Consort Tongjia returned to the main hall of Chengqian Palace with a gloomy face and without saying a word.
The palace maid Xiuqin lowered her eyes and served him carefully.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiuqin carefully chose her words and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, although Consort Xu is pregnant, a woman's pregnancy requires ten months."
"Consort Xu may not be able to give birth to the imperial heir safely."
Consort Tongjia raised her eyes, glanced at Xiuqin, and said coldly, "Even so, Xu is pregnant and will receive the Emperor's and Empress Dowager's favor and pity, which makes me feel uneasy."
"I have been hoping for a pregnancy day and night, but I have not been able to conceive. However, Lady Xu became pregnant on her first time serving the Emperor. She is now three months pregnant and it is a rare twin pregnancy."
"Xu comes from the Empress's palace. Although Her Majesty the Empress may not like Xu or tolerate her, if I allow Xu to give birth to the imperial heir safely, wouldn't that embolden the Empress? From then on, how could I have a place in the harem..."
Xiuqin frowned and remained silent in thought.
Another head palace maid, Xiuhe, rolled her eyes and said with a light smile, "Your Majesty, Consort Xu is pregnant with twins. If they were two princesses, that would be fine, but what if they were two identical princes?"
"The royal family avoids twins. If Consort Xu's unborn children are twin princes..."
Xiuhe hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Upon hearing this, Consort Tongjia paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.
With a sneer, Consort Tongjia smiled and said, "Xiuhe is right. Twins are taboo in the palace. If Xu is carrying two identical princes, it will be considered an omen of bad luck."
"Even though the Emperor and Empress Dowager are kind and spared the lives of Xu and her child, Xu will fall out of favor as a result, and her child will lose the right to compete for the throne in the future."
A meaningful sneer appeared in Consort Tongjia's eyes.
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."
Xiuqin hesitated for a moment, then quickly spoke up to stop Consort Tongjia, saying in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Consort Xu comes from a humble background. Her sons may not be valued by the Emperor. Besides, there are already Consort Ma's fourth son and Consort Na's fifth son in the palace..."
"The Empress, Consort Ma, and Consort Zhao are all pregnant. Consort Xu's child is neither the eldest nor the legitimate son; he will be a lazy prince in the future. Even if he is lucky enough to be raised, he will only be a lazy prince."
After a pause, Xiuqin said softly, "Your Majesty's most urgent task is to conceive a royal heir as soon as possible and give birth to a healthy prince for the Emperor. As for the children of the concubines in the palace, apart from the Empress's legitimate son, the other princes were born to mothers of low birth and cannot be compared with the princes born to Your Majesty."
Consort Tongjia's gloomy expression softened considerably.
After a moment of contemplation, Consort Tongjia spoke in a deep voice. "I remember that a few days ago, my mother sent me a prescription to help me conceive. Xiuqin, take it to my personal physician, Imperial Physician Shen, and have him make it into pills."
Xiuqin respectfully agreed.
As evening fell, Yingchun hurried into the west wing hall.
"Your Highness, Lord Xu from the Imperial Stables requests an audience?"
Xu Lejin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled contemptuously and said with a curl of her lips, "Uncle's information network is truly impressive. I just announced this morning in the Empress's palace that I am three months pregnant, and now Uncle has come to Yikun Palace to request an audience."
"Yingchun, please wait for your uncle in the outer room. I will change my clothes and then go to see your uncle."
Yingchun respectfully replied "Yes" and withdrew.
Zhi Shu and Ru Hua carefully served Xu Lejin.
Ru Hua slightly raised her head, looked at Xu Lejin, and hesitated to speak.
Xu Lejin smiled faintly, "You must be wondering why I would choose to meet my uncle, who is so snobbish and opportunistic. Although my uncle is a bit opportunistic, I have been able to stay in the palace safely for the past few years thanks to his care."
"My uncle is the head of the Xu clan. He bears the responsibility for the rise and fall of the Xu clan. It is understandable that he would do anything for the future of the Xu clan."
Gently, she took out a hairpin from the jewelry box and pinned it to her hair.
Xu Lejin smiled and said, "Although I am pregnant with the emperor's child, there have been many concubines in the palace who have miscarried in recent years, and there have also been princes and princesses who were born but could not be raised."
"For the sake of the future and for long-term considerations, it's best if my relationship with my uncle doesn't become too strained."
Zhi Shu and Ru Hua exchanged a glance.
Zhi Shu smiled and nodded, "Your Highness is so insightful and far-sighted. Your servant and Ru Hua are too foolish to have thought of these things. We only hope to serve Your Highness wholeheartedly, take good care of your health, and the little prince in your womb."
"Yes, I know of your loyalty."
Xu Lejin got up and walked towards the outer room, with Zhishu and Ruhua quickly following behind.
Outside, Xu Fu saw Xu Lejin come out and quickly stood up, bowing respectfully to her and saying, "This servant, Xu Fu of the Imperial Stables, greets Consort Xu. May Consort Xu be blessed."
"Uncle, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."
Xu Lejin smiled and softly instructed, "Ruhua, quickly brew some West Lake Longjing tea that was recently delivered by the Imperial Household Department this afternoon and serve it to your uncle."
Ru Hua smiled and agreed.
Xu Fu stood up, his face beaming. "This servant is humble; Consort Xu is too kind to me!"
"Le Jin has been in the palace for many years, and it is thanks to her uncle's care that she has been able to live peacefully until now. She was fortunate enough to serve the emperor and was made a concubine. Now she is fortunate enough to be pregnant. Le Jin, her uncle, and the Xu family are one. They share the same fate, and they share the same fate."
Xu Lejin smiled and continued, "Lejin is currently pregnant and will need to rely on her uncle and the Xu family for support in the future."
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