The nightmare started again.
The raging fire, the charred corpses, the screams of her parents, and the tears of her younger siblings. The painful memories of her childhood would always resurface in her fear and anxiety.
This time, there are new pictures.
On the altar, a swaddled baby bit his finger and gazed obediently at the sky. Countless vines spread from all directions, climbing up the stone platform, wrapping around him and swallowing him, until his cries gradually subsided and blood began to flow.
"Child, my child!"
Wei Shuyi suddenly opened his eyes, sweating profusely.
The person guarding her was no longer Jing An or Wen Yu, but Xie Yanci, the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty.
"Your Majesty?" She subconsciously touched her belly and asked tentatively, "Is the child...still there?"
"Yes, you can rest assured."
His face was gentle, and he couldn't help smiling. He reached out and covered her cold little hand, patted it soothingly, and tucked the corner of the quilt for her.
If she had not been in the deep palace, she would have had the illusion that they were just an ordinary couple living together.
"You are always cautious in everything, so why are you so careless about your own body?" Xie Yanci leaned close to her, pretending to listen to the baby in her belly. "Thank goodness that the imperial concubine came in time, otherwise..."
Concubine Jin!
Wei Shuyi suddenly remembered that he had indeed seen her figure before his consciousness faded!
"I am not feeling well now and cannot stay at the hotel. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely come to thank you for saving my life."
"No need to go to such trouble, she's right outside." Xie Yanci cleared his throat, "Yang Mingrui, call everyone over."
"yes!"
Then, a group of palace concubines came to the inner hall of Sang Yuxuan, each with different expressions.
The Empress, who was in the lead, seemed to be in a bad mood and would always turn sideways to glare at the terrified Song Wanyi. Imperial Concubine Jin remained gentle and serene, her gaze mostly fixed on the Emperor, acting like a little girl.
As for Wang Changzai, she tiptoed several times to get over the obstruction of the tassels in front of her, trying to see Wei Shuyi's face clearly, but failed and could only worry.
"Sister Min! You've suffered so much!" Song Wanyi started crying again and crawled to the bed. "No matter how many mistakes I made, it's all my fault! I shouldn't have been provoked by that villain. I was so soft-hearted that I believed her words! How about this, when you feel better, you'll also beat me with a willow stick? I promise I won't talk back or fight back if she scolds me or hits me!"
"Tsk, Miss Wanyi is still claiming to be the daughter of an imperial official, claiming she must be better than Consort Min, who has no father or mother! How could she actually resort to such vulgar tricks in front of the Emperor?" Concubine Wang couldn't help but sneer, "Is Wanyi treating this place like a gambling den? Fighting and cursing among concubines is unbecoming!"
"Do you have the right to interrupt me when I'm talking to my sister? If you hadn't criticized my sister Min in front of me, how could I have made such a big mistake?"
Song Wanyi is still the same, good at avoiding the important issues and putting all the blame on others.
Xie Yanci listened to the two arguing and felt annoyed: "The imperial physician warned us not to make loud noises in front of Consort Min, so why are you the loudest?!"
"emperor?"
"What did Concubine Wang say that made you so angry that you murdered your sister? Huh?!"
Song Wanyi quickly lowered her head and replied softly, "Wang Changzai said that Sister Min often mocked my background in front of the palace ladies. She also mentioned that my rank was not high enough to sit in the main seat..."
"That's the truth."
Xie Yanci was too lazy to listen to this already tired rhetoric and directly issued an order: "Wanyi Song, your moral character is flawed! You have harmed the imperial concubines and refused to change despite repeated admonitions! You are now demoted to the rank of sixth-rank noble lady and moved to the west side hall of Lin'an Palace!"
"This, this..." The woman looked around in panic, but no one came to her rescue. "Your Majesty, the West Wing Palace is where Concubine Wang lives. If I go there, I'm afraid..."
"I heard that when Consort Min was being punished in the main hall, you protected her with your own body and took many lashes for her?"
Xie Yanci ignored Concubine Song and looked at Concubine Wang, who was at the end of the crowd, and asked in a gentle voice.
"Yes, I have had many disagreements with Lady Song. They are the result of accumulated disagreements over many days and have nothing to do with Consort Min. I did not want to drag others down because of my own mistakes, so I immediately accepted the whipping from Lady Song."
"Good, very good. If it weren't for you, the child I've been waiting for so long might have been in danger!"
Immediately afterwards, the emperor issued two more imperial edicts.
The first one praised Wang Changzai for protecting the heir to the throne and promoted her to the rank of Sixth Rank Talented Lady with the title of "Liang". The second one congratulated Wei Shuyi for being pregnant and promoted her to the rank of Seventh Rank Baolin with the title of "Xi".
Not only that, considering the deep sisterly love between the two, the emperor allowed the expansion of the East Side Palace and allowed the talented lady to live with her. The West Side Palace on the other side was reserved for Concubine Song.
If there was anyone who left Sang Yuxuan with a sad face, it must be the Queen and someone who was demoted.
Imperial Concubine Jin left with the Emperor. Sitting in the sedan chair, she softly congratulated him, "Your Majesty, since you ascended the throne, the first prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be born! I, your concubine, would like to announce this in advance..."
"It's a pity that it's not our child." Xie Yanci stopped her from finishing her words, lowering his eyes. The hand on her waist slowly moved to her flat abdomen. "I really hope that the eldest son is born by you. Yao'er is so smart, the child will naturally be no bad one."
When Concubine Jin heard this, the sadness and sorrow that she had been suppressing suddenly surged up.
The beautiful woman's eyes were blurred with tears as she leaned on his shoulder: "I really envy Min... No, it's Xi Baolin now. The emperor clearly spends a lot of time with me, but I am not as lucky as Xi Baolin. After just a few nights with him, he had an heir. Perhaps I am not blessed enough to have children, and I have disappointed the emperor..."
"How could I blame you? The matter of the royal heir is God's will." Xie Yanci kissed her forehead gently and continued to comfort her. "I arranged for the Imperial Hospital to diagnose you and prescribe the medicine. Have you taken it on time? After a period of recuperation, there will be some progress."
Imperial Concubine Jin nodded obediently, then asked timidly with a heavy nasal voice, "Xi Baolin has an heir, so... Your Majesty, should you spend more time with her from now on? If I continue to monopolize Your Majesty's palace, the Empress Dowager will probably be unhappy again..."
"Yao'er, I will try my best to visit her during the day. I will still come to your place for dinner and long nights to spend time with you. As for the Queen Mother, I will naturally evade her and not embarrass you, don't worry."
Being favored by the emperor is a blessing from heaven.
Now, he is willing to leave the concubine who is pregnant with the dragon seed and come to accompany her!
Only then did Concubine Jin stop feeling sad and gathered the tears in her eyes.
"Your Majesty is always so kind to me. I don't know how to repay you!"
"I did this willingly, and there's no need to repay."
"Then I will give Your Majesty even more love and affection. From now on, you must always stay by my side and never leave me. Okay?"
Xie Yanci lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and looked at the palace maids on the side of the corridor. For some reason, he thought of the figure who was busy sweeping outside Shoukang Palace.
He paused and said, "Okay."
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