Imperial Noble Consort Gui

  The body that had been pressed onto my arm was quickly helped up by someone, and countless people asked with genuine or fake concern the owner of the body, Du Liangdi: "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" Someone hastily ran out to call for a doctor. A group of people surrounded her, asking if she was cold or warm, and almost no one came to ask if I was injured. I knelt on the ground, the smell of mud and grass filled my nostrils, and I clearly saw that the white roots of the grass were a moist white color, and the fallen flowers were a deep red like blood. Struggling to get up, my arm hurt so much it felt like it was going to break, and I really couldn't get up. Jingfei and Chun'er hurried over, one on each side, carefully helping me sit up. Chun'er cried with tears streaming down her face: "Zhen sister, are you okay?"

  I reached out to touch the painful spot on my cheek, and found a thread of blood on my hand. The crimson color fell on my snow-white fingertips with a faint fishy smell, and I couldn't help but feel scared. I've always cherished my appearance, now that it's damaged, although not too serious, I couldn't help but feel a burning pain in my heart.

  Jing Fei was also worried, she carefully looked at it again and whispered: "It seems to be the one that Songzi caught earlier. Fortunately, the wound is not deep, it should be fine. Alas, if you were hurt in any way, what would I do?"

  What's good about it? I smiled wryly, nowadays in other people's eyes, I'm just a concubine who overestimated my abilities and lost favor after competing with the imperial consort for attention. What's there to be anxious about?

  The pain in my arm was so intense that I broke out in a cold sweat, and the bright spring light made stars dance before my eyes. With great difficulty, I managed to utter three words: "It's nothing."

  Jun'er was so scared that her face turned white, and she pulled on my sleeve, saying: "Sister, don't scare me."

  As soon as my sleeve moved, my arm was pulled and hurt instantly. Jingfei saw that my face turned pale and hastily stopped Chun'er. Chun'er was so scared that she didn't dare to move at all, but only cried with her head down and stood obediently beside me.

  The Empress was in a bad mood, on the one hand comforting Du Liangdi to calm down, and on the other hand ordering the concubines not to make noise. Turning around, she saw me sitting sideways, and hastily called out: "Zhen Biyu is also unwell, have her go with Du Liangdi to rest in the side hall, and call for the imperial physician to come and take a look."

  It wasn't until I lay down on the couch in the side hall that I felt a bit better. The imperial physician who came to take my pulse was Taiyi Hospital's Tiandian Zhangmi. The empress, fearing that Du Liangdi would stir up her fetal energy, hastily called him over, and he looked at me with a slightly helpless and soothing gaze. I immediately said, "Please take Liangdi's pulse first, the imperial heir is important."

  The queen showed a hint of approval. Zhang Mi quietly felt the pulse, Du Liangdi had a worried and anxious expression, but her spirit was still good. The surroundings were silent, it was unknown whether they were worried about Du Liangdi's pregnancy or each had their own unspeakable concerns. I endured the severe pain in my arm, listening to the sound of the copper clock "drip drip" faintly, outside the window the spring scenery was beautiful, I lay on my side on the couch, my eyes blurred round and round, only feeling that the spring scenery was really far away from me, so distant, even if I stretched out my hand, it was still unreachable. By my ear, Zhang Mi's flat voice with a hint of joy sounded: "Du Liangdi is fine, the imperial heir is also safe and sound. It's truly fortunate. The young master just had a fright, I'll prescribe some calming medicine to take."

  The empress seemed to have let out a sigh of relief, and after reciting several Buddhist scriptures, she said: "This palace can now rest assured, otherwise it would be unfilial to the emperor and our ancestors, which would be a sin."

  The expressions of the people around were complex and difficult to describe, after a moment, Qin Fangyi smiled and said: "After all, Du sister has good fortune, it's good that nothing happened." Only then did everyone smile and speak to comfort Du Liangdi.

  The empress said: "That side Zhen Miyou also fell and probably hurt somewhere, let the imperial physician go take a look."

  Zhang Mi examined the wound carefully and said, "The cut on your face is only a superficial injury, applying some ointment will be fine. However, your arm is sprained, so you need to take good care of it with medicine." He sat down again to feel the pulse. The sunlight cast a mysterious glow on his slightly graying beard through the window lattice. Suddenly, he stood up with a smile and said, "Congratulations, young master."

  "Chun'er was so anxious that she shouted: 'What are you talking about? Eldest Sister Zhen's hand is injured and you're still congratulating her!'"

  I was taken aback for a moment, vaguely understanding something, and involuntarily felt a surge of joy from the bottom of my heart. I hesitated, not daring to believe it, and asked: "Are you saying——"

  He bowed deeply, "Congratulations, young master, you are already nearly two months pregnant." I was both shocked and delighted, and suddenly sat up from the couch, my hands trembling with pain. I couldn't help but cry out in pain, and the empress, looking pleased, scolded me, "Why is it that someone who's pregnant is being so reckless?" She asked the imperial physician, "Is this true?"

  "Your Majesty, I have been a doctor for decades and still have some grasp of this. However, when reporting back to the Empress, Concubine Xiao's body is weak, and she just fell and got frightened again, the fetus seems unstable. Let me prescribe a few doses of An Tai Rong Yang medicine for Concubine Xiao to take, and after resting quietly, it should be fine."

  The empress smiled and said: "Then I'll trouble the imperial physician to take extra care. I'm entrusting Zhen Biyu and the child in her womb entirely to you."

  "Your Majesty's humble subject will certainly exert his utmost efforts."

  The queen sat down beside me and said, "Zhang Taisheng's medical skills are excellent, don't worry."

  I smiled and said: "The queen carefully took care of me, I am deeply grateful."

  The Empress smiled and said: "This is good. Today's false alarm, Du Liangdi is fine, Zhen Meimei has a happy pulse again, it's really a double happiness."

  The Empress said repeatedly: "Right, right, right. Jing Fei, you will accompany me to Tongming Hall tomorrow to thank the gods for their blessings. Xian Fei and Hua Fei will also go."

  Xian Fei smiled slightly in agreement. Hua Fei forced a smile and said, "I haven't been feeling well for the past two days, so I won't be going."

  The queen's face showed displeasure, and suddenly a weak voice said: "This palace's body is not good, how come the body of Huafei is also not comfortable."

  The Empress was interrupted and her face fell as she turned to look, saying: "I thought it was someone else - Consort Duan's footsteps are indeed quick."

  Everyone heard the noise and turned their heads, only to see Empress Duan arriving. She didn't respond to Empress Hua's words. The empress smiled and said: "What a rare guest, how did you come too? Today is indeed a good day, looking at your complexion, it's not bad."

  Duan Fei was supported by her maid as she curtsied and said, "It's all thanks to Your Highness's good fortune. The imperial physician instructed me to take more walks in the sun on sunny days, but I didn't expect that just as I arrived at Shanglin Garden, I heard such a commotion here. I felt uneasy in my heart, so I had to come and take a look."

  The queen said: "Nothing, just a false alarm."

  The queen was considerate of Duan Fei being an ill person, although she chatted with her, she didn't let her get close to me and Du Liangdi. Duan Fei also knew the score, after asking about our well-being twice, she bid farewell.

  I bowed to Duanyi and greeted her, but she only responded faintly. I noticed that although she was talking to the Empress Dowager without looking at me, her left hand remained tightly clenched into a fist by her side until she bid farewell and discreetly extended a finger from her sleeve towards me for a brief moment, then used her right hand to stroke the crescent-shaped golden pendant on her chest, seemingly unintentionally gazing deeply at me.

  I was just thinking she's strange, lowered my head for a moment and suddenly understood.

  As soon as Consort Feng left, Xuan Ling rushed in like the wind, hastily grabbing my hand and examining me carefully. His gaze gradually settled on my abdomen. He stared at me for a long time, forgetting himself in front of others, before suddenly embracing me and exclaiming: "It's really good! Huanhuan - it's really good!"

  I was startled by his behavior, and when I glanced around, I saw the Empress Dowager lowering her head to adjust her clothes as if she hadn't seen anything, while Consort Hua's face turned pale. The others also had different expressions. I felt both embarrassed and ashamed, and hastily reached out to push him, saying: "Your Majesty is pressing down on my hand."

  It's been half a month since we last met, and Xuan Ling has lost some weight. He quickly let go of me, saw the two bloody scratches on my face, and there were still bloodstains seeping out. He tentatively reached out to stroke it and asked, "How did you get hurt?"

  My heart ached and I turned my head to cover the scars on my face, saying: "Your humble servant is ugly and unworthy to meet Your Majesty."

  He didn't say a word, and then he saw that I had a bandage on my arm. He turned his head to see that Du Liangdi was also lying down with a sullen expression. Frowning, he asked: "What's going on?"

  His tone was not severe, but his gaze was sharp, and wherever he went, the concubines would lower their heads and remain silent. Du Liangdi had been frightened out of her wits, and seeing Xuan Ling enter without showing concern for her first, she had already stored up a bellyful of grievances. Now hearing Xuan Ling ask this way, she naturally sobbed and tearfully recounted the entire ordeal.

  Xuan Ling didn't listen, and if he did, he would get angry. Before he even spoke, Empress De and Empress Hua had already knelt down one after another. Xuan Ling didn't even glance at them, but instead asked the Empress Dowager, "What does Your Majesty have to say?"

  The queen said calmly, "Today's matter is probably an unintentional mistake by all the sisters." The queen paused for a moment, looking at Consort Hua with words that seemed light and casual: "As for Consort Hua, it can't be blamed on her if the pearl necklace wasn't secure."

  Xuan Ling Xuan raised an eyebrow, but ultimately didn't say anything. He simply said calmly: "Pearl necklace? Get rid of the craftsman who made it and never let him enter the palace again. If there's another breakage, behead him along with his neck."

  The Empress did not think much of it, but the trembling and shaking Concubine Xian kneeling beside her was a stark contrast to her calm demeanor in the courtyard earlier. Concubine Xian spoke with a sobbing tone: "I really didn't do it on purpose, my hand's armor somehow hooked onto the squirrel's fur, I think it hurt it, which is why it got startled and almost injured Du Liangdi." Concubine Xian choked back tears: "The squirrel scratched my hand so I couldn't hold onto it, and it escaped. Luckily, Zhen Bichu sacrificed herself to save it, otherwise my crime would have been even greater." As she spoke, she extended her right hand, revealing two bloody claw marks across the fair and delicate skin on the back of her hand.

  Xuan Ling murmured: "Whose beast is this wretched creature, Songzi?"

  The empress was shocked and quickly knelt down, saying: "I am guilty. The pine seedling is one that I have been raising for fun, it has always been gentle, but today it suddenly went mad, it is really my fault." As she spoke, she turned her head to the palace staff beside her and ordered: "Go find that beast and beat it to death, it has caused such a great disaster, it absolutely cannot be kept any longer!"

  The Empress was so frightened that she didn't dare to speak, and all that could be heard was the mournful cry of Songzi gradually fading away. Xuan Ling saw that the Empress had spoken in this manner, and it would not be good for him to say anything more, so he glanced at Yi Fei and said: "Although you have also been injured, today's disaster cannot be separated from your responsibility, you will be punished with half a year's salary, go back and reflect on yourself." Yi Fei's face turned pale, she was ashamed and humiliated, bowed her head and wept silently.

  The queen sighed and said, "Today's events are indeed happening one after another, making it hard to keep up. However, Zhen Bijun, you were also too careless, not even knowing that you're pregnant, and yet you rushed out to save someone. Fortunately, nothing happened, but if there was even a slight mishap, this would be a matter of great importance to the imperial family."

  I hung my head in shame, the empress scolded the eunuchs and others: "You were told to serve the young master well, but you didn't even know that the young master had become pregnant with such a big thing. If something goes wrong today, I will send all of you to the penal colony for hard labor."

  The empress rarely got this angry, so I couldn't help but defend myself: "It's not their fault, it was my own negligence. My body felt lazy and I thought it was just spring fatigue, but my period was delayed by half a month. I've always had irregular periods, which is normal for me. Besides, with the epidemic still raging in the palace, I didn't want to trouble the imperial physician too much." I smiled and said: "I saw that all of you sisters were pregnant and had morning sickness, but I didn't have any such symptoms."

  Cao Jieyu smiled and said to me, "Everyone says that my sister is clever, but it seems that there are times when she doesn't understand. The symptoms of morning sickness vary from person to person, I didn't have severe morning sickness until four or five months into my pregnancy with Princess Wen Yi."

  The Empress also smiled and said to Xuan Ling: "His Majesty has few children, Du Liangdi was pregnant not long ago, and now Zhen Jieyu is also pregnant. It can be seen that heaven blesses our great Zhou. I congratulate His Majesty."

  The Empress's words hit the nail on the head of Xuan Ling's concerns, and indeed Xuan Ling smiled with joy. Consort Xin also said: "When I was pregnant with Emperor He's child, the imperial physician repeatedly warned me to be extremely careful during the first three months, now that Concubine Jie is recovering well, she should just rest quietly, her body is still injured after all."

  Everyone was talking at once, offering various words of comfort. Only Empress De stood to one side, silently weeping without stopping. The empress said: "Let's first send Concubine Wei back to the palace and have the imperial physician take good care of her."

  Xuan Ling said to the Empress, "Today is the 23rd. The 26th will be the day of Jing Fei's enthronement ceremony. I have ordered the Ministry of Rites to also confer the title of Guan Gui Pin on Zhen Shi, Concubine Wei, on that day, and she will reside in Tongli Palace as the mistress. Your Majesty should also make arrangements for this matter."

  The queen smiled and said to me, "This is what should be done. Although the days are a bit tight, I will definitely get it done. Besides, there's also Empress Hua here, Your Majesty can rest assured." Fortunately, Empress Hua still had good manners and maintained a faint smile in front of Xuan Ling.

  Xuan Ling smiled in satisfaction and took my hand, helping me up as he said, "I'll accompany you back."

  Reclining on the couch, I watch as Ling orders the maids to scurry about. One moment she's telling Zhu to bring me tea, the next she's instructing Bi to adjust my pillow so I can lean against it comfortably. Then she's sending Jing to close the window so the wind doesn't blow on me, and another moment she's having Xiao Yu change into a softer cloud-soft quilt for me to snuggle up in. The whole room is in an uproar, with everyone rushing about, their faces pinched in suppressed smiles.

  "What's so precious about this? It's making people uneasy."

  He patted his forehead and said, "I was indeed confused. You are most afraid of disturbance during pregnancy." Then he told the servants, "All of you can go out now."

  I hastily said: "Hey, you've sent them all away, who's going to serve me now?"

  He held my hand and gave it a light kiss, saying softly: "Will you serve me?"

  I smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what's gotten into you? Someone who doesn't know any better might think I'm being presumptuous." I straightened his golden crown, which had been knocked slightly askew from running. "This isn't the first time Your Majesty has heard of a concubine becoming pregnant, so why are you so excited? There's already Du Liangdi."

  He patted my shoulder and said, "Our child, can anyone else compare to them?" He gently rubbed my injured arm: "You're really foolish, even if you didn't have a child, why did you rush to save Du Liangdi and end up hurting yourself?"

  I gazed afar at the peach blossoms arranged in a vase on the table, their beauty was like that of a young maiden. I smiled and said: "Your subject is not here to save her, but to save the flesh and blood of the Emperor within her womb."

  He was moved, holding me tightly in his arms, his itchy stubble gently rubbing against my cheek, he whispered: "Fool! Even if she has a child, in my heart, she can't compare to you."

  I lowered my head, the water-red smooth silk brocade on the quilt was embroidered with a dazzling pattern of phoenix perched on a paulownia tree in blue and red twisted gold and silver threads. The phoenix perched on a paulownia tree is believed by the women in the palace to be a symbol of husband and wife being together in harmony. Dense and dazzling, the colors were so bright that they made my eyes ache after looking at them for a long time. Du Liangdi couldn't compare with me, what about Empress Hua?

  Xuan Ling drew closer, the scent of "Tian Gong Qiao" on his body grew thicker. My room had always been fragrant with incense, but it couldn't mask the intense fragrance on him. "Tian Gong Qiao", that was the precious perfume favored by Empress Hua, no one else used it.

  I held my breath quietly and tried not to smell the fragrance of Hua Fei on him.

  He was completely unaware, his voice becoming even softer, "I know you've been troubled by the Empress's affairs these past few days."

  I smiled lazily, "What am I, a concubine, resentful of? Your Majesty has promoted Feng Shu Yi to be a consort, and I understand."

  "He said: 'You are a clever person. If Zhao is a sensible person, she will naturally know why. I am very reassured about her.'"

  "I said: 'Empress Jing is very good to me, and her temperament is also steady, I am also at ease.'"

  Just then, Ling Tong brought in a bowl of bird's nest soup and Xuan Ling personally fed it to me, saying: "Now that you are the Honorable Concubine, according to the rules, the Ying Xin Hall should be changed to the Ying Xin Palace, but since you are pregnant, for now it is taboo to move earth and wood."

  I slowly drank a few mouthfuls. "It's fine to live like this, just change the name of the hall to the name of the palace, nowadays the national treasury is not as good as before, if we can be frugal, let's be frugal, there are many useful places, what I'm doing here is a small matter."

  "With the southwestern campaign achieving victory after victory, your brother has made significant contributions, killing enemies bravely and defeating ten armies in a row. Even the King of Ru Nan is somewhat intimidated by him. Once the war is won, our child will be born, and I will promote you to the rank of Guifei and build a new palace for you to reside in."

  I smiled and shook my head: "Tangli Palace is already very good, I don't care about being a concubine, I just want to live in peace like this, with the Emperor, and with the children."

  "You and our children, I will protect you." He kissed my forehead, "Don't worry. I have dispatched the right-wing troops of the southwestern army to be used by your brother, to ensure safety. Fortunately, he has not disappointed my expectations, and can achieve this under the wings of King Yunnan and Murongshi."

  I nodded, "I've also heard about my brother's situation, this is exactly what I'm worried about. My brother... seems to be willing to risk his life every time he goes into battle."

  He thought for a moment and said, "This is also the place where I appreciate him. It's just that your family, Zhen, only has one descendant, so I want him to return to the palace soon and get married." He whispered in my ear, "Don't be afraid of anything, just take good care of yourself and give birth to a healthy child."

  I gently stroked the flat belly with my hand, his big and warm hands covering mine. I could hardly believe that such an unexpected and sudden little life was in my abdomen.

  I slowly closed my eyes, after all, he is the father of this child in my belly, after all, he still cares about me. I leaned on his shoulder helplessly and comfortingly, a branch of peach blossoms blooming on the desk was particularly beautiful.

  His kisses grew more intense, and I felt a flush rise to my ears. I pushed him away, saying, "The doctor has ordered that we must be especially careful for the first three months."

  His face was slightly red, and I rarely saw him with such a simple and pure expression. Instead, I felt comfortable and at ease in my heart. He got up, picked up the teapot on the table, took a big gulp, calmed down, and smiled at me: "It's my fault, I forgot." He suddenly looked dazed for a moment, with a hint of quiet joy and melancholy in his voice: "Xuan Xuan, these days, I haven't seen you smile like this before."

  I raised my head, but still lowered it, and slowly said: "The Empress is as beautiful as a flower, does the Emperor still remember what his concubine's smile looks like?" I could no longer hold back the grievances of these days, and a tear slowly fell from my eyes.

  He remained silent for a moment, then gently wiped away the tears from my eyes and said in a soft but firm tone: "I won't let you be sad again." I nodded, as it wasn't up to him whether I was sad or not, but still, he had such intentions.

  "I'm afraid: 'These days I am unable to serve the Emperor, and the Emperor also cannot continue to accompany me like this. Why not go stay with one of the other consorts instead?'"

  He still held me and said: "I won't disturb you anymore, just quietly accompany you, okay?"

  I also enjoyed the tranquility of this moment, after a while, I remembered the hint that Consort Duan left before she left, and finally smiled and said: "Du Liangyuan was also frightened today, Your Majesty should go see her too."

  He thought for a moment and said: "Alright, I'll come again tomorrow to see you."

  The night grew deeper, and after the rain in the late afternoon, there was a milky white misty moonlight at night. In the back hall, only a small fire like a bean was lit, and the bright moonlight that came from the jade-colored window screen wove into a shallow light and dark color with it. Several pear blossoms in the courtyard were as bright and clean as the moonlight, reflecting on the window screens.

  Indeed, the beauty of March is as expected, and the fragrance of human world is also present even in the depths of night. Xiǎo Lǐ sat quietly beside me under the lamp and said: "Your Ladyship, I have opened the corner gate according to your instructions, but will Princess Duan really come?"

  I said: "This, I don't know either, it was just my guess." I smiled at Rong Xiaoqiang: "If she doesn't come, we can also look at the moon together."

  "Your Highness is in a good mood."

  I smiled: "I was promoted to Guipin, in charge of the affairs of a palace, and you served by my side, also promoted to Zhengwu Pin Ren, isn't everyone delighted?"

  "The slave is blessed by the good fortune of Her Highness and the young prince."

  "I said: 'It's just over a month old, how would it know whether it's an imperial princess or a crown prince?'"

  She stretched out her hand to pick up the candle flame with a pair of chopsticks, "Although the emperor doesn't say it out loud, he's eager to have an imperial son in his heart. Now the eldest prince is..." She stopped talking and looked at me: "Your Majesty rushed out to save Du Liangdi today, I was so worried that my heart was in a knot. It was too dangerous! You and Du Liangdi aren't even close." I knew what she was questioning.

  I slowly smoothed out the intricate embroidery on my collar, thinking for a long time before saying: "If I said someone pushed me out, would you believe me? I'm guessing the person who pushed me intended to make me bump into Du Liangdi's belly, causing her to miscarry. That way, I'd be the scapegoat." I gave a faint cold smile, "A poisonous plan that kills two birds with one stone!"

  Xiaoyu heard the words and was not surprised, as if it was expected. "In the harem struggle, pregnant concubines often become the target of public criticism. Today it's Du Liangdi, tomorrow it might be you, Your Majesty."

  I stroked the white jade bracelet on my wrist, which was emitting a soft glow, and muttered to myself: "I'm afraid that tonight, many people will lose sleep because of my pregnancy."

  "Without the Empress's pregnancy, they would also be losing sleep over Du Liangdi's pregnancy."

  Just as she was speaking, suddenly heard a soft voice from outside: "Your Majesty, they have arrived."

  I glanced at Rong Yu, and she got up to open the door. The door creaked softly as two women in dark green cloaks slipped in, their pale blue veils fluttering gently on their hoods. At first glance, I thought they were palace maids on a night errand. One of them had a sprig of golden jasmine with two small southern pearls the size of thumbnails pinned to her hair, and she lightly swayed her veil. I smiled and said, "Princess Duan has indeed kept her promise."

  That person lifted the veil, revealing a pale face and smiled faintly: "I'm really useless, the road from Fragrant Pavilion to here isn't far, yet I've walked for so long."

  I hastily invited her to sit down, indicating that Xiao Yanzu was guarding outside. She saw that I didn't remove my makeup and wear my nightclothes, nodded, and said: "Guifei is clever and understands the meaning of this palace."

  "I said: 'The concubine was just guessing, Your Ladyship pointed to the moon with your hand and made a gesture, so I guessed that you wanted to visit at one more (hour) to tread on the moon. Therefore, I held the candle to wait for you.' After waiting for her to drink tea and rest for a moment, I said: 'Your Ladyship came to visit in the middle of the night, is it because of what happened during the day?'"

  She pursed her lips and didn't speak, I knew she was thinking of Yu Tong in the side, so I said: "The people present in this room at this moment are either the confidants of the concubine or the confidants of the princess, the princess is speaking straightforwardly."

  She slightly sank into thought, took out a slender snow-white silk thread with two pearls on it and placed it in front of me, saying: "Please, noble lady, take a closer look."

  I don't know what she wants to say, facing the candlelight, took the silk thread and looked at it repeatedly, puzzled: "It seems to be the chain worn by Queen Hua today?" As soon as the words came out, I suddenly understood that the silk thread for stringing pearls is usually eight or sixteen strands to ensure that it can bear the weight of the pearls. The pearl chain worn by Queen Hua today is especially thick and round, at least sixteen strands of silk thread are needed to stabilize it, but the silk thread in front of me only has four strands. I was secretly shocked in my heart, so I asked: "Your Majesty got this in the courtyard of the Empress's palace?"

  The Empress smiled and said, "Not bad, everyone is busy taking care of Du Liangyuan and you, so this thing was picked up by the palace." She took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Empress Hua really made a mistake."

  I raised an eyebrow and said indifferently: "No wonder the Queen's pearl necklace was broken by a single hook of flowers. She really is a thoughtful person."

  The two remaining pearls on the silk thread emitted a faint, cold glow in the candlelight. I thought about the danger in the imperial palace today, and if Du Liangdi really slipped and fell on these scattered pearls, the consequences would be unthinkable... I subconsciously reached out to touch my own abdomen, where a small life was also breathing and growing. Putting myself in her shoes, I couldn't help but feel frightened... I thanked Empress Duan sincerely, saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for reminding me."

  Her gaze fell gently on my abdomen, her expression softened, and after a moment of hesitation, she said: "I came here to remind you that the child in your womb is innocent, children are their mother's lifeblood, I couldn't bear to see it either, let's just say I'm accumulating blessings for this child."

  I was moved in my heart, Empress Dowager Fengyi avoided the world and was cold, but she truly loved children, even if it was the birth of Princess Wenyi by Cao Jieyu, whom she despised. I stood up straight and respectfully saluted her, "Concubine thanks Your Majesty for your concern for the child in my belly."

  The princess's eyes reddened slightly, and she immediately covered them with a handkerchief. Calmly, she said: "Since I've already spoken, I'm not afraid to tell you another thing - it's said that this pearl necklace was given by Consort Cao to Empress Huai."

  I fell silent for a moment, feeling that even maintaining a smile was a difficult task. The hook on the armor was extremely sharp, and I lightly hooked the lace on the tablecloth, saying: "Cao Qinmo is a more troublesome person than Empress Hua. This person has hidden blades in invisible places, and several concubines have clashed with her and almost suffered losses at her hands."

  Princess Duan smiled lightly: "If Empress Hua is a fierce tiger, then Cao Qinmo is the tiger's sharp claw. But in your case, she didn't gain much advantage, did she?" Princess Duan suddenly collected her smile and spoke seriously: "As long as one knows who holds the blade, both tangible and intangible can be carefully avoided. What's truly frightening is when one suffers harm but doesn't even know who their opponent is."

  The words were spoken with great force, and Princess Duan's pale face flushed with a wave of redness. She was desperately suppressing her cough, but her breathing became even more labored. The maid beside Princess Duan immediately gave her a pill to swallow.

  "I asked: 'What is the princess's illness, why doesn't it get better? The concubine knows a skilled doctor with excellent pulse diagnosis skills, how about introducing him to treat the princess?'"

  The Empress slightly calmed down and waved her hand, saying: "Don't bother, Imperial Concubine. I was injured in my early years, and now medicine is ineffective, so I can only rest more."

  Seeing her say that, I couldn't persuade her anymore. After sending Tongfei out from the corner gate, for a while, neither I nor Qianxi spoke again, in silence, only because we understood how treacherous our surroundings were, with swords and shadows everywhere.

  "Your Ladyship, don't think too much and hurt your spirit. Since we know it's the Empress and Consort Cao, let's just be more careful and defend ourselves when necessary."

  I leaned on the soft pillow and said: "At that time, Duan Fei was not in the courtyard, so I only knew one of them. Can't I also be careless?"

  Qing Yu was slightly surprised and said: "Your Majesty's meaning is..."

  "Empress Hua broke the pearl necklace and almost slipped, but fortunately didn't fall. However, Empress Yan's hand suddenly let out a squirrel which ran amok, isn't that strange? Of course, cats get restless in spring, but this squirrel was raised by someone, how did it end up in her hands and hurt people?"

  The maid's hands, which were folding clothes for me, slightly trembled: "Your Highness means..."

  I lowered my head and said: "Empress Xian is the only one among the imperial consorts who has a son..."

  "However, from what I've seen all along, Empress Xian is very cautious and only seeks to protect herself."

  I let out a sigh and said, "Hopefully it's just my overthinking. I just feel that the emperor's descendants are sparse, if someone really is intentionally harming them, it definitely won't be just one person doing it." I thought for a moment, then said, "What do you think about Princess Duan? Actually, she has been avoiding the world for a long time, there's no need for her to get involved in this muddy water."

  "Although I've been in the palace for a long time and don't have much contact with Consort Duan, I think she doesn't have any malicious intentions towards Your Majesty. However, she's also not someone who can be easily trifled with."

  I lay down sideways, "Indeed, so I am very respectful and observe etiquette. I also know that the people in the harem have their own purposes for doing things, and Empress Dowager helping me is probably because she doesn't get along with Empress Huai."

  "Yes." He said, blowing out the candle and going to sleep. Only the moonlight in front of the bed was sparse, and the shadow of the flowers was swaying.