Chapter 178 An Lingrong 119
"Really?" The emperor now has quite a few children, but when it comes to princes, the only ones who can be mentioned are the two princes born to Lingrong. The others always have some obstacles in terms of qualifications and background.
What's more, Jinpin is from the Fucha clan. Although she is not favored, this child is different.
"It's been more than three months, but she didn't recover from a miscarriage before, so it was only recently diagnosed. I also checked Tong Shi, and there's nothing wrong."
"Okay, go tell her to rest assured and take care of the baby. Once she gives birth to the heir, I will..."
Having said this, the emperor paused.
"Your Majesty?" Ling Rong looked at him strangely, "But what's wrong?"
"Just now the Queen asked me to come over and said that Concubine Zhen is also pregnant and she has asked for the grace to be made a concubine for her." The Emperor threw the book in his hand on the table, frowning, obviously having a headache.
Ling Rong pretended to count with her fingers and frowned, "In this way, all four corners of the imperial concubine position are complete. But Jinpin..."
"Alas, the Queen said that there have been disturbances in the palace recently, and the Queen Mother has been ill for a long time. Some happy events should be suppressed. Besides, there are many concubine positions in the harem, so it is better to have all four corners complete." The emperor pinched his brows. He did not expect that time would be so tight.
It would be fine if other concubines were pregnant, but there are three pregnant and giving birth in the palace now. Huipin has been promoted to Huifei, Zhenpin is also going to be promoted to concubine, and even Shi, who was born in a bondservant family, has been promoted to concubine.
Could it be that Fu Cha, who was a prominent figure in the military, was pregnant, but they just stood aside and did nothing?
Ling Rong nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Seeing that the emperor seemed to be in a state of distress, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is quite right. I came to see Your Majesty because I was thinking about the many things that have happened in the palace recently. Although they have all been settled, it is not a good idea to keep people in a state of panic."
"In fact, there are many concubines in the palace who are more virtuous and experienced than me. Moreover, as the years go by, there are only a few elderly people left in the palace. I dare to ask for mercy for them."
The emperor thought about it and felt that this method was feasible. He reached out and helped Ling Rong up: "It is true that I have not conferred a grand title on the six palaces for a long time. It is indeed remiss of me that the Empress did not mention it."
"In my early years, I wronged Concubine Jing, so I will appoint her as a noble concubine and honor her with you. Concubine Jin will be appointed as Concubine Jin, and Concubine Xin and Concubine Chun have served me for many years, so they will also be promoted to concubines."
"As for the Imperial Concubine..." The Emperor closed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. He pondered for a long time before speaking: "I prefer you."
Ling Rong knelt down hurriedly: "I am now a noble concubine, all thanks to the emperor's great grace. How can I be worthy of the title of Imperial Noble Consort? Your Majesty, please choose another concubine with outstanding virtue to occupy this position."
The emperor thought a lot. After that incident, Zhen Huan's position could not be changed no matter what. He still had doubts in his heart.
Concubine Duan would have been a good match, but the baby Shi in her palace was still pregnant and the gender was unknown. If it was a boy... Although her mother's family had fallen on hard times, they still held an exceptional status among the military commanders.
Only Lingrong, as she said, relied on herself for everything she and her mother's family had earned. Her mother's family was weak, and her eldest son was young, which made the old men of the previous dynasty unwilling to invest in them.
Didn't you see that old man Ma Qi only married off his younger brother Ma Wu's daughter? Anyone with a discerning eye could see he was just taking precautions. Especially recently, he'd been arguing with Ortai about the succession of the Third and Fourth Princes.
Well, Ma Qi supports the establishment of the eldest son as the heir.
"I have made up my mind. Apart from you, I cannot trust anyone else in the palace." Seeing Lingrong trying to refuse, the emperor simply took her hands and said, "I know you just want to live a peaceful life. Is it okay for you to do this for me?"
Ling Rong then remained silent, lowered her head and replied softly: "Okay..."
On the day of the Grand Conferral of the Six Palaces, the Queen sat on the throne, with Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort Jing, Consort Jin, Consort Zhen, Consort Hui, Consort Ning, Consort Chun, and Consort Xin kneeling below her in order. She could hardly hold back a smile, but when she looked around, she was shocked to realize that all the main seats in the palace had been given to An Lingrong and Zhen Huan.
Apart from the useless Concubine Zhen, she is almost left alone.
The bright yellow court gown on Lingrong stung her eyes. The emperor's decree clearly stating that the Imperial Noble Consort was in charge of all the affairs of the six palaces made her even more uneasy.
She only has the throne of Queen, and no one can covet this position. She will never allow it!
Until the end of the enthronement ceremony, Jingren Palace returned to its former silence. Yixiu still sat on the throne in the posture of a queen, so lonely and so... pitiful.
At least that's what Jianqiu saw.
The situation in Chengqian Palace was completely different. Concubine Jing, Concubine Jin and Concubine Xiang were sitting in the hall in turn, smiling and congratulating Lingrong again.
"Why isn't Concubine Rou here on the day of Her Majesty's wedding?" Xiangpin asked casually, attracting everyone's attention.
Lingrong looked at her newly painted nails and didn't reply. Seeing this, Xiangpin fell silent and the others also tacitly skipped over the sentence and moved on to other topics.
"Hey, that Lady Shi seems to be very favored recently?" Now that Concubine Jin has left the Queen, she is not as gloomy as before. When she mentioned Lady Shi, she made a face with an ambiguous expression.
Imperial Concubine Jing patted her with her fan and said, "As a newcomer, isn't it normal for her to be favored?"
"If she were a stunning beauty, it would be fine, but we've all seen that Miss Shi by Concubine Duan's side before, not to mention she's pregnant now."
Concubine Jin curled her lips, as if to imply that the emperor had strange tastes.
Imperial Concubine Jing rolled her eyes at her and turned away, saying, "You're getting more and more crazy. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Tsk, we are all old-fashioned people, why are we still afraid of this?" Although she said so, Concubine Jin did not continue and talked to Concubine Xiang about her reactions during pregnancy.
The three of them didn't mention Zhen Huan at this time, fearing that Ling Rong might have something on her mind.
But in fact, her relationship with Zhen Huan is now closer.
The two of them are now like the leaders of two factions in a large company. They have secretly reached an agreement to join forces to kill the second-in-command of the company, but they cannot let the first-in-command find out, so as not to arouse the boss's suspicion.
So on the surface, they can only pretend that they have run out of money and are leaving.
After everyone had left, Lingrong was still sitting there. After a while, Xiangpin came back quietly.
"What do you think?" Ling Rong fiddled with the teacup in her hand without looking at her expression.
Xiangpin was obviously hesitant, but thinking of her background and her growing daughter, she gritted her teeth and said, "It's up to the Imperial Concubine to order."
"That's the Cao Qinmo I know." Lingrong finally looked her in the eye. "Wealth and honor are achieved through risk. Even with Concubine Jin's family background, she still had to plan her own way to become a concubine. You should understand this principle even more."
"Your Majesty is right. Wen Yi and I have relied on your care for so many years, so it is natural that we should serve you now."
The blood-red sunset shone in Xiangpin's eyes, igniting another fire that was difficult to extinguish.
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