"Your Majesty, what about my child? Have you forgotten the old one since you have a new one?"
Consort Luo cried out, startling everyone present.
She's incredibly audacious; she actually dared to openly protest to the emperor.
As expected, Li Shengyuan's expression darkened, but considering that she had just experienced the pain of losing her son, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Instead, he ordered the execution of all the palace servants who were cleaning the Imperial Garden.
"It's all their fault for neglecting their duties! They didn't even bother to clean up the moss growing by the roadside, which led to the loss of my son! I demand that they pay for my son's life and avenge the Consort!"
Mi Shan frowned; she knew the fault lay not with the innocent palace servants.
They were just being used.
The real culprit is the Queen!
She wanted to kill Consort Luo's unborn child and, incidentally, use her to get rid of Consort Qin.
If a concubine in the harem is pregnant and she is unaware of it, the only person who can find out in advance is the Empress, who is in charge of the imperial records.
As for the palace maid, Mi Shan hurried past without even seeing her face clearly. Even if she spoke up, she wouldn't be able to identify her and would only expose herself to the Empress's scrutiny.
After careful consideration, he simply said:
"Wait, Your Majesty, isn't it too cruel to execute those palace servants? Consort Qin is pregnant now, and she probably can't bear to see bloodshed."
Since there was no way to change Consort Luo's fate, the only thing to do was to try something else and save another group of innocent people.
Consort Qin's eyes flickered as she looked at her. She knew that Mi Shan always liked to meddle in the affairs of these lowly servants.
Although those people's lives were cheap and could not be compared to the prince in her womb.
However, considering that Mi Shan had just offered a plan to save her, she decided to leave.
Qin Miaomiao finally spoke up: "Yes, Your Majesty, I'm terrified of so many lives lost..."
"If you're afraid, then we won't kill them! But while they may escape the death penalty, they can't escape punishment. Drag those palace servants away and give each of them fifty lashes, and deduct their salary for three years!"
Li Shengyuan waved his hand and gave the order in a cold voice.
With this, the matter came to an end.
Although Consort Luo harbored resentment, she refrained from saying anything further once the Emperor had given the order.
In stark contrast to her room filled with misery, Consort Qin was riding high, with a constant stream of people coming to offer gifts and congratulations.
The Jade Palace is always bustling with visitors, as lively as a market.
As a concubine of the palace, Mi Shan could not ignore her, so she offered a small greeting and went to the side hall to congratulate her.
Upon entering.
Consort Qin hurriedly stood up from her seat and was about to kneel down before her.
Murong Wan, who was standing next to her, was also very surprised.
"Thank you for saving me, sister. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived this ordeal and would have almost died along with the baby in my womb."
"Please rise, Consort Qin. It's all in the past, so let's not talk about such unlucky things."
"I'm sincere, sister. I was ignorant before and offended you a lot. I feel bad for not apologizing to you!"
With tears in her eyes, Consort Qin picked up the tray beside her, lifted the cloth, and saw that it was full of gold and silver jewelry, as well as gold.
"Sister, this is a small gift I prepared. I originally intended to deliver it to your palace in person, but I was simply too busy. Now that you've come first, I'll just go ahead and do it. Please do accept it."
Mi Shan didn't value these things much to begin with. She had already received many rewards, and resources were more attractive than money and silk.
But she still glanced at Xun'er and told her to accept it.
Then Xun'er took out a gift she had prepared beforehand: a pair of white jade discs with cloud patterns. The discs were flat and round with a hole in the center, and had a delicate and warm luster.
It implies the hope that they can eliminate their differences and live in harmony in the future.
Consort Qin understood Mi Shan's meaning at a glance, expressed her gratitude once more, and accepted the gift with tears in her eyes.
"It was all my fault before. I never expected my elder sister to be so magnanimous. Not only did she forgive me, but she also gave me a pair of white jade discs. From now on, my elder sister and I will be like these white jade discs, helping each other and growing together in this palace."
Mi Shan nodded: "It's good that my sister understands my feelings."
Upon hearing this, Murong Wan quickly chimed in, "If you don't mind, sister, there's still me. I've always been on good terms with Consort Qin. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know."
The three exchanged pleasantries.
When Mi Shan left, Murong Wan and Consort Qin saw her off.
"Your Majesty, do you think Consort Qin is sincere this time?" Xun'er couldn't help but ask, "She was so arrogant before, not taking Your Majesty seriously at all."
"Whether she's sincere or not, we still need to maintain a facade of harmony. Her father is the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the national treasury, while Murong Wan's father is the Minister of Justice. I believe they'll be useful in the future."
In this harem, having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy. There's no point in dwelling on the past; controlling resources is the most important thing.
"Your Majesty is right. Xun'er was thinking too little."
Speaking of this, Mi Shan couldn't help but think of Sister Xue again.
Although they entered the palace, they rarely interacted unless there was something going on.
It was during this spring outing that she was able to get close to Sister Xue and secretly take her pulse.
Finding no signs of pregnancy, it's likely that she and her fourth cousin were completely innocent before entering the palace.
So the tragic deaths of her and her unborn child in her previous life must have been caused by someone secretly pulling the strings in this harem.
As for who that person is... Mi Shanming's bright eyes darkened. There was a high probability that it was the virtuous empress who sat in a high position and was known for her gentleness and kindness.
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