Chapter 32 - 1#
“This is impossible!”
Inside Shoukang Palace, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, her voice exceptionally fierce.
The imperial physician kneeling before her had a grim expression. “Empress Dowager, this humble subject has diagnosed Consort Zhang several times. Consort Zhang indeed shows signs of a miscarriage.”
Miscarriage implied that Consort Zhang was pregnant.
The harem had only held two selections for concubines. Besides that, beauties were presented from various regions and by princes.
Although Emperor Jingyuan didn’t interfere, he accepted them all and placed them in the harem.
Consort Zhang was chosen by the Empress Dowager during the first selection to enter the palace.
The Empress Dowager naturally knew her background very well. Logically, a concubine from a reputable family, pregnant with the dragon’s heir, should make the Empress Dowager happy. Why was her reaction so contrary?
Imperial Physician Qu, who had diagnosed this pulse, was truly bewildered and innocent.
He had been urgently summoned by Shoukang Palace an hour ago. Since he was the imperial physician on duty today, he naturally had to obey the order.
On the way to Shoukang Palace, Imperial Physician Qu had inquired about the situation beforehand and learned that the one feeling unwell was Consort Zhang.
Imperial Physician Qu had visited this noble lady’s palace before to treat her and knew that her attitude was quite benevolent, which put his mind at ease.
Perhaps it was because of the incident in the Imperial Garden this morning.
Imperial Physician Qu arrived in the afternoon and found that there were no imperial physicians stationed in the Imperial Academy of Medicine. After asking the eunuchs on duty, he learned that in the morning, in the Imperial Garden, a minor concubine accidentally sprained her ankle and, when she fell, bumped into several people, all piled up like human pyramids.
Some had broken heads, some were bruised, some were unconscious. This had truly kept the entire Imperial Academy of Medicine busy.
Imperial Physician Qu had initially been glad that it wasn’t his turn, but in the afternoon, something still came up.
After arriving at Shoukang Palace, besides the Empress Dowager and Consort Zhang, Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort were also present.
Consort Zhang’s face was pale, and she was sweating profusely, trembling on the bed. As Imperial Physician Qu approached, he keenly smelled a faint scent of blood.
Blood?
Observing Consort Zhang’s complexion, he already had some suspicions. After taking her pulse and administering the miscarriage-preventing pills, Consort Zhang’s condition gradually stabilized, and Imperial Physician Qu was even more certain.
Consort Zhang showed signs of a miscarriage!
This was a great joyous occasion!
For so long, no imperial princes or princesses had been born in the harem. The child in Consort Zhang’s belly might be the first.
Unfortunately, perhaps due to the collision in the morning, Consort Zhang’s pregnancy was unstable and she was prone to miscarriage. She might have to stay in bed for several months.
Thinking this, when the Empress Dowager asked, Imperial Physician Qu naturally said so.
Who would have thought that the Empress Dowager’s reaction would be completely opposite to joy, as if she was very surprised, with a hint of anger in her brows.
Of course, the Empress Dowager could not be happy.
How could Emperor Jingyuan have offspring!
She knew very well that the poison in Emperor Jingyuan’s body was given to him by the Empress Dowager Caisheng, right before her very eyes!
This poison was called “Song of Sorrow.”
It sounded very moving, but in reality, it was sinister and vicious. When used on young children, too large a dose would cause them to die in agony.
If they didn’t die, the residual poison would penetrate their bones, causing frequent cold attacks. Their bodies would be much colder than ordinary people, their lifespan would be affected, and they would often be unable to have children.
But if this child was not Emperor Jingyuan’s, then whose child was it?
The Empress Dowager’s face was somewhat grim.
She swept a glance at Imperial Physician Qu kneeling on the ground, then rose and stepped into the inner hall to personally see Consort Zhang.
Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort naturally followed, one on each side, serving the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager sat by the bed, observing Consort Zhang’s appearance.
Consort Zhang’s complexion looked much better than before. She was being served by palace maids, slowly taking her medicine. Seeing the Empress Dowager enter, she anxiously tried to sit up, but the Empress Dowager held her down. “Do you know what happened to you?”
Consort Zhang looked somewhat bewildered and at a loss, seemingly unaware of what the Empress Dowager was talking about. After Imperial Physician Qu diagnosed her, he prescribed medicine and left, without having time to tell her anything.
The Empress Dowager’s expression was unfathomable: “Imperial Physician Qu said you have signs of a miscarriage. You, being several months pregnant, didn’t know at all?” A woman’s body naturally changes during pregnancy, and only she herself can best detect these abnormalities.
Consort Zhang’s eyes widened, and she said in surprise, “I’m pregnant?”
She subconsciously hugged her belly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face. “I, I never thought it would be…” Before she could finish her sentence, she immediately thought of the morning’s events and eagerly said, “Empress Dowager, is it because I fell this morning that I’m feeling unwell?”
Just looking at Consort Zhang’s happy expression, she seemed to have no guilt at all.
Noble Consort stepped forward and said softly, “My dear sister, don’t worry. Imperial Physician Qu said that as long as you rest well and don’t act recklessly, this child can still be saved.”
Consort Zhang nodded repeatedly, her movements even more cautious, as if afraid of losing the child.
The Empress Dowager didn’t notice anything amiss and sent someone to call Imperial Physician Qu back to take her pulse again.
This time, when Imperial Physician Qu again reached the same conclusion, the Empress Dowager nodded with a smile. “Consort Zhang, did you hear? For these next few months, don’t move around recklessly. Just lie down in bed.”
Consort Zhang showed a joyful and shy expression, lowering her head.
Virtuous Consort: “Empress Dowager, since Consort Zhang is pregnant, and this is His Majesty’s first child, it is a great joyous occasion. This matter should be made known to His Majesty.”
The Empress Dowager subconsciously looked at Virtuous Consort, her brows slightly moving. The initial anger had not yet reached her brow, but transformed into a faint pleasure: “Virtuous Consort is right. Such a great joyous occasion should naturally make Qianming Palace happy as well.”
The Empress Dowager summoned someone, originally intending to notify Qianming Palace, but then remembered that female official Shi Lijun was in the side hall, so she simply summoned her and asked her to deliver this great news.
Shi Lijun truly used all her self-control not to show a surprised expression.
After watching Shi Lijun leave with her people, the Empress Dowager’s previously gloomy mood lightened instead. She ordered people to serve Consort Zhang well and asked Imperial Physician Qu to prescribe medicine for Consort Zhang’s future recuperation. These actions were different from her earlier loss of control, and she now seemed like a caring and attentive mother.
Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort sat on either side of the Empress Dowager, discussing how to handle this matter.
After all, this was the first child in the harem. Although it wasn’t from their own wombs, whether it was a boy or a girl, it would attract infinite attention.
After all, Emperor Jingyuan’s lineage had indeed been empty for several years.
The Empress Dowager didn’t pay much attention to the words of Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort. In her opinion, this could not be the emperor’s child.
Consort Zhang’s pregnancy, the origin of this child was strange.
For the emperor, this was already a clear case of infidelity, a cuckold on his head. Even a saint would find it unbearable.
The Empress Dowager was indeed very angry at first, but now that she thought about it, it was better to just watch the show from the sidelines.
…If the emperor didn’t know his own situation and actually acknowledged this child, that would truly be hilarious.
The thought of Emperor Jingyuan raising another man’s child, only to find out he had been cuckolded after the child grew up… if that scene truly appeared, the Empress Dowager could savor it for decades.
Even for this scene, a little tolerance was nothing.
This was the reason for the Empress Dowager’s sudden change in attitude.
However, this Consort Zhang…
She lowered her eyes, summoned the female official beside her, and whispered a few instructions. The female official nodded hastily and quietly withdrew.
Noble Consort glanced at her, but was then drawn back by Virtuous Consort’s words.
Virtuous Consort was slowly saying, “Sister Noble Consort, Consort Zhang’s health is delicate, so she still needs to recuperate well. Let’s put aside these celebratory matters for now. How about we prepare them after she gives birth to a麒麟儿 (qílín’ér - auspicious child)?”
Noble Consort smiled and nodded: “Sister Virtuous Consort is absolutely right. I overlooked that just now. I should be punished.” She spoke intimately with Virtuous Consort, and a hint of disgust flashed in Virtuous Consort’s eyes, but she didn’t shy away.
Virtuous Consort naturally disliked Noble Consort, who, despite being from the Huang family, had no arrogance at all. Always calling this one “sister” and that one “sister,” and when idle, always learning from those shameless minor concubines to curry favor with Qianming Palace… Virtuous Consort couldn’t help but frown whenever she thought of Noble Consort’s various actions.
For some unknown reason, perhaps because Emperor Jingyuan had not yet arrived, neither the Empress Dowager nor Virtuous Consort were in a hurry to announce the news.
Not long after, Emperor Jingyuan arrived.
The poor relationship between the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jingyuan, her adopted son, could be seen from the number of times the emperor set foot in Shoukang Palace. Unless absolutely necessary, these two would not appear in the same place.
The court officials criticized this a lot, especially the emperor’s unfilial and disrespectful attitude towards the Empress Dowager.
In their view, the Empress Dowager clearly had her own biological son, yet she still allowed Emperor Jingyuan to ascend the throne without any reservations, and had raised him diligently for years. How could she be treated so coldly by Emperor Jingyuan?
It was a pity that this emperor was reckless. No matter how much the censors spoke, it had no effect on him.
Only the Empress Dowager suffered.
The Empress Dowager had always deliberately fueled such stories and reputations.
A dike of a thousand li can be destroyed by an ant’s nest; a hundred-foot house can be burned by smoke from a crack… Emperor Jingyuan’s disregard for his reputation would lead to his downfall sooner or later.
…
“This concubine greets Your Majesty—”
When Emperor Jingyuan entered, Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort both rose and bowed to the emperor. The Empress Dowager sat steadily, merely nodding calmly at Emperor Jingyuan.
Empress Dowager: “Emperor, since you are here, sit down and speak. Consort Zhang’s health is not good, she still needs to recuperate well.”
Emperor Jingyuan said unhurriedly, “Empress Dowager, this widower is eager to see Consort Zhang.” Then, a smile played on his lips, “To see, this widower’s first child.”
His tone was slightly strange, not exactly happy, but with a hint of unusual amusement.
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, looked at the female official beside her, and stood up. Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort hurried over to support the Empress Dowager, and surrounded by many people, she smiled at Emperor Jingyuan.
“Then let’s go.”
The crowd once again crammed into the inner hall, waking up Consort Zhang, who had already fallen asleep.
Consort Zhang was a woman with a somewhat alluring appearance. In this harem, she was quite outgoing. However, unlike Consort Kang, who was timid and introverted and sometimes received care from Virtuous Consort, Consort Zhang was a class of her own.
Consort Zhang was helped up by the palace maid serving her, leaning against the headboard. The moment she saw Emperor Jingyuan appear, a fleeting, indiscernible emotion flashed in Consort Zhang’s eyes, and then she lowered her head delicately.
“…Your Majesty…”
Emperor Jingyuan slowly said, “I heard that Consort Zhang is pregnant?”
Consort Zhang caressed her lower abdomen, her voice filled with a hint of surprise, “Yes, Your Majesty, this concubine is pregnant.”
Her gaze flew to Emperor Jingyuan, then she lowered her head again, softly saying, “It’s already been over a month.”
Softly, her timing seemed to be hinting at something.
Emperor Jingyuan smiled again.
Ever since he stepped into Shoukang Palace, he seemed to be smiling frequently. Virtuous Consort wondered, was His Majesty very happy?
Subtly, Virtuous Consort felt that something was not quite right.
Just then, Emperor Jingyuan looked at Ning Hongru behind him: “Bring the knife.”
He was gentle, calm, composed, and even his voice carried a hint of unusual excitement.
Ning Hongru silently acknowledged the order and left, but the Empress Dowager and the others keenly looked at Emperor Jingyuan.
The Empress Dowager said pointedly, “Your Majesty, this is Shoukang Palace, not your Qianming Palace.” Don’t bring that bloody and messy way of doing things from Qianming Palace here!
Emperor Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. Because he was in Shoukang Palace, he didn’t even actively draw the guards’ swords outside. It could be said that he was very proper and respectful.
“Consort Zhang has given this widower his first child. Whether it’s a first son or a first daughter, this widower is very happy,” Emperor Jingyuan’s smile grew wider and wider. “Such a precious child, this widower naturally wants to see what he looks like while still in Consort Zhang’s belly.”
Virtuous Consort’s face turned pale, and she immediately understood what the emperor meant.
Emperor Jingyuan actually wanted to cut open Consort Zhang’s belly!
Noble Consort’s face darkened. She quickly glanced at the expressions of Emperor Jingyuan and the Empress Dowager. These two most noble people in the harem were both unfathomable, but Consort Zhang…
She saw the panic and fear on the woman’s face.
Consort Zhang: “Your Majesty, clearly that night you…” Her voice trembled a little, but surprisingly, beneath the trembling, it was still very steady, “You clearly entered this concubine’s palace, didn’t you?”
She hinted.
Emperor Jingyuan’s gaze, which had been fixed on Consort Zhang’s belly, finally, for the first time, looked at Consort Zhang’s face. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. After carefully looking at her, the emperor said, “So it was you.”
That casual tone suggested he had just remembered.
…
Consort Zhang had been in the palace for many years.
She entered the palace during Emperor Jingyuan’s early reign, chosen by the Empress Dowager through a selection process. From the beginning, she knew her purpose was to win Emperor Jingyuan’s favor.
Weren’t all the women in the harem thinking the same?
Unfortunately, whether it was because Emperor Jingyuan disliked the concubines chosen by the Empress Dowager, or because he was naturally ascetic, he rarely visited the harem. Even if he occasionally stayed overnight with someone, it was an extremely rare occurrence.
To meet the emperor, they would use every trick in the book. This was their predicament.
The following year, after the grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, the emperor suddenly became interested and summoned several imperial concubines, asking them with amusement:
“If you were given the chance to leave this harem, would any of you be willing?”
At that time, almost everyone chose not to.
What would they do if they left the imperial palace?
Their entry into the palace had been through countless struggles. At home, they had to compete with their sisters to get better treatment. When entering the palace for selection, they stepped on countless people’s heads to proudly walk into the palace; and once inside this imperial city…
What they could enjoy was incomparably better than what was outside.
How could they be willing to leave the imperial palace?
If they could have a night of passion with the emperor and bear a child, they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
They were not unaware of the emperor’s tyrannical nature. Long before the selection, when Emperor Jingyuan had just ascended the throne, they knew this clearly.
But so what?
He was the emperor!
Many shared Consort Zhang’s thoughts. She could feel that Consort Kang, for a moment, wanted to say something, but ultimately stammered and retreated.
There was one, though.
Consort Zhang remembered clearly that among that group of people, only one person told Emperor Jingyuan that if possible, she wanted to leave the palace and no longer stay.
At that time, Emperor Jingyuan stared at that person intently. She thought the emperor would fly into a rage, but unexpectedly, he merely waved his hand indifferently, dismissing them all.
Not long after, Consort Zhang heard rumors of that concubine’s sudden death.
…Did she offend Emperor Jingyuan?
Consort Zhang occasionally thought so, but after a few years, when she had forgotten what that woman looked like, she would recall the incident in her midnight dreams and couldn’t help but ponder another possibility.
Perhaps…
What if that woman didn’t die suddenly, but left the harem in another way?
Heh, what was she thinking?
Consort Zhang scoffed and dismissed the matter from her mind.
The number of concubines in the harem was not small, but not many either. Occasionally, she would hear of someone who was favored, enjoyed half a year of glory, and then disappeared into the harem again.
Consort Zhang felt jealous, but after new concubines arrived, her heart gradually grew indifferent.
Until one day, unable to bear the loneliness, she summoned a guard into the palace…
After several years in the palace, Consort Zhang gradually realized that Emperor Jingyuan treated his concubines like toys.
If a toy was interesting, he would play with it for a while, but if it was dull and uninteresting, he would quickly discard it.
For a discarded toy, that was an extremely cruel thing.
She was unwilling to be a toy. It would be better to endure until later and become a retired imperial concubine.
She changed her mind.