Chapter 262 Imperial Concubine 9 (Bonus Chapter for Donations)
Time flew by, and the women in the harem suddenly noticed that the Imperial Noble Consort seemed to have calmed down compared to before. In the past, she would always cause trouble for the concubines who served her in bed, but now it seemed that she hadn't done anything for a long time.
Could it be that she has finally turned over a new leaf?
Ning Yan's unusual behavior naturally attracted the Emperor's attention. He deliberately promoted Ning Yan to make her enemies in the harem, so that the people in the court would unite against Marquis Dingyuan. Now that the Imperial Noble Consort is no longer arrogant and causing trouble, wouldn't his plan have been in vain?
This won't do.
So that night, he made a special trip to the residence of Consort Shu, who had previously been at odds with Ning Yan the most. Consort Shu hadn't left her palace for a long time, mainly because she was afraid of being ridiculed for her disfigured face. She still remembered what the Noble Consort had said that day: "Flying Phoenix to the Phoenix Palace? You need to have the fate of a phoenix to achieve that!"
Before she could even finish speaking, she tripped and fell hard, smashing her phoenix headdress to pieces.
Doesn't this mean she wasn't destined to be empress? Otherwise, her hair ornament wouldn't have been smashed to such a state.
Now that Consort Gui has become Imperial Noble Consort, she feels that Ning Yan is a bit eccentric, so it's best to stay away from her.
So when the Emperor arrived, she wasn't particularly happy. No matter how many times he came, she couldn't conceive. She seriously suspected the Emperor wasn't very capable; otherwise, how could he have been in the palace for so long without a single child being born?
Consort Shu served Zhao Cheng with a pitiful expression, completely ignoring his provocative words, and kept yawning from exhaustion.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, let's rest early."
Zhao Cheng: ...How could he have brought such an idiot into the palace? All she does is sleep, sleep, sleep. Does she even understand what I mean?
Seeing the Emperor sitting there motionless, Consort Shu's temper flared up. "Someone, help the Emperor change his clothes."
Zhao Cheng: ...
...
Before he knew it, it was late March. Suddenly, the imperial physician was summoned to the Imperial Noble Consort's Weiyang Palace. Zhao Cheng thought that some shrewd concubine in the harem had drugged the Imperial Noble Consort. He immediately ran over to watch the show, only to learn a shocking truth: the Imperial Noble Consort was already more than two months pregnant and would soon be three months along.
But how could the Imperial Noble Consort be pregnant? The things he bestowed upon her were all specially soaked in medicine, so long-term contact would not result in pregnancy. Fearing it might not be safe, he even had someone add an infertility drug to the Imperial Noble Consort's food. Now she is nearly three months pregnant. What went wrong?
Ning Yan kept a close eye on the emperor's expression, and seeing no joy on his face, she immediately questioned, "Your Majesty, are you not happy that I am pregnant?"
Zhao Cheng immediately pretended to be happy and laughed loudly, "No, no, no, I'm happy, I was almost so happy I went crazy!"
The servants of Weiyang Palace who have served their masters well will all be rewarded with half a year's wages. Yang Mo, come, come, go to my private treasury and select some fine jewels to send to the Imperial Noble Consort, so she can admire them.
Ning Yan snorted. You bastard, I know you're unhappy, but so what? You still have to pretend to be happy!
Zhao Cheng didn't care about being snorted at. After all, she was his favorite concubine. If he got angry, wouldn't that mean he didn't pamper her enough?
He coaxed Ning Yan gently for a long time, and after dinner, he coaxed Ning Yan to sleep before returning to Chaoyang Palace.
However, the smile on his face vanished the moment he stepped into the Chaoyang Palace.
Yang Mo was already used to the emperor's change of heart. He thoughtfully offered her a cup of warm tea and then stood aside without saying a word.
"Jin Rang, you may all leave."
Yang Mo glanced up at Zhao Cheng's expression, then bowed and retreated.
Zhao Cheng changed his clothes and, together with Chief Steward Jin, left the palace through a secret passage.
In Baiyi Alley, Xu Xiaohui hadn't seen Zhao Cheng for a long time, nor had she thought of him for a long time.
She and Li Si continued their clandestine affair, not even letting their personal maid know. After all, her man was the current emperor, and if he discovered their affair, she and her son would definitely suffer.
After dark, once she had dismissed the servants, that was when she could indulge in her whims.
Li Si'er sneaked in under the cover of darkness, and the two immediately began their passionate lovemaking. Just as they were getting into the swing of things, Zhao Cheng opened the hidden door and entered Xu Xiaohui's inner room, just in time to hear her say, "Si Lang, Si Lang, you're so amazing..."
"How does it compare to the young master's father?"
"Him? How can he compare to you!"
Everyone in this courtyard only knew that Xu Xiaohui's husband was a merchant, but they didn't know that this merchant was the current emperor.
Otherwise, Li Si would never dare to seduce the emperor's woman, even if you beat him to death.
Zhao Cheng, seeing the two people making love on the bed, drew his sword and slashed at them, yelling, "You slut! You dare to cuckold me!"
Startled, the two looked at Zhao Cheng, who had suddenly appeared, with horror. Li Si, not caring that he was naked, dodged the sword and ran towards the door.
Before Xu Xiaohui could even utter a word, the long sword pierced her body, and blood gushed out. Her mouth opened and closed again, her right hand outstretched as if to grab something, but she only grasped at air. Her throat emitted heavy breaths, but her breathing grew weaker and weaker...
Jin Rang rubbed his forehead hard. Why was he so unlucky to run into this? The more he knew, the faster he would die.
Even if you are the emperor's confidant, serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice; you never know when the emperor will kill you.
Zhao Cheng pointed angrily towards the door and ordered, "Jin Rang, send men to bring that adulterer back to me. I want him to be torn apart by five horses!"
They arrived in a hurry today because the entire route was through tunnels, so they didn't bring any guards. Even though Zhao Cheng had practiced a few moves, he didn't dare to chase after Li Si rashly.
Jin Rang quickly agreed.
Zhao Cheng turned to leave, but Jin Rang reminded him, "Your Majesty, what about the young prince?"
She naturally had feelings for her own son, the son she had longed for so much to be born. But when she thought about how Xu Xiaohui had cheated on him, her love for her son wasn't as deep anymore.
Moreover, who can guarantee that the child is his biological offspring?
"Send men to surround this courtyard. I need to know when that slut found a lover."
Jin Rang: "This servant obeys the decree."
Li Si ran naked back to his servants' quarters, put on some clothes, grabbed some money, and jumped over the wall out of the courtyard. He was indeed lucky today because the emperor only brought Jin Rang with him; if there had been even one more guard, he would have died on the spot.
...
When the Emperor returned to the palace, it was already past midnight. Yang Mo had stayed up and stood guard outside the Chaoyang Hall. Seeing Zhao Cheng return with a dark face, he felt relieved.
The next day, Jin led his men to investigate the Xu family from top to bottom. After asking around for a long time, no one could tell them when the madam had slept with Li Si. However, they did tell them about all the abnormal things Li Si had been doing since a few years ago.
Jin Rang was relieved; the little prince must be the emperor's child.
Then, everyone in the Xu family was dealt with.
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