Inside Kunning Palace.
Attended by her head maids Yun Cui and Chu Qiao, the Empress changed out of her exquisitely embroidered palace dress, removed the pearl and jade hairpins from her head, and sat upright in front of the bronze mirror, gazing at her haggard face reflected in the mirror.
After a long while, the Empress spoke softly.
"Did His Majesty go to Consort Xu's place in Yikun Palace tonight?"
Yun Cui paused for a moment, bowed, and carefully said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty did indeed go to Consort Xu's residence. Consort Xu is pregnant, and the imperial heir is of utmost importance, so it is only natural for His Majesty to visit her."
"Your Majesty, you are pregnant. The imperial physician has advised you to avoid overthinking and worrying during your pregnancy."
The Empress nodded with a cold smile and responded.
Removing her long nail guards, the Empress stroked her cheek with her delicate hand and sighed softly, "Beauty fades with time. When I entered the palace, I was twelve or thirteen years old, the prime of a woman's life, young and beautiful. Now, nine years have passed, and I am over twenty."
"During this pregnancy, I often feel short of breath and chest tightness. I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, or because my body was still weakened when I gave birth to Chenghu."
"Now I only hope that the dragon child in my womb will be a healthy prince."
Yun Cui and Chu Qiao exchanged a glance, then lowered their brows and remained silent.
After a moment of contemplation, the Empress said, "If I can successfully give birth to a healthy son, I am willing to shorten my lifespan by ten years so that my child can grow up healthy."
"Your Majesty,"
Yun Cui's eyes reddened slightly, and she softly comforted her, "Your Majesty, you will surely give birth to a healthy little prince safely."
Early the next morning.
Xu Lejin, supporting her still-flat stomach, rushed to Kunning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.
"I heard that His Majesty stayed overnight in the west wing of Consort Xu's Yikun Palace last night. Consort Xu is pregnant and is already three months along, but for the sake of the imperial fetus, she should still exercise some restraint."
The Empress looked at Xu Lejin and spoke with a meaningful smile.
Xu Lejin's expression froze upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, last night His Majesty was considerate of me and did stay in my room. However, I am pregnant and my body is too heavy to serve His Majesty. Therefore, I only slept in the same bed with His Majesty."
Upon hearing this, the Empress, Consort Niohuru, and others all changed their expressions.
Consort Tongjia sneered. Despite using a lot of makeup, she still couldn't hide her haggard face. She looked at Xu Lejin with contempt and said in a deep voice, "As expected, Consort Xu is a palace maid. She has only served the Emperor for a short time and does not understand the rules of the palace."
"The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven has a noble status. Consort Xu is pregnant and unable to serve the Emperor, so she should have advised the Emperor to go to the palace to serve other concubines, or recommended a palace maid to serve the Emperor. But Consort Xu, you actually let the Emperor stay in your room."
Changing the subject, Consort Tongjia looked at the Empress with intense gaze.
"Your Majesty, Consort Xu is so ignorant of the rules. As a concubine, she still takes advantage of the Emperor's favor while pregnant. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to punish Consort Xu, to uphold the discipline of the harem, and to serve as a warning to others."
"Sister Tong Jia, this..."
The empress looked troubled, but her eyes betrayed her schadenfreude.
After a moment's consideration, the Empress looked at Consort Niohuru and smiled. "Sister Niohuru, what do you think should be done about this? Last night, His Majesty visited Consort Xu at Yikun Palace. I assumed Consort Xu would arrange for maids to serve His Majesty, but unexpectedly…"
"Consort Xu is muddle-headed and has forgotten the rules of the palace."
Xu Lejin lowered her head and curled her lips into a cold smile.
Consort Niohuru glanced at Xu Lejin, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I believe that His Majesty's simple act of sleeping in the same bed with Consort Xu last night did not actually violate the rules of the inner palace."
"Since being granted the title of Consort Xu, she has been confined to her quarters and bedridden. Now that she is pregnant with twins, it is only natural that the Emperor would show her favor and make some compensation to her."
After glancing around at the other concubines, Consort Niohuru blushed slightly and then spoke again. "His Majesty is young and vigorous. Although it is unfair to His Majesty that he simply sleeps in the same bed with Consort Xu, it is precisely because of this that His Majesty can show how much he values Consort Xu and the imperial child in her womb."
"Although Consort Xu broke the rules, there is still humanity beyond the rules."
Xu Lejin slightly raised her eyes and looked gratefully at Consort Niohuru.
The Empress's face was gloomy, while Consort Tongjia was so angry that she gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Consort Niohuru, her eyes filled with raging fury, looking like she was furious beyond measure.
Consort Ma Jia, heavily pregnant, chuckled softly while clutching her handkerchief.
"The Empress of Chuxiu Palace is right. The fact that His Majesty is willing to humble himself to stay in Yikun Palace to accompany Consort Xu is a testament to Consort Xu's ability and His Majesty's favor towards her."
With a sigh, Consort Ma Jia said with a self-deprecating expression, "When we were pregnant, we were bound by palace rules and had no choice but to let the palace maids serve the Emperor. Now I think that if we had the courage and boldness of Consort Xu, we would not have promoted the palace maids."
"The Emperor's favor towards Consort Xu is truly unparalleled in the palace!"
Xu Lejin raised her eyes and glanced at Consort Ma Jia, then smiled gently.
"Sister Ma Jia is too modest. Sister Ma Jia is deeply favored by the Emperor. Among all the concubines in the palace, you are the most blessed, having both a son and a daughter. Now, you are about to give birth. Whether the baby is a prince or a princess, it will be an even more joyous occasion."
After a pause, Xu Lejin, supported by Yingchun, rose from her seat, bowed and knelt before the Empress, and said with trepidation, "Please punish me, Your Majesty. Last night, His Majesty visited the west wing of Yikun Palace, where I reside. I was so overjoyed that I lost my manners and allowed His Majesty to stay overnight in my room."
"This servant knows her mistake and will never do it again!"
The Empress opened her mouth, but swallowed the words that were about to come out.
Consort Tongjia, Consort Zhang, and others secretly glanced at the Empress out of the corner of their eyes, awaiting her next decision.
After a long while, the Empress said coldly, "To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Consort Xu is indeed wrong and has broken the rules, but His Majesty is wise and mighty and does not hold Consort Xu's violation of palace rules against me. As the Empress, I should follow His Majesty's lead."
Suppressing her displeasure, the Empress smiled warmly at Xu Lejin.
"Consort Xu, please rise. You are carrying the Emperor's child, and your health is precious. If you were to accidentally bump or fall, what would happen? I would not be able to explain it to the Emperor."
Xu Lejin smiled faintly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you for your mercy."
The Empress nodded in satisfaction.
With Yingchun's help, Xu Lejin sat down in her seat.
The Empress glanced at the spring scenery outside the palace, smiled and said, "My dear sisters, in this spring season, the Imperial Kitchen has developed a new peach blossom pastry. It is made by using the juice of unopened peach blossom buds, adding the finest flour, and then baking it with honey, sesame seeds and other ingredients."
"I found it very delicious, so I specially asked the imperial kitchen to make more."
The Empress gave Xu Lejin a meaningful look and then spoke towards the outside of the hall, "Xingxi..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
