"Absolutely not, absolutely not, this servant will be careful." Eunuch Wu from the kitchen said cautiously.
"If they really manage to infiltrate, it would be great if we could catch the ringleader. But if we can't, as long as I'm not poisoned to death, you'll all have to take the blame," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, yes, this servant will definitely keep a close eye on it and never let such a thing happen."
Yan Nangui smiled, called two old women over, and went to discuss the matter with Eunuch Wu from the kitchen.
Actually, there aren't that many things you can't eat during pregnancy; it really depends on how much you eat.
It's not necessarily bad.
Yan Nangui is now a top-notch hostess, with people from all over the palace rushing to serve him.
The more triumphant she was, the more disappointed others felt. The Empress was extremely anxious but didn't know how to intervene.
In Ruining Palace, the Empress Dowager asked Granny Lu, "How is the Fifth Prince?"
"Your Majesty, I am feeling much better now. After taking my medicine, I can sleep soundly." That was the old woman, Lu, who came to report.
"This child is frail, and I'm so worried about him. Consort Jing has given birth to the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Prince for so long now, and she's not refusing to serve the Emperor. Shouldn't there be more good news soon?" the Empress Dowager said.
Clearly, the Fifth Prince is good, but he is physically weak, and the Empress Dowager does not dare to place high hopes on him, at least not now. It would be best if Consort Jing could give birth to another child.
As for Ye Lingyi, who was once highly regarded, she has long since fallen out of favor, and the Empress Dowager has long since given up on her.
Granny Lu agreed verbally, but inwardly she sighed.
Where in Consort Jing's body is it suitable to have another child?
Nowadays, everyone is careful about using contraception.
The Empress Dowager truly disregards the health of the Imperial Concubine.
After Granny Lu left, the Empress Dowager rubbed her temples and said, "The calls for establishing a crown prince are growing louder and louder. Even if I wanted to, I can't force the Fifth Prince to take the throne."
"This servant believes His Majesty has no such intention. He is still young, not even thirty yet. And in good health. It seems we should wait a few more years. The eldest and second princes are probably not in His Majesty's consideration. The third prince is intelligent, but his mother is not favored. The fourth prince is needless to say. The sixth prince was born prematurely and is weak. The fifth prince is weak now, but he will be better when he grows up. We must not rush things now. It is better to wait."
"But Consort Chen... oh, now Consort Chen Hui, she's pregnant. If she gives birth to a prince, people outside will probably call her prince the crown prince." The Empress Dowager frowned.
"It won't be that easy. First, she might not even give birth to a prince. Even if she did, how easy would it be for him to become the crown prince? The Yan family holds military power; wouldn't His Majesty be wary of them? Besides, she's a second-time bride. In the common people, that's nothing, but this is the royal family. Even if His Majesty doesn't care, if there are too many voices outside, it will still be a taboo."
"Even though she has a noble status, her children will naturally be inferior. She can't be made crown prince right after birth. When a son born out of wedlock is made crown prince, isn't it based on his aptitude? If not, then the eldest son should be chosen. In that case, it might take three, five, or even eight or ten years to see any results. The women in the harem won't let her become the most powerful."
The Empress Dowager nodded: "You are right, but I cannot just wait around."
"Yes, but Your Highness doesn't need to break ties with her. After all, it was you who sent her to the Crown Prince's residence in the first place," said Granny Fei.
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement.
Actually, it can't be said that Granny Fei's understanding was wrong.
However, they had no idea how Yan Nangui had interacted with the emperor all these years. Those bowls of bewitching soup weren't given for nothing.
Within two or three days, rumors about Yan Nangui's second marriage spread like wildfire both inside and outside the palace.
In short, he was unworthy of his position. He should not have served the Prince.
He shouldn't have such a high position.
An imperial censor passionately argued in the main hall that someone like Yan Nangui should only be a lowly imperial maid, and that being qualified to serve His Majesty would be considered good enough.
They said that the children she gave birth to were only fit to be servants to other princes and princesses.
I was so excited that I spit my saliva all over the front of my clothes.
Before His Majesty could even speak, he was immediately rebuked by Duke Ye.
"Lord Sun, you've wasted all those years studying the classics! You're spouting nonsense. What right do you have to discuss the women of His Majesty's harem? The Yan family has a distinguished military record, and it's a beautiful story that their eldest daughter accompanies the King. Even if she remarried, it was the Empress Dowager who arranged it. The eldest daughter of a Duke, a First-Rank General, and a dignified Imperial Concubine—and you speak of her as utterly worthless! You even dare to slander His Majesty's offspring. As His Majesty's own children, do you dare to judge who is superior?"
"You're all of His Majesty's blood, you certainly have some nerve!"
Seeing that Duke Ye had this attitude, the people below must have given this Imperial Censor Sun a thorough dressing down.
Finally, His Majesty spoke: "I see that Minister Sun is also somewhat unclear-headed. I gave you this official position not so that you could spout nonsense. Since you are so eloquent, why not go and take up a post in the Court of State Ceremonial? They are short of someone who can speak well."
The Honglu Temple was the place where foreign envoys were received.
Lord Sun wanted to argue his case, but he couldn't win against the group of people, so he simply ordered them to be carried out.
In the inner palace, there were naturally people who wanted Yan Nan to know as soon as possible.
Yan Nangui laughed after hearing this.
"Your Highness, please don't get angry. If you get angry, she will get what she wants," Chanyi said.
This was sent by the Empress, under the guise of telling her sister not to worry, as His Majesty would protect her.
Is it really necessary to be sincere? That's too obvious; it's more like an open conspiracy.
"What's there to be angry about? Wasn't this bound to happen sooner or later? What else can you say? You just keep harping on this. But, you made this move too early. What's the point of saying anything now?" The emperor's mind was entirely on her.
Now she's terrified that this pregnancy won't go well; even a single negative comment from her could displease the emperor.
If outsiders keep courting death, how can the emperor be happy?
"If we wait until I give birth to a prince, and the prince is older and His Majesty is older, then it will be more effective." Now is the most useless time.
The time when Shu Chengfeng was most bothered by the fact that she was a second wife was the year she first entered the household.
Now, he can hardly recall this incident.
"Yes, I don't know who's so annoying, having to say it at this time. It's clearly just trying to make you angry," Yuanhua said.
“There are too many. If they want to make me angry, they might as well miscarry. But I’m not made of paper. It’s alright, no need to bother investigating. This kind of thing won’t affect me. What you need to be careful about is our palace. Don’t let anything unclean get in,” Yan Nangui said.
"Yes, don't worry, we will be careful," Jiang Xiang said.
"Also, Consort Wan is due to give birth next month. I definitely won't be going, but we need to be careful not to let anyone take advantage of the situation to scheme against us. Consort Mei's premature birth was still suspicious," Yan Nangui said.
"Yes, we servants will be very careful. However, His Majesty values this pregnancy and will certainly protect you well. With His Majesty's protection, there will definitely be fewer problems." Jiangxiang and the others were not unaware that some people absolutely did not want her to give birth.
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