The room was completely silent, an awkward silence that was hard to describe.
"Is Your Majesty feeling any better?" Xie Shiyu asked first.
"I'm much better." Qingying smiled and explained gently, "I caught a cold a few days ago and was so sick that I couldn't even get out of bed, so I couldn't see you all. I hope you won't mind."
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? There will be many days in the palace in the future, and we will have time to meet again. Nothing is more important than Your Majesty's health," Li Xiurong said with a smile, her face full of obvious flattery.
Everyone else was observing Liu Shushu's expression, and found that she seemed completely unmoved, sitting upright in her seat with a gentle expression.
She truly lives up to her title as Empress.
After Li Xiurong started, the others followed suit, saying a few nice words to flatter Qingying.
Suddenly, a loud announcement came from outside the door: "The Emperor has arrived!"
Everyone immediately straightened up and stood up to bow.
Wei Huaixu, dressed in a dragon robe, walked over. It seemed he had just finished the morning court session and rushed over. He didn't even glance at anyone else, but went straight to Qingying and personally helped her up.
"Didn't I tell you you didn't need to come and pay your respects? You've only just started to feel better, so don't catch a cold again."
Qingying smiled and comforted him, "Your Majesty, I know what I'm doing."
"What sense of propriety do you have? Last time I let you go to Yunshan Temple, you fell ill as soon as you came back. I still regret it to this day."
For a moment, everyone in the room except Qingying had different expressions on their faces.
How could the Emperor promote the Imperial Concubine before the Empress? I had long heard that the Emperor favored the Imperial Concubine, but I never imagined it would be so blatant. It's truly astonishing.
Liu Shushu's fingers, hidden in her sleeves, were almost raw from scratching. She never expected Wei Huaixu to embarrass her in public.
Wei Huaixu gently adjusted her cloak before helping Liu Shushu up, saying, "Your Majesty, you've worked hard."
He knew he was referring to the imperial concubine selection. Ever since the previous emperor advised Wei Huaixu to expand his harem, and he agreed to implement the selection, all matters were handled by Liu Shushu, while he himself was a hands-off manager, never showing his face from beginning to end.
"This is all I should do."
After Wei Huaixu took his seat, the others were able to stand up.
He casually glanced at the beautiful women in the room and said, "Indeed, the Empress has worked the hardest to fill the harem this time and deserves to be rewarded."
This time, Liu Shushu did not refuse and gladly accepted his reward. After all, she had indeed worked hard these past few days.
Wei Huaixu did not stay there for long. He only drank a few sips of tea before leaving with Qingying, leaving the beauties in the room looking at each other in bewilderment.
Liu Shushu was actually in a good mood at this moment. He dared to so blatantly favor Liu Qingying, not expecting how terrifying the jealousy of the women in the harem could be. With this commotion, Liu Qingying instantly became the target of everyone's criticism. From now on, she wouldn't even need to take action herself; someone else would naturally punish that little vixen for her.
——
Qingying wasn't stupid; she had also thought of this, and felt quite helpless.
"He's trying to kill me. I'm afraid that from now on, anything sent to my Baoyi Palace will be checked at least three times. Otherwise, who knows, a cup of water could cost me my life."
Tongxia said, "On the contrary, I think the Emperor is taking a very new approach. With such favoritism, even if they want to harm Your Highness, they will have to think twice."
Those young women who entered the palace carried the glory of their families. Gaining the emperor's favor meant boundless prestige, while losing it meant utter ruin. Naturally, no one wanted to be the first to step forward.
"Not bad, my little Tongxia is getting smarter and smarter."
"Your Highness is teasing me again." Tongxia covered her face shyly.
“Apart from Xie Shiyu, the other two are really low-key.” She was referring to the two candidates who had secretly exchanged letters with her.
"Among so many concubines, there must be some who belong to the Empress. Little do they know that Your Highness is the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
“She followed the entire talent show and knows the ins and outs much better than I do. She probably already knew that I was one of them, but she just couldn’t guess which one it was.”
"Who cares? Her Majesty is so intelligent, she will always find a way to deal with it."
Qingying tapped her head and scolded her with a smile, "You're so glib."
...
The palace is now bustling with activity.
Soon, Li Xiurong was the first to gain favor and received many rewards. She was already arrogant, and now she walked around without even bowing her head.
"This Lady Li was born into a noble family and was extremely noble. Among this group of young ladies, she and Consort Wan were the highest-ranking, so she was naturally very proud."
Qingying gently stroked the soft fur of the white deer in her arms and said softly, "Her spoiled nature is unparalleled in the palace, and her appearance is also outstanding. It's not surprising that she has won the emperor's favor."
Having seen too many identical gentle and virtuous noble ladies, a proud and passionate personality is more likely to stand out and attract attention.
"However, if such a personality is paired with a not-so-bright mind, it is easy for someone to use it as a tool."
Qingying's words proved prophetic.
Just a few months later, the seemingly peaceful appearance of the harem was ruthlessly shattered because Consort Du was pregnant.
Liu Shushu smashed a fine glass goblet bestowed by the emperor, gritting her teeth and saying bitterly, "It's been almost two years since Liu Qingying and I entered the palace and neither of us has conceived, yet she's already pregnant after only three months?"
She dreamed of giving birth to a legitimate son to secure her position as empress, but her wish remained unfulfilled. She even secretly threw away the fertility-enhancing medicine given to her by Wei Huaixu, preparing her own, but her belly remained flat. She had also suspected that Wei Huaixu might be the problem, secretly checking his pulse at night and finding him perfectly healthy. As for Liu Qingying, although she was always favored, her frail body clearly indicated she was destined for a small child, so she never worried about her.
Instead, they hoped Liu Qingying would get pregnant, because that would only hasten her death.
If Li Xiu Rong were pregnant, it would be fine, since she would still be one of her own. She could find a reason to transfer the child to her own name. But what she never expected was that the first one to get pregnant was Du Cai Ren.
Consort Du was born to a minor official of the fifth rank. As soon as she entered the palace, she rushed to curry favor with Consort Li and became her lackey, which was obviously the behavior of someone from a humble family.
Liu Shushu would never have looked down on her.
She closed her eyes briefly, then quickly made up her mind. She gripped the corner of the table tightly and whispered, "This child cannot be kept..."
Qingying was also very surprised to learn of this.
"She's pregnant so quickly? Her belly is really working hard."
An old nanny standing nearby said, "Du Cairen's big buttocks make her look like she's good at bearing children. In my rural hometown, young talents from all around would be vying for a girl like that."
"Huh? So, according to you, girls who can't lay eggs are unwanted in your rural areas?" a palace maid asked.
"That's not right either." The old nanny glanced at Qingying and said, "If someone is as beautiful as Your Highness, regardless of whether they can have children, just marrying them would be exciting enough."
Qingying was amused by her words, "What are you saying, Granny?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com