The task of selecting candidates fell to the Queen.
The Empress selected fifteen women to fill the harem. When she sent the list to the Emperor of Dongying for review, she overheard a minister kneeling on the ground saying, "Your Majesty, the princess sent by Northern Chu for a marriage alliance must have ulterior motives. You must not be fooled. Now is the best time to attack Northern Chu."
"Your Majesty, why not send the princess back to Northern Chu for the marriage alliance?"
"The dispatch of 50,000 troops from the southern border to conspire with the northern Chu must have been a long-planned scheme."
"Enough!"
A roar interrupted them.
"I know what I'm doing, there's no need to discuss it further."
Upon hearing this, the Empress withdrew, her expression somewhat complicated. As she turned around, she saw Consort Xian walking towards her. When Consort Xian saw the Empress, a mocking look appeared on her face: "Does Your Majesty know how our delicate and frail Consort Xian survived?"
The Empress's eyelids twitched.
"His Majesty dispatched envoys to Northern Chu at breakneck speed to sue for peace. The Crown Princess of Northern Chu possesses a rare medicine, and His Majesty promised never to set foot in Northern Chu for a year." With each word Consort Xian spoke, the Empress's face grew increasingly grim.
Having been married to the Emperor of Dongying for many years, how could she not know his ambitions? He had been planning to attack Bei Chu for many years.
Now is the weakest moment for Northern Chu.
A single strike is all it takes to win.
But the Emperor of Japan made a promise not to set foot there again for a year. What does that mean?
"How could this be?" the Empress asked in surprise.
Consort Xian raised her chin: "My father is at the border. He has been training for a long time and is just waiting for orders. But because of a word from the Empress, the Emperor compromised."
The Empress retreated repeatedly, knowing that there was no cure for the poison. She deliberately advised the Emperor of Dongying that, regardless of success or failure, the death of the Consort was not her fault, and the Emperor would respect her even more.
When the Imperial Concubine awoke, the Emperor of Dongying only told the outside world that the Fourth Prince had found a magic medicine, never mentioning that the medicine was obtained from the Crown Princess of Bei Chu.
"Your Majesty, you've really gone to any lengths to please the Emperor. Such virtue and magnanimity! On behalf of the entire army, I must thank Your Majesty on behalf of the Empress." Consort Xian looked at the Empress with disdain, her eyes seemingly insulting her as a fool!
The Empress remained silent, her face tense.
"It's one thing for a person to die, but now it's even worse. Her surname has been changed. Consort Xuanyuan... Isn't Your Majesty worried that one day the position of Empress will also be taken by someone else?" Consort Xian sneered.
"Enough!" the Empress interrupted.
At this moment, Chan'er rushed over and said to the eunuch at the door, "Please tell His Majesty that the Imperial Concubine wishes to see him."
"Miss Chan'er, His Majesty is discussing matters inside. I will convey the message once he is finished."
Chan'er nodded: "The Imperial Concubine has just been diagnosed with pregnancy."
The eunuch was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, turned around, and went inside to report.
The two people not far away saw this scene. The Consort Xian tightly gripped her handkerchief, while the Empress looked at Chan'er in disbelief, her face ashen.
"Our Imperial Concubine is truly blessed. She's gotten pregnant despite all this trouble. The Emperor must be heartbroken."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor of Japan abandoned everyone and hurriedly left.
They walked very fast.
Even when Consort Xian called from behind, it didn't stop.
Consort Xian bit her lip tightly, her eyes becoming meaningful. She glanced at the Empress, gave a cold snort, and strode away.
The Empress remained standing on the veranda for a long time without moving.
"Have I really done something wrong?"
The palace maid advised, "Your Highness, the child is still young. Your body is delicate and may not be able to withstand the pain of pregnancy. Besides, it is still unknown whether it will be a boy or a girl."
Upon hearing this, the Empress laughed again: "Yes, the harem has no shortage of bloodied and mangled imperial offspring."
Jingyang Palace
The Emperor of Dongying stood at the threshold, looking inside with a somewhat complicated expression. Linghu Ning was wearing a lotus-colored long dress, her jet-black hair casually draped over her shoulders. Broken sunlight shone through the window onto her face, making her delicate features appear even more exquisite.
Linghu Ning lowered her head and touched her lower abdomen, seemingly lost in thought.
Beside them, Physician Li was giving instructions.
She nodded from time to time, listening very attentively.
"Your Majesty's pregnancy is still in its early stages, so some tonics should be discontinued for now. Your humble servant will prescribe a new dose of medicine to stabilize the pregnancy."
"Thank you for your trouble, Physician Li."
"Your Majesty is too kind." Physician Li got up and walked out.
The Emperor of Japan waved his hand to excuse him from the formalities and asked in a low voice, "How is the Imperial Concubine's pregnancy?"
"Your Majesty, although the Imperial Concubine is in poor health, the child in her womb is very healthy."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Japan breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Physician Li said, "But the Imperial Concubine can no longer take those highly nourishing medicines. All medicines have some degree of toxicity. For the sake of the imperial heir..."
"You need not worry, everything is for the sake of the Imperial Concubine's health."
Physician Li understood and indicated that he complied.
"Your Majesty?" Linghu Ning's voice came from inside. She turned her head to look at the door, a bright smile on her face: "You've arrived!"
The Emperor of Dongying strode over in three quick steps and helped Linghu Ning up.
"The imperial physician examined my pulse today and said we're pregnant." Linghu Ning said excitedly, taking the Emperor of Dongying's hand and placing it on her lower abdomen: "Right here, I'm going to be a mother."
The Emperor of Dongying also smiled and said, "Ning'er, you've worked hard."
"How could that be? This is my first time being a mother, I'm too excited to even think about it." Linghu Ning suddenly grabbed the Emperor of Dongying's hand: "As a first-time mother, I don't know much. Your Majesty the Empress has given birth to children and raised them so well. May I ask Your Majesty for some advice?"
She leaned on the Emperor's shoulder: "I am a little scared. Although Physician Li is good, there are some things I still don't understand."
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