The next day, when paying respects, Concubine Dong arrived the earliest.
Zhao Cairen came to Fengyi Palace with Tianbao, so it was convenient for Concubine Dong to talk to her.
She called Concubine Zhao to a corner and whispered, "The midwife who delivered you and Imperial Concubine Shu was the same person, but she's nowhere to be found. Imperial Concubine Shu must have hidden her. I've sent a message to my father and brother to help find her."
Zhao Cairen had a bitter look on her face, but her tone was relaxed: "Thank you, sister. If you can't find it, it doesn't matter. I am very satisfied now that I can take care of my sweet baby."
Concubine Dong rolled her eyes at her. "You're so content? You're hopeless! When she grows up, she'll call Concubine Shu her mother. By then, you'll be useless and even going to the cold palace will be considered a blessing! Concubine Shu is not her biological mother. Do you still expect her to always consider Tianbao?"
Zhao Cairen's face turned pale: "Tianbao is favored by the emperor and the empress, she dare not do anything to Tianbao."
"How do you explain the poison on the peach pit?" Concubine Dong was so angry that she wanted to throw this distant cousin into the lake to wash her off and calm her down!
Zhao Cairen fell silent, her body trembling slightly. "I am a nobody, and my words carry no weight. What can I do?"
"Don't you have me?" Concubine Dong sighed. "The Queen is kind-hearted. You're the safest here. Don't rush to Mingyue Palace alone in a daze again. If anything happens, tell someone to tip me off and I'll handle it. If you can't find the midwife, there are always other ways to get through."
Zhao Cairen hesitated and said, "The person that Concubine Shu trusts most is Madam Chai. She should know the truth."
Concubine Dong shook her head. "Small soldiers and crab generals are fine, but Madam Chai can't do anything about it. Do you know how Ya'er died?"
Zhao Cairen looked over in confusion: "I heard that he couldn't bear the punishment?"
"Oh." Concubine Dong sighed, "You are so naive. Although the emperor is incompetent, those people in the Ministry of Personnel are no pushovers. How could they not know the severity of the situation when interrogating a criminal?"
"You mean... Ya'er was killed?"
Concubine Dong nodded: "That's right, it's just done cleanly."
"How can her arms stretch so long... That's right, her father is the Minister of the Central Secretariat." After learning the truth, Zhao Cairen felt a little desperate.
In terms of father, she is far from being able to compete. Even the paternal and maternal families of Concubine Dong cannot compete with the power of the Minister of the Central Secretariat.
Concubine Dong glanced at her face and knew what she was thinking: "There will always be a chance. Now that I have Xiaojiu, I don't believe she won't be anxious. Sooner or later, she will make another move. Just wait patiently."
Zhao Cairen said gloomily, "Sister, please be more careful."
"What do I have to be afraid of? You're just an idiot." Concubine Dong said with disdain, but her expression was a little solemn.
"The Emperor loves my sister, and this is a comforting thing."
Concubine Dong glanced sideways: "That sounds a bit sour. Haven't you heard that emperors are ruthless? Don't love that stinky carpenter if you love anyone else. If you have too much emotion, you can love Tianbao, love yourself, and love me."
Zhao Cairen looked at her shyly and said, "I understand."
Wenqing, the senior palace maid beside the queen, saw it all clearly. She entered the inner hall and told the queen quietly.
The Queen frowned slightly and said, "Since you can't hear what they are saying, don't make any assumptions."
Wen Qing nodded: "I know."
The queen turned her head and glanced at the rocking bed: "You and Wen Ge take the people to guard Tianbao here."
As she walked towards the outer hall, the queen's heart was in turmoil.
She is a non-competitive person, but that doesn't mean she doesn't understand intrigue.
The throne of the Nanqiao Kingdom has never had to be occupied by the legitimate son or the eldest son. It has almost always been the strongest who survive the fittest. Therefore, any woman who marries a prince as his wife has received relevant education.
Seeing Concubine Dong and Concubine Zhao still huddled together from afar, the Queen's eyes grew slightly colder.
Consort Zhao must have had a meticulous plan to impersonate the Ninth Prince as a princess, but somehow it went awry. Could Concubine Dong be behind this? Whose daughter were they trying to replace the Ninth Prince with?
She shook her head to get rid of these speculations.
The little sweet baby only recognizes Zhao Cairen's breast milk now. Now is not the time to worry about this matter. Let's talk about it after he is weaned...
When the concubines were almost there, Tianbao woke up.
She babbled and asked Wenqing to carry her out, but Wenqing didn't understand, so she could only whimper a few times.
Wenqing quickly reported to the Queen, and the Queen personally carried her out.
"She woke up as soon as I mentioned the little princess's full-moon banquet. What a clever little girl." Concubine De walked over with a smile.
"Sister Defei, why are you changing the subject?" Liu Zhaorong said sarcastically.
Concubine De put away her smile and turned around, glaring at him with a cold look. "It's normal for children to fight. Concubine Shu didn't say anything. So which chicken is making trouble?"
Liu Zhaoyi (second rank)'s face changed. Concubine De was deliberately poking at her sore spot!
"Hehe, sister Defei, the one that makes a rooster's sound is "guoguoda" and the one that makes a hen is "cluck-cluck-cluck." The charming Concubine Zhou (third rank) laughed so hard that she fell over.
Concubine De sneered: "The hen lays eggs, and the one who can't lay eggs is naturally Guoguo."
Tianbao blinked, still not figuring out the situation.
Are they scolding Liu Zhaoyi for not being able to lay eggs... and not being able to give birth to children?
Consort De was of high rank, so Consort Liu didn't dare to do anything to her. She turned around and complained to the Empress about Consort Zhou: "Your Majesty, look at what Consort Zhou is saying. We are all servants of the Emperor, and her life is no harder than yours. She hasn't given birth to any children for the Emperor, and yet she dares to mock you like this? Woo woo woo..."
She served the emperor more than Concubine Zhou, so naturally her work was harder.
Concubine Zhou didn't give birth to a prince, so what qualifications do you have to mock her?
Concubine Zhou dared to mock, she must have been instructed by someone!
Tianbao frowned and turned his little head hard.
Liu Zhaoyi's words were like the winding mountain road.
This time it was Concubine Zhou's turn to feel aggrieved.
Just as she was about to retort, Concubine Dong spoke coldly, "This is such a mess. I'll take my leave now. Please, Your Majesty, send Nanny Sun to Xuehan Palace as soon as possible to help take care of Xiaojiu."
The queen nodded and stared at her back in a daze for a while.
When they came back to their senses, Concubine Zhou and Concubine Liu were about to fight.
"Enough!" The queen, who always spoke softly, frowned, raised her voice, and gave everyone a cold look, which instantly frightened everyone into silence.
"It's not like Xiao Si and Xiao Wu have fought for the first time. They always make up after a fight."
Liu Zhaoyi was so frightened that she didn't even dare to fart.
Concubine De said sarcastically, "Isn't it just the barking of the local dogs?"
The Queen glanced at her sideways, and Concubine De shut up awkwardly.
The Queen seldom loses her temper, but once she does, the might of the phoenix adds a pressure as great as a mountain looming over her head.
"Each of you is such a worry, all of you are the Emperor's bedside attendants. Look at how sarcastic you are. Do you have even a modulated mother? You're really polluting Tianbao's ears! Go away, if you want to argue, go outside. Whoever comes here to bicker again tomorrow will never be allowed to enter Fengyi Palace again."
The queen had a headache and looked down at Tianbao.
Tianbao raised her little hand and touched her face. The fatigue on the queen's face was immediately wiped away, and a warm smile returned to her face again.
In Mingyue Palace, Nanny Sun packed up her bags and left.
Concubine Shu was worried. What was Concubine Dong up to?
At first, Nanny Sun deliberately wanted to sneak in, but Concubine Dong wouldn't let her. Now she actually took the initiative to ask for her to go.
She rolled her eyes and came up with another idea.
This time, I can definitely defeat Concubine Dong and get Xiaojiu back!
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