Chapter 49 Go see the Queen make a fool of herself.

Jiang Nan waved his hand dismissively, then opened his mouth to take a grape that Chunlan offered, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Oh dear, it's only been a short time. What's the rush? I'm only sixteen, still young. Even if I give birth at twenty, it's still not too late."

Having a baby? That sounds like a lot of trouble... but having a soft little bundle to play with doesn't seem so bad, does it?

She was making plans in her mind, but there was something readily available right now.

After Sister Wang gives birth, she can play with it. It shouldn't be a problem, as long as she's careful when playing with it.

With that thought, she was even less anxious.

She pointed to Chunlan beside her, her tone resolute.

"With the miraculous doctor Chunlan here, my health is perfectly fine. If it's not meant to be, it's just that our time hasn't come yet. You can't force it, so there's no rush."

Wang was somewhat worried for her and lowered her voice.

"Sister, that's not how it works. The Emperor's harem is getting bigger and bigger, and this selection of ladies has brought in many young and beautiful women. Who knows, the Emperor might forget about you once his novelty wears off. If you want to have a child then, it might be difficult. You should hurry up while the Emperor's favor is still strong."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan not only didn't feel anxious, but instead burst out laughing.

She sat up straighter, her face displaying an almost arrogant confidence, and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Sister, you're overthinking things. I'm Consort Jin now, a consort, understand? Whether I have a prince or not isn't that important to me. If I really want a child, I can raise it for fun. When the Empress gives birth to her precious legitimate son, I'll beg the Emperor to take him in and raise him, won't I?"

"puff--"

Wang was taking a sip of water when she was so shocked by this earth-shattering remark that she spat out the entire mouthful of water.

He choked and coughed repeatedly, his face turning red, staring at Jiang Nan with a mixture of shock and anxiety.

"Sister, what... what nonsense are you spouting? How can you say such things? What will happen if the Empress hears this?"

Jiang Nan looked at Wang Shi, who was terrified out of her wits.

He was overjoyed and lay down on the couch, laughing heartily.

"Hahaha... Sister, you're too easily scared. I was just teasing you."

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Just then, the chief eunuch Zhao Deyi hurriedly entered from outside the hall.

His face held a strange expression, as if he had encountered trouble, yet also seemed somewhat excited.

He walked quickly to the bedside, bowed, and whispered.

"Your Majesty, something has happened."

Jiang Nan stopped laughing, casually wiped away the tears that had come out of her eyes, and asked lazily.

"Hmm? What's going on? Which fool has messed with our Yongshou Palace again? You handle it as you see fit. If there's anything you can't handle, I'll cover for you."

That tone was exactly like that of a fiercely protective female gangster.

Zhao Deyi felt a warmth in his heart; he loved his master's fierce protectiveness.

He quickly replied, "Thank you, Your Highness. However, this time it wasn't that anyone dared to offend our Yongshou Palace. It was...it was that something went wrong in the ladies' quarters near Chuxiu Palace."

"A concubine?"

Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow, showing some interest.

"What? What kind of trouble can a bunch of young girls cause? Are they fighting?"

Zhao Deyi's lips twitched slightly.

Her Majesty's focus is truly unique.

He cleared his throat and reported.

"Your Majesty, it wasn't a fight, but... it might be a bit more troublesome than a fight. A servant came to report that two young ladies-in-waiting got into an argument by the pond in the Imperial Garden, and as a result... they both fell into the pond."

"They all fell into the water?"

Jiang Nan's eyes lit up, and she unconsciously sat up straighter.

Wow, a live version of the classic palace intrigue drama of falling into the water and being framed?

Zhao Deyi continued.

"The key thing is that now that the two of them have been rescued, they are blaming each other, each insisting that the other pushed them into the water, and they are arguing fiercely right now."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan immediately perked up.

His face showed an excited expression, as if he was finally going to have some fun.

She immediately pressed, "Has the person in Kunning Palace found out about this?"

"With such a commotion, Kunning Palace must have received the news immediately. This servant estimates that Her Majesty the Empress is probably already on her way there!"

Zhao answered confidently.

"Very good."

Jiang Nan clapped her hands and jumped off the chaise longue.

His movements were so swift and decisive, a far cry from his previous lazy demeanor.

She excitedly said to Wang, who was still catching her breath.

"Sister, you should stay in the palace and take good care of your pregnancy. Don't go anywhere. I need to hurry to the Imperial Garden to see what's going on... ah, I mean, to supervise the Empress's handling of the case."

She asked Fangruo to quickly tidy up her somewhat disheveled clothes and hair.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

"Doesn't the Empress always boast about her virtue and impartiality? I want to see with my own eyes how she will resolve this unsolved case. If she dares to muddy things up, or fabricate a false case, or show favoritism and bully someone, hmph... I'll have a perfect excuse to give her a good scolding right there and then. At such a crucial moment, I must be there to keep a close eye on her."

Her tone was almost overflowing with schadenfreude and a desire to stir up trouble.

Looking at her like this, Wang felt both amused and helpless, and could only offer some words of advice.

"Sister, you...you should really tone it down, after all, that's the Empress..."

"I know, I know, I know what I'm doing."

Jiang Nan gave a perfunctory reply and walked out of the hall like a gust of wind, giving instructions as she went.

"Zhao Deyi, Fangruo, Chunlan, come with me to take a look. We'll go and protect Her Majesty the Empress and uphold justice in the harem."

The group from Yongshou Palace was led by Consort Jin.

They rushed towards the crime scene in the Imperial Garden with great enthusiasm.

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The atmosphere was tense by the pond in the Imperial Garden.

The afternoon sun of autumn shines on the shimmering lake, where plump red carp swim leisurely.

This contrasted sharply with the tension on the shore.

Two young women, soaking wet, with disheveled hair and pale faces, were kneeling on the ground, trembling.

I don't know if it was from the cold or from being scared.

Empress Hesheli sat upright in a rosewood armchair brought by the eunuchs, her face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

She had just finished listening to their accusations and had already made up her mind.

The reason is simple: one of the women involved was a concubine.

It was Dai Jiashi, whom that bitch Jiang Nan had tested with a cat during the talent show a few days ago and who was then specially recommended to stay.

Since this Daijia clan has become involved with Guarjia Jiangnan, we can't let her go.

The Empress didn't bother to distinguish right from wrong; anyone associated with Jiang Nan was acceptable.

She felt disgusted just looking at it and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

She didn't care at all who the other concubine belonged to, or whether Lady Daijia had been wronged.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning agitation, and tried her best to maintain the dignity of the Empress.

He spoke calmly and delivered his verdict directly.

“Dai Jia’s behavior is improper, and she even dares to falsely accuse others. Guards—send her to the Department of Punishment.”

"Wait!"

A clear, slightly lazy, and mocking voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the Empress's words.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Consort Jin, Jiang Nan, leading a group of palace maids and eunuchs.

They walked over with light steps, yet with an undeniable air of authority.

She didn't even get close before she started speaking, her words raining down on the Empress like a machine gun.

"Your Majesty, the matter hasn't been clarified yet, the cause and effect, the witnesses and physical evidence have all been ignored, and you're already rushing to a conclusion and sending the person directly to the Censorate? Isn't your judgment on this case a bit too stupid and muddle-headed?"