The Mansion of the Duke of Jin.
Yue Chengliu and Duke of Jin had just returned from the Qianqiu Banquet and hurried into the study. Duke of Jin was still calm, but Yue Chengliu couldn't help but smashed a set of tea sets.
"Father! How did Emperor Qin Huan suddenly have a child? Who on earth is that beautiful lady Heng?"
Duke Jin sighed, "I originally wanted Qingyuan to pave the way for you. I spent a long time searching for that medicine. The plan was for Emperor Qin Huan to witness Concubine Jiang's miscarriage at the Qianqiu Banquet, and then completely lose hope. This would allow you, my son, to smoothly become one of the candidates for the crown prince. But who could have foreseen this sudden appearance of Cheng Yaojin?"
"This Concubine Jiang's pregnancy is fake, could it be Concubine Heng's as well? Emperor Qin Huan hasn't been able to give birth to a child for so many years, how come he suddenly has one now?"
The more Yue Chengliu thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case: "Could it be that he discovered Qingyuan's actions and deliberately arranged for Concubine Heng to become pregnant to resist the pressure from the court officials, just to avoid being appointed as the crown prince!"
In recent years, as Emperor Qin Huan grew older, the ministers in the court had become increasingly eager for him to establish a crown prince, to the point where they brought up the issue almost every time he attended court. Previously, Emperor Qin Huan had been able to suppress this, but with the increasing number of officials venting their anger, the situation had become increasingly intense.
Therefore, in the eyes of Duke Jin, Yue Chengliu's words were not completely impossible. Emperor Qin Huan was a man of great stature, so if he had truly discovered Concubine Rong's actions, it would have been natural. Therefore, it was understandable that he would use this trick to create such a beautiful woman.
Who can guess the heart of an emperor? If Emperor Qin Huan was determined not to let the children of nobles take advantage of him and inherit the throne, he could pretend that a concubine in the harem was pregnant, and then replace the prince with a baby of his choice from the people when the due date came. He could hide it from the world and no one would know.
"Why not let Qingyuan pay more attention in the palace? If it's fake, then find a reason to expose it. If it's really pregnant, then take action first!" Abort the child.
The father and son looked at each other, and everything was said without words.
Concubine Rong, whom the father and son had placed great hopes on, was currently in Guanju Palace. The events of the Qianqiu Banquet were of grave importance, and Emperor Qin Huan ordered a thorough investigation. Concubine Rong, as a key suspect, was confined to the palace and forbidden to leave at will.
"Chu Yue, do you think His Majesty has already suspected me?"
Today's move was indeed not very clever. It was because Concubine Rong was too eager to use Concubine Jiang to get rid of Bai Yuzhi, so she personally took part in the drama. Otherwise, she could have completely distanced herself from the matter.
Chu Yue was also feeling very nervous at this time, but she still pretended to be calm and comforted Rong Fei: "Don't panic, Your Majesty. This servant has done everything perfectly. The maidservant next to Concubine Jiang has now committed suicide to protect her family's lives. There is no evidence. As long as you insist that you don't know why Concubine Jiang asked Concubine Heng to sit next to her, His Majesty will not be able to do anything to you."
Rong Fei was comforted and calmed down. The master and servant spent the night in anxiety. On the other side, Bai Yuzhi rested comfortably on the spacious and soft dragon bed.
In the Zichen Palace, Emperor Qin Huan was not used to soft beds, so there was only one layer of bedding on the dragon bed. However, in order for Bai Yuzhi to have a comfortable rest, Emperor Qin Huan specially asked people to lay several more layers. Now this bed is more comfortable than the Simmons mattress that Bai Yuzhi sleeps on in modern times.
"Your Majesty, so many things happened at the birthday banquet today. Do you want to investigate?"
Emperor Qin Huan embraced the soft body made of white jade. "I have already ordered people to investigate the truth of Jiang's intentions to harm you. I must get to the bottom of it."
Bai Yuzhi buried her cheek in Qin Huandi's chest, making sure that she was facing Qin Huandi in a posture that would best arouse a man's desire to protect and control.
"I believe in you," she said affectionately, her hands resting on her belly. "You will definitely protect me and the child, right?"
Emperor Qin Huan didn't say anything, but kept patting Bai Yuzhi's shoulders gently until Bai Yuzhi fell asleep peacefully.
Late at night, all evil things are fermenting.
*
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Consort Bai Heng is gentle and demure, generous and courteous, respectful and virtuous, filial and sincere. Since entering the palace, she has committed no faults and has made contributions to the succession of the imperial family. The Empress Dowager and I are deeply pleased. This woman is a role model for the harem. Therefore, I hereby confer the title of Second Rank Noble Consort, the highest rank among all concubines, upon her, with the title Heng. This is my decree!"
Wang Chonghai was announcing the decree in front of the Purple Palace. At this time, Emperor Qin Huan had already stood up and went to court, and only Bai Yuzhi, who had just woken up and washed up, was there.
She had been allowed to skip the morning and evening visits yesterday, and yet she had received such a big surprise this morning. Bai Yuzhi couldn't help but think of the Queen who had come to visit her the previous day. The Queen's expression then was far from pleasant. She probably expected that once the imperial decree to confer the title of Imperial Consort on her was announced to the six palaces, it would be even harder for the Queen to be happy.
"I thank the emperor for his grace."
Bai Yuzhi was about to kneel down to receive the imperial edict, but was stopped by Wang Chonghai: "Oh my dear, my Imperial Concubine, if you kneel down, my life will be lost. His Majesty has ordered that from today on, you are exempt from all etiquette. You do not need to bow to anyone you meet. His Majesty does not even require you to kneel, so this imperial edict is naturally forgotten."
Bai Yuzhi smiled, supported by the eunuchs on either side of the golden platform and silver pavilion. She was very polite to Wang Chonghai and did not take advantage of her pregnancy to show disrespect to the chief eunuch. "Since that's the case, I will obey you, eunuch. If His Majesty leaves the court, please tell me that my unborn child misses us, the emperor."
Wang Chonghai had a forced smile on his face, but upon hearing this he couldn't help but think that Concubine Heng was quite resourceful, as she was already using the prince to win her favor even though he was still in her belly.
"I will spare you the trouble. If His Majesty heard this, he would surely be pleased."
How can I not be happy? This is the child I’ve been looking forward to for twenty years.
Sure enough, after leaving the court, Emperor Qin Huan was in a visibly good mood when he heard Wang Chonghai's message, and he drove straight to the Zichen Palace.
In the Purple Palace, Bai Yuzhi was chatting with the empress dowager who had just come in to visit. Emperor Qin Huan came back at the perfect time, so the three of them sat together.
The Queen Mother touched Bai Yuzhi's hand and began to discuss how to nourish the fetus so that the child would be born healthy and safe. In reality, Bai Yuzhi didn't need any of this. She had already picked out the items in the system store: the Painless Childbirth Pill and the Enlightenment Pill. The former would allow her to have a safe and painless birth, while the latter would increase her son's intelligence, turning him into a little genius.
But Bai Yuzhi still pretended to listen attentively.
In the palace were his biological mother, his most beloved woman, and the unborn child that Emperor Qin Huan had been longing for for twenty years. It could be said that the three most important people to Emperor Qin Huan were all there. He did not interrupt, and just looked at the Queen Mother and Bai Yuzhi with great pleasure.
But someone just happened to come and spoil the fun.
Wang Chonghai entered the palace and reported, "Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived and said she wants to see Noble Concubine Heng."
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