The fact that the eldest prince had contracted chickenpox naturally touched Consort Ning's heart.
When she rushed there, His Majesty had already left.
The Empress did not stop them.
He also comforted her, saying, "Sister, don't worry. The imperial physician has already examined you; it's just chickenpox, and you'll be fine in a few days."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am fine... It's just that I'm always worried about you not coming to see me..." Consort Ning was embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
If I tell her, I'm afraid the Empress will suspect something; if I don't, she's my own mother.
The Empress was naturally dissatisfied, but times had changed.
The Ye family is currently very powerful, and even though Ye Xiaoyi is no longer able to have children, Empress Dowager Ye is still alive.
Now that Consort Xiangxian is also pregnant, how can the Empress not be anxious?
Therefore, the only option for dealing with Consort Ning is to win her over.
But she still didn't want to see her get close to the eldest prince.
She will rely on the Crown Prince as long as she cannot give birth to a son. If he is not willing to be close to her, then she will have raised him for nothing.
But we can't expect Ning Jieyu to be completely distant, otherwise resentment will arise.
The Empress's complicated feelings, coupled with Ning Jieyu's, made these two cousins even more complicated than the other.
In any case, the eldest prince did indeed only have chickenpox.
The next day, I broke out in even more pimples.
He didn't have a higher fever than yesterday, but his whole body was covered in itchy pimples. Luckily, his wet nurse was watching over him, so he didn't scratch them raw.
When they paid their morning greetings, everyone could tell from Ning Jieyu's expression that she was worried.
Consort Ye deliberately asked, "Did Consort Ning not sleep well last night? Why do you look so pale?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I did go to bed a little late last night, but I slept well."
"Really? Then why do I see dark circles under your eyes? You rarely look like this. Could it be that you're worried about the First Prince? With the Empress here, you don't need to worry too much. Does the Empress not want to treat the First Prince?" Consort Ye said with a smile.
"Your Highness is right to say that. The eldest prince is being raised by the Empress, so there is naturally no need to worry. However, it is understandable that Consort Ning is worried, as she is the eldest prince's birth mother," Consort Mu said with a smile.
That's absolutely true.
Because the eldest prince is indeed still under Consort Ning's name, but he is being raised by the Empress. He is not registered under the Empress's name.
The Empress's face darkened: "I see that you all seem to worry more about the Crown Prince than I do. Murong, don't you need to worry about your own child?"
"Your Majesty is too kind. My child is not as noble as the First Prince, and there is nothing to worry about now. The First Prince is the eldest son of the Emperor, and His Majesty values him highly, which is why he cannot tolerate any mistakes. If I have said anything wrong, Your Majesty is welcome to reprimand me."
Her attitude left the Empress speechless.
What could she possibly have done wrong? It's nothing more than the Empress feeling guilty.
Seeing that Yan Nangui remained silent, the Empress exclaimed, "Why is Consort Yan so quiet today?"
"Hmm? Oh dear, I don't know how I let a few mosquitoes in last night, disturbing my sleep. I had to get up in the middle of the night to catch them. Your Majesty knows I'm terrified of mosquitoes." Yan Nangui rubbed her eyes. "After all that, I was incredibly sleepy when I woke up this morning. I'm still half asleep."
“However, I also heard what you sisters said. What is there to argue about? Whether it is the First Prince or the Third Prince, aren’t they all the Empress’s children? As the Empress, you are the legal mother of all the princes and princesses. It is only natural for the legal mother to worry when her child is sick. Everyone in the harem should also be worried. What’s so strange about Consort Ning not sleeping well? Could it be that Consort Ye and Consort Murong slept soundly last night?”
That's a clever way of putting it. Who among them would dare say that we sleep well?
Even if we don't care, we still have to say we're worried.
The Empress naturally preferred to hear the first half.
Yes, she is the Empress; any child born to her is hers.
She will have her own children, and then the other children will be there to support them. She just needs to be more tolerant.
As for Consort Ye's few words of provocation, they really amount to nothing.
Consort Ye snorted, but surprisingly didn't argue with Yan Nangui.
When Liu Ying returned to Fei Luan Palace after paying her respects, she laughed and said, "Now, only Consort Yan is unable to have children, so everywhere she goes, she's just echoing the Empress."
"If you can't even have children, what's there to be proud of?" Consort Ye said disdainfully.
Aunt Lu glanced at Liu Ying, then looked at Consort Ye: "Your Majesty, the previous incident involving Consort Ye serves as a warning. You must take care of yourself and not get involved in these struggles."
"I know, I didn't argue with them either. I just watched... sigh..." Consort Ye shook her head, not wanting to say anything more.
She didn't win either; everyone else was a loser.
“Lately, Consort Cheng has been quite favored. Do you think she can amount to anything?” Consort Ye asked.
"It's hard to say right now. The two who are favored in the high positions are still the same. As for those in the lower positions, although Consort Cheng is somewhat favored now, it's only because Consort Qu is recuperating. Besides, Consort Xia has a daughter after all, and she has always been favored."
"And then there's Consort Jiang. Although His Majesty rarely visits her, and didn't even go to see her after learning she was pregnant, only bestowing gifts upon her, she is the grand-niece of the Empress Dowager. That's a blood relationship. Her pregnancy itself proves something. We should visit her more often in the future," said Granny Lu.
Consort Ye pursed her lips and nodded.
She certainly didn't want to hear these things, but they were all true.
At this time, Jiang Guiyi had not yet experienced any signs of pregnancy, as she was only a little over a month pregnant and had not yet experienced morning sickness or drowsiness.
She was naturally cautious, but she also felt that she was not favored and perhaps no one was plotting against her.
But she forgot that while she might not be favored and not anyone's target, she could easily become a tool because of her surname.
In the Jade View Palace, Consort Murong gently held a flower.
That was a forsythia I picked outside on my way back.
It's not the season for forsythia to bloom; the most common flowers everywhere are roses and wild roses.
This one, however, bloomed out of season amidst the dense green leaves.
Although dazzling, it is also insignificant.
The tiny yellow flowers looked very fragile.
She gently pinched and looked at it, finding it all quite amusing.
Such a flower withers before it even has a chance to withstand a storm, doesn't it?
She casually tossed it aside and smiled.
Misty Rain approached: "Your Majesty?"
"What do you think about sending a message to the Empress?" Murong asked.
"That must be good, but I wonder what they mean?" Kirisame asked.
"If we could get the Ye family to get rid of the Jiang family's child, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?" Consort Murong asked with a smile.
“Your Majesty… I’m afraid this won’t be easy. The Empress… might not dare,” Wu Yu said.
"She won't dare, so let's think of something. Maybe then she'll dare."
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