Chapter 24 Consort Rong Recognizes Sheng Sheng
Empress Zheng suddenly looked up at him, and seeing Xie Yuxiao's slightly cold expression, she suddenly smiled: "Your Majesty, my son is dead!"
Empress Zheng was the birth mother of the Crown Prince and also the birth mother of the deceased Third Prince.
Seven years ago, the Third Prince died of tuberculosis, a disease for which there was no cure, and even the imperial physicians were helpless.
The third prince suffered from a persistent cough, and when it was severe, only a rare medicine from the northern border, processed into pills, could provide some relief.
Consort Rong's father was a general who guarded the northern border, and the herbs were under the Rong family's jurisdiction.
However, the herbs were scarce, and at the time, the country was at war with the northern Mongol tribes. There was no time to spare amidst the fighting, and by the time they went to look for them after the war ended, the herbs had already disappeared.
The Third Prince's lung disease flared up more and more frequently. Empress Zheng, who loved her son dearly, was worried about him. At that time, Xie Yunchuan ascended to the position of Crown Prince. Empress Zheng believed that Consort Rong was jealous of her son becoming the Crown Prince and putting Xie Yunchuan down, so she refused to give him medicine.
That winter, the Third Prince closed his eyes while coughing.
From then on, Empress Zheng regarded Consort Rong as her enemy.
"Consort Rong has also experienced it!" Xie Yuxiao slammed his hand on the mahogany table, making a loud noise. "It is precisely because Consort Rong has also experienced the pain of losing a son that she can better understand your pain as a mother losing your son, and that's why she hasn't held a grudge against you all these years!"
Empress Zheng was taken aback.
"What happened back then had nothing to do with the Rong family, and even less so with Consort Rong. The third prince was also my son. Would I be happy if he died? I have never blamed you because of our years of friendship and the Zheng family's hard work and contributions, but that doesn't mean I know nothing."
Xie Yuxiao looked annoyed and carefully grabbed the big hand on the table with her two small hands, saying, "Uncle Tree God, don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health."
Sheng Sheng could vaguely tell what had happened. The atmosphere inside Kunning Palace was extremely somber and serious. The palace servants were all kneeling on the ground, trembling. Sheng Sheng disliked this atmosphere.
Xie Yuxiao's expression softened slightly, but Empress Zheng gritted her teeth and retorted, "What does Your Majesty know? What does Your Majesty know!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a report was heard from outside the hall.
"Consort Rong has arrived!"
Consort Rong strode in and curtsied gracefully: "Your Majesty..."
Xie Yuxiao waved his hand, dismissing her formalities.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Consort Rong arrived, she heard a general account of the situation from Eunuch Hou. Over the years, she had outwardly been at odds with the Empress, but in reality, she had no intention of paying attention to Empress Zheng's unprovoked actions.
With the loss of her daughter, she had no interest in dealing with the power struggles within the harem.
Consort Rong raised her head, wanting to look at Empress Zheng kneeling on the ground.
Suddenly, she saw the little dumpling sitting next to Xie Yuxiao, wearing a light blue dress, like a refreshing breeze in summer. Just looking at her made her feel comfortable.
It was as if a string in Consort Rong's mind had snapped.
The sense of familiarity and loss I felt when leaving Yuqing Palace during the day seemed to have found its reason.
Consort Rong trembled, lost her footing, and almost fell. Lü Ping quickly supported her mistress: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Xie Yuxiao frowned, noticing the intense emotions in her eyes. He stared straight at Sheng Sheng and sighed silently in his heart.
Well, he was afraid that Consort Rong wouldn't be able to accept Sheng Sheng's identity if she found out too quickly, so he specifically instructed Sheng Sheng not to call him "father" and wanted Consort Rong to meet the child first and accept him gradually.
Now it seems unnecessary.
Xie Yuxiao remained silent and instructed Eunuch Hou to go to the Imperial Hospital and summon Physician Li.
Physician Li has been in charge of Consort Rong's illness, so if she faints later, he can treat her immediately.
Upon seeing the person who arrived, Sheng Sheng exclaimed with delight, "It's the beautiful auntie I saw this afternoon!"
Sheng Sheng remembered her. When she saw her that afternoon, she thought this aunt was so beautiful, like a fairy!
Seeing the pretty aunt staring straight at her, Sheng Sheng not only wasn't timid, but also gave a sweet smile, with a hint of shyness.
Who doesn't like a pretty auntie?
The little dumpling smiled, revealing two dimples that appeared and disappeared, and her grape-like eyes looked back at her.
Consort Rong's breathing became rapid. She clutched her chest and gasped for air, feeling as if someone was gripping her neck, making it difficult to breathe.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Green Ping cried out in alarm. "Your Majesty, take a deep breath, don't panic!"
Xie Yuxiao also frowned with some worry. He stood up, patted her back to help her catch her breath, and said softly, "Don't worry, don't worry. What if you scare our daughter?"
Upon hearing this, everyone except Consort Rong and Huang Ying, who already knew the truth, gasped in shock.
"ah?"
"Is this little girl His Majesty's and Consort Rong's daughter?"
"How is that possible?"
"But the princess clearly, clearly...!"
Empress Zheng, disregarding the imperial wrath she had just endured, stumbled over and pointed at Sheng Sheng, exclaiming in surprise, "What? Your Majesty, what did you say?"
But no one paid her any attention. Before Consort Rong could catch her breath, two lines of tears had already flowed down her pointed chin, soaking her collar.
Consort Rong heard nothing of the murmurs and whispers of worry around her.
In her blurry vision, there was only that child.
Consort Rong felt extremely distressed seeing this and was very worried.
Sheng Sheng scooted her little bottom to the edge of the chair, carefully jumped down, and walked to Consort Rong, wanting to show her the same concern her father had shown her. But she pulled her hand back halfway through.
Isn't it a bit impolite to keep saying that?
The pretty auntie doesn't recognize Sheng Sheng.
Consort Rong felt a pang of disappointment as she watched her withdraw her hand, and her heart ached even more. She wanted to speak but couldn't utter a word.
Seeing that something was wrong, Yan Hu quickly ran to Sheng Sheng's side: "Don't be afraid, this is His Highness's mother. She's a very kind person. You should take care of her! If you don't say something to her soon, she seems like she's about to faint!"
Encouraged, Sheng Sheng dared to reach out again and gently patted her, just like Xie Yuxiao had done: "Auntie, are you alright?"
The little dumpling was so short that it could only reach her legs, but Consort Rong felt that these few pats touched her heart, bringing great comfort to her desolate heart.
Seeing the little dumpling's worried expression, Consort Rong suddenly stopped panting, her suffocation completely gone.
Consort Rong carefully squatted down, then cautiously raised her hand to touch Sheng Sheng's face, as if afraid that the person in front of her was an illusion.
Upon feeling the warmth in her hand, Consort Rong's tears welled up once more. A thousand words escaped her lips as she tightly embraced her, sobbing uncontrollably.
Sheng Sheng seemed a little confused.
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