A happy event comes in pairs

  As the saying goes, "Disaster does not come alone, and good things come in pairs." Half a month after the birth of Ninth Prince Yongyu, Consort Shu was diagnosed by the imperial physician to be pregnant, and she had already been pregnant for more than two months.

  This news not only made those childless concubines resentful, but also made those who had just settled down start thinking again. It can be said that Shu Fei's pregnancy came at a very bad time.

  However, the Empress Dowager was overjoyed when she heard the news. The prosperity of the Emperor's children is a good omen for the Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, it also shows that the Emperor has received the blessing of heaven, which is a good thing for both the country and the family. Moreover, this time it is a double happiness, and the gloom of the death of Empress Xiaoxian can be thoroughly swept away from the palace.

  Just as all the concubines were secretly competing with each other, thinking of ways to gain favor, the Empress in Kunning Palace was also deeply troubled. However, her troubles were mixed with a hint of joy and helplessness. This matter should be traced back to the day when Yongyu was born.

  That day, Long Yitian issued an edict to let Yongwen move into Yangxin Hall, and also instructed Gao Wuyong to pass on the imperial decree, ordering the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital to not only take the pulse of the Empress every day but also to specially tailor a reasonable schedule and diet for the Empress, so that while she was busy with palace affairs, she could also take good care of her body.

  After that, the queen's originally still somewhat peaceful life completely changed. Occasionally wanting to sleep in late was no longer possible, and even the snacks she normally liked to eat were no longer allowed. Even what kind of rouge and powder to use, and what kind of tea to drink, all these details were written down by those imperial physicians.

  These first few days, the queen could still endure, but as time went on, she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. No matter what, she was now the legitimate empress, yet this life was even more difficult than when she was a concubine.

  Although she had thought of teaching those imperial physicians a lesson several times, the empress ultimately chose to remain silent. What could she do? After all, they were acting on orders from above. If she, as the empress, did not cooperate, she would inevitably be framed and accused of violating the emperor's will and disobeying his decrees.

  The empress stared at the stir-fried vegetarian dishes on the table, gritting her teeth. Standing beside her, Imperial Concubine Yong had to hold back her temper and opened her mouth for the nth time to persuade: "Your Majesty, these vegetarian dishes may not be your favorite, but they are all good for nourishing the body and beautifying the skin. You mustn't disappoint the emperor's kind intentions."

  "I knew all about these things...", as soon as she mentioned this matter, the empress's doubts in her heart all surfaced again, and for a while she also lost her appetite.

  She then put down her chopsticks, waved her hand to dismiss the other palace maids, and only then did she speak in a hushed tone: "Rong Mama, you are someone I trust, so I won't beat around the bush with you. In your opinion, what is the Emperor really thinking? If it's because I've done something wrong, why can't he just say so directly? Why must he resort to such tricks to deal with me?"

  The old lady couldn't help but chuckle at this, and her weathered face revealed an irrepressible joy: "Oh my, Your Majesty the Empress, how can you still not understand? Look at the Emperor's intentions, isn't it obvious that he hopes you'll recover quickly and give birth to a healthy and robust crown prince?"

  The empress felt very relieved listening to the words of the nanny, but although the words were pleasant to hear, the doubts in her heart still puzzled her.

  The queen continued to ask, "This palace also understands that if there is no prince by one's side, this empress position will not be stable. Besides, this palace also knows that the emperor has always liked having more sons, and the emperor doing so is undoubtedly making this palace feel at ease. But after all these days, do you think the emperor is really good to me?"

  Although the imperial concubine did not understand the meaning of the empress's words, she also heard the helplessness and puzzlement in her tone. The smile on her face gradually converged, and she lowered her voice again to ask: "Your Majesty, where did you say this from? I see that the emperor treats you no worse than he treated the late empress?"

  The empress let out a slight sigh, and instead of directly answering the question, she turned it around and asked: "Since you think the emperor is good to me, then calculate how many times he has come to my Kunning Palace each month, excluding the first and fifteenth?"

  After the queen asked this, Mother Rong carefully recalled it and felt that something was not quite right.

  If the emperor really liked the empress, he should have come at least five or six times a month. Not to mention other things, just say that in the past, the emperor would go to Empress Xiaoxian's place several times a month.

  But if you say that the emperor dislikes the empress, it doesn't seem quite like that either. After all, every time the emperor comes, he has a calm and gentle expression, although he can't be said to be very happy, but he is absolutely not disgusted; Even when the empress often comes up with a few words of loyal advice, the emperor just listens, never showing any dislike or impatience, at most saying "I know, but you don't have to worry about this matter, I have my own plan." and it's over, without even saying a word of severe reprimand.

  The empress saw that the nanny was deep in thought, and knew that she too had noticed something amiss. She continued to say: "Let's just say last month, the emperor went to Consort Shu four or five times, and also went once each to Consort Jia and Consort Chun. Other than that, he basically always went to Yanxi Palace. Don't you think there's something not quite right about this?"

  "Your Ladyship, you mean... that Consort Shu and the one in Yanxi Palace...", but Concubine Wang's words only went halfway before she stopped speaking. However, her slightly sinister expression fully revealed her thoughts.

  After all, the harem has been vying for favor for a long time. If the various palace ladies do not have some means to win over the emperor's heart, they will soon be thoroughly forgotten by the emperor and ultimately end up with an old and lonely death in the cold palace.

  "The methods of Consort Shu are very clear to me, but no matter what is said, she is already one of the four consorts. Doing these things doesn't count as overstepping her bounds. What I am most worried about now is Yanxi Palace...", At this point, the Empress deliberately lowered her voice and leaned in close to Granny Rong's ear, saying "I've been watching the Emperor, and except for occasionally visiting Consort Yu, he spends all his other nights with Wei Zifu."

  Rong Yiren's heart sank upon hearing this, and then she said seriously: "Wei Changru? If the slave servant hasn't remembered wrongly, wasn't she the senior palace maid who fainted from crying in front of Empress Xiaoxian's spirit tablet?"

  "That's right, it's her." The queen said through gritted teeth, fiercely twisting the handkerchief in her hand: "That Wei Shi may have been born as a servant, but she is obviously an unscrupulous person. I think she is fundamentally a fox spirit who charms the emperor. If this continues, it won't be long before the emperor promotes her status. By then, it will be even harder to do anything about it."

  The old lady's eyes rolled around in circles, and she immediately had an idea. She hurriedly leaned into the empress's ear and whispered her thoughts out loud.

  The empress's expression also relaxed a lot after listening to Rong Mama, and she nodded repeatedly. Finally, she took a deep breath and said in a resolute tone: "Alright, Rong Mama, you listen to me. You go and prepare well first. In two days, I will personally visit the Yanxi Palace to see what kind of ability Wei Zifu has!"

  On the other side of the imperial palace, Long Yitian was sitting in the imperial study, looking at the memorial in his hand while listening to Gao Wuyong's report on Shu Fei's pregnancy.

  It's said that Long Yitian has been visiting Shu Fei quite frequently lately, and Shu Fei can be considered as being favored. Now that she is pregnant, it should have further won the emperor's heart.

  Ke Long hid the sky, but he just said "I know" and let Gao Wuyong retire, without any edict or reward, as if the matter of Shu Fei's pregnancy had never happened.

  Gao Wu Yong was drumming in his heart, but he didn't dare say a word more than necessary. When the Emperor told him to withdraw, he silently retreated outside the palace and waited.

  In the past, Gao Yu could still guess some of the emperor's thoughts, but since the death of Empress Xiaoxian, he felt that the emperor was becoming more and more mysterious and unpredictable. At the same time, he couldn't grasp the emperor's mind either. So, for his own position and life, he is now extremely cautious and careful in doing things, without any extra words or actions.

  After all, in the emperor's eyes, no matter how he puts it, he is just a slave, and whether he lives or dies is still up to the emperor's word.

  Yongzhao and Yongying, who were also studying government affairs in the imperial study, reacted differently after hearing Gao Wuyong's report.

  Yongzhang first looked up at Longyintian, then turned his head to glance at Yongying sitting across from him. His eyes were filled with bitterness and helplessness. He chuckled mockingly to himself, then lowered his head and continued writing the homework he hadn't finished yet, only now his handwriting was much slower than before.

  Yong Yin then looked up and observed Long Hui for a while, with some doubt and confusion flashing in his eyes. Then he lowered his head again, continuing to write seriously as if nothing had happened before.

  The dragon hidden in the sky, who was sitting at the top, took in all of Yongzhao and Yongying's reactions with his eyes, but he continued to look at the memorial slowly and calmly, as if he hadn't seen anything. Unbeknownst to him, the atmosphere in the imperial study had become increasingly eerie.

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