sjar Chapter 13 The Legend of Zhen Huan (12)
Chapter 13 The Legend of Zhen Huan (12)
The people in the Imperial Household Department have always been good at flattering the powerful and belittling the weak. Because Wangyou had given special instructions, no one in Yanxi Palace dared to cut off their allowance, but it was not the same in other palaces.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"Get up, what brings you here?"
"Your Majesty, I had no choice but to come. Ever since Consort Shuxian entered the palace, the Emperor has favored her exclusively. If this continues, the harem will be in turmoil!" Yixiu wanted to use the Empress Dowager to take action.
"Go and summon the Imperial Concubine!" The Empress Dowager put down the medicine bowl in her hand and said coldly. She couldn't do anything to her son, the Emperor, but she couldn't do anything to a mere Imperial Concubine.
Wangyou was eating oranges and basking in the sun, listening to a tune, when someone announced something.
"This humble servant, Zhuxi, greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort Shuxian!"
"I wonder what brings Aunt Zhuxi here?"
"The Empress Dowager requests your presence. Please come!"
Wangyou glanced at Zhuxi. Hmm, that expression looked exactly like someone looking for trouble. But Wangyou wasn't afraid. However, the Empress Dowager was still the elder, so she couldn't go too far. She could only call for help.
Qingzhu received a signal from Wangyou, and as soon as Wangyou and the others left the palace, Qingzhu hurried off to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Wangyou gave a respectful bow.
But no sound came from above for a long time. Wangyou knew that this was a warning to her, as the rules in the palace were the most torturous.
Wangyou thought to herself, "The emperor's soul has been replaced, and he only has a superficial and thin affection left with the empress dowager. Even so, the empress dowager still wants to cause trouble."
Wangyou didn't want to suffer any injustice. She tossed her handkerchief aside and stood up on her own. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am only one month pregnant and it is inconvenient for me to stand for long!"
"Look, I forgot about Consort Shuxian while talking to the Empress. Someone, bring her a seat!" The Empress Dowager's eyes turned cold, but she then gave a gentle order.
"Your Majesty, I thank you!"
It must be said that every woman in the imperial harem was a good actress.
Wangyou didn't mind. She got up and sat down without saying a word, her motto being "If you don't speak, I won't speak either."
The Empress Dowager and the Empress were waiting for Wangyou to ask the question, but she didn't expect him to be so unpredictable. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to speak.
"It's been a month since Consort Shuxian entered the palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Then you must memorize the palace rules!"
"I have seen it!"
"Then do you know what is most important for an empress?"
"Naturally, it's about having many children and continuing the family line, and then taking good care of the Emperor!"
"Since you knew this, how could you disregard palace rules and be so jealous that the emperor refused to enter the harem? Do you know your crime?" the Empress Dowager said sternly.
"May I ask Your Majesty, in what way have I failed? It would be unreasonable to say that I did not serve the Emperor well. If I had truly served him poorly, the Emperor would not have come. As for continuing the family line, I was one month pregnant, and I believe I have fulfilled that duty!"
Wangyou spoke calmly and unhurriedly, showing no fear of this paper tiger. If she weren't worried about putting her father and brothers from the previous dynasty in a difficult position, she wouldn't have been so polite.
"presumptuous!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" All the palace maids and eunuchs in Shou Kang Palace knelt down, including the Empress.
"Your Majesty, I do not know what I have done to violate the palace rules that would warrant such harsh words from the Empress Dowager!"
"As a concubine, you must not be jealous. The Emperor bestowed upon you the title of 'virtuous and gentle,' and since you bear this title, you must set a good example. How can you monopolize the Emperor's attention? You should advise the Emperor to visit other concubines more often so that he can continue to have children!" The Empress Dowager was probably confused by Wangyou's anger.
"But I am merely a Noble Consort. It is the Empress's duty to advise the Emperor. I dare not overstep my bounds, for that would be a grave disrespect!" Wangyou pretended to wipe away her tears, though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was faking it.
The Empress Dowager coughed in anger, pointing at Wangyou with her eyes wide with fury.
"Your Majesty, are you alright? I brought two ginseng roots to help you recover!" Wangyou said hurriedly, terrified. "Your Majesty, you mustn't be hurt, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself no matter what I say, and the Fourteenth Prince, who is far away at the Imperial Mausoleum, will be very sad!"
"Host, aren't you afraid of angering the Empress Dowager to death!" The system thought the host was truly brave. Although this was not a normal small world, this was the Empress Dowager. The host had angered the Empress Dowager without uttering a single swear word.
"No, she can't bear to die. She's afraid her son will suffer if she dies!" Wangyou said with a look of pity. "Hurry and summon the imperial physician! Ouch, my stomach hurts!"
Shou Kang Palace was bustling with activity for a time.
"Consort Shuxian, you've gone too far!" The Empress stood up and shouted sternly, her eyes practically bulging out Wangyou.
"I don't know where Your Majesty finds my behavior presumptuous!" Wangyou's face was somewhat pale. "According to Your Majesty's opinion, my not acting as a pimp for the Emperor is presumptuous!"
"You, you, you..." The Empress pointed at Wangyou, unable to utter a single word. "How dare you!"
"His Majesty has arrived!" The eunuch announced, and Yongzheng strode in.
"Your Majesty, I have an upset stomach!" Wangyou said with tears in her eyes.
"Where is the imperial physician? Hasn't he arrived yet?" Emperor Yongzheng was dealing with state affairs today and had summoned the ministers of the Grand Council for a private meeting, so Qingzhu had to wait a long time when she went to find him.
"Don't be afraid, the imperial physician will be here soon!" Yongzheng reassured Wangyou, his eyes cold.
In his previous life, Emperor Yongzheng's biological mother gave him to a woman from the Tongjia clan for the sake of a concubine's title. After his adoptive mother died, he returned to his biological mother's place and suffered all kinds of cold treatment and contempt. When he finally ascended the throne, his mother personally said that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate, which caused turmoil in the court and the harem.
If the imperial edict of succession had not been written in Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese, his fate would certainly not have been good. Even so, the rumors circulating among the people and in later generations suggest that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate.
This world is even worse. His backyard is full of Han women, and he has only a few children, who are either from the Han Banner Army or bondservants. There isn't a single one from a prominent Manchu family. For the sake of her family's honor, his mother didn't hesitate to scheme against him, sending him to the Ulanara family's concubine's daughter. Not only that, she also sent her legitimate daughter into the backyard to seduce him.
The key point is that the fool from before actually fell for it, treating a woman who schemed against him like a treasure. He had no feelings for his mother in his previous life, let alone in this one.
The emperor in this world is even more suspicious than in his previous life, and he had virtually no power at the time, so he could only continue to lie low. It seems that making Ulanara Yixiu empress has only fueled their ambitions!
Ulanara Yixiu is pitiful, but there's always a reason why someone is pitiful. If the court weren't so unstable right now, he would have really wanted to depose this empress.
Anyway, it was that idiot who did those inhuman things, not me!
Yongzheng shamelessly thought that Jiaojiao's birth would make her his first legitimate child in this world.
A large number of imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy arrived, some to take the Empress Dowager's pulse, others to treat Wangyou.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shuxian is only one month pregnant, and the pregnancy is not stable. She needs to rest well!"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is suffering from inner turmoil. I can prescribe a few remedies to alleviate her distress!"
"Go down and get the medicine!"
When Yongzheng learned that the Empress Dowager was alright and that the imperial physician had whispered about Wangyou's condition, he was relieved and finally had time to deal with today's matters.