Having lost his child, Yinzhen had no interest in entering the harem, only occasionally visiting the Consort, and began to immerse himself in political affairs.
Within the natural painting, the empress sighed.
"Is Consort Lin really useless? Has anyone found out who did it?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant is incompetent and could not find it."
The empress also blamed her trusted palace maid.
"It's normal that we can't find out. It's just one of those two. The Imperial Concubine probably doesn't have the intention to harm anyone. Consort Qi, Consort Xi, which one do you think it is?"
"This servant thinks it's more likely to be Consort Xi."
"Oh? Why?"
"Consort Lin was staying in Consort Yu's palace. With Consort Yu's abilities, it was impossible for her not to know that Consort Lin was pregnant and pretending to be sick to avoid coming to the Yuanmingyuan. If Consort Yu knew, then Consort Xi would naturally know as well."
"It's a pity there's no evidence. Keep an eye on Consort Xi and Consort Yu. If Consort Lin loses her pregnancy, it's not a big deal. She intentionally kept it a secret, so it's not my fault. But Consort Nara's pregnancy can't have any problems."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, Consort Nara will surely give birth to the prince safely."
"Let the imperial physicians reveal it in another half month. With Consort Lin as an example, if we keep it a secret, the Emperor will be displeased."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Nara was pregnant, which was not unexpected.
The Empress's fertility-enhancing medicine was very effective; it could make the sickly Consort pregnant, and naturally, it could also make Consort Nara, who was eager to have a child, pregnant.
Half a month later, Consort Nara announced her pregnancy. When she paid her respects to the Empress again, the Empress was very happy and immediately granted Consort Nara the title of Noble Lady and a title of An.
Nara Changzai then became Consort An.
Lin Changzai's miscarriage occurred first, and the character "An" in this context means peace and tranquility, as well as being content with one's lot.
Of course, it also meant that the Empress wanted to reassure her.
In any case, the imperial harem has become lively again because of Consort An's pregnancy.
Including the pregnancy of Consort Lin, there are now two new women pregnant, which makes the others quite envious.
Jia Yue remained remarkably calm about Consort An's pregnancy, only sending over gifts that were unlikely to cause any problems.
Bao Xia, however, complained a few times while combing Jia Yue's hair.
"Your Highness, you don't know, Consort An has become quite arrogant since she became pregnant. The palace servants around her are all haughty and arrogant."
"What happened?"
"When Consort An's eunuch went to the Imperial Household Department to collect something, he snatched Consort Zhao's things. Xiao Yuanzi happened to be there and got involved."
Xiao Yuanzi is a clever eunuch who runs errands for Jia Yue.
"Xiao Yuanzi isn't the type to meddle in other people's business, so how did he get involved?"
“The eunuch of Consort An snatched the ice from Consort Zhao. If the baby in her womb felt too hot and Consort An didn’t have enough ice, she borrowed Consort Zhao’s ice. The two started arguing and broke the kang table that the Empress had made.”
This also caused Xiao Yuanzi to fall, and he argued with them. The eunuchs, who were in charge of Consort An's household, refused to apologize, repeatedly mentioning that Consort An was pregnant with the emperor's child. In the end, it took the intervention of the Imperial Household Department to calm things down.
Jia Yue frowned: "Didn't Her Majesty the Empress say anything?"
After all, Consort Nara came from the Empress's maternal family. To be honest, the way her eunuchs acted was not exactly the behavior of a smart person.
What good would it do her to offend a high-ranking concubine who has a child?
She stole Zhao Changzai's ice; didn't she hear how Lin Changzai's miscarriage happened?
Bao Xia: "Her Majesty the Empress would never concern herself with such a trivial matter. Consort Zhao has no favor with the Emperor, and the Imperial Household Department is the best at currying favor with the powerful and stepping on the weak."
"Go and find out what Consort An did after she became pregnant. Find an opportunity to spread the word. Give Xiao Yuanzi a monthly allowance."
She's not without a temper; people are bullying her.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Consort An has indeed become somewhat arrogant lately. Jia Yue sent someone to inquire about her, and the results surprised her greatly. Consort An had indeed bullied quite a few people.
Zhao Changzai was just one of them. As a low-ranking concubine, she attacked indiscriminately. Among the high-ranking concubines, she had friction with Yu Pin. It is said that she almost fought with the Fourth Prince over the food in the imperial kitchen.
Jia Yue stared in disbelief: "Does Consort An think she's carrying an imperial sword? Or does she think this pregnancy is blessed by countless gods and Buddhas? If she keeps acting like this, is she afraid that others won't harm her?"
Having experienced the miscarriage of the Imperial Concubine last year, with no results found, she thought palace intrigue was all about sophisticated maneuvering. But after seeing Consort An's actions, she was somewhat confused.
This is a bit idiotic!
She even asked Bao Chun with suspicion, "Was Consort An really this...brainless before she got pregnant?"
Bao Chun shook her head: "She wasn't so... brainless before, but I heard that she had severe pregnancy symptoms, couldn't eat, and was often annoyed by everything. She probably didn't have time to care about the palace servants."
Jia Yue nodded; it wasn't hard to understand.
Pregnancy can indeed make you more willful, stubborn, and even strange.
Such normal emotions are not suitable for the imperial harem!
Although she felt some sympathy, it wasn't much. She needed to be responsible for her people. Once she found out, Jia Yue did as she had originally planned and helped Consort An spread her "good name".
Of course, she wasn't doing this alone.
On the other side, at the Queen's place.
"Your Majesty, Consort An has been acting recklessly and has offended many people. If we don't intervene soon, things may get out of hand."
The Empress said calmly, "What's the rush? As long as her belly is alright, that's all that matters. Since she doesn't want to have my child, let her know what will happen without my protection."
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