center of attention. She thinks she's so capable just because she knows some medical skills. She has no idea how much she's worth."

"Yes, she is nothing like you, my master. You have a capable father like our master. The higher the master's official position, the higher the master's position."

Dun Shuyuan used the jade wheel to massage her face and chuckled:

"That's a must. I'm now three steps higher than that little widow next door. If I say east, she won't dare to say west. If I get the chance, I'll kill her, especially that fox face."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!