The Empress Dowager agreed to exchange her life for Empress Song's.
Shen Wan didn't believe it, and Xie Jingyan didn't believe it either.
If the Empress Dowager really wanted Empress Song dead, even ten lives wouldn't be enough for her.
For the sake of Empress Song's life, she wasted the imperial pardon granted by the late emperor and spared Prince Jin, who wanted to kill the eldest prince. How could the Empress Dowager do something so disadvantageous?
Even a fool would know it's impossible.
But it's true that the Empress Dowager saved Xie Jingyin, and it's also true that she wanted Empress Song's life.
Shen Wan became increasingly curious about why the Empress Dowager wanted to kill Empress Song but spared Xie Jingyin.
It's just a pity that Consort Qi and Consort Liu lost their lives in vain.
Consort Qi's father and Consort Liu's brother knelt outside the Imperial Study, begging the Emperor to give their daughter and sister justice.
But the Emperor cannot provide justice for this.
The Empress Dowager intended to poison Empress Song, and it wasn't a random act. Moreover, the Empress Dowager only poisoned Empress Song's food and had no intention of harming Consort Qi or Consort Liu.
Empress Song repeatedly claimed that she did not know that the Empress Dowager had poisoned her food. She also admitted that she brought Consort Qi and Consort Liu with her to save her own life, and she felt guilty about the deaths of Consort Qi and Consort Liu.
Even if the three judicial departments were to conduct a joint trial, they still couldn't determine who should be convicted.
But it's unacceptable that Consort Qi and Consort Liu died of poisoning without giving their families an explanation.
The Empress Dowager and Empress Song clashed, and in the end, the Emperor had to clean up the mess.
The Emperor compensated the families of Consort Qi and Consort Liu by bestowing upon Consort Qi's father the title of Earl of Qinan and upon Consort Liu's elder brother the title of Earl of Gu'an.
This compensation is quite substantial.
It is well known that many concubines who entered the palace would implicate their families if they made mistakes. Consort Qi gave birth to a daughter who died before she was two years old, but she was promoted to the rank of Consort because of this. Consort Liu has been in the palace for six years and has not yet given birth.
He died a worthy death, having earned his father and brothers titles with his own life. However, whether these titles could compensate for the pain of losing his daughter and sister remains to be seen.
Well, the Emperor's bestowal of this title has put the civil and military officials in a rather difficult position.
Normally, when a minister is granted a title, a congratulatory gift is sent. However, since the Earl of Qinan and the Earl of Gu'an were granted titles because they had lost their daughters and sisters, whether or not to send a congratulatory gift became a problem.
Let's not send a gift; bestowing a title is, after all, a joyous occasion.
Send it. It's a bit naive to offer congratulations to someone whose daughter has died and who has lost her sister.
The civil and military officials decided to observe first and not be the first to act.
As a result, everyone thought the same way, and the Earl of Qi Nan and the Earl of Gu An became the only two people in the Great Chu Dynasty whose titles did not make any waves.
With the Empress Dowager ill, it would be inappropriate for Xie Jingyan and Shen Wan, as grandson and granddaughter-in-law, not to visit her in the palace. So, after breakfast, Xie Jingyan took Shen Wan to the palace.
Logically, Shen Wan, being six months pregnant, should not have entered the palace. However, everyone knew that Shen Wan's pregnancy was very easy. A few days ago, she went fishing and picnicking on the riverbank. When she went to visit the Empress Dowager, she couldn't leave the house, but no one believed it.
Upon arriving at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, Xie Jingyan helped Shen Wan into the carriage, and then got in himself.
Xie Jingyan was used to carrying Shen Wan to the carriage, but Shen Wan said, "My belly is big, I can sit by myself."
Xie Jingyan said, "The bigger the belly, the more she needs to sit in my lap. What if the horse gets startled and hurts herself and the baby?"
"I'm just holding you, I'm not doing anything."
The last sentence was tinged with a hint of sorrow.
The look in that eyes made Shen Wan realize that she had been judging a gentleman by her own petty standards.
Since the baby in her belly turned seven months old, Xie Jingyan had been restraining himself, afraid of hurting her and the baby. That day, when he was deeply in love, he suddenly remembered that the baby was seven months old. She felt that one more day would be fine, so Xie Jingyan endured it and took two cold showers that night without touching her.
Xie Jingyan sighed, "Three more months..."
Is there anyone in the entire capital like him, who has never had a full meal in all the time since getting married?
...It's not like she's never had a full meal; the one she did almost cost her son his life.
Shen Wan said, "They usually give birth after nine months of pregnancy."
Xie Jingyan looked at her, "Not going to observe postpartum confinement?"
Shen Wan, "..."
He figured out the days ahead.
Shen Wan remained silent.
The carriage entered the palace without any obstruction. Because Shen Wan was pregnant, it did not stop at the horse parking area, but at the place closest to the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace.
Shen Wan is carrying the emperor's eldest grandson, enough to control the emperor himself. If she oversteps her bounds even slightly, no one will dare to say anything.
After Xie Jingyan got off the carriage, he helped Shen Wan down, took her hand, and walked towards Shou Kang Palace.
Every palace maid and eunuch they encountered along the way couldn't help but glance at them, their eyes and hearts filled with envy.
Many princes and dukes have entered the palace, but none of them have ever walked hand in hand with their wives. However, everyone knows that Prince Ling dotes on his wife, so walking hand in hand is nothing unusual for him.
A passing palace maid covered her mouth and chuckled, whispering among herself, "Princess Ling was in labor, so Prince Ling took her place. Do you think it was Princess Ling who suffered more pain during childbirth, or Prince Ling?"
A palace maid standing nearby said, "You dare to make up stories about Prince Ling? Do you have a death wish?"
"I'm just a little curious," the palace maid said.
"It must be Princess Ling! How could Prince Ling bear the pain in her place?"
“But before Prince Ling, no one thought that morning sickness could be taken by one’s husband.”
"That's true..."
Fortunately, Xie Jingyan had gone far away and didn't hear the palace maids' gossip, otherwise he might have been unable to resist starting a massacre in the palace.
After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, we arrived at Shou Kang Palace. Just as we reached the entrance, we heard a series of "slap slap" sounds coming from inside.
They hit him very hard, it felt like they were trying to kill him.
It is unknown who angered the Empress Dowager and was punished with caning.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
