Since becoming pregnant, Su Yushan has been prone to drowsiness and her energy has declined significantly. At present, ensuring a safe pregnancy is the most important thing, and she is really not up to the task of managing the harem.
Hongli also considered this point. He did not want Yushan to suffer while she was pregnant, so he discussed with her the idea of temporarily handing over the power to assist in managing the inner palace to Consort Rong, and taking back the power after she gave birth to the child.
However, Hongli overlooked one point: some things are easy to give away, but difficult to get back!
Right now, all he wants is for Yu Shan to have an easier time, to rest more, and not to be bothered by the trivial matters of the harem, which is why he made this decision.
Su Yushan had no objections, but since this was her fourth pregnancy, it was more tiring than before, and she really couldn't handle taking care of anything else.
The Empress Dowager set out conditions: either return the authority to the Empress or transfer it to Consort Rong.
If the prize were given to the Empress, she might use it as an opportunity to make things difficult for her. In comparison, it would be better to give it to Gao Xiuwen.
Kao Hsiu-wen is a smart person, so I doubt she would deliberately make things difficult for her.
Two days later, the Empress Dowager announced in public that Gao Xiuwen would assist in managing the harem. Yu Ying was full of resentment, but dared not show it. She could only lie and say that she was unwell and asked Gao Xiuwen to help manage the harem.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Empress was not unwell at all; she was clearly being rejected by the Emperor.
Consort Chun is pregnant. Such a great opportunity, yet the Empress couldn't regain real power. It's likely that it will be even less likely in the future!
Yu Ying felt increasingly wronged and resented Hongli for being so heartless. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years, yet he showed her no respect at all.
Lan Rong was very envious of Gao Xiuwen. Although her family background was better than Gao Xiuwen's, the Emperor valued Gao Xiuwen more.
Lan Rong tried to befriend Gao Xiuwen several times, but Gao Xiuwen remained indifferent to her, seemingly having no intention of developing a close relationship with her.
Lan Rong, who had been demoted to the rank of concubine, was resentful and kept thinking about when she would be promoted to the rank of imperial consort.
Kao Hsiu-wen appeared calm on the surface, but she was actually overjoyed inside, because she had waited for this day for far too long!
Since she was destined not to receive the Emperor's favor, she would seize power. In this way, she would no longer have to pay her respects to Su Yushan regularly like everyone else, and she would also gain the admiration of the concubines and have decision-making power.
She only felt her life had meaning when she had something to do. Most importantly, her noble status allowed her to secure more benefits for Yongcheng, and enabled her father and brother to gain Hongli's trust and promotion!
The power to assist in managing the harem was dispensable to Su Yushan; she already possessed enough and didn't care much about such power and status.
The most important thing right now is to ensure a safe pregnancy. Only when the child is born safely can she truly breathe a sigh of relief.
Everything was normal for the first few months, but since returning to the palace, Su Yushan has been unusually sleepy lately.
She went to bed at 9 PM and slept for a full four hours. After breakfast, she took a stroll in the Imperial Garden and returned. She felt sleepy again and slept for another hour. After lunch, she could sleep for another hour.
She slept too much during the day, so she should have been very energetic at night, but she went to bed early again.
She originally thought that pregnant women are prone to drowsiness, but this had been going on for ten days in a row. Even though she had slept for so long, she still had no energy. Moreover, she often had dreams, sometimes having two or three dreams in one night. Every time she woke up, she felt very tired. This was not normal!
Su Yushan couldn't help but become suspicious. Her pregnancy had been very stable before, and having her pulse checked every day would make her very nervous. So she asked the imperial physician to come every two weeks.
The deadline hadn't arrived yet, but she was suspicious, so she sent someone to invite Physician Zhao over to find out what was going on.
She wondered if she was just overthinking things, until the imperial physician finished examining her pulse, and then she realized the seriousness of the matter!
The reason was that, according to Physician Zhao, her body did not show any major damage at the moment, but she was clearly deficient in both qi and blood, and her mental state was not good, unlike when she was in the early stages of pregnancy. These symptoms seemed to be caused by some kind of medicine.
When Physician Zhao asked her what kind of incense she usually used, Su Yushan ordered people to bring out all the incense she usually used to scent clothes and rooms.
Physician Zhao examined them one by one and found nothing abnormal.
Then, Imperial Physician Zhao examined Consort Chun's dressing table. Since becoming pregnant, she rarely wore makeup, except for palace banquets, when she would simply dress up. However, after a thorough examination, Imperial Physician Zhao still found nothing unusual.
Unconvinced, Physician Zhao suggested inviting another physician to come and make a joint diagnosis.
When Imperial Physician Qin arrived and examined Consort Chun's pulse, he reached the same conclusion.
Her condition is abnormal; the cause must be identified before appropriate treatment can be given.
However, the room had already been thoroughly searched, even the pillows and bedding had been checked.
Pillows and bedding are changed frequently, so they are not the best choice if you want to tamper with them.
What exactly went wrong?
Most things in the house are frequently cleaned and replaced. What items are not replaced often?
Su Yushan scanned the entire room, questioning each item one by one, then eliminating them one by one, before finally fixing her gaze on the two candles.
The lampshades were all painted with gold, intricate and exquisite. The palace servants mostly maintained them with feather dusters, but Yu Shan was not one to fuss over things; she only had them replaced once a year.
Su Yushan's eyes flickered slightly. "Doctor Qin, could there be something wrong with that lampshade?"
Consort Chun raised a question, and Imperial Physician Qin immediately had the lampshade removed and examined inside and out. He was surprised to find that the color inside the lampshade seemed wrong, and it felt noticeably slippery to the touch.
Physician Qin was hesitant to make a diagnosis. He planned to take the lampshade back for a closer examination, but it was too large and would attract attention if he took it with him.
Before the results were found, Su Yushan did not want outsiders to know, so she ordered someone to prepare a large box, put the lampshade in it, and send it to the Imperial Hospital.
Physician Qin and Physician Zhao spent the whole day poring over various ancient books, and finally found the problem by evening!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
