Clutching her handkerchief tightly, Yu Ying's eyes were bloodshot and her eyes were filled with tears. She gritted her teeth and sneered, "Su Yushan clearly promised me that she would plead with the Emperor for Dong Ling, so why was Dong Ling still torn apart by five horses? What exactly happened?"
"That woman is always good at feigning kindness; how could you believe her?" the Empress Dowager scolded angrily, then sighed.
"It's a pity that I was in seclusion those days. If I had known, I certainly wouldn't have allowed the Emperor to act so recklessly!"
If Dongling was torn apart by five horses, why did the guards and Granny Qin both say that she committed suicide by drinking poison? Was Granny Qin also deceived, or was Granny Qin deliberately lying to her?
Unable to ascertain the truth, Yu Ying decided to wait until the Empress Dowager left before questioning Granny Qin. Right now, the most important thing was the imperial edict issued by Hongli.
"The Emperor's bestowal of the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon her is tantamount to announcing to the world that he is treating her as a secondary empress!" Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, Yu Ying rose abruptly, knelt down, and kowtowed deeply to the Empress Dowager, sobbing with despair in her eyes:
"Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to depose me from my position as Empress, so that I may be spared this humiliation and ridicule!"
"Silly child, don't say such foolish things! In my heart, only you are worthy to be Empress. Su Yushan is not qualified! If you don't become Empress, wouldn't she become even more arrogant? You can't give her that chance!"
Overwhelmed with grief, Yu Ying wept uncontrollably, her eyes blurred with tears, as she voiced her deepest resentment.
"Your Majesty, I truly do not understand. What is it about me that I lack compared to Su Yushan? Why does Your Majesty despise me so much, repeatedly crushing my heart!"
The Empress Dowager also felt indignant on behalf of the Empress, saying, "The Emperor was bewitched by beauty, which made him lose his mind and neglect the other women in the harem."
Realizing she had misspoke, Yu Ying changed her words again, saying, "As the Empress of the country, I should not be jealous. It is only natural for the Emperor to favor other concubines. However, in order to please Su Yushan, he actually made an exception and named her Imperial Noble Consort!"
"I have lost everything, and now even my last remaining position as Empress is about to be taken away! Whenever the Emperor is displeased, he orders me to be confined to my quarters. Every day I feel like a prisoner, my freedom restricted, living in a daze, truly wishing I were dead!"
The Empress's situation was indeed very awkward. The Empress Dowager also felt sorry for her plight. She sighed softly and gently comforted her, "Think about your family. What will happen to your family if you are gone?"
Everyone is bringing up the family issue; this burden has weighed on her for decades. One by one, the people she cares about have left her, and she's almost at her breaking point.
"I have lived my whole life for my family, not a single day has been for myself. I am so tired of living, Your Majesty. I really don't want to live a miserable life any longer!"
Seeing the Empress's heartbroken appearance, the Empress Dowager hated Su Yushan even more. "With me here, your position as Empress will not be taken away by anyone. You must cheer up. I will definitely find a way to deal with that vixen!"
Judging from the Empress Dowager's tone, it seemed she could no longer tolerate Su Yushan. Yu Ying stopped crying and couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty... what do you plan to do?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with this matter. I have my own plans. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain. As long as the Empress is still alive, there cannot be a living Imperial Noble Consort in the harem!"
As she said this, the Empress Dowager's eyes turned unusually ruthless, and Yu Ying couldn't help but wonder if the Empress Dowager intended to kill Su Yushan.
Su Yushan is currently pregnant, and the Empress Dowager values the imperial heir highly. It is unlikely that she will make a move at this time, but will probably wait until Su Yushan has given birth.
That's enough! There are some things she shouldn't ask too much about; she should just pretend she doesn't know.
The Empress Dowager's words gave her a glimmer of hope. Yu Ying wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, no longer wallowing in self-pity. She had to be well and wait to see how the Empress Dowager dealt with Su Yushan.
Once Su Yushan disappears, the entire harem will be much quieter, and the other concubines won't have to live like widows.
They were all scheming, while Hongli was completely focused on Su Yushan.
Meanwhile, Ortai submitted memorials to the emperor for three consecutive days, requesting the revocation of the edict promoting Su Shi to a higher rank. Hongli ignored him completely and refused to change his mind. He was waiting for Yushan to give birth to her child before holding a investiture ceremony for her.
The later stages of pregnancy were particularly difficult. Su Yushan could hardly lie flat to sleep, otherwise she would have back pain. She was better off with her first few pregnancies and her body was fine. But now, her feet started to swell, and she could no longer wear her old flat shoes and had to have new ones made.
Fortunately, Rongyu was very sensible. The first thing she did after coming home from school was to massage her mother's shoulders and back, and then rub her legs.
As she kneaded, she tilted her head and asked her mother, "Mother, is the pressure just right?"
Yu Shan chuckled softly at his earnest expression. "It suits me well, it's very comfortable."
Rong Yu smiled happily after being praised, and with extra energy, she clenched her little fist and continued to massage her mother's back.
Looking at his mother's noticeably protruding belly, Rong Yu became even more curious. "Mother, how much longer until the baby is born? I can't wait to know if I'll have a little brother or a little sister!"
Enjoying her daughter's massage, Su Yushan smiled contentedly and replied, "The due date should be at the end of January or the beginning of February after the Lunar New Year!"
Rong Yu silently calculated in her mind that it was October now, which meant she would have to wait three more months before she could meet her baby!
"We have to wait this long?!"
Not only did her daughter complain that the process was taking too long, but Yu-shan was also suffering terribly, hoping to give birth to the child as soon as possible and live a normal life.
Gao Xiuwen did not want this day to come so soon, because she knew very well that once Su Yushan finished her postpartum confinement, the Emperor would probably take back her power to assist in managing the harem.
She had originally thought that since they were on equal footing, the Empress Dowager might stand by her side and speak up for her, allowing her to continue managing the harem. However, the Emperor suddenly promoted Su Yushan to Imperial Noble Consort, making her one rank lower than Su Yushan. This meant that she would no longer have this authority next year!
Cui Ning was filled with worry. Even as she applied pearl cream to her mistress's hands, she was still thinking about this matter. "Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort is about to give birth. What will you do then?"
Leaning against the couch, Gao Xiuwen rested her eyes with her hand supporting her forehead. "The Empress should be the one who's worried. Why should I panic?"
Cui Ning asked in surprise, "The Empress is already under house arrest, so there's no use in her being anxious!"
"Isn't there still the Empress Dowager? The Emperor's actions have already pushed her to the brink. Just wait and see, even without my intervention, the Empress Dowager will definitely take action."
Cui Ning was happy to watch the show. "This servant hopes that the Empress Dowager can take action to suppress the Imperial Noble Consort. Once she falls from power, the Empress will be a figurehead, and you will be the most powerful person in the harem!"
This is the result Gao Xiuwen was most looking forward to. Su Yushan is really lucky. Every time she is in danger, she can turn danger into safety. There is always someone to help her. Hopefully, this time, the Empress Dowager can use some effective measures to completely get rid of Su Yushan and eliminate future troubles!
As the snow fell and the New Year approached, it was the fifth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. On the morning of the last day of the first month, while Hongli was receiving Mongolian princes, Su Yushan started bleeding, as if she was about to give birth!
The three midwives had been pre-arranged; they lived in the corridors of Jingren Palace, ready to deliver the Imperial Noble Consort's baby at any time. However, when it came time to deliver the baby, three unfamiliar women arrived instead.
Upon seeing this, Yunfang became suspicious and immediately blocked their path, asking them who they were.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com