Changchun Palace
Consort An returned to her residence, her heart overflowing with joy.
"Qingru, did you hear that? That vile woman, Wuya, actually gave birth to a little princess."
As soon as she entered the inner palace, Consort An burst into laughter, mocking Wu Yaxin Yue.
"Hahaha, it's truly heaven's help that she didn't get the prince. Otherwise, with His Majesty's favor, a prince by her side, and now the rank of Noble Lady, wouldn't she be catching up with me soon?"
The joy quickly faded, and Consort An was filled with remorse. "Hmph! If I had known she was carrying a princess, I shouldn't have targeted her in the first place. Now I've lost His Majesty's favor and become the laughingstock of the entire palace. It's infuriating! A mere princess is not worth my time."
Qingru had a hunch, but when faced with Consort An's complaints, she gently comforted her mistress.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. The birth of the little princess by Consort Wuya is actually beneficial to you. As long as you get pregnant and give birth to the little prince, you can turn things around."
Consort An agreed with Qingru's words and echoed them.
“You’re right. If I were to become pregnant and give birth to the little prince, let’s see how smug Uya would be. She’s just a lowly bondservant who dares to dream of turning things around. She’s just delusional.”
After finishing her discussion about Wu Yaxin, Consort An began to complain about Tong Yunyi.
"That Consort Tong is really something, actually promoting such a lowly servant to a higher position. And this Wuya is quite favored. From a servant, she is now a Noble Lady. Consort Tong is in a high position, so she is not worried about being overtaken by a servant. If I were to sit on equal footing with that servant, it would be a great disgrace."
In Chengqian Palace, Yunyi was naturally unaware that Consort An was complaining about her. Even if she did know, she could only express her innocence, saying that it was all the original owner Tong Yunyi's idea and had nothing to do with her, Yunyi.
"Your Majesty, news has come from the side hall that Consort Wuya has given birth to a little princess, and both mother and daughter are safe and sound."
Upon receiving the news, Ruoqin lifted the curtain and came in to report to Yunyi.
Yunyi already knew about this outcome. Upon hearing it, she had no reaction and simply said, "I understand."
Granny Zhang stood to the side, feeling a mixture of relief and sorrow.
If the Empress had not become pregnant, the birth of the little princess by Lady Wuya would not have been a good thing for her.
But now that the Empress is pregnant and about to have her own child, it is actually a very good thing that Lady Wuya did not give birth to the little prince.
All I can say is that this is the best arrangement.
Now she only hopes that the Empress can give birth to the child smoothly.
Two princesses would be acceptable, but two princes would be inappropriate. Ideally, there would be one son and one daughter, or twins, a dragon and a phoenix symbolizing good fortune.
Ever since she learned that the Empress was pregnant with twins, she had been secretly praying that the Empress would give birth to twins of different genders, hoping that Heaven would grant her wish in light of her sincerity.
Sitting on the palanquin, Niohuru showed little spirit on the way back to Kunning Palace.
After instructing Xia He to bestow upon Wuya the reward as usual, she remained silent, staring blankly at the handkerchief in her hand.
They remained silent all the way back to the inner palace. Niohuru dismissed everyone, saying, "You may all leave. I wish to be alone. Unless I give the order, you need not come in to serve me."
Seeing this, Chunlan was somewhat puzzled and looked at Xiahe, who had come back with the Empress.
"What happened? Her Highness went to Chengqian Palace, but she came back looking so lost. Did something happen? Wasn't it said that Consort Wuya gave birth to the little princess safely? What's going on?"
Xia He shook her head. "Nothing happened."
He sighed, pulled Chunlan aside, and began to recount what had just happened at Chengqian Palace.
"Today, Consort Wuya gave birth to a little princess. The Empress and His Majesty were both delighted to see the little princess. Afterwards, His Majesty said he had state affairs to attend to and left first. The other concubines also left. I noticed that the Empress's expression was a little off. On the way back, the Empress was in a very low mood."
At this point, Xia He whispered in Chunlan's ear, "From what I can guess, it's probably Her Majesty's heartache, and it's related to that matter."
"this……"
As Niohuru's personal maid who was brought into the palace from her home, Chunlan naturally knew about this matter. Upon hearing this, she felt very sorry for her mistress.
She said to Xia He with concern, "It's not good for Your Highness to lock yourself up like this. Besides, she is already ill. The imperial physician said that she is depressed. Locking herself up like this will only make her more upset and heartbroken."
"How could I not know that this wouldn't work? But, but that's just how Your Majesty is—gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. She has things on her mind, but she never says them out loud, she just silently bears them all by herself."
Looking at the closed door, Xia He said in a low voice, "This is the matter that Her Majesty cares about most. No matter how much we try to persuade her, it will be of no use. Perhaps, letting Her Majesty be alone and quiet will make her feel better."
Xia He said so.
Chunlan disagreed with this approach, saying, "Her Majesty is prone to worry. Letting her be alone and quiet will only cause her more distress. We servants should try to persuade her and comfort her so that Her Majesty can put her worries aside as soon as possible."
"No, I'm going to find Granny Wu. She's Her Highness's wet nurse; she'll surely have a way." Chunlan was true to her word. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the back hall.
As Granny Wu grew older, Empress Dowager Niohuru, being considerate of her, did not allow her to serve her unless there was something important to do. In fact, she assigned a young palace maid to serve Granny Wu.
When Chunlan arrived, Granny Wu was inside looking at the account books. She was looking at the Niohuru clan's inner treasury account books, checking if anything was missing and if anything matched up.
Although the Empress was considerate of her and did not let her do these physically demanding tasks, assigning her the easier job of managing the storeroom instead, she still did her best and dared not slack off.
Chunlan stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Granny Wu. "Granny, are you busy with something?"
Looking up, she saw Chunlan, the head palace maid of Niohuru. Wu Mama pulled Chunlan, who was bowing, to sit down next to her. "Does Her Majesty have any instructions?"
Chunlan got up and went outside to check. After confirming that no one was around, she went to Granny Wu's side and whispered about Niohuru's situation.
"Alas! So many years have passed, yet Her Majesty still cannot let go. It is all because of my own efforts back then that such a consequence has occurred," Wu Mama sighed and said slowly.
"Alright, alright, you're all too young. I'll go and persuade Her Majesty."
After tidying up the things on the table and locking the door, Granny Wu got up and went with Chunlan to the main hall.
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