Chapter 12 Two "vomiting"

"What? You'er, repeat what you just said."

Lü Yingfeng tried her best to suppress her emotions so as not to frighten the child.

Hongzhao is now at the age of starting his studies. He and Shu'er are each looking at a calligraphy book carefully. When his mother asked him about it, Hongzhao closed the book and said casually, "Shu'er and I went to play with Lady Feng today. When we came out, we happened to pass by Lady Cao's house. We were about to go in to pay our respects when we saw that Lady Cao looked unwell."

Shu'er is now at the age where she loves to imitate others, and she is eager to talk to her mother—"Empress Cao is vomiting so badly, just like when Shu'er has indigestion, and she won't let us call a doctor."

She vomited? Lü Yingfeng knew that this Cao Gege wasn't one to indulge in gluttony, so it was highly unlikely that she would suffer from indigestion. What else could it be...?

Her gaze shifted, and she asked again, "Then what did you say about Consort Xu just now, You'er?"

"The maidservant by Consort Xu's side went to fetch the meal. The food inside was very delicious. I could smell the chili peppers from a distance. Shu'er and I were both tempted, so we went to ask the kitchen if it was lunch today."

Shu'er then added the second half of the sentence—"But the kitchen said no, it was Consort Xu who paid for it herself, and it's not lunchtime. These past few days, they've added several salty and spicy dishes every day."

If Xu Gege remembered correctly, she should be from the water towns of the south, unlike herself who is from Sichuan. She usually dislikes spicy food, but these days she has asked the kitchen to add so much spicy food, which makes Lü Yingfeng wonder.

She calmly gave the two children a few instructions, telling them not to run around these days, and also asked the wet nurse to take good care of them. Then she and Xuexin walked out thoughtfully.

Watching her retreating figure, Hongzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His mother was definitely a smart woman, and Hongzhao knew this very well after three years of living together. This made his more than twenty days of taking Shuer out every day without ever going home worthwhile.

Lu Yingfeng pondered in her heart that if You'er and Shu'er were not mistaken, she guessed that both Xu Gege and Cao Gege were pregnant now. Cao Gege had always been a low-key person, and Lu Yingfeng understood that she kept things to herself. However, Xu Gege was not one to keep secrets.

She was the type to enjoy being jealous and even dared to compete for Nian Shilan's favor. The fact that she hadn't mentioned this happy event must mean she was waiting for the right opportunity.

Are there any important dates in these two months?

Lu Yingfeng sat by the window with her eyes lowered, her thoughts wandering. After ruling out many auspicious days, she was suddenly drawn to a vibrant color outside the window—a purplish-red peony in full bloom.

Next month is Nian Shilan's birthday!

"Yes, yes," Lü Yingfeng suddenly realized. Xu Gege only knew how to sing and listen to operas to win favor. She never thought of choosing an auspicious day. What she wanted most was to outdo Nian Shilan in the matter of getting pregnant and giving birth.

If there's one thing that's truly hurtful and infuriating, it's when she announces her pregnancy at her birthday party.

And the birthday banquet is only six or seven days away.

——

Lü Yingfeng has always been a straightforward person, outspoken and outspoken. However, she only deals with matters, not people, and does not vie for the emperor's favor. She simply lives a peaceful life with her children in her small courtyard, so everyone in the household treats her with relative courtesy.

On this day, at the birthday banquet for Consort Nian, she chatted with everyone in the crowd as if she were in water. Regardless of their usual relationship, everyone seemed to be getting along well.

The happiest person was Nian Shilan. The prince had been so busy lately that he couldn't even get any sleep, but he still remembered her birthday and held a banquet in the mansion. This was enough to prove how much the prince loved and valued her.

Lu Yingfeng's seat was in the center, neither too far forward nor too far back, so she could see everyone's faces perfectly. She used the act of tilting her head back to drink tea to cover up her observations, silently taking in Xu Gege's barely concealed excitement and Cao Gege's pale face that even makeup couldn't hide.

She was waiting for a well-planned show.

Although it was Nian Shilan's birthday banquet, there was a distinction between the noble and the lowly. Yixiu, the primary consort, sat at the head of the table with the prince. Although Nian Shilan was not convinced, she still sat down with a sense of grievance under the prince's comforting and doting gaze.

With the banquet halfway through, it's only natural that the birthday celebrant should say a few words.

After several rounds of drinks and receiving many rewards from the prince, Nian Shilan, her face flushed and radiant with spring-like joy, raised her glass, stood up, and said loudly, "Thank you for today's birthday banquet, Your Highness..."

"vomit--"

Before she could finish speaking, a sudden and jarring sound of vomiting abruptly interrupted her. This drew the attention of both Yinzhen and Yixiu, who turned to look in the direction of the sound.

She gritted her teeth angrily, slammed the wine glass on the table, turned and glared at Xu Gege who had ruined the atmosphere, and said irritably, "Xu Gege, if you're not feeling well, you should go back and rest. Don't make others uncomfortable here."

Nian Shilan spoke bluntly, but Xu Gege was not afraid of her at all.

Her graceful figure, honed by years of performing, was now displayed with the poise of Xi Shi holding her heart, as she stood up with a melodious voice like that of a nightingale, "Your Highness, I am not ill as Consort Nian has claimed, but rather pregnant."

Upon hearing this, everyone was in an uproar, and even Yinzhen opened his eyes wide to look over—"Is it really true? This is a good thing. You were feeling unwell just now. Summon the physician to take a look."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a quick-witted eunuch strode outside to find the imperial physician.

Seeing this, Lü Yingfeng tilted her head back, and Xue Xin, taking advantage of the darkness, also shrank back slowly.

Yinzhen's face lit up with joy, and he happily ordered the servants to quickly change the tableware for Consort Xu and replace the chair with a softer one.

Yixiu's face showed genuine joy at this moment, but it wasn't because of the child, Xu Gege.

As the primary wife, she had to watch her husband and the concubine be all lovey-dovey at the concubine's birthday banquet, watching the concubine steal the spotlight. Just thinking about it made her feel resentful.

But who would have thought that things would take such a dramatic turn, and now it's someone else who's stealing the spotlight, while Nian Shilan has become the supporting character.

Seeing her eyes blazing with anger and her chest heaving violently, Yi Xiu had to restrain himself and suppress the corners of his mouth.

Princess Xu's cheeks were flushed, it was hard to say whether it was from shyness at the prince's concern or from excitement at having thoroughly angered her opponent. In any case, her radiant expression was undeniable.

The room was in chaos, and footsteps could be heard outside.

"The imperial physician has arrived." The young eunuch was quick on his feet and soon led the physician to the door.

"Quickly bring it in, let Princess Xu take a look."

Lu Yingfeng looked up from her seat and saw a familiar face. She breathed a sigh of relief. This was the person who had helped her with her pregnancy three years ago.

The pregnancy pulse was not difficult to feel. The physician confirmed it almost immediately after kneeling down and taking the pulse. He turned and bowed to the prince, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness, this noble lady is more than two months pregnant."

"Good, reward them!" Yinzhen had also drunk quite a bit of wine, chuckled twice, and waved his hand to bestow many rewards.

But Princess Xu didn't want any of that. She held her barely visible belly and slowly stood up. "Your Highness, we have our own child now. For such a joyous occasion, please grant me something special."

Today, Yinzhen was in a good mood and was happy to coax his little lark who could sing opera, so he generously said, "Tell me, what do you want?"

Hearing this, Consort Xu felt reassured and happily said, "This concubine wishes to have the Joyful Fragrance that Consort Nian possesses. Your Highness, please grant me a portion as well."

Although he asked the prince for a gift, his eyes were fixed on Nian Shilan.

This infuriated Nian Shilan. She nearly ground her teeth to powder and couldn't help but smash the cup—"You bitch!"

The cup fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and the entire hall fell silent instantly. Even Yinzhen, who had only drunk a little, sobered up a bit.

Yixiu's expression also changed.

No one spoke in the main hall. Seeing that there was no movement, Consort Xu was about to ask again, but Lü Yingfeng couldn't hold back her words. She chuckled and spoke sarcastically, "This Joyful Fragrance was specially made by the Prince and given to Consort Nian for her exclusive use. How much power and influence do you have that you dare to ask for something like this by name?"

Hearing Lü Yingfeng's words and seeing that the prince remained silent as if tacitly agreeing, Xu Gege's face flushed red, and her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Nian Shilan's gaze was murderous at this moment. It was fortunate that Lü Yingfeng spoke up for her; if she were angry, she wouldn't have the eloquence to speak up and would only want to beat this bitch to death.

Those two Fei Gege and Cao Gege are so hateful that they don't dare to say a word at this moment, and they even need an outsider to help them!

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Yi Xiu was about to say something when another sudden vomiting sound came from below, but it wasn't Xu Gege.

Instead, it was Cao Gege sitting next to her, who was covering her mouth and gagging violently.