Chapter 338 Zhu Zhenzhen feigns pitifulness to gain sympathy
Recently, the emperor fell seriously ill and ordered the crown prince to act as regent and even preside over state affairs. Xie Shang has practically taken over the throne. Gao Qingtong's father is a fourth-rank official, which is especially important for him to quickly take over the government and carry out the emperor's work.
Whether he performed well during his tenure as regent depended on two things: his own ability and the power of the censors' pens. That was the reality. Therefore, Gao Qingtong had to be pregnant with an imperial heir.
The reason Zhu Zhenzhen was neglected was because Xie Shang felt that she was two-faced and acted in a very obvious way. Even though he needed Imperial Censor Zhu, he disliked such a woman.
Just as Zhu Zhenzhen was about to leave, Gao Qingtong suddenly stopped her, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Sister Qingtong. With the Crown Princess blocking my way, and having offended her, I have no chance to see His Highness the Crown Prince." She added, "I am already very grateful that I can stay peacefully in Yuling Palace instead of in the Cold Palace. Please be careful, Sister."
Gao Qingtong thought of the Crown Princess's gentle smile and magnanimous demeanor. Could the Crown Princess be just a smiling tiger? She had already given birth to two imperial heirs and was also favored by the Crown Prince. She was too greedy.
They weren't competing with her for the position of Crown Princess; Consort Zhu was merely a minor concubine in the Eastern Palace.
"If Sister Zhu can see the Crown Prince, will you be able to clear your name and expose everything the Crown Princess did to you?"
"Does Sister Gao have a solution?" Zhu Zhenzhen asked.
"It's incredibly difficult for these young ladies in our palace to even see the Crown Prince. Let's just forget about it!"
"I have the opportunity to see the Crown Prince, but I don't know if Sister Zhen dares to?"
Zhu Zhenzhen said urgently, "I dare! Sister, please tell me what the plan is. Even if I die, I want to see His Highness the Crown Prince." She knew that the Crown Prince was just angry with her and had forgotten about her. She just wanted to explain to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince would definitely give her a chance because she was still the daughter of Imperial Censor Zhu. The Crown Prince had neglected her for so long, he should find a way to save face.
That night, it snowed in Shengjing City. The sedan chair from Chengguang Palace was carried into Yuling Palace again. Only after the sedan chair was carried away from Yuling Palace did Gao Qingtong peek out from the window and say, "I hope Consort Zhu can resolve her misunderstanding with His Highness the Crown Prince."
She knew that the women who entered the palace were not free to choose their own path. Like her, they had reached marriageable age but had no suitable spouses at home. Being chosen to enter the palace was already a great blessing for them. However, within these high walls and courtyards... in the end, all they experienced was loneliness and emptiness.
When Zhu Zhenzhen was sent back to Yuling Palace, Gao Qingtong was waiting in her room. She asked, "Sister Zhu, how did it go? Did you manage to speak with the Crown Prince?"
She blushed and said, "Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince already knows the truth. He said that as long as we behave ourselves in the palace, no one will make things difficult for us, not even the Crown Princess. We will take care of each other from now on. There's also Consort Tang, who is also my friend. She has also offended the Crown Princess..." She naturally rearranged and embellished these words before saying them.
After hearing this, Gao Qingtong had no doubts, because it was true that the Crown Princess was beautiful, and the Crown Prince only liked her beauty.
"Sister Zhu, don't worry! I will be careful not to offend the Crown Princess in the future."
Zhu Zhenzhen's tears flowed again. "Qingtong, thank you so much this time."
Later, they said that everyone in Yuling was an inside agent of the Crown Princess, so they could look out for each other in the future and try to avoid doing things with the two palace maids, Xia He and Xia Chan, because she didn't dare to offend them.
In the following days, Zhu Zhenzhen was very polite to Xia He and Xia Chan, and Gao Qingtong noticed all of this.
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Over here, Granny Wang took the register of the concubines who had served the Crown Princess and handed it to her.
Jiang Fenghua glanced at it and said, "It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince is quite fond of this young lady Gao!"
"Isn't that right? To be honest, this young lady isn't particularly beautiful, yet she's had sex three times in the three months she's been in the palace," said Granny Wang.
Jiang Fenghua naturally knew the reason. She had chosen all the new concubines who entered the palace, and she knew their family backgrounds very well. Gao Qingtong's father was an official who could speak for the emperor. He was a very influential figure among the civil officials. This position was very important to the emperors of all dynasties. They had a close relationship with the historians, and the emperors' great achievements were written by them.
Their publications could even guide public opinion and promote the emperor's good qualities, which was also part of their job.
Now that the Emperor is seriously ill, the Crown Prince may ascend the throne at any time. How public opinion will be after the new Emperor ascends the throne is crucial to consolidating the government.
Jiang Fenghua once said in front of the Empress that she wanted to marry a kind woman to enter the palace, but which woman who actually entered the palace could be truly kind? She was just being polite to Empress Cheng.
"Your Highness, all the ladies have arrived at the main hall."
When she arrived at the main hall, all the concubines were already there. She heard them all say in unison, "This concubine greets the Crown Princess."
Jiang Fenghua sat down firmly in the main seat before saying, "No need for formalities, please sit down!"
"Thank you, Crown Princess." Everyone then sat down.
Consort Song sat below the Crown Princess. She was dressed in thick winter clothes and wore a cloak over her shoulders, so her pregnancy was not visible. In just a few months, Song Qing seemed to have gained a lot of weight.
Seeing her like that, Jiang Fenghua thought, "She's only four months pregnant and she's already getting fat. How fat will she be when she gives birth?" She said, "Wang Mama, have someone adjust Consort Song's diet. Don't make her too nourished, or her belly will be too big and it will be difficult to give birth."
"Yes." She had been serving Consort Song meals according to the imperial physician's prescriptions, and she also found it strange that Consort Song had gained weight in just over four months.
When the Crown Princess was pregnant with twins, she didn't gain any weight in her body or face, probably because of her different constitution!
Jiang Zhiqin and Lin Yu entered the military camp. General Peng would likely take care of them out of consideration for their relationship. Naturally, she would reciprocate in kind to build a deep friendship. She also hoped that General Peng would lead troops to annihilate the Su clan in the future.
Therefore, Song Qing's baby must be born safely. Recently, she had been busy with the affairs of the new concubine. Considering the cold weather and slippery roads, and that Song Qing's pregnancy was not yet stable, she excused her from paying her respects.
When I saw her this time, she had visibly gained a lot of weight.
During this time, Tang Qianran humbled herself to please Song Qing and brought her all sorts of delicious food. Naturally, Song Qing didn't dare to eat any of it. She had the nanny check it over and over again to make sure it was safe and harmless before she ate to her heart's content.
Tang Qianran was incredibly generous back then, which shows she was never short of money. She prepared some delicacies from outside the palace to please Song Qing, who was pregnant and had a sweet tooth, so Tang Qianran naturally couldn't resist.
When Song Qing heard that her diet needed to be adjusted, she had no idea that she might give birth to a giant baby that she wouldn't be able to deliver.
Childbirth is extremely dangerous for women; once a woman becomes pregnant, it's like walking through the gates of hell.
Life or death, it's just a matter of a moment.
However, they were all too young and in a naive age, so naturally they didn't know.
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