Consort Tongjia's meaningful remark caused both the Empress and Xu Lejin to turn pale.
Half an hour later.
Xu Lejin left Kunning Palace and, supported by Yingchun, walked along the long street.
"Consort Xu is sharp-tongued and speaks in unison with the Empress. It's truly an eye-opener for me. Yesterday, Consort Xu's younger sister was sent to the Qianqing Palace to serve the Emperor. I don't believe that you, Consort Xu, are not bothered at all."
Consort Tongjia sat in her sedan chair, stopping beside Xu Lejin, looking down at her. "Yesterday, Consort Xu's younger sister failed to win the Emperor's favor. Consort Xu is probably secretly pleased!"
Slowly raising her head, Xu Lejin looked at Consort Tongjia.
With a smile, Xu Lejin said, "Your Highness is joking. The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and all the women in the palace belong to him. Whom the Emperor chooses to favor is never something that we concubines in the harem can control."
“I am pregnant now. Even if my half-sister Xingxi hadn’t been there last night, there would have been someone else.”
After a brief pause, Xu Lejin smiled faintly.
“When the Emperor is happy, I am happy. I have no say in which concubine or maid he favors in the harem. So when my half-sister Xingxi failed to serve the Emperor, I felt neither happy nor unhappy.”
"This humble servant only feels sorry for my half-sister, Xingxi!"
After speaking, Xu Lejin wore a gentle smile and looked at Consort Tongjia with a beaming smile.
Consort Tongjia's face turned ugly, and she raised her hand as if to hit Xu Lejin.
Xu Lejin took two steps back, touched her newly protruding belly, and looked at Consort Tongjia with a half-smile.
At this moment, the voice of Consort Niohuru came.
“Sister Tongjia, Consort Xu is a concubine in the harem just like us, and she is now pregnant with the emperor’s child. How can you hit her? If you hurt the child in Consort Xu’s womb, I’m afraid the emperor and empress will have a hard time explaining it to them.”
After Consort Niohuru finished speaking, she looked at Consort Tongjia with a gentle expression.
Consort Tongjia snorted coldly, "I am a consort, and she is a concubine. So what if I hit her? As a consort, do I not have the right to teach a mere concubine a lesson?"
“Sister Niohuru, don’t think that just because you have the power to assist in managing the six palaces, you are high and mighty. The Emperor has not visited your Chuxiu Palace for ten days or half a month. You are a concubine only because your father was one of the four regents appointed by the late Emperor.”
After speaking, Consort Tongjia looked at Consort Niohuru with pity.
"It's certainly appropriate for Sister Tongjia to discipline the concubines and palace maids under her command. However, Concubine Xu is pregnant with the Emperor's twins, twins that are highly valued by both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
Consort Niohuru sneered and continued, "Sister Tongjia, please think twice before you act."
Consort Tongjia's raised hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
After a long while, Consort Tongjia, her face dark with anger, lowered her hand, glared at Xu Lejin, and snorted coldly. "Xu, we'll see how things unfold."
After saying this, Consort Tongjia, her face ashen, led her palace servants away in a sorry state.
Xu Lejin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed.
Taking a breath, Xu Lejin looked at Consort Niohuru with gratitude and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness, for rescuing me from this predicament. I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness."
"You're too kind, Consort Xu. I'm only thinking of the imperial heir."
Consort Niohuru's gaze lingered on Xu Lejin's belly for a moment, then she spoke softly, "Consort Xu is carrying twins, so her health is more precarious than that of a woman carrying a single child."
"As Consort Xu said, you are a lowly person in the palace, so you should be patient and bear with everything, and put the imperial fetus first."
Xu Lejin nodded with a smile.
After a moment's thought, Xu Lejin smiled and said, "This humble servant thanks Your Highness of Chuxiu Palace for your guidance. This humble servant will certainly be careful in her words and deeds, and will prioritize the imperial fetus in her womb in everything."
Consort Niohuru looked up at the sky.
"The sun is getting increasingly scorching. Consort Xu should return to Yikun Palace to rest and recuperate. I'm also heading back to Chuxiu Palace!"
Xu Lejin replied respectfully, "Yes."
"This humble servant respectfully sees off the Lady of Chuxiu Palace."
Xu Lejin returned to Yikun Palace, sat on the soft couch, and looked solemn.
Yingchun carefully chose her words and spoke softly, "My lady, I don't understand. Why did you risk offending Consort Chengqian in the Empress's palace today to speak up for Miss Xingxi?"
“Miss Xingxi is your half-sister, Your Highness. Your relationship with her is not close. In fact, I heard that Miss Xingxi made some outrageous remarks before serving Your Highness last night. Whether Miss Xingxi was successful in serving Your Highness last night has little to do with Your Highness.”
“Last night, Miss Xingxi was sent back to Kunning Palace unharmed. Miss Xingxi is ashamed to face anyone, and Your Majesty the Empress is embarrassed. Your Highness is pregnant. If anything happens to the imperial fetus in your womb because of Miss Xingxi, we servants will be guilty even if we die ten thousand times over.”
Xu Lejin's lips curled up into a cold smile.
Looking at Yingchun, whose eyes were lowered, Xu Lejin spoke in a light tone, "We are all in this together, whether we prosper or suffer."
"Xu Xingxi failed to serve the emperor last night. Although it didn't affect me much, the Empress of Chengqian Palace kept pressuring me with her words. How could I let her bully me like this?"
“Xu Xingxi and I are sisters, although we are half-sisters. But that’s not what other people see. They only see that we share the same surname, Xu, and that we are family, blood-related sisters.”
With a cold laugh, Xu Lejin continued in a deep voice, "Xu Xingxi failed to win the emperor's favor last night, which is embarrassing for her. However, the concubines in the palace were implying that I was the target of their words. It's not about winning or losing for a moment, but about saving face."
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