Consort Hua had mixed feelings.
In the past, she always hoped that the Empress would suffer misfortune. She felt that with her sickly body, it was like the Empress was occupying a position without doing anything.
When she dies, given her favor with the emperor, the position of empress should be hers.
But ever since she learned about the Huan Yi Xiang (a type of incense), Consort Hua understood that she could never become Empress. The Emperor had already chosen a dead end for her and the Nian family.
Now that things have come to this, she no longer hates the Empress. On the contrary, hearing the Empress calling out the name of her prematurely deceased son even in her delirium, she felt a pang of sympathy for her.
She was pregnant with a fully developed male fetus back then, but she miscarried before the due date, so the child didn't even die.
They had no name, no formal order of birth, and no funeral; it was all just a hasty affair.
Seeing her deep grief, her brother secretly arranged for a proper burial for the child and invited a master to perform a ritual to help him pass on to the afterlife. He also had a memorial tablet erected in a temple, hoping that the child could ascend to the Pure Land soon and be reborn into a good family in the next life.
She should have realized then that after the child was lost, the Emperor's attitude wasn't one of deep grief; rather, he seemed relieved...
Zhang Mi, as expected of the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, possessed superb medical skills. After only a short while inside, the Empress's symptoms improved and quickly subsided.
[What's wrong with the Empress? This wasn't shown in the drama. Is it because I'm pregnant that she's angry? When Zhen Huan and Mei Jie were pregnant, she wasn't this angry!]
But who wouldn't become twisted after experiencing her pain? It's just that the weak shouldn't use their weapons against the weaker; in the end, everyone becomes a loser.
[Sister Mei saw things clearly and decisively; she was bold in love and hate, and she saw through Big Fat Orange's cold-heartedness.]
[Thinking about it, after being completely disappointed in the chubby orange cat, being taken care of so attentively by such a handsome and gentle imperial physician—besides the debt of gratitude for saving her life, she also witnessed Wen Shichu's devoted nature. Who wouldn't be moved?]
Shen Meizhuang realized at this moment that she could only hear part of Sun Miaoqing's thoughts. But even with just this part, she already knew too much in advance.
Although the emperor was not handsome, he had an extraordinary bearing, dignified without being angry, and was well-read and insightful.
Since she began to serve the emperor, she had constantly reminded herself not to become easily swayed by it, but the feeling of being favored by the emperor was simply too intoxicating.
In this life, I can only have one husband.
If she didn't always hear these things when she was about to fall in love, over time, her feelings for the big fat orange wouldn't be any less than those for the Empress and Consort Hua.
So, what exactly did Consort Hua do to her that made her hate even the Emperor?
Moreover, would she really risk the extermination of her entire clan for her own selfish desires?
Shen Meizhuang wanted to directly ask Sun Miaoqing for clarification, but looking around, she realized the occasion, the timing, and even the people around her weren't right...
It goes without saying that Sun Miaoqing would never admit it.
Consort Jing realized that there wouldn't be any news from inside for a while, and everyone waited there for quite some time.
When she saw Shen Meizhuang walk to Sun Miaoqing's side, she thought she was going to persuade Sun Miaoqing to rest.
Who knew that Shen Meizhuang walked to the side without saying a word, as if she was thinking about something, and suddenly became engrossed in thought.
With no other option, Consort Jing had to fend for herself.
"Consort Cheng, you are pregnant and should not stand for too long. Please go back and rest. Her Majesty the Empress will not mind."
"Besides, even if you need someone to take care of you when you're sick, it's inconvenient for you to be like this."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Thank you, Consort Jing. I'll go sit down first and wait for Physician Zhang to give me his results before I go back."
Consort Jing helped Sun Miaoqing to sit down. She had been alone for many years without children, and apart from Consort Hua, she treated everyone in the palace who was pregnant with kindness.
It would be better if the palace were more lively; it wouldn't feel too deserted to her.
[It's no wonder that the Emperor's offspring are few; half of it is due to the Empress, and half to his own efforts.]
[There used to be only a few people in the Prince's residence. Hua Pangpang was careful not to let anyone have children. Consort Jing, who used to be a concubine in Consort Hua's quarters, had been exposed to so much musk; how could she possibly conceive?]
The Empress and Qi Erha are getting old, and they both suffered health problems in the past. How many are left?
The chubby orange cat thought it was still young and vigorous and wouldn't have to worry about not having a prince, so it wasn't in a hurry at all.
[They don't even consider that they're almost fifty; their sperm quality is low, making them unsuitable for reproduction. Even if someone gets pregnant, miscarriage is common, and the child born is very likely to be weak and sickly.]
Poor Consort Jing, she still believes she's childless because of bad luck. She hasn't suspected her husband, the chubby orange.
Consort Jing's face immediately turned pale, just like the Empress's earlier. She staggered and fell down next to Sun Miaoqing, drawing everyone's attention.
Sun Miaoqing quickly stepped forward to support her, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale all of a sudden?"
Upon seeing this, Consort Li panicked and exclaimed, "Could it be that the Empress's headache isn't just a headache, but some kind of acute illness, and Consort Jing has been infected!"
Upon hearing this, everyone subconsciously took two steps back, leaving space in the middle, for fear that it might be some kind of contagious disease and they might catch it too.
Consort Jing held Sun Miaoqing's hand as she helped her up and said, "Don't worry, I just suddenly felt palpitations and chest tightness, and I'm having some trouble breathing. I'll be fine after a rest."
Shen Meizhuang also stepped forward to help Sun Miaoqing, helping Consort Jing to sit up. During the months she had spent in Xianfu Palace, Consort Jing had not been particularly close to her, but had been extremely kind to her.
"I wonder if there's been any progress with the Empress yet. Is there any imperial physician who can spare some time to examine Consort Jing's pulse?"
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