Chapter 59 Unless it's urgent, I won't bother you.
Consort Rong… Shen Yujiao’s heart tightened, and she quickly asked, “What’s wrong with Consort Rong?”
With the emperor's child on her back, the emperor's favor, and the residence of Fu Hui Palace, Consort Rong is now almost unrivaled in the palace. However, judging from Yong'an's reaction, it is clearly not the case.
Hearing Shen Yujiao's question, Yong'an only cried harder. Although Shen Yujiao was anxious, she dared not urge her, and could only comfort her again and again: "Sister-in-law is here, Yong'an, don't cry, tell sister-in-law what's wrong..."
Perhaps because she had been suppressing her emotions so much, Yong'an almost cried herself unconscious in Shen Yujiao's arms. She cried until she was completely exhausted and collapsed into Shen Yujiao's arms, her voice still weak and sobbing: "Sister-in-law, Mother, I'm afraid she's not doing well."
"Do you know anything?"
“Hmm,” Yong’an nodded, but seemed particularly hesitant, as if he didn’t know how to say it: “Mother is pregnant, but she’s not feeling well.”
Shen Yujiao thought it was something serious, so she comforted her, "That's a normal reaction for pregnant women. Every mother experiences pain and difficulty when giving birth. When Yong'an was in Rong Jieyu's belly, Rong Jieyu was also uncomfortable."
"No!" Yong'an's head was practically spinning. Although she couldn't explain it clearly, she knew it wasn't what Shen Yujiao said. She stubbornly kept repeating "It's not like that," which made Shen Yujiao take the matter seriously.
After comforting Yong'an, who had cried herself into a deep sleep, Shen Yujiao turned and left the west side hall. Just as she stepped out, she bumped into Zhiyuan, who was also going out. Shen Yujiao gestured for Mujin to step forward and stop her, then went over to Zhiyuan and asked, "Is Mother still busy?"
Zhiyuan curtsied to Shen Yujiao and replied, "Yes, all the officials from various departments have come to Kunyi Palace today, and Her Majesty is still busy."
"Alright, since Mother is busy, I won't bother you any longer. His Highness the Crown Prince had some local gifts bought on his trip, so I'll trouble Aunt Zhiyuan to deliver them to him."
“Yes,” Zhiyuan said with a smile as she took the brocade box from Mujin, her eyes crinkling with laughter. “Your Majesty will surely be pleased.”
“There is one more thing,” Shen Yujiao lowered her voice slightly, “Among these, there are a few that I prepared for all of you sisters-in-law. Since I am going to the palace today, I was thinking of sending a copy to Consort Rong as well. I just don’t know if it is possible to enter Fuhui Palace now?”
As expected, when this matter was mentioned, Zhiyuan's smile froze, but she quickly adjusted herself: "If Your Highness wishes to go, of course you may, but Consort Jieyu is currently pregnant. If Your Highness goes, please do not stay long, lest something goes wrong and you are framed by someone with ulterior motives."
"Of course, thank you for your guidance, Aunt." Zhiyuan hurriedly said that she didn't dare, bowed and watched Shen Yujiao leave.
Fu Hui Palace was very close to Kun Yi Palace. Shen Yu Jiao didn't even ride in a sedan chair and quickly arrived at the gate of Fu Hui Palace. Mu Jin stepped forward and knocked on the door. Before she could explain her purpose, the little eunuch guarding the gate respectfully said, "Please go back, Your Excellency. Our master is not feeling well today and will not be receiving guests."
Mu Jin frowned and said, "Our mistress is Her Highness the Crown Princess."
Upon hearing the title of Crown Princess, the person inside was clearly stunned. Then, after a rustling sound, the door was opened from the inside, and a young eunuch hurriedly bowed: "This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Princess. May Your Highness be well. Our master is waiting in the inner room. This servant will take you in right away."
Although she was respectful, Mu Jin was still displeased. Not to mention that Consort Rong had not yet been granted the titles of Zhaoyi or Guifei, even after she was granted the titles, she would still have to pay her respects to their prince. But now Consort Rong did not come out to greet him, and even waited for their prince to come in to meet her. This was truly a breach of etiquette and respect!
Shen Yujiao was unaware of what Mu Jin was thinking. She didn't take this small matter to heart. Instead, she was worried because of what the little eunuch said. She walked to the inner room and sure enough, she saw Rong Jieyu, who looked pale. When she saw her coming, she made a move to get up and greet her.
"No need to get up, no need to bow," Shen Yujiao quickly pressed the person down. Seeing Rong Jieyu's pale face, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"No wonder Yong'an was so worried about you. You're pregnant now, why do you look so unwell? Didn't you call the imperial physician to come and take a look?"
"It's really troubled for the Crown Princess to make this trip," Consort Rong said in a hoarse voice. "It's all my fault for making Yong'an worry."
Although she was now a favored concubine, Consort Rong remained as respectful as ever in front of Shen Yujiao. A bitter smile played on her lips: "Yong'an must have been quite uneasy these days..."
"What exactly happened?"
“Your Highness,” Consort Rong raised her hand to her lower abdomen, her smile bitter, “This child cannot be born. Her Majesty the Empress summoned the imperial physician for me, and the physician said that the child would not live past four months.”
Shen Yujiao recalled what Chu Rou had told her this morning: Rong Jieyu's pregnancy was only reported to the emperor because she had passed the first three months of danger. Now, it's almost four months along.
Seeing Shen Yujiao's suspicions, Rong Jieyu explained, "This child is currently being kept alive by the imperial physicians who come every day to administer acupuncture and nourishing herbal soups, but even so, I'm afraid he won't last much longer."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao carefully observed Rong Jieyu's face. No wonder she looked so pale. This kind of pregnancy care was actually the child absorbing the mother's essence and blood. The imperial physician and medicine could only provide assistance.
What are your plans?
"Of course I can't let it go to waste, but right now the concubines in the palace are avoiding me like the plague. Even if I wanted to do something, I have no way to do it..." At this point, Consort Rong paused, "I would also like to trouble Your Highness to tell Princess Yong'an that I am fine, that I am almost recovered and that I am not feeling so bad anymore."
Seeing how difficult it was for her to speak, Shen Yujiao couldn't bear to stay any longer. Before leaving, she gave her some advice: "Your health is the most important thing. Don't damage your health for anything else. As long as you're healthy, you can always make a comeback. But if you lose your health, you'll really have nothing left. Always think about Yong'an."
After saying that, Shen Yujiao got up and left Fuhui Palace. She was worried that if she stayed any longer, she would be unable to resist giving advice on other things. If that ruined the Empress and Consort Rong's plans, then it would all be for nothing. She looked up at the sky enclosed by the golden eaves and felt somewhat relieved.
I'm glad Jiang Chen is just the Crown Prince, and I'm glad I didn't enter this palace. Compared to the Eastern Palace, this place is the real den of iniquity.
Before leaving the palace, Shen Yujiao went to check on Yong'an again. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, she did not disturb her. Instead, she turned to Shi Yang, who was beside Yong'an, and said, "When the princess wakes up, tell her that Consort Rong is much better and that she doesn't need to worry."
"yes."
Shi Yang's original name was Qiu Lan. She was originally a person by the Empress's side. Because Princess Yong'an was now being raised by the Empress, the Empress entrusted her to Zhi Yuan for training and even gave her this name. Therefore, Shen Yu Jiao was not worried about the news being leaked when facing Shi Yang.
After giving her instructions, Shen Yujiao left the palace. Consort Rong and the Empress had their own plans. She did not want to get too involved in the palace intrigues. Her most urgent task now was to discuss the affairs of the court with Jiang Chen. However, as soon as she left the palace gate, her carriage was blocked on the way.
"Mujin, go and ask what's going on. Are you stuck with the officials who just finished court? If so, we can take a longer route instead of wasting time here."
Shen Yujiao sent Mu Jin off the carriage to inquire, while she herself recalled what Chu Rou had said this morning about the movements in the northern border, as well as the news the Empress had told her about the construction of the river. If Jiang Chen could seize these two opportunities, he might be able to take the opportunity to investigate the Ministry of Revenue's affairs back then.
"Knock knock knock—" Several knocks came from the outside of the carriage. Shen Yujiao came back to her senses and asked, "Did you find out? Is there a blockage ahead?"
But after she asked, she didn't hear Mu Jin's reply. She listened carefully and could only hear the noise of carriages passing by outside. So Chen Yujiao lifted the sedan curtain and slightly rose to look out: "Mu Jin..."
Before she could finish speaking, the words caught in her throat. Prince Huan stood outside the carriage with his hands behind his back, blocking all outside views. He looked down at Shen Yujiao and said in a deep voice, "I have something to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao fell silent for a moment. If it were before, she would probably have glared at Prince Huan and then ordered the carriage to leave immediately. However, after visiting Jiangnan and learning about Prince Huan's past, she found it difficult to treat him that way.
With a soft sigh, Shen Yujiao avoided his gaze and looked straight ahead, "Let's talk about it here."
Jiang Yu looked around at the surroundings. The long street was at its noisiest time of day, and the sighs were drowned out by the noise. He said in a gentle voice, "It is something important. Otherwise, I would not have bothered you."
“Since it is an important matter, I am afraid I cannot make a decision on my own. This is not a suitable place to talk. Why don’t you find a quiet place to talk to the Crown Prince? After all, I am his wife and he will tell me when he returns to his residence.”
Almost as soon as Shen Yujiao finished speaking, Jiang Yu immediately said, "This concerns Ziwang, we can't wait."
It must be said that when Jiang Yu brought up He Zhiju, Shen Yujiao did hesitate a bit. The long street was crowded with people, and she couldn't ask Prince Huan to come up and talk to her. She couldn't go to public places either, and returning to the East Palace would be even more troublesome. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Tianxiang Tower is just around the long street ahead. I'll trouble Prince Huan to go and reserve a private room first."
Seeing that she was willing to talk, Jiang Yu readily agreed and turned back to the carriage of the Prince Huan's residence. As soon as Shen Yujiao lowered the carriage curtain, Mu Jin returned to the carriage with an uneasy look on her face.
"Your Highness... King Huan forbade me from speaking up to remind you."
Seeing her remorseful look, Shen Yujiao didn't say anything. Others might not have said anything, but Mu Jin knew about the relationship between Miss Shen and Prince Huan, so it was understandable that she was in a difficult position. Therefore, she didn't say anything more.
Seeing that their princess hadn't spoken for a long time, Mu Jin thought that Shen Yujiao was angry with her. She knelt down alone with her head down, feeling regretful and ashamed. Shen Yujiao looked up and glanced at her, somewhat helplessly: "Prepare a veil for me. I'll be going to Tianxiang Tower with you later."
"Yes!" Mu Jin smiled again when she heard her speak, but she couldn't smile anymore after accompanying the Crown Princess into the private room.
“Your Majesty, you can speak now.”
As soon as Shen Yujiao sat down, she went straight to the point. Jiang Yu was not angry at her attitude. Instead, he pushed the teacup in front of Shen Yujiao forward and said, "This is the pre-rain Longjing tea that I stored here. It's your favorite drink."
The aroma of tea wafted out from the lid of the teacup. Shen Yujiao lowered her eyes slightly. Miss Shen preferred Longjing tea before the rain, but she loved drinking Lushan Yunwu tea.
"Tell me what's wrong, brother?"
Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Jiang Yu did not force her. He replied in a low voice, "This month, the Northern Di led troops to launch a surprise attack on the Northern Border Camp. General Qi, the commander of the camp, led the heavy cavalry to fight back, but he disappeared halfway and there is still no trace of him. The military camp has sent a message back, and it should be reported to the capital soon."
“Ziwang was trained by General Qi. If he knew this news, he would definitely ask to return to the Northern Border. But he has military duties to attend to now, so he probably can’t go back. Besides, even if he does go back, he will probably face a life-or-death situation. You and I both know his temperament. If we don’t tell you this in advance, I’m afraid that when the news gets back, there won’t be anyone who can persuade him.”
After hearing what he said, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but glance at Prince Huan. This man not only knew the military situation like the back of his hand, but also had a deep understanding of He Zhiju. No wonder he had such a high status.
If this news is true, then it is indeed a thorny problem. Shen Yujiao calmed down and thought it over carefully. She felt that what King Huan said made sense. This time, she had to stop He Zhiju.
Just as she was deep in thought, she heard a familiar voice outside, and then the door to the private room was opened from the outside: "Brother, what is it that you cannot tell me? Why did you bring your wife here after court?"
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