A month passed quickly after the new concubine entered the palace.
This day
Consort Hui covered her mouth, looking at Consort Wen sitting diagonally opposite her with disdain, and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Highness Consort Wen, Consort Wan, and Consort Ning have been in the palace for a month now, haven't they?"
"I overheard the palace maids talking about how Consort Wen, Consort Wan, and Consort Ning have not yet formally served the emperor."
Consort Wen's face turned pale, and her eyes flashed with humiliation.
Consort Wan and Consort Ning exchanged a quick glance, then lowered their heads to minimize their presence. Although they were resentful, they knew that as newcomers to the palace, they could not compete with the veteran Consort Hui.
Xu Lejin gave Consort Hui a meaningful look and said coldly, "These days, His Majesty has been preoccupied with the affairs of the Three Feudatories and has rarely visited the inner palace. It is understandable that he has neglected Consort Wen, Consort Wan, and Consort Ning."
“Sister Wenfei, Consort Wan and Consort Ning have already entered the palace. It’s only a matter of time before they receive the Emperor’s favor and serve him. There’s no need to rush.”
A flash of anger crossed Consort Hui's face, but she quickly regained her composure.
Consort Wen smiled gently and said, "Yes, Consort Yu is right. His Majesty is working hard on the affairs of the court, and we should not disturb him at this critical juncture."
Consort Wan and Consort Ning smiled and echoed her.
After rambling on for a while, Consort Wen looked at Xu Lejin's large belly and said softly, "Sister Consort Yu, your belly looks much bigger than usual for a seven-month pregnant woman."
"Could it be that Consort Yu is pregnant with twins?"
Xu Lejin paused for a moment, then gave Consort Wen a meaningful look.
Frowning, after considering for a moment, Xu Lejin parted her lips slightly, "Consort Wen has a good eye. I am indeed pregnant with twins. The imperial physician diagnosed it when I was five months pregnant. At that time, Consort Wen and you entered the palace. After I reported my twin pregnancy to the Emperor, with his permission, it was not made public."
Consort Wen's suspicions were confirmed, and she smiled sweetly.
"Sister Yufei is so blessed. A few years ago, she gave birth to auspicious triplets, a boy and a girl. The Third Prince and the Eighth Princess also received a divine favor and were taken in as disciples by immortals."
"The fact that Consort Yu's pregnancy was diagnosed when the Third Prince and the Eighth Princess were found to have a predestined connection with the divine is quite auspicious."
As Consort Wen spoke, she stood up and gracefully bowed to Xu Lejin, saying, "Congratulations, Consort Yu, on your pregnancy with twins. Whether it's two princes or two princesses, that would be wonderful."
Xu Lejin glanced at Consort Wen and nodded slightly.
“Sister Wenfei, you are very kind. The imperial child in my womb has not yet been born, and it is uncertain whether it will be a boy or a girl. Whether it is a princess or a prince, it is all of the Emperor’s blood.”
Consort Wen looked embarrassed and awkward.
"Yes, Consort Yu's teachings are correct."
One hour later
Consort Wen and the others bid farewell and left Yikun Palace.
She walked quickly back to Chuxiu Palace. After entering the main hall of Chuxiu Palace, Consort Wen's pretty face turned gloomy and ugly.
"Who does Consort Yu think she is, daring to reprimand me like this? She rose from a palace maid to the Emperor's favor, was elevated to a higher banner, given a surname, and bestowed the title of Consort. Now she's pregnant with twins!"
"If Consort Yu's pregnancy results in two princesses and two princes, that would be wonderful. But what if it's an auspicious pregnancy with a dragon and a phoenix?"
He slammed his hand on the table with a loud 'smack'.
Consort Wen nearly ground her teeth to powder as she frowned and pondered how to prevent Xu Lejin from giving birth to the imperial child safely.
Consort Wen was afraid, afraid that it would be twins, a dragon and a phoenix.
Consort Hui of Yanxi Palace shared the same idea as Consort Wen.
Consort Hui's face was ashen as she strode down the long street, her anger rising to her head. Consort Lan and Consort Shou followed behind her, jogging to keep up.
Suddenly, Consort Hui stopped in her tracks.
Consort Lan and Consort Shou couldn't stop in time and crashed into them. In an instant, Consort Hui, Consort Lan, and Consort Shou all fell to the ground in unison on the long street.
"Your Majesty?"
"My lord,"
The palace servants immediately erupted into chaos.
Not far away, Consort Wan and Consort Ning, who were walking hand in hand back to the Eastern Six Palaces, exchanged a glance and quickly asked the palace maids serving them to come forward to help.
Consort Hui stood up in a disheveled state, supported by a palace maid. Her face was fierce, and she slapped Noble Lady Lan across the face. Noble Lady Lan's fair and jade-like cheek swelled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Consort Lan stared at Consort Hui in disbelief and humiliation, stammering, "Your Majesty, this concubine...this concubine didn't mean to. I was tripped by Consort Shou just now...this concubine..."
Shou Changzai, who had just been helped up by palace maids and endured the intense pain, turned pale.
With a thud, Shou Changzai knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for forgiveness, saying, "Your Highness Consort Hui, please forgive me, Your Highness Consort Hui, please forgive me! This servant... this servant didn't mean it, this servant..."
"Just now, when Consort Hui suddenly stopped, my servant and Noble Lady Lan were caught off guard and bumped into you."
Shou Changzai's voice, tinged with sobs, rang out on the long street.
Consort Lan's expression changed, and she glared fiercely at Consort Shou. She quickly considered how to shift the blame to this lowly servant, Consort Shou.
Consort Wan and Consort Ning, who were a few steps apart, exchanged a glance and remained silent in contemplation.
The following afternoon, the farce on the long street reached Xu Lejin's ears. Xu Lejin was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a long time with her brows furrowed, she finally spoke in a deep voice.
"When Consort Hui and the others fell on the long street, Consort Hui, Noble Lady Lan, and Consort Shou were all at fault. But Consort Hui's biggest mistake was imprisoning Consort Shou in the Censorate."
"The Department of Cautious Punishment is where palace servants who have made mistakes are imprisoned. Even those who are used to doing rough work will be severely punished if they go there. Consort Shou is, after all, one of the emperor's concubines. How can she be sent to the Department of Cautious Punishment?"
With a soft sigh, Xu Lejin said coldly, "Besides, the fault doesn't lie entirely with Shou Changzai."
Qin Huai and Ru Hua lowered their heads and remained silent.
After a short while, Xu Lejin looked at the palace maid Ziwu and asked in a deep voice, "Have the Emperor and the Empress Dowager learned of this matter? What did the Emperor say?"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager said that matters of the inner palace are to be handled by Your Majesty, Consort Hui, Consort An, and others. As for the Emperor..."
Ziwu paused for a moment.
"Eunuch Li, who served the Emperor, went to rescue Consort Shou from the Shenxing Division. Consort Shou had been subjected to torture and her foot was injured. She will probably have difficulty walking from now on."
"His Majesty has decreed that Consort Jinshou is to be promoted to Noble Lady and moved out of Yanxi Palace to Changchun Garden Imperial Palace. Consort Hui..."
Ziwu glanced quickly at Xu Lejin, then lowered her voice and said, "The Emperor has stripped Consort Hui of her palace power and handed it over to Consort Wen, ordering Consort Hui to spend half a year recuperating in Yanxi Palace."
Xu Lejin nodded indifferently.
Changing the subject, Xu Lejin asked again, "Where is Consort Lan?"
"Your Majesty, out of consideration for Lady Mingzhu, His Majesty did not punish Consort Lan, but only instructed her to rest and recuperate."
"、、"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
