"The Emperor is about to drink. If you're not afraid of dying, you can keep hiding it. Wait until I report back to the Emperor, and see if you're still so arrogant." Mei'er no longer took Fang'er seriously, even though they had entered the Qianqing Palace together and were as close as sisters back then.
Seeing that Mei'er was adamant, Fang'er knew that she couldn't argue with her now, so she could only say, "Over there."
Mei'er successfully found Taiping Houkui tea, cooked it for Kangxi, and then carried the tea to the West Warm Pavilion.
"Pah! Shameless thing! So what if she climbed into the emperor's bed? She's still just a maid who serves tea and water. Does she think she's some kind of noblewoman?" Fang'er spat at the closed door and said resentfully.
"Sister Fang'er, it seems like she's deliberately preventing you from serving the Emperor, afraid you'll steal her position," Xiaoying said.
"Hmph, just wait and see, let's see how many more days she can keep jumping around in front of the Emperor," Fang'er said.
The palace banquet in the Imperial Garden was drawing to a close, and the high-ranking officials, one by one, took their leave with their wives. After all, it was getting late, and they needed to leave the palace early, unlike the princes who could stay and rest in their mothers' palaces.
People of Lanqin's status naturally left the table first, following Consort De. The Fourth Prince and the other princes would stay until the end, essentially acting as Kangxi's representatives to entertain the officials.
Consort De told Lanqin and Lady Wanyan to stay overnight at Yonghe Palace and not return, so they wouldn't have to come back early the next morning. Xinyi naturally went to Consort Cheng's side hall to rest, while Lanqin returned to the room Consort De had arranged for her. After returning to Yonghe Palace, she first went to check on the younger servants who hadn't gone with her, and only after confirming that everything was alright did she feel relieved enough to go to her own room to rest.
The Fourth Master didn't return until Lanqin had rested. He simply washed up briefly with the help of the maids before crawling into Lanqin's bed.
The night in the Forbidden City was exceptionally quiet, but in this tranquil moonlit night, two dark figures could be seen moving swiftly along the palace path. The woman in front wore a dark cloak, and a woman who appeared to be a palace maid followed closely behind her.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince himself is in dire need of protection, so why do you still place your hopes on him?” Mo Yun followed behind Zheng Chunhua. They had now arrived at the back gate of Chonghua Palace, the place where she and the Crown Prince used to meet in secret.
“Mo Yun, the Crown Prince is in a difficult situation, and I am powerless to help him. At least I can’t cause him any more trouble. The child in my womb must be aborted, otherwise, if others find out, the consequences will be unimaginable. The Emperor will definitely threaten my entire clan to find out where the child in my womb came from. At that time, I’m afraid I will have no choice but to reveal the Crown Prince.” Zheng Chunhua’s period was three weeks late.
"Master, why did you go to Zhesi Gate that day? We were almost overheard by Consort De's daughter-in-law," Mo Yun said.
“I heard that if you make the opposite prayer at the Zhesi Gate, you will miscarry. I had no other choice; I couldn’t get abortifacients from the Imperial Physician’s Office, so I had to do it,” Zheng Chunhua said. She was carrying the Crown Prince’s child, yet she couldn’t even see him. Emperor Kangxi hadn’t favored her in a long time, so if her pregnancy were discovered, she would be doomed.
“Alas, this servant knows some methods for abortion in the countryside. Actually, it’s quite simple to abort a child,” Mo Yun said, looking at Zheng Chunhua.
"How do I terminate the pregnancy?" Zheng Chunhua asked hurriedly.
“Master, a simple fall would be enough to abort the pregnancy. Why go to that place and risk being seen and causing trouble?” Mo Yun said.
When Consort Zheng heard that she was going to be thrown to the ground and miscarry, her heart trembled. She was a pampered young lady who had been cherished by her parents since childhood, and naturally she did not want to harm her own body.
“Alright, if it doesn’t miscarry in a few days, I’ll jump off that high platform. After the miscarriage, you can’t call the imperial physician; you can only secretly take care of it yourself,” Zheng Chunhua said.
She and Moyun entered Chonghua Palace, the only place where they could speak freely. The palace servants in Shufangzhai were unaware of Zheng Chunhua's affair with the Crown Prince, so she and Moyun couldn't speak freely there either.
"My lady, what are we going to do if things continue like this? We thought that with the Crown Prince's help, we wouldn't have to live like that anymore, but we never expected that the Emperor would depose him. The support you finally found is gone, and now you have to bear the consequences alone." Mo Yun was also very angry. Before, after Zheng Chunhua fell out of favor, even the expenses of those who served her were cut off. Since the Crown Prince secretly helped her, life in Shufangzhai had become much better, but now the Crown Prince is about to fall.
"Entering the palace is like entering a deep sea. I once read this saying in my boudoir, and now I understand it. I don't ask for anything anymore; I'll just live one day at a time," Zheng Chunhua said.
“My lord, you are still young. Why are you giving up so soon? The Emperor used to favor you. It was only after you caught a cold before the New Year that he forgot about you,” Mo Yun encouraged.
Zheng Chunhua's heart is now entirely devoted to the Crown Prince; she has no time to try and win Kangxi's favor.
"Now that the Crown Prince is in danger, Your Highness, if you don't protect yourself, you'll be devoured until there's nothing left but bones," Mo Yun said, trying to provoke Zheng Chunhua when she saw that she was unwilling to compete for the Emperor's favor.
“Mo Yun, let’s make plans after we get to see this child. I really don’t feel like going,” Zheng Chunhua said.
“My lord, if you were to regain favor now, perhaps this child wouldn’t have to go.” Seeing Zheng Chunhua’s frail appearance, Mo Yun felt resentment towards her for being so useless.
These words truly moved her. After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Chunhua asked, "How can I regain favor?"
Mo Yun concealed her joy and quickly said, "Master, the Emperor forgot about you back then not because he disliked you, but because you caught a cold and it didn't get better, which is why the Emperor gradually forgot about you. If you tidy yourself up properly now and reappear before the Emperor, you might be able to win back his favor."
Zheng Chunhua thought about it and began to struggle again. She already had the Crown Prince in her heart and didn't really want to serve Kangxi anymore, but if she didn't serve the emperor, her life would be difficult, and she wouldn't be able to keep the baby in her womb.
Zheng Chunhua was caught in this dilemma, torn between two options, and ultimately couldn't make up her mind.
Mo Yun had no choice but to help her back to Shufangzhai.
That night, Emperor Kangxi had already favored Mei'er. In an attempt to recapture the feeling of his youth, he even had deer penis and bull penis stewed to nourish his body. However, he was getting old after all, and after a long time, he still couldn't achieve the desired effect. He then left Mei'er aside, staring at the bed curtains and panting.
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