"Walls have ears, and loose lips sink ships. It's best to be careful," Wanyi said gently, still sewing the baby clothes stitch by stitch.
“Yes, little sister, listen to your older sister. You’ve been working on it for a long time. Let’s go for a walk!” Consort Chun forcibly took the small garment that Wan Yi hadn’t finished sewing from her hands.
"Looking at it too much is bad for your eyes!" Consort Chun said palely as she saw Wanyi looking at her.
"Alright, I really can't do anything with you. Where do you want to go for a walk?" Wanyi had no choice but to get up and stretch her stiff body.
"Let's go for a walk in the Imperial Garden! I've heard that pregnant women need to walk around more, so that it will be easier when they give birth," Consort Chun said eloquently, as if she were doing it for your own good.
"This humble concubine greets the Noble Consort Tongjia, and wishes Your Highness good health!"
Knowing she was pregnant and having been promoted two ranks, Consort Fu felt that with the Empress Dowager backing her up, she didn't take them seriously. As a result, everyone avoided her. Since she was not yet three months pregnant, the Empress exempted her from paying her respects. So, at the suggestion of her trusted maid, she went for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
"Who is it? It's Consort Fu!" Consort Tongjia glanced at Consort Fu with disdain, showing no intention of telling her to get up.
Consort Fu was no pushover either. Seeing that Consort Tongjia didn't tell her to get up, she stood up on her own, gently stroking her belly and raising her proud head.
"This concubine has been impolite. Please forgive me, Your Highness. Normally, I would have done the same without any problem, but it is not appropriate now, as it would be bad if the prince were to be hurt." This was how she usually spoke to the concubines who were high-ranking concubines, and it always worked. However, she did not expect that the Imperial Concubine was different from the concubines.
"You..." Consort Tongjia was about to reprimand Consort Fu when Ningdong pulled her aside and gestured for her to look at Consort Fu's belly.
"Consort Fu, this title of 'Fu' was personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager. What an honor! I just don't know if you are as blessed as your title suggests. Oh, by the way, since you are pregnant and it is inconvenient for you to perform the ceremony, then go back and copy Buddhist scriptures to express your gratitude to the Empress Dowager for her kindness." Consort Tongjia suppressed her anger. She was just a minor consort; there were plenty of bloodless ways to deal with and torment her.
"Well, my pregnancy is not yet stable, so I'm afraid I don't have the energy to copy Buddhist scriptures. Perhaps I can make it up to Your Highness after I give birth," Consort Fu said with a troubled expression.
"Really? Do you have a problem with the title bestowed upon you by the Empress Dowager?" She said it was to thank the Empress Dowager, not for her to copy.
"This concubine wouldn't dare!" Consort Fu suddenly regretted her actions. Why had she provoked the Imperial Concubine?
"It's best if you don't dare. I am a Noble Consort personally appointed by the Emperor, not someone a mere lowly concubine like you can provoke. Remember, once you've finished copying, send it to Anhua Palace for worship. I imagine the Empress Dowager will be pleased with that." You little brat, you think I can't handle you?
"This concubine obeys," Consort Fu replied, still seething with resentment.
"Let's go! Let's go somewhere else! The air here is filled with an unpleasant stench, let's go somewhere to clear the air out." Consort Tongjia said seriously, and walked past Consort Fu in one direction.
"Your Highness, why don't we go back first?" said Zhi Qiu, the head maidservant of Consort Fu, cautiously.
"Hmph, let's go." Consort Fu angrily flung the handkerchief in her hand, then turned and walked towards her residence, Xianfu Palace, without looking back.
"Look, how beautiful it is! Isn't the air so fresh? I've told you to come out for walks more often, but you didn't believe me." Consort Chun carefully helped Consort Yao walk in the Imperial Garden.
"Your Majesty is in poor health and should not go out too much, lest you accidentally harm the imperial fetus," said Granny Kong to Wanyi.
"Indeed, I will protect my elder sister and the imperial fetus."
Indeed, many people in the harem tried to harm Wanyi, but Consort Chun asked the Empress Dowager for help to deflect many of them. In addition, Wanyi surrounded Yongshou Palace like an iron barrel and didn't go out much, so she was able to spend a month in peace.
"Greetings, Consort Wan and Consort Chun!"
Consort Fu came out from around the corner and happened to run into Wanyi and the others who were coming this way. She had no choice but to step forward and greet them.
"No need for formalities. What a coincidence, is Consort Fu also out to admire the flowers?" Wanyi stopped about five or six steps away from Consort Fu.
"I thought the weather was pleasant, so I came out. Now I'm just about to go back, so I won't disturb you any longer."
Consort Fu dared not act recklessly towards Consort Wan, who was also pregnant, simply because the Emperor's obvious difference in treatment between her and Consort Wan made it clear that Consort Wan was not someone she could mess with.
"It's still early, why is she going back already? And in such a hurry, what happened?" Consort Chun asked in confusion.
"Maybe she's tired! Let's go!" Wanyi deliberately chose a relatively secluded path to avoid running into the other concubines.
"Are you tired, sister? If you are, let's go and rest for a while," Consort Chun asked with concern. Consort Chun's constant care and attention were nothing new to Wanyi.
"It's alright, let's just walk around there for a bit, then we'll head back!" Wanyi didn't plan to venture deep into the Imperial Garden; she would just walk around outside and then return.
"Alright, your health is the most important thing," Consort Chun replied obediently.
On the other side, Consort Tongjia glanced around and found it uninteresting, so she boarded her palanquin and returned to Chengqian Palace. On the long street, she suddenly said, "Has Consort Fu always been like this?"
"I've heard that this is how it's always been when she apologizes. The concubines all avoid her and rarely come out, for fear of accidentally disturbing Consort Fu's unborn child." Ning Dong naturally knew some of the things going on behind the scenes.
"Since she has offended so many people, ha, what a blessing! Let's see if she can keep her. Go tell Consort Shi..." Consort Tongjia whispered a few malicious words to Ning Dong.
"Yes, I understand." Ningdong turned and walked in one direction after hearing this.
"Oh, have you heard? Xiao Chunzi from the cat and dog room died a few days ago. I heard the manner of her death was strange." A low-pitched palace maid's voice reached Wanyi and Chunpin's ears.
"I heard about it. Do you think he has some kind of terminal illness, which is why he's like this and so afraid of light?" Another palace maid nodded in agreement.
"Probably! I heard that Da Hong killed his whole family, and he was the only one who survived. The eunuch who went out to buy supplies took pity on him and brought him into the palace to become a eunuch. Who would have thought that he would die in less than a year?" The little palace maid thought that she should stay away from the eunuch's quarters to avoid being tainted by bad luck.
"How dare you speak nonsense in front of Her Majesty!" Yuexin saw Chunpin give her a look and immediately stood up to scold her.
"Your Majesty, spare us! Your Majesty, spare us! We will never dare to do it again!" The two palace maids immediately knelt down, banging their kowtowing loudly.
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