With a wave of her hand, Granny Chang sent several burly women forward to seize Consort Xin's maids.
The maidservant of Consort Xin was terrified and grabbed Consort Xin's sleeve, shouting:
"Your Majesty, save me! Your Majesty, save me!"
Consort Xin pulled the palace maid behind her and looked directly at Su Ruiling.
"Your Majesty, my maidservant spoke rudely. I will teach her a lesson myself, so please don't trouble yourself."
"Otherwise, if something were to happen to me, the unborn child in my womb would likely be frightened."
After saying this, Consort Xin stuck out her belly, her eyes full of threat.
Granny Chang was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
This Consort Xin, ever since she became pregnant with the emperor's child, has frequently tried to outdo the empress.
Now they still want to make the Empress submit in front of so many officials' wives.
They're so spoiled and arrogant, they don't know how to restrain themselves at all!
The little dumpling kept staring at Consort Xin's belly.
She just mentioned the dragon fetus in her belly?
Does that mean you have a baby in your belly?
But??
The little dumpling was wondering when she heard Su Ruiling's authoritative voice beside her.
"Consort Xin's maidservant spoke rudely to Miss Mu; she shall be punished with a severe beating!"
The palace maid's face immediately turned ashen. She couldn't understand why the usually gentle and kind Empress would order her to be executed just because of one sentence!
Consort Xin was also surprised that Su Ruiling would directly order her execution, and in her panic she shouted:
"Your Majesty, how could you so casually have my palace maid beaten to death!"
Su Ruiling, holding the little girl's hand, addressed the crowd in a loud voice:
"I am the Empress! What's wrong with that!"
Normally, Su Ruiling wouldn't bother arguing with them, but today, they were disrespecting her little niece!
Then don't blame her for showing no mercy!
Consort Xin: "Your Majesty the Empress, you are far too arrogant."
Granny Chang, who had been holding back for so long, finally slapped Consort Xin across the face without any hesitation. "You have been disrespectful to Your Majesty the Empress. This slap is a lesson for you."
Consort Xin covered her swollen face and could only watch helplessly as her maid was dragged away.
Consort Xin clenched her fists, veins bulging on her forehead, and glared angrily at Su Ruiling.
You bastard Su Ruiling, just you wait and see.
After today, let's see how smug you are!
Consort Xin lost face and could only leave under the mocking gazes of the crowd.
As she was leaving, Consort Xin suddenly heard a voice from the very back of the officials' household saying:
"That scheming bitch, after currying favor with the Mu family, she's now trying to curry favor with the Empress."
Consort Xin looked up and saw a woman dressed in a vulgar manner, holding the hand of a girl.
"Who are they?" Consort Xin asked the palace maid beside her in a low voice.
Palace maid: "They seem to be the wife and daughter of Earl Shen'an."
Consort Xin thought for a moment and realized that there seemed to be a Earl of Shen'an.
Judging from what she just said, it seems she knows Xiaotuanzi and dislikes her very much.
Consort Xin's eyes flickered slightly, and she ordered the palace maid, "Summon them to my palace."
After Consort Xin left, the little boy tugged at Su Ruiling's skirt and said:
"My aunt is so domineering."
Facing the little dumpling, Su Ruiling immediately put on a gentle smile again.
"My aunt wants everyone to know that with me around, no one can bully my little dumpling."
"Auntie is so nice." The little dumpling smiled, his eyes crinkling, and stretched out his little arms to hug Su Ruiling, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
On the other side, Sun Mingzhu and Jiang Yuanyuan were being led by Consort Xin's maid.
Sun Mingzhu laughed heartily, and said to Jiang Yuanyuan with great pride:
"The almanac said it wasn't a good day for me to go out, but I think it's perfect for me! Look, my daughter and I have won the favor of the Imperial Concubine!"
Jiang Yuanyuan nodded repeatedly, mimicking Sun Mingzhu's smug expression.
"Yuan'er, you must perform well in front of the Imperial Concubine later," Sun Mingzhu instructed.
Jiang Yuanyuan: "Don't worry, Mother, I understand."
Even if Sun Mingzhu didn't tell her, Jiang Yuanyuan would still go to great lengths to please Consort Xin.
Seeing how much the Empress doted on the little dumpling, Jiang Yuanyuan was already seething with anger.
Jiang Yuanyuan had just heard her mother say that Consort Xin was pregnant with a prince and was very likely to become the Empress Dowager in the future.
That's a head bigger than the Empress, so she'll definitely step on the little dumpling's head and teach her a lesson.
**
Consort Xin was nestled on the soft couch. She had just finished drinking her tonic when a palace maid brought in Sun Mingzhu and her daughter.
Upon seeing the two, Consort Xin smiled and rose to greet them.
"Madam Sun, please have a seat," Consort Xin said, instructing a palace maid to prepare tea for Sun Mingzhu.
Before Sun Mingzhu arrived, Consort Xin specifically instructed that the precious teacups bestowed by the Emperor be brought out.
Sun Mingzhu had never used such a fine thing before. She held the teacup with both hands, not even willing to take a sip of tea.
"As expected of the Imperial Concubine Xin, even the teacups are of the finest quality," Sun Mingzhu flattered Imperial Concubine Xin.
"These things were all bestowed upon me by His Majesty."
After speaking, Consort Xin suddenly lowered her eyes and pretended to be very sad.
"It's also because His Majesty dotes on me so much that the Empress always has a lot of complaints about me."
Seeing Consort Xin heartbroken, Sun Mingzhu stepped forward to comfort her, while also giving Jiang Yuanyuan a meaningful look.
"You are the Imperial Concubine, it is only right that His Majesty favors you, especially since you are pregnant with the Emperor's child. The Empress is really something, how can she not know how to defer to you? She has no virtue of a empress at all."
Sun Mingzhu spoke at length, focusing only on saying things that Consort Xin would like to hear.
Consort Xin's complexion improved, and she turned to look at Jiang Yuanyuan.
"Your daughter is so well-behaved. I love her just by looking at her well-behaved little face."
"I dislike those unruly kids the most; they don't understand any rules at all."
Consort Xin added a second sentence, while secretly observing Sun Mingzhu and her daughter.
Hearing her daughter praised like that, Sun Mingzhu became overjoyed.
"That's right, look at the Mu family's young lady, she's been trying to curry favor with the Emperor and Empress ever since she entered the palace."
"You can't believe how cunning such a young child is. Our Yuan'er is different; she's the most well-behaved and innocent child."
Sun Mingzhu pulled Jiang Yuanyuan to Consort Xin's side, pointed to the injury on her face, and said:
"Your Majesty, look! This injury on my daughter's face was done by Miss Mu."
Jiang Yuanyuan cooperated by squeezing out a few tears, biting her lip tightly with tears in her eyes, looking pitiful as if she had suffered a great injustice but dared not speak out.
"My God, how could they be so ruthless? That little girl from the Mu family is terrifying!" Consort Xin covered her mouth in shock.
"She's so young yet so vicious. What if she harms my child in the future?"
Consort Xin, looking pitiful, clung to Sun Mingzhu.
"I am all alone in the palace, and I feel a sense of kinship with you as soon as I see you, Madam. If anything happens to me or the child in my womb in the future, Madam Sun, you must help me."
Upon hearing this, Sun Mingzhu immediately became inflated, patting her chest and guaranteeing:
"Your Highness, rest assured, the entire Shen'an Earl's household will follow Your Highness's lead."
Consort Xin gratefully held Sun Mingzhu's hand, but inwardly cursed:
You idiots! Two complete idiots!
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