Chapter 598 Shield 8
Not only did the Emperor not punish Consort Mu for hitting her, he even promoted her rank, making her one rank higher than Consort Mu. Could the Emperor's protection of her be any more obvious?
Perhaps because of this incident, all the women in the harem suddenly fell silent.
The Empress, feigning illness, even cancelled her daily greetings.
The Emperor still came to Zhu Yan Palace every day. The women in the harem were curious because, in principle, a concubine should have her own palace, but Consort Zhao was still living in a side hall of Zhu Yan Palace.
Some people are malicious and think that Consort Zhao is deliberately trying to anger her elder sister so that her sister can see the Emperor being intimate with her. They think Consort Zhao is really cruel!
This confirms that the two sisters were definitely at odds even when they were still at their parents' home!
So some people wanted to contact Consort Xue to deal with Consort Zhao together, but unfortunately, the Emperor's defenses were tight, and no one's message could get through.
...
After the Imperial Physicians examined the Empress's pulse, they adjusted the prescription again and instructed her, "Your Majesty's illness is aggravated by extreme emotional fluctuations. You must be careful in the future, otherwise it may shorten your lifespan."
Empress Wei's heart skipped a beat. The doctor had predicted that she wouldn't live past thirty, and she was already twenty-five this year. So, would she be deprived of the remaining five years as well?
"Imperial Physician Rong, tell me the truth, is my body truly incapable of pregnancy?"
Imperial Physician Rong was a member of the Wei family, and he had been the one taking care of the Empress's health for many years. Therefore, the Empress spoke frankly when she asked questions.
Imperial Physician Rong paused for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, your body is not suitable for pregnancy. If you insist on conceiving, it is very likely that..."
"Tell me, what's most likely?"
"It is very possible that both mother and child will die during childbirth."
Kunning Palace fell silent. After a long, long time, when Imperial Physician Rong felt his legs had gone numb, the most honored woman in the palace, who was leaning against the pillow, finally spoke, "I want to give birth to a child with the blood of the Wei family. Can you help me?"
Imperial Physician Rong lowered his head in fear. "Your Majesty, please reconsider..."
"Anyway, I only have less than five years left to live, don't I?"
Imperial Physician Rong remained silent, because from the Wei family's perspective, the Empress's decision was the most correct. "Your Majesty, I will definitely ensure the safe birth of the young master."
...
Outsiders thought that when the Emperor went to the Empress's palace, the two would still share a room, but in reality, they just chatted under the covers. Of course, the reason was not that the Emperor couldn't live without Ning Xuexian and wanted to remain chaste for her, but rather that he felt the Empress was too weak. If he really shared a room with her, he would worry that if he made any big movements, the Empress would suddenly die.
In ancient times, it was impossible for an emperor to have only one woman. To encounter someone like Yin Chen, who had other women but always kept Ning Xuexian in his heart, was an extremely rare and exceptional case.
In his previous life, after Ning Xuexian suffered a miscarriage, although he had two children with Liu Cairen, he was still determined to have another child with Ning Xuexian that belonged to both of them.
Moreover, this matter is quite suspicious.
After all, Consort Liu has a child-rearing system, and her shop is full of things that seduce men; she might have used some kind of trick.
The fact that the Emperor could ignore Consort Liu's beauty and insist on sleeping with Ning Xuexian shows that it's not just about true love.
That evening, the emperor came to Zhuyan Palace again.
Since Ning Xuexian entered the palace, except for the first and fifteenth of the month, he would come over no matter how late he was busy, even though Ning Xuexian was pregnant and could only look at her but not touch her.
Ning Yan, as usual, went out to greet him, then led him to a side hall and dismissed all the palace servants. The Emperor then went to the main hall.
There is a door in the side hall that leads directly to the main hall. This is why, even though there were spies sent in from other palaces, the two sisters' secrets were never discovered.
...
The Emperor was in a bad mood tonight. The secret guards he sent to keep an eye on the Empress returned and reported that the Empress wanted to have his child.
It wasn't that he was heartless, but rather that the Empress's body simply couldn't give birth to a healthy child. This wasn't his statement, but the final conclusion reached after a consultation among all the imperial physicians in the palace.
Therefore, even though he wanted Xian'er to sit on the throne, he never thought of touching the Empress, a woman destined not to live past thirty. He would give her enough honor and give her a grand funeral after her death, after all, she was his legal wife.
However, since that woman drugged him for her own ambition, she shouldn't blame him for being ruthless!
...
The system has been out of service for the past few days, which has made Liu Cai very worried, and she has no energy to do anything.
But remembering what the system had said, she still decided to go to Zhu Yan Palace to investigate Consort Zhao's background.
When Ning Yan heard that Consort Liu had arrived, she told her sister and then returned to her side hall.
This person probably hasn't realized her system is gone yet, and still has the leisure to come here and try to get attention. She's really something else.
"Go and invite them in."
Gu Yu obediently went to invite someone.
Consort Liu was dressed simply today, in a pale yellow dress, with only a jade hairpin in her hair. Her makeup was also very light. Ning Yan only glanced at her before lowering her eyes. As expected of a woman who had lived through more than a dozen worlds, she was indeed very scheming.
Her attire today was a way of telling Ning Yan that she wasn't there to compete for favor; someone who wanted to win favor wouldn't have dressed herself up like this.
But everyone in the palace knew that the emperor was focused on state affairs, spending his mornings in the Chaoyang Hall meeting with ministers, discussing matters, and reviewing memorials; he simply didn't have time to go into the inner palace.
No matter how beautifully she dresses, she won't bump into the emperor.
"Greetings to Consort Zhao."
"Sister Liu, please rise quickly. I was just feeling bored when you arrived. Please don't be shy, have a seat. Tea will be served on Grain Rain Day."
Consort Liu's eyes lit up immediately: "My sister just happens to have something good to pass the time. Your Majesty, would you like to try it?"
Ning Yan raised an eyebrow: "What good stuff is it? Quickly bring it out so I can see it."
Consort Liu instructed her personal maid, "Go back quickly and bring me the contents of that wooden box by my bedside."
The palace maid agreed and immediately went back to fetch the things.
What could Consort Liu possibly have that women in ancient times had never seen before?
It's just mahjong.
From the moment she transmigrated, she was already thinking about how to seduce the emperor.
Previously, the Emperor only visited Zhu Yan Palace, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't anxious. However, during the days she was recuperating, she couldn't think of any way to get close to the Emperor.
This was somewhat accidental. Since Consort Zhao needed someone to keep her company and pass the time, she would offer up her mahjong set and play mahjong with her every day. Who knows, one day when they played late, they might run into the Emperor.
With her modified body, I don't believe she can't win over an ancient man.
Soon the palace maid brought the mahjong set, and Consort Liu enthusiastically taught Ning Yan how to play, explaining the rules to her.
Ning Yan was indeed very happy with her coaxing, and immediately called two palace maids to play with her until lunchtime.
Consort Liu was very perceptive; as soon as the mahjong game ended, she took her leave, and Ning Yan smiled and had someone escort her out of Zhu Yan Palace.
Thank you Qinghuan and Christal for the 100 reading coins!
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