Consort De smiled warmly at the beautiful women before her, "Sisters, please have a seat!"
Just then, a sweet, delicate voice came from the doorway, "Oh, is this Changqiu Palace?"
When Consort De looked up, she saw the last person she wanted to see: Consort Chen, who was dressed in a flamboyant manner.
Consort Chen glanced at the plaque hanging above her bedchamber, then covered her mouth and exclaimed in feigned surprise, "What? So many concubines have come to pay their respects? Could it be that Zhaoyang Palace is about to change hands?!"
She looked around and saw the concubines and beauties from various palaces standing inside. "With this kind of grandeur, I thought I had come to Zhaoyang Palace!" Consort Chen said sarcastically.
"Consort Chen, you must be careful with your words. Empress Zhaoyuan is the head of the six palaces. I am only granting the little princess her first birthday banquet at His Majesty's behest. This is merely to help the Empress share her burdens." Consort De gave Consort Chen a reproachful look and gestured for the other concubines who had entered to sit down.
"Is Consort Chen here to pay her respects to Consort De as well?" Consort Zhou asked with a smile, then covered her mouth with her handkerchief, feigning surprise.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"I just came to take a look!" Consort Chen said, ignoring the ridicule of the crowd.
"Who doesn't know who in this palace loves to take on chores and show off their talents!" said the Noble Consort beside Consort Chen in a sarcastic tone.
"you do not say!"
"Anyone who doesn't want to stay can go back to their own palace!" Consort De spoke without any regard for appearances, not even a polite word, and glared at the sarcastic concubine.
The front hall immediately fell silent.
“Sister, there must be many things to do for this first birthday banquet. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to help you with your worries.” Yu Meiren broke the silence and walked up to Consort De, looking at her ingratiatingly.
Her current situation is quite awkward and difficult. This first birthday celebration for the little princess is a rare opportunity for her to attract His Majesty's attention.
Consort Chen rolled her eyes, [What a shameless wretch!]
"Thank you for your trouble, sister." Consort De patted Consort Yu's hand and looked at her with satisfaction.
Seeing that Yu Meiren was very friendly to her mistress, Chunhua tactfully pulled over a stool for Yu Meiren to sit down.
Inside Changqiu Palace, several concubines sat on a few chairs, while the rest stood. Seeing that Consort Yu had a seat, they all felt rather embarrassed. Some of them, realizing they had lost face with Consort De, left Changqiu Palace dejectedly.
Yu Meiren sat beside Yun Yishu, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, a hint of sorrow in her eyes.
[Her child, if not for stillbirth, would probably be this age now.]
If only I had a son that age.
[I truly envy Consort De. She has a prince. Even if His Majesty loses his favor, even if she grows old and loses her beauty, she will still have her child to rely on, preventing her from ending up in a miserable and tragic state.]
Yu Meiren was originally one of the most beautiful women in the imperial harem, and she was once at the height of her fame.
She was beautiful and had a captivating dance. She gained the emperor's favor as soon as she entered the palace and became pregnant with his child.
However, she was too weak, and the baby could not be saved; she miscarried in a cold winter month.
She was in unbearable pain at the time, she had cried until she had no tears left and her voice was hoarse.
"Your Highness, please have some tea." Chunhua brought over a cup of tea and handed it to Yu Meiren, interrupting Yu Meiren's thoughts.
Consort Rong sat to the side, taking in all the changes in Consort Yu's expression.
"Oh, this must be the Third Prince, Yun Yishu!" Consort Chen sneered inwardly as she looked at Consort De's son behind her.
[Hmph, what's with the smugness? My son's as fat as a ball; he'll definitely be the crown prince someday. What's with all the arrogance?!]
"Oh my, the food at Changqiu Palace is really good! My son isn't as well-fed as I am!" Consort Chen walked up to Yun Yishu, wanting to reach out and touch Yun Yishu's head, but Chunhua quickly handed her a cup of tea and blocked her way.
"Your Highness, please have some tea."
Yun Yishu ignored Consort Chen's cold words and continued eating the snacks on the table.
Consort De let out a long sigh of relief. "Oh dear, my temper!"
[This is truly intolerable! Consort Chen's ability to be sarcastic and sarcastic has only grown stronger!]
She snatched the plate of pastries from Yun Yishu's hand. Yun Yishu was stunned for a moment, then clapped her hands and looked at the imperial concubines present with a smile.
"I think the Third Prince has grown quite a bit taller," Consort Rong said slowly.
“My Chun’er is not much different from the Third Prince, but he just won’t grow tall. It’s really worrying!” Consort Rong sighed. She was the birth mother of the Fourth Prince, Yun Yichun.
"You sisters are so lucky! How could we possibly have the chance to bear a prince?!" A concubine standing in a corner said sadly, letting out a long sigh.
"Sister, to be frank, although the birth of a prince is in the hands of fate, man proposes, God disposes."
"If we want to conceive a prince, we must also work hard; some effort is necessary," Consort Rong said with a smile, looking at the other concubine.
“Sister is right. However, I understand that I need to take care of my health. It’s just a matter of whether His Majesty comes or not. Who else can do that?”
Consort Rong glanced at Consort Yu and then said, "You still need to take good care of your health. Otherwise, if you can't handle the good fortune that comes your way, wouldn't it be a waste of this opportunity?"
"It's not uncommon for concubines in the palace to lose their babies."
After saying that, Consort Rong seemed to have said something she shouldn't have, and quickly covered her mouth with her handkerchief, coughing twice. "You see, I actually said some things I shouldn't have said, only adding to the sadness of my sisters. But that was in the past."
"Sister, do you have any good ideas?" The concubine seemed to sense from Consort Rong's words that there was a good way to recuperate.
"Alas, what good ideas do I have? I can only ask the imperial physician to prescribe some medicine!" Consort Rong laughed and then glanced at Consort Yu.
"It's crowded and too hot in here. I have a headache and feel unwell. Consort De, I'll be leaving now."
...
Inside Shouchang Palace, the Empress Dowager gazed out the window. The courtyard was ablaze with blooming flowers, a vibrant display of color, while the trees were lush and green, and birds chirped incessantly.
Granny Zhang gently fanned the Empress Dowager from the side.
"Mo Chou, pour me another cup of iced pear soup!" The Empress Dowager wiped the sweat from her temples. It was midday, the hottest time of day.
"Your Majesty, you've already had so much. This pear soup is ice-cold; you can't have too much. Your health is important!" Granny Zhang advised as she poured a cup of tea.
Zhang Mama gave a signal to the maid beside her, and the maid removed the ice from the table.
"You're the most nagging one!" The Empress Dowager gave Zhang Mama a disapproving look and took a sip of tea in annoyance.
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