Chapter 170 An Lingrong 111
The emperor specially held a small banquet that day and only invited Lingrong, Zhen Huan, Chen Meizhuang and Ye Lanyi. Countless concubines in the palace bit their handkerchiefs in jealousy.
However, the four most popular people in the palace are all in a bad mood.
Lingrong just rolled her eyes and felt that the emperor had very consistent tastes, whether he liked him or not.
but……
Looking at Huipin, who had always been mediocre in favor but had regained the emperor's favor in the past two months, Lingrong silently picked up her round fan and smiled.
This is quite interesting. At first glance, of the four favorite concubines, three have lovers, and two of them are cuckolding him. It is rare for an emperor to be so successful.
"What are you thinking about, Rong'er, that makes you so happy?"
The emperor glanced at Lingrong, who was closest to him, and naturally noticed her cute look with curved eyebrows and eyes under the round fan, and immediately asked with a smile.
Seeing that everyone's eyes turned to her, and then glancing at the emperor who was laughing along for some unknown reason, Ling Rong stood up slowly and said, "I was just looking at Concubine Rou and Concubine Hui, and thinking back to the time when I first entered the palace, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional."
"I remember you were only sixteen when you first entered the palace. Hongyao has grown up in the blink of an eye. In another year or two, it will be time to discuss marriage."
The emperor was moved to tears when he heard her say this. Yesterday's young girl was now a married woman, and they had lived together for so many years.
Seeing this, Zhen Huan also joined in the joke. Seeing the emperor raise his glass, she also picked up her plum juice and was about to drink it when she heard Huipin across from her say with a smile: "I think the plum juice at Concubine Rou's is very appetizing. Your Majesty, please ask Concubine Rou for a bowl for me."
"You can drink, Su Peisheng, why don't you go and fill Huipin's glass."
Before Eunuch Su could pour the wine into his cup, Concubine Hui reached out to stop him: "I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I sent for Doctor Wen to take a look. I'm two months pregnant."
"Is this true?" the emperor asked subconsciously, then calculated the time and smiled. "It's indeed been two months. Great! There's another happy event in the palace. Su Peisheng, quickly go and replace the dishes on Huipin's table with the same ones on Concubine Rou's."
Lingrong and Ye Lanyi also congratulated her, but when Lingrong turned around, she found that the emperor was actually smiling at her, and seemed very satisfied with her.
After just a moment of thought, Lingrong realized that the Queen had been claiming to be ill and unable to go out during this period, and all the affairs in the palace were handled by her, Concubine Rou, and Concubine Jing. Coincidentally, Concubine Hui was pregnant.
Do you think she's better at managing things than the Queen? No way, when the Queen was in charge, many people got pregnant, even though it was after Lingrong gave her the prescription, and although few of them were able to give birth.
"The chrysanthemums in the palace bloomed early this summer. I was worried that it was a strange omen, but now it seems to be a sign of great joy." The emperor said this, but he was thinking about Lingrong in his heart.
In the past, the queen was in charge of the harem, but due to her weak health, she fell ill every now and then and was unable to manage the affairs.
Although the emperor knew it was difficult to tell the truth, it was certain that the empress was in poor health. Moreover, she was of Ulanara origin, so how could he be sure that the empress dowager would not join forces with her to try to control the imperial heir?
The Emperor had always let the Empress Dowager and the Empress run their own course in the harem, without any control, but because of this, he had no so-called trust in them. In the past, when they interacted with each other, he often treated the Empress Dowager as a person bound by interests and the Empress as an irreplaceable subordinate.
That's why he became increasingly dissatisfied with the Queen's management of the harem, especially in recent years, when it was simply a mess and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as a chaotic situation.
Now Lingrong is becoming more and more outstanding, and her son Hongyao is the one most like her in temperament among all the sons. The most important thing is that her mother's family has no power and everything she has is completely dependent on the emperor's favor.
Moreover, she has been taking care of the harem on and off for several years, and the harem is well organized. She can not only suppress everyone in the harem and make them behave themselves, but also clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments so that decisions can be communicated from top to bottom.
Apart from other things, just looking at the issue of offspring, she was infinitely superior to others. In addition to her own two sons and one daughter, Concubine Xiang's Wen Yi, Concubine Jing's Kang Jia, and Concubine Chun's eight-month pregnancy, each of them was more or less raised by her care.
After the banquet, the emperor was about to go to Suiyuxuan to accompany Huipin, but he heard Su Peisheng beside him say that the queen wanted to ask him to go to Jingren Palace for something.
"The Empress has been ill and bedridden for a long time and has not seen anyone for a long time. This time she has come to ask the Emperor to discuss something important." Huipin immediately said that she was fine and there was no need to worry about her.
"Then go back and have a good rest. I will come to see you tomorrow." The emperor patted her hand and then got on the sedan chair and left.
As soon as he entered Jingren Palace, he smelled a strong smell of medicine. The emperor frowned slightly and asked, "Is the queen's health still not better?"
"Although the Empress is ill, she still often asks about the Empress Dowager's health and Concubine Rou's pregnancy. Furthermore, after her illness, she had to leave the Imperial Concubine to manage the six palaces alone. The Empress always feels guilty and uneasy, which is why she has some relapses."
Jianqiu led the emperor into the inner chamber as she spoke. The empress lay on the bed with her brows furrowed, one hand still rubbing her solar plexus. Upon hearing the noise, she opened her eyes and said, "Jianqiu, the empress dowager... the emperor is here. Your concubine pays homage to the emperor."
Seeing that the queen had some difficulty getting up, whether it was true or not, he reluctantly reached out and held her down: "The queen is still ill, there is no need to salute."
"Your Majesty, I thank you very much." The Queen sat up and, holding her headband, said to the Emperor tenderly, "I just heard that Concubine Hui is pregnant?"
"The Queen is well-informed. Mei'er hasn't been pregnant for many years, and I didn't expect such a happy event to happen." The Emperor was indeed much happier when he mentioned this. "Speaking of which, when the three sisters entered the palace together, they all became pregnant one after another. The word fate is truly amazing."
"Yes, I am also very happy to hear such happy news. When I recover from my illness in a while, I will take good care of Concubine Rou and Concubine Hui's pregnancy..."
"The Empress's illness has been recurring over the years. In my opinion, it's because you've been worrying too much." The Emperor patted her hand before she could finish, and said with the same gentle concern, "I see that Rong'er has been with you in managing the affairs of the six palaces for many years, and now she is doing very well. It would be best for the Empress to recuperate for a while and recover her health in one go."
"...Your Majesty is right, but the Imperial Concubine has only a short time to manage the six harems alone, and she has a pair of children to take care of. I really..."
"This isn't a difficult matter. Hongmin is old enough. He won't be in the harem for a few more years and should go live with the prince. Yongan is well-behaved, sensible, intelligent, and filial. He has a lot of servants to take care of him on a daily basis. Rong'er won't have to worry about anything."
The emperor didn't even look at her. When he mentioned Lingrong, his eyes and eyebrows showed a genuine smile: "Besides, now that we have Concubine Jing and Concubine Rou to assist us, it will naturally not be a problem."
"Your Majesty is very thoughtful. Should Concubine Hui and Concubine Rou be entrusted to the care of the Noble Concubine for this pregnancy?"
Since I can't get the palace power for the time being, it's a sure win to take the opportunity to tear these forces apart.
"They are both the mistresses of a palace now, so Rong'er doesn't need to worry too much about them. But since she is in charge of the palace affairs, she should just take care of them according to the rules."
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