Chapter 70 The Power of the Six Palaces
The next day, after the morning court session, Yinzhen went straight to Yongshou Palace. Spring had turned into summer, and the sun was already quite strong. In the past, Yongshou Palace would have ice basins set up early, but for some reason, it was still the same these past two days.
Seeing that the emperor was covered in a thin layer of sweat, Lü Yingfeng quickly ordered someone to bring him a bowl of refreshing tea and stretched out her hand to gently fan him.
Yinzhen was very pleased with her thoughtfulness. He drank the tea in one gulp, sat quietly for a moment, and then said, "The Nian family made great contributions to the great victory in the Northwest. I intend to remove Consort Hua from her position."
As he spoke, he squinted and tilted his head to observe Lü Yingfeng's expression.
Since receiving this news, Lü Yingfeng knew that Nian Shilan's overthrow was only a matter of time. Her expression remained unchanged as she fanned the emperor, then reached out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his temples, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Your Majesty, I do not understand these things, so everything is up to you."
Yinzhen was very satisfied with her reaction. He reached out and took her slender hand holding the handkerchief, patting it gently in his palm. "I knew it. Ying'er is the most considerate person. But..."
He hesitated for a moment, as if he didn't know how to start.
Lu Yingfeng knew that he rushed over as soon as the court session ended, and he certainly hadn't come just to tell her about Nian Shilan's ascension to the throne. She lowered her eyelids to hide the deep thoughts in her eyes, and after her eyes rolled, she spoke first, "Your Majesty's arrival is very timely. Otherwise, I would have gone to invite you here."
"Oh?" Yinzhen raised an eyebrow, his gaze concerned—"What does Ying'er need me for?"
Lu Yingfeng smiled mysteriously, gently pulled her hand out of Yinzhen's hand, turned it over and held his hand, slowly moving it down until it touched her lower abdomen through her light blue qipao. She said in a soft and joyful tone, "Your Majesty, our Hongzhou is going to be a big brother."
"Is what Ying'er said true?" Yinzhen's narrowed eyes widened suddenly, his tone revealing surprise, and his voice unconsciously rose.
“How could this be fake?” Lü Yingfeng said with a smile, but as soon as she said it, she remembered the false pregnancy that had troubled the emperor for so long. She pursed her lips and said, “It’s been three months already. My period has always been irregular, so I didn’t pay attention. But it’s been hard on Hongzhao. He’s been worried for days for nothing.”
Lü Yingfeng had long discovered this rule: whenever she mentioned Hongzhao to the Emperor, the Emperor's already good mood would be further enhanced.
As expected, Yinzhen did not pay attention to the first half of her sentence. He smiled and stroked his belly, which was not yet showing any signs of pregnancy, and said, "Hongzhao Chunxiao, you have indeed been quite worried these past two months. I can see that."
Lu Yingfeng secretly observed Yinzhen's expression, thinking about what he hadn't finished saying earlier, and lowered her eyes with a smile as she spoke, "Before, I thought I was just exhausted from taking care of Hongzhou and had been holding on. Now that I know I'm pregnant, I just want to take it easy and relax. Will Your Majesty grant my wish?"
Yinzhen was still immersed in the joy of having another child. After all, in his eyes, Consort Xian was the healthiest woman. Not only had she been able to conceive multiple times, but she had also given birth safely each time.
She currently has only four sons and two daughters, half of whom were born to Consort Xian.
Hearing Consort Xian's words, he raised an eyebrow and looked up. Indeed, it was very comfortable to talk to a smart person. Consort Xian understood the unspoken meaning in his words: he had neglected Nian Shilan for several months. Now that the Nian family had made such a great contribution, it seemed that he had to reward them handsomely.
Simply restoring Consort Hua's title is not enough; she must be given at least the power to assist in managing the six palaces, just as she had before.
No one in the harem understands me and is as considerate of me as Ying'er.
Seeing his increasingly moved expression, Lü Yingfeng returned the gaze with the same expression, smiling gently and appearing completely mild-mannered and unassuming.
She genuinely didn't care. It wasn't that she was being hypocritical; it was just that although the Empress was currently in the Buddhist hall and hadn't come out, her ability to cause trouble hadn't diminished much. Without leaving the palace, she had managed to quietly cause Consort Fucha's pregnancy and then frame herself and Consort Wan, demonstrating her cunning.
The Empress, who harbors treacherous intentions and bides her time, is surrounded by Consort Wan, who has just lost favor and is constantly embroiled in power struggles, and Consort Hua, who is arrogant and domineering and has regained power.
Holding onto this power would only bring her more trouble. Now that she was pregnant, she didn't want to waste her energy here, so she might as well go with the flow and do someone a favor.
——
"The Noble Consort Xian is pregnant again. What a blessing!"
Although it was a compliment, the way it came from the Empress, combined with the solemn atmosphere and flickering candlelight in the Buddhist hall, somehow carried a sense of gloom and dampness.
The stack of silk papers in front of her was very high. Jianqiu frowned and nervously sorted them out, not daring to make a sound.
Yixiu put down her pen, rubbed her wrist, stood up from the futon, and squinted at the sunlight outside through the openwork pattern on the window.
“Nian Shilan has been promoted to Consort Hua, Noble Lady Wan has been promoted to Consort Wan, and Noble Consort Xian is pregnant again. Good, very good.”
Her smile grew even gentler. She suddenly turned around and stared intently at the Buddha statue she had just knelt before, and said, word by word, with a smirk, "There are so many good things happening in this harem."
"Jianqiu, do you think the Emperor still remembers me?"
Jianqiu hurriedly spoke up – “Of course, Your Majesty, you are the Empress, the Mother of the Nation. Only you can stand by the Emperor’s side. The Emperor is only temporarily deceived by villains. He still has Your Majesty in his heart.”
Hearing Jianqiu's words, Yixiu's smile remained unchanged, and her eyes became even more determined—"That's for sure. Only I truly understand His Majesty, and only I can truly help His Majesty."
——
When Hongzhao received the news, it was just after the Imperial Study had ended. Xiao Dezi walked over quietly and whispered the news to him.
However, no matter how soft the voice was, it was still heard by the two companions, the "Black and White Duo," who were close to Hongzhao. They both looked up in tacit agreement, carefully observing Hongzhao's expression.
Logically speaking, Consort Xian's pregnancy should be a joyous occasion, and one should offer congratulations. However, looking at the Fifth Prince in front of her, whose emotions were not showing much fluctuation, Lü Jiusi was somewhat at a loss for words.
Consort Xian was his aunt. According to the family hierarchy, the more children Consort Xian had, the more stable her position would be, and the more benefits she could provide to the Lü family. However, neither his grandfather nor his father seemed to care whether his aunt could rise higher and higher. They kept telling him to take good care of the Fifth Prince and not to cause the Empress any trouble.
He'd heard quite a bit of news during his stay, and childbirth was truly the most dangerous thing in the palace. Even as his nephew, he couldn't help but worry. What about the Fifth Prince…
Amur, on the other hand, also had a pair of dark eyes. Compared to Lü Jiusi, his gaze was more direct.
In some ways, he is similar to the Fifth Prince; his family also has a throne to inherit. However, he is just a king in the Mongolian desert, and of course, he cannot be compared to the current emperor. He is probably similar to a prince in the capital.
But even so, the three older brothers in the family were openly and secretly unwilling to submit to each other, and each of them was capable and talented. As the gentleman just said, it was probably like... "Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?"
If the desert is like this, the situation in the imperial palace will only be worse. Even brothers born of the same mother cannot escape fighting each other. To be frank, isn't that exactly what the current emperor and the fourteenth prince mean?
Hongzhao keenly sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere inside the room. He raised an eyebrow, looked up, and chuckled as he glanced at the two men with serious expressions.
"What? Do you think that because Mother has an even younger child, Master will fall out of favor?"
Yinzhen happened to hear this sentence as he walked outside. He paused, glanced inside with an ambiguous look in his eyes, and then took a half step back to hide himself.
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