Chapter 39 Suddenly Catching a Cold

"Your Highness, I heard that Consort Shen is pregnant." That evening, Xuexin combed Lü Yingfeng's hair while telling her the news she had heard.

"Oh? It's good that you got pregnant at this time. The weather is getting cooler as the pregnancy progresses, so you won't suffer too much." Lü Yingfeng didn't think much of it. If she could get pregnant, others could too. Besides, they were young and pampered, it was only a matter of time.

Xuexin chatted casually—"Speaking of which, Consort Wan and Consort Shen have such a good relationship. They even got pregnant together. That's good, at least some of the Emperor's favor can be shared. I heard the Emperor was extremely pleased and even bestowed the title 'Hui' upon them."

“Yes.” Lü Yingfeng also closed her eyes to rest, slowly echoing, “The Consort An next to us and the Noble Lady Fucha in the palace both seem quite good to me. It’s just that there are two more pregnant concubines in the palace now. I wonder if Consort Hua will be able to sleep.”

Thinking that she must be annoyed, Lü Yingfeng shook her head with amusement, but Xuexin said, "Knowing that Your Highness is curious, this servant went to inquire, but there is no news from Consort Hua. It's all quiet. She even had an extra plate of crab roe pastries today."

Hearing her say that, Lü Yingfeng became more serious, straightened up, and opened her eyes to look at Xue Xin—"You said that Consort Hua didn't make a sound today, not even a single cup was broken?"

Even after receiving Xuexin's confirmation, she still felt that something was quite wrong with the matter.

"Who was the imperial physician who took your pulse?"

Xuexin thought for a moment—"It's Physician Liu Ben, who took care of Consort Guan's pregnancy."

Lu Yingfeng pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. She just felt that something was wrong with everything. Feeling uneasy, she instructed Xuexin, "Go and tell Hong Xihai that he doesn't need to follow me these days. Instead, he should stay with Hongzhao and Hongjin. Tell them not to run around too much these days and to make sure they have more people with them."

"Yes." Xuexin nodded in agreement, then hesitated before asking, "Is Your Highness worried that... Consort Wan and Consort Shen's pregnancies might not be delivered safely?"

Lu Yingfeng propped her head up wearily—"Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman. It's extremely dangerous. On top of that, two favored new concubines have become pregnant one after another. The Emperor is in a good mood. If something goes wrong at this time, who can bear the responsibility? Anyway, it's not aimed at us. It's always better for us to stay away."

——

"Sister, you have finally had a son! This is truly a joyous occasion." Zhen Huan, supporting her waist slightly, congratulated Mei Zhuang as soon as she entered the room.

Meizhuang was happy to see her arrive, and got up to greet her and took her hand – “You’ve finally come! I’ve been so bored these past two days, not allowed to go here or there, it was really so dull and I was getting impatient.”

The two sat down at the table, chatting and laughing. As they got closer, Meizhuang looked at Zhen Huan's face with some concern. "My baby is only a month old, so it's not showing any signs yet. But I've noticed that you don't look too well these past few days. Have you asked the imperial physician?"

Zhen Huan touched her face awkwardly. She had applied a thick layer of makeup, but it couldn't hide the bluish tinge showing through. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been sleeping more and more these days. I'm only awake for a few hours a day. The imperial physician said it's normal and nothing serious."

Shen Meizhuang nodded in relief. If the imperial physician said it was nothing, then it must be nothing.

Without much thought, Shen Meizhuang was overjoyed again and pulled Zhen Huan close, saying, "We grew up together, entered the palace together, and are now pregnant at the same time. It's such a great fate. I only hope that our children will be healthy and as lovely as the eldest princess and the fifth prince."

“Yes.” Thinking of Hong Zhao and Hong Jinfu’s obedient and sensible appearance, Zhen Huan smiled longingly, “Consort Xin has given birth many times and taught them well. We should also go and learn from Consort Xin.”

"Sigh." Meizhuang sighed softly, "You don't know yet, do you? Consort Xin is ill. It happened just two days ago. She can hardly get out of bed now. When I went to visit her, she wouldn't let me in, saying she was afraid that the illness would affect the baby."

"What's going on?" Zhen Huan asked in surprise. She had been sleeping so soundly these past few days that she had no idea what was happening outside.

It wasn't a secret, and Meizhuang didn't keep it a secret either—"Consort Xin has always been in good health, but the other day, for some reason, she suddenly caught a cold and fell ill. The Emperor went to see her for two days in a row, and seeing that she was really sick, he told her to take good care of herself. The princes and princesses don't go out much these days."

...

When the Fourth Prince came to pay his respects to Consort Xin, he heard the same set of words.

He knelt outside the Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion, where Consort Xin resided, and respectfully bowed – “Your subject pays respects to Consort Xin. May Your Highness recover soon. Your subject will not trouble you any further.”

After saying that, he stood up and turned to leave without any hesitation.

In fact, Consort Xin was not his first choice. Most royal children are precocious, and he was not some innocent little rabbit who only sought his mother's protection. Consort Xin had two sons and a daughter. It was said that her eldest son was quite favored by the Emperor. There was no need to take care of him, a prince who was disliked by the Emperor and could not enter the palace for many years.

He could easily understand what the Empress and Consort Hua meant; they both looked down on him.

If a high-ranking concubine cannot be found to be a mother, then one must find a favored one. Otherwise, even if she enters the palace, she will still not gain the Emperor's approval.

Thinking of this, a person came to mind. That day, when he knelt outside his father's palace to request an audience, he happened to see a beautiful figure. Eunuch Su was extremely polite to her. He figured that she must be his father's new favorite, named... Consort Wan!

——

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has just arrived." Xuexin turned around and went into the inner palace to Lü Yingfeng's bedside after the Fourth Prince's figure had completely disappeared from sight.

Lu Yingfeng was truly serious. She snuggled under a thick quilt in the summer, her pale face making her features appear even more delicate and bright. Unlike her usual radiant appearance, she looked like a sickly beauty from the West Lake.

No wonder the Emperor has been coming every day these past two days.

"I heard you." Seeing that no one was around, Lü Yingfeng stopped speaking in a whisper. "He has probably visited all the women of some status in the harem these past two days. I have three children. His visit is just a formality. There's no need to overthink it."

As the two were talking, they heard the voice of the maid Chunxi outside, mixed with faint sobs.

Lu Yingfeng raised an eyebrow in surprise, thinking to herself that she had really succeeded in faking her illness. She gave Xue Xin a wink and quickly and quietly crawled back into bed.

"Sister Chunxi, please help me pass on this message. I have a request to see the Empress. Please, Sister Chunxi, have mercy!" An Lingrong cried all the way to Louyue Yunkai. She had been crying for who knows how long. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was a mess. But she didn't care about that. She held Chunxi's hand tightly and begged her.

As expected of the young mistress, Chunxi couldn't simply brush it away, so she could only patiently explain, "Young mistress, our lady is truly too ill to get out of bed and can't see anyone. Please don't make things difficult for me, young mistress."

But An Lingrong was too panicked to listen to anything else. She hurriedly said, "My father is in trouble. The Emperor does not want to see me. I know that Your Highness has been ill these past two days. I will not disturb you. I only hope that Your Highness can see the Emperor and put in a good word for me."

Chunxi certainly couldn't make the decision on this matter, and he was in a dilemma when he heard a commotion in the inner palace behind him.

"Chunxi! What's all the commotion outside! Don't they know Her Majesty needs rest while she's ill?" Xuexin whispered, lifting the curtain to step out of the room. She was surprised to see who it was—"Oh, isn't this Consort An? What's wrong?"

An Lingrong released Chunxi's hand and grabbed Xuexin's hand, launching into another tearful tirade.

Xuexin had been listening at the door the whole time, and her mind was already perfectly clear, but she still feigned surprise and comforted her, "Please don't be sad, Miss An. I know what you're asking for, but I'm just a maid after all, and I can't make decisions for our mistress. Our mistress has been so ill these past two days that she didn't even know the Emperor had come. Alas—"

Understanding the implication, An Lingrong readily let go. If even Consort Xin was unwilling to help her, who else could she turn to for help?

Seeing her like this, Xuexin changed the subject and said, "How about this, I assure Consort An that I will keep this in mind, and I will report to Her Majesty as soon as she is feeling better, without any delay."

“But…” She gently patted An Lingrong’s hand and coaxed her, “Miss An should also think of other ways. Our Lady is still not clear-headed. It would be bad if she delayed the important matters of the young lady.”