jdhmnovel Chapter 503 How could they have children?
Chapter 503 How could they have children?
The emperor was quite satisfied with Zhen Huan's gentleness and submissiveness. He pondered for a moment and whispered instructions to Gao Changjin beside him.
"You must immediately descend the mountain and convey my order to have Master Jingbai tidy up the most tranquil meditation room in the temple so that Concubine Wan can rest assured and nurture her baby."
His voice was filled with unquestionable authority. "If she dares to disobey me again, I will order the accompanying guards to arrest her!"
"Yes, I will do it right away."
After Gao Changjin received the order, Cui Jinxi hurriedly handed him an umbrella.
"Eunuch Gao, when you come down the mountain this time, you only need to instruct Master Jingbai to tidy up the quiet meditation room. Don't do anything else that might annoy the Emperor."
"Jinxi, this is a rare opportunity. Are you sure you want to give it up?"
Gao Changjin learned from Cui Jinxi everything that the three of them, master and servant, had encountered after arriving at Ganlu Temple. He thought it would not be excessive even if Jingbai was thrown into jail.
Cui Jinxi glanced at the Zen room imperceptibly and explained in a low voice.
"Changjin, the emperor doesn't like cruel people, you must remember this."
Gao Changjin broke out in a cold sweat. He could clearly hear the emperor's dissatisfaction with Master Jingbai in his words.
But then he thought that Zhen Huan and her servant knew the emperor best, so he hurriedly thanked them.
"Thank you, Jinxi, for your guidance. You've also spent some time in Ganlu Temple. Do you think there's any courtyard that suits the master's taste?"
Cui Jinxi frowned and thought for a few breaths. "Changjin, the master likes quietness. I think the unused courtyard in the back mountain of Ganlu Temple where pilgrims can stay overnight is a good choice."
"okay, I get it."
Gao Changjin called a few guards on the way and hurried down the mountain.
As soon as he saw Jingbai, he directly told her that the emperor wanted to find a place for Concubine Wan to recuperate in the temple, and asked her to bring people to clean it as soon as possible.
"Eunuch Gao, does the Emperor have any other instructions?"
Seeing that Gao Changjin looked unhappy, Jingbai suppressed her distress and stuffed a small purse into his hand.
"Empress Wan likes quietness, and we haven't had much interaction in the past. I hope Eunuch Gao can give her some advice."
Gao Changjin felt around and realized that there were banknotes in the purse.
He stuffed his purse into his sleeve, snorted coldly, and walked out with his men.
Jingbai is just a small abbot, and Gao Changjin doesn't need to consider her feelings at all.
Gao Changjin left two guards to supervise Jingbai in taking care of the courtyard, and then went up to Lingyun Peak to report.
"Your Majesty, the mountain behind Ganlu Temple is quiet and seldom visited. I have chosen a courtyard there for Concubine Wan."
"The mountain behind Ganlu Temple? That place is quite nice."
The emperor was silent for a moment and explained in a deep voice.
"There's an Anqi Temple on the mountain behind Ganlu Temple. There lives Concubine Shu, who prayed for the late emperor. Now that my seventeenth brother has been killed, the Concubine is the only one who can escape unscathed... Well, since I'm at Ganlu Temple, I'll go and visit my elders."
"Hanhuan, do you want to come with me? Concubine Shu is always kind and will definitely be able to get along with you."
When Zhen Huan heard the emperor talking about Concubine Shu, her eyes flashed.
During the days when Yunli was away, she also struggled with whether to tell Concubine Shu about the existence of the child so that she could have a memory of him.
But later, after Jinxi's persuasion, he gave up this idea.
Jinxi was right. When she decided to place the baby in her belly on the emperor's head, she could not let a fifth person know the child's true identity.
Seeing Concubine Shu would remind her of Yunli, so Zhen Huan gently declined.
"Silang, the path down the mountain is slippery. For the sake of our child, Huanhuan cannot go down the mountain at this time. When the weather clears tomorrow, Huanhuan will definitely go to the gate of Anqi Temple to pay her respects to the Concubine Dowager."
"Okay, Huanhuan is still thoughtful."
The emperor poured her another cup of ginseng tea and started chatting.
"Seventeenth Master has refused to marry for many years. He finally took a concubine, but she has not stayed in the mansion for many years."
"He and I are brothers, and I couldn't bear to see him left without anyone to worship him, so I accepted the request of Ye, the concubine of the Prince's Mansion, and chose a suitable child from among the clan members to adopt as my Seventeenth Brother."
"Hanhuan, what do you think of this?"
Zhen Huan was stunned when she heard this. Cui Jinxi saw this and asked with concern, "Master, are you feeling unwell?"
"Jinxi, I'm fine."
Zhen Huan stood up apologetically, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I just felt something in my throat and was distracted."
"You're pregnant, so it's inevitable that you'll feel uncomfortable. I'll take care of the other chores."
The emperor patiently comforted him with a few words, then got up and left.
Zhen Huan held up an umbrella and looked at the group of people walking away, she scolded in a low voice.
"Jinxi, why did you give the emperor the clothes I made for Yunli today? This is my last wish!"
Cui Jinxi knelt on the ground without hesitation, letting the rain wet her knees.
"Master, I understand your hardship. But it is for the sake of the prince that I should give the clothes away."
"Get up."
Zhen Huan took a deep breath and returned to the meditation room holding an umbrella.
She had already made up her mind that she must not let the emperor discover any flaws because of Yunli's matter.
As soon as the emperor and his entourage returned to the palace, An Lingrong received the news from her subordinates.
"Bao Que, no green fabrics can appear in Yongshou Palace from now on. Find a chance to mention this to Concubine Hua."
Prince Guo prefers green. Isn’t Zhen Huan afraid that the Emperor will become suspicious?
"Master, I understand."
Baoque respectfully handed over the teacup and reported in a low voice.
"Master, the Yikun Palace has already disclosed the pregnancy of the four women as agreed upon when the deposed empress regains consciousness. I suspect that there will be new gossip coming out of the Jingren Palace in the next few days."
"Okay, have our people keep a close eye on this and make sure the deposed queen's crazy words reach Su Peisheng's ears."
Deposing the queen is the most critical part of the subsequent plan. An Lingrong must be allowed to show up at this time to let everyone remember that there is such a person in the harem.
After the emperor returned from Lingyun Peak, he did not enter the harem for a few days.
Huanbi pinched her nose and drank a bowl of black medicine, frowning and urging.
"Fubao, where are the candied golden dates you prepared?"
Fubao knelt on the ground with a plop. "My lady, the golden candied dates are sent to the emperor by the Imperial Tea House, and the daily quantity is limited. Today, Caiyue said that Princess Longyue likes sweets, so she took away all the few golden candied dates."
She said, holding a plate above her head.
"Master, this is pickled plums made by the Imperial Hospital. Would you like to use it to remove the bitterness?"
Huanbi reluctantly picked up a black plum and put it into her mouth. It was sweet and sour, and tasted really good.
But she was still more concerned about the golden candied dates from the Imperial Tea House.
"Fubao, I heard that the Imperial Tea House has a pastry called candied date cake. Go and get some for me."
"Yes, slave, go right away."
After thanking the young eunuch, Fubao walked back with a bitter face.
The Imperial Teahouse made quite a few candied date cakes. When the emperor went to the Shangshufang to check the homework of the princes, relatives, and young masters of ministers' families, Su Peisheng ordered all the cakes to be sent to the Shangshufang.
When Fubao hurried over, the tall steamers were all empty.
After she nervously reported what she had seen in the Imperial Teahouse to the young lady, Huanbi's face turned gloomy as expected.
"You... forget it. Today has been rough. I'm exhausted. Please help me rest."
Fubao looked at the still bright sky and wanted to say some words of advice, but after meeting Huanbi's unfriendly gaze, she had no choice but to step forward and help the person back to the bedroom.
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Huanbi tossed and turned in bed.
Suddenly a shrill scream pierced the night sky, scaring her so much that she sat up suddenly.
"Fubao, who is shouting?"
"My lady, it's Consort Li of Jingren Palace who's gone mad again."
Fubao felt uncomfortable when he talked about his former master.
If the queen was still conscious, she would not serve a small nobleman in a humbly manner.
"How can they have children? How can they have children..."
The shrill screams echoed in the night sky for a long time.
Huanbi listened to the creepy noises coming from next door, and it felt like a cold wind blowing across her back, making her shiver involuntarily.
She asked in a trembling voice, clutching the covers tightly.
"Fubao, we've been living here for a while now, and the Jingren Palace next door has been peaceful and quiet. Why do you think Concubine Li went crazy and shouted such horrifying words?"
Huanbi had doubts about the origin of her unborn child. After learning that something had happened to Prince Guo, she felt a pain in her heart at first, and then she was happy.
Now that Prince Guo is gone, no one will know about her physical and mental imbalance.
Now, the words that Concubine Li shouted just touched upon the unspeakable secret in Huanbi's heart, and she felt extremely guilty.
Fu Bao lowered his head, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. The deposed queen's miserable situation was truly heartbreaking.
"My Lady, Consort Li has been in a trance ever since she was deposed. Her biggest concern is not being able to give birth to a child for the Emperor. Now that she's heard that three more concubines in the harem are pregnant, I'm afraid she can't bear the shock and has lost control."
"That Concubine Li is also a pitiful person. If the eldest prince had been raised, she wouldn't have to suffer so much."
Huanbi was able to be conferred the title of noble lady entirely due to the support of the deposed empress. If the empress had not met with misfortune, she would have been a concubine even when she was pregnant, right?
Poor Huanbi was misled by Fubao and always thought that it was Concubine Qi who drugged her and harmed her body.
"My lord, you are kind-hearted, but everyone in this world has their own destiny. You don't need to worry too much."
Fubao advised as he lit the candles.
"You ate little at dinner yesterday. I'll bring you a bowl of milk and bird's nest to fill your stomach, okay?"
"Please help me wash up first."
Huanbi agreed with a smile.
This milk-soaked bird's nest was once Zhen Huan's favorite, and now she can easily enjoy it.
These two precious ingredients were specially sent by Concubine Shu from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She also asked the nanny sent by the emperor to check them to ensure that there was no problem.
Huanbi drank the sweet milk and bird's nest, turning a deaf ear to the shrill screams coming from her ears.
The most important thing right now is the baby in her belly, and no one can disturb her heart.
Huanbi quickly adjusted her mood, but Bai Caiwei and Shen Meizhuang, who also heard the sound, could not close their eyes.
Bai Caiwei never forgets her mission, she is destined to devote everything to her master.
The deposed queen's cries echoed in her ears, making her feel uneasy.
Xiangrui hugged the trembling person tightly in her arms and comforted him with a gentle voice.
"My lady, don't be afraid. I will always be with you."
Xiangrui once voluntarily followed Caiwei into the palace. After escaping from that dark den, she felt that life in the palace was not as bad as outsiders said.
Although she didn't know what had happened to her sister Caiwei, she understood that the child in her belly was the foundation of their foothold in the palace.
"My lady, although Imperial Concubine Hua may seem unreasonable, she is not harsh on her concubines. Imperial Concubine Shu is kind and has even asked the Imperial Household Department to look after you."
"You are pregnant with a dragon fetus now, and the future is full of hope. Why scare yourself?"
Bai Caiwei opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say in response.
She entered the palace with a mission from her master. If something went wrong, it would definitely implicate Xiangrui, who was always thinking about her.
"How could Zhen, a deposed concubine who had left the palace, be pregnant?! Nonsense! I don't believe it! I don't believe it..."
"How could that bitch Zhen be pregnant? Ah! Bitch!"
"The Emperor goes back on his word. He is truly an ungrateful person..."
The deposed queen's cry rang out again, but suddenly stopped.
Bai Caiwei leaned quietly in Xiangrui's arms, absorbing the warmth from her body, and stared at the baby in her belly with her eyes lowered, her expression difficult to read.
Shen Meizhuang in Yonghe Palace started talking nonsense after being deposed and woke up in shock, and her heart has been hanging ever since.
When he heard that the deposed concubine who was shouting to leave the palace was pregnant, he was so shocked that he sat up immediately.
"Cai Yue! Cai Yue!"
Caiyue, who was lying on the couch, jumped up instantly after hearing the scream.
"Master, I am here. Are you feeling unwell? I will send someone to call the imperial physician."
"I was just frightened. The fetus in my belly seemed to move a little. I wonder if there is a problem."
The deposed queen's cry pierced her heart like a knife.
No matter what the reason, she couldn't let Jingren Palace make any suspicious noises again.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty Hua Guifei has already issued an order prioritizing the heir to the throne. I will go and fetch the imperial physician right away."
After saying this, Aunt Jia hurried out.
The imperial physician on duty heard that Concubine Hui was frightened, so to be on the safe side, he called the other two imperial physicians on duty to go with him.
The commotion in the East Six Palaces was so loud that as the palace servants got up one after another, news of what had happened spread quickly.
As soon as Su Peisheng learned what happened in the harem from the people below, he immediately confirmed that the news of Zhen Huan's pregnancy was not groundless.
As soon as the emperor came out of court, he went up to report.
"Master, at dawn, Concubine Li of the Jingren Palace became ill again and kept yelling..."
Su Peisheng looked at the emperor cautiously, feeling embarrassed about the treasonous words he was about to say.
"Let's talk in the Yangxin Palace."
The emperor noticed Su Peisheng's abnormality and said lightly.
Yixiu is Rouze's younger sister. After she made a serious mistake, the emperor didn't know what to do with her and could only imprison her in Jingren Palace.
She must have said something bad to make Su Peisheng so embarrassed.
Su Peisheng repeated everything his subordinates had uploaded word for word.
After hearing this, the emperor felt a deep sense of fatigue in his heart.
The Concubine Hua, whom he was most worried about, did not move. Instead, the deposed queen, whom he always thought was under his control, broke the window paper.