Chapter 753 Shu Ronghua remains unconscious
Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "I would like to offer a toast to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine! I was ignorant before, and I ask the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine to forgive me."
The Empress Dowager recalled the words Jiang Fenghua had spoken when she arrived at the Hengyang Palace, and the way she had asked the officials of the Imperial Clan Court to punish her that day. The Jiang Fenghua of today was completely different from the one she was now. She knew that Jiang Fenghua was also a smiling tiger.
Empress Dowager Cheng was so angry with her that she felt dizzy and lightheaded; in fact, she was somewhat afraid of her.
Neither of them picked up their wine cups. Xie Shang said, "Is Mother still thinking about the rumors outside the palace? Mother, rest assured, I will definitely clear your name. The old woman who spread the rumors has been imprisoned. As long as she is interrogated thoroughly, I do not believe she will not confess who instructed her to do so. Once we find out who is spreading the rumors, I will tear him to pieces."
Empress Dowager Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "Of course I trust the Emperor."
"The Empress toasts the Empress Dowager," Xie Shang reminded her.
Madam Cheng picked up her wine cup and took a small sip, her eyes filled with embarrassment. Shang'er was covering for her, and he must be very angry!
The Empress Dowager directly refused the wine offered by Jiang Fenghua, saying, "I am old and cannot hold my liquor. Empress, please drink another cup for me!" This was quite disrespectful.
Jiang Fenghua replied calmly, "Yes."
She picked up her wine glass and drank two cups in a row. "The Empress Dowager is getting old, and I really shouldn't let you drink. I can drink a few cups on her behalf."
The Empress Dowager said nothing.
Jiang Fenghua continued, "Today is a family banquet. Why didn't Uncle Kang come to the palace? Uncle Kang has difficulty walking. I should send a carriage to pick him up and bring him to the palace for the banquet. Princess Minmin and Prince Yun also didn't come to the palace. They are not in Shengjing City. It would be too late to pick them up."
Jiang Fenghua, fueled by alcohol, killed him and wounded his spirit. The Empress Dowager's attendance at the banquet was simply asking for trouble. She cared most about the descendants of Prince Kang's lineage, but now they were being detained by Emperor Huijing's lineage.
Despite both being sons, her heart was completely biased towards one side, and no one cared who she liked.
Jiang Fenghua inherited her drinking capacity from her father; she rarely got drunk, and after several drinks, her face didn't turn red and her heart didn't skip a beat.
On the other hand, Jiang Huai and Pan Taifu had already started drinking by themselves. Jiang Huai loved the wine, and he and Pan Taifu couldn't stop.
She reminded him, "Father, drink less." She didn't know that the Jiang family members were all heavy drinkers.
Jiang Huai said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
Grand Tutor Pan said, "This isn't the first time this old minister has drunk with Grand Tutor Jiang; his capacity for alcohol..."
Jiang Huai quickly stopped him, "Grand Tutor Pan has had too much to drink. This is only the second time we've drunk together." If Ruan Ruan finds out, she'll scold him again.
Jiang Huai was clearly overthinking things; Jiang Fenghua remained indifferent.
Shu Lang was left out in the cold. He had his own thoughts on his mind, so he picked up his wine cup and drank alone, occasionally fawning over the Fourth Prince, saying, "Your subject toasts the Fourth Prince."
Xie Yang picked up his wine glass and took a small sip. He remained vigilant; this family dinner had come at too much of a coincidence.
Shu Lang turned to offer a toast and his gaze fell on Consort Chang's face. He then drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Consort Chang caught a glimpse of Shu Lang's eyes out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were filled with fervor. What was wrong with Shu Lang? Why was he looking at her like that?
Every move they made was observed by Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang. The two pretended to drink together, each with their own thoughts.
At this moment, a palace maid rushed over and shouted, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened to Consort Ronghua!"
Jiang Fenghua put down her wine glass and said in a deep voice, "What happened?"
The palace maid said, "It seems that Consort Ronghua is pregnant. The imperial physician has examined her, but she has not woken up. We don't know what's wrong."
The wine cup in Consort Chang's hand suddenly slipped and fell to the ground, spilling wine all over the table.
Jiang Fenghua asked with concern, "What's wrong with Consort Chang?"
Consort Chang blinked. "My hand slipped. I'm old and useless now."
Jiang Fenghua became increasingly puzzled. She stared at Shu Lang silently, wanting to see his reaction, but she didn't expect that his eyes were always on Consort Chang.
The Fourth Prince also noticed Shu's unusual behavior. He frowned slightly, feeling a bad premonition. Did Shu Lang know his mother?
When Xie Shang heard the words "pregnancy pulse", he almost spat out the wine in his mouth. This time he was not going to take the blame. He had not touched Shu Yan. What kind of scheme did Ruan Ruan set up?
Jiang Fenghua then said, "Since the Empress Dowager is alright, I will go and see Consort Shu first. If she is indeed pregnant, then I must congratulate Your Majesty, as the palace will soon have another imperial heir."
Xie Shang was speechless. He hoped that Shu Yan would not be pregnant with a bastard child, otherwise the palace would truly be utterly filthy.
"I will go with you." Xie Shang then said to Shu Lang, "Minister Shu, you should also go and see your daughter!"
Shu Lang quickly stood up. "Yes."
Consort Chang shifted her position repeatedly, but ultimately remained still. She clearly remembered that the child had not survived, until the day she had a brief meeting with Shu Lang, when he told her the truth.
Why didn't he tell her sooner?
Consort Chang had a strong idea in her mind, and she suddenly stood up. "I also have some connection with Consort Shu. She came to me to learn how to make pastries those days. I'll go with you to see her!"
Xie Yang paused, keenly sensing his mother's unusual behavior. For decades, his mother had been accustomed to a life of simplicity and abstinence, and she cared little for anyone except him.
The Empress Dowager, always eager for excitement, said, "I have a great-grandson again! I'd like to go and see him."
Upon hearing this, everyone was speechless. How could Shu Yan suddenly be pregnant? Even if she had slept in the Emperor's palace two days ago, it was impossible for her to be pregnant so quickly.
The concubines knew better than anyone else who had been favored by the Emperor. They were certain that Shu Yan had never been favored by the Emperor, because there was no record of her in the Imperial Household Department's records.
When everyone heard that she was pregnant, they all wanted to go and see. If it really was pregnant, the child in her belly might be illegitimate, and this would be quite a show.
So the group of people went to the side hall to "visit" Shu Ronghua.
Everyone went, and even Empress Dowager Cheng couldn't sit still, so she went too. It was a great joy that Shu Yan was indeed pregnant with the imperial heir, so that the palace wouldn't be filled with Jiang Fenghua's children and the Great Zhou Kingdom wouldn't truly become the Jiang family's domain in the future.
Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang led the way at the front.
Upon arriving at the side hall, they found that Shu Yan had also not yet woken up. When the imperial physician Wang saw the emperor and empress, he greeted them with respect.
Jiang Fenghua asked, "Imperial Physician Wang, how is Shu Ronghua?"
Imperial Physician Wang had worked with Jiang Fenghua many times. He said, "Empress Ronghua is indeed pregnant. I have tried everything, but she just won't wake up."
"Is your life in danger?" Jiang Fenghua asked again.
The imperial physician Wang added, "No, it's just that her body seems unable to withstand the pregnancy, which is why she is unconscious."
Consort Chang suddenly asked, "What does it mean that she fainted because she was pregnant?"
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