"Her Majesty wants to place her above Consort De?"
Consort Liang felt uneasy: "I and Consort De entered the palace the same year, enduring seven or eight years before being granted the title of consort. By my calculations, she'll give birth around February or March next year, which is barely a year and nine months. In less than two years, she's become second among the four consorts. This rate of promotion might even surpass that of Concubine Li and Consort Shu back then!"
Empress Zhu sighed: "Times have changed. Concubine Li's illustrious family background was both her strength and her fatal flaw. As for Consort Shu, if she weren't from the Wu Family, I might have been more wary of her. But she happens to be the Empress Dowager's niece, an ambitious Wu woman. Being Consort Shu is as far as she'll ever get. Jiang Xinyue... Jiang Xinyue is different from them all."
She lacked a prominent family background, and there were no lives lost or fallen families between her and the Emperor.
She possessed beauty, wisdom, and all the admirable qualities the Emperor cherished.
She knew when to appear vulnerable, when to advance and retreat, was both whimsical and understanding, and never did anything to trouble the Emperor.
Even when the Emperor released Jiang Yuan from the Palace of Exile, she showed no signs of displeasure.
It's worth noting that the person who forced Concubine Zhen to eat the arsenic-laced pastry was "Jiang Yuan"!
Of course, whether Concubine Zhen had privately complained or acted coquettishly with the Emperor remained unknown.
How could the Emperor not dote on such a delightful person?
"Your Majesty!"
Fen Yun lifted the pearl curtain, and a wave of heat rushed in, even melting some of the ice in the basin before the couch.
This made Empress Zhu resent Concubine Li even more.
This year, the Imperial Astronomers predicted that the weather wouldn't be too hot, so there was no need to retreat to the summer palace. However, this turned out to be completely false. The official who made this weather prediction was a protégé of the Song Family, and he only said this because Concubine Li didn't want to endure the hardships of travel.
Just when the Emperor finally noticed the unusual weather and prepared to take the imperial concubines to Qinzhou, lo and behold! A corruption case involving a prefect erupted, with far-reaching implications, making it impossible for the Emperor to leave.
Now, all the officials in the court who had ever done favors for the Song Family were living in fear, instead trying to curry favor with the Jiang and Jiang families.
If it weren't for Concubine Li, they would already be enjoying the cool weather in Qinzhou with the Emperor. Why suffer through this scorching heat in the capital?
"Your Majesty!"
As Empress Zhu was lost in thought, Fen Yun had already approached her and whispered a few words in her ear. Empress Zhu was slightly surprised: "Consort Shu is giving birth in Hexi Palace?"
Wasn't Consort Shu only six months pregnant?
Upon hearing this, Consort Liang's eyes immediately lit up, eager to accompany Empress Zhu.
With Consort Shu and Concubine Zhen facing off, there would surely be a good show to watch.
In Hexi Palace—
"Ah— Ah... I can't do it anymore! I can't give birth anymore, ah ah ah..."
Hearing the agonizing screams coming from the side hall, Jiang Xinyue had to admit she was a bit frightened.
In the future, when women give birth, they could opt for a cesarean section if the baby was too large, or receive painkillers and anesthesia.
Even for natural births, they could perform an episiotomy to ensure the safety of both the baby and the mother.
But this was an fictional ancient dynasty, where medical expertise was severely lacking. When a woman had a difficult delivery, male doctors weren't even allowed to enter the delivery room, as all skilled physicians were men.
If a woman's body was seen by a man other than her husband, her life would be ruined.
That's why so many women in common households died during childbirth.
In the palace, there were a few female medical practitioners, but most of them only did menial tasks at the Imperial Hospital, familiar with some basic remedies. Unless they were exceptionally talented, very few women would be taken under the wing of a royal physician to learn true medical skills.
Hexi Palace had always been under the care of Yan the Imperial Physician, and his only daughter, Yan Xinyi, happened to have inherited his true medical knowledge.
As the screams continued to echo from the hall, Jiang Xinyue had already sent Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang inside, while she and her close attendants remained at a distance from Consort Shu.
During this critical time, she feared someone might try to frame her amidst the chaos.
Yan the Imperial Physician's heart was racing as he looked questioningly at Jiang Xinyue, anxiously asking, "Your Highness, should I send Xinyi to..."
"No need!"
Jiang Xinyue raised her hand to stop him from finishing his sentence. "Consort Shu is in premature labor. The fetus is already formed, but due to excessive consumption of oily foods during pregnancy, the baby is too large. The situation is very dangerous, and Xinyi's skills are not sufficient to handle it. The Empress Dowager is not someone to be trifled with. It's best not to involve Xinyi in this matter."
In truth, Yan the Imperial Physician shared the same concerns, but he worried that when Concubine Zhen would give birth in the future, he would need his daughter to be inside monitoring the situation. This way, if any special circumstances arose that prevented him from entering, his daughter could describe the symptoms to him, allowing him to devise a treatment plan. With their father-daughter rapport, they would surely ensure Concubine Zhen's safe delivery.
If someone were to bring up the fact that his daughter didn't help Consort Shu this time when assisting Concubine Zhen in the future, it could spell disaster for the Yan family.
With Concubine Zhen's words, he felt much more at ease.
Concubine Zhen was known for her prudent actions. If she said it wasn't necessary, then even if others brought up this incident in the future, the Emperor would likely already know the reasons behind it.
Large basins of bloody water were being carried out of the side hall. Jiang Xinyue's face turned pale, but she remained silent.
It wasn't until the Xuanwu Emperor's voice drew near that she allowed Xi Que and Shuang Jiang to support her as she sat weakly in a nearby chair.
Before she could even settle into the seat, the Emperor was already before her. He first examined Jiang Xinyue for a while, making sure she was only weak from shock, before turning to ask Yan the Imperial Physician, "How is the child in Consort Shu's womb?"
Seeing that the Emperor didn't inquire about Consort Shu herself, but rather the child in her womb, Yan the Imperial Physician assumed the Emperor placed great importance on the baby. Under immense pressure, he replied, "Your Majesty, there are already female doctors and midwives inside attending to Consort Shu. Concubine Zhen even sent Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang to care for Consort Shu. However, I'm afraid the situation doesn't look good. Consort Shu's baby is too large, making the delivery extremely difficult!"
"Ah—"
Another piercing scream of agony rang out. Concubine Zhen let out a soft whimper, and the Xuanwu Emperor immediately covered her ears. "Xi Que, Shuang Jiang, take your mistress down to rest. I'll handle things here."
Xi Que and Shuang Jiang were immensely grateful, quickly supporting the weakened Jiang Xinyue as they headed towards the main hall.
As soon as she stepped out of the side hall's main door, away from the Emperor and Wang Dequan's sight, Jiang Xinyue stood up from Xi Que and Shuang Jiang's support and quickly ran back to her bedchamber, instructing them to close the main door.
Afterwards, she said, "Ask Yan the Imperial Physician to write two prescriptions for calming the nerves and nourishing the fetus. Have Xiao Xuanzi go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch them. When Empress Zhu and the others arrive later, have Jiang Chuan stop them. Tell them that I've had a fright, the fetus is unstable, and the Emperor has ordered me to rest well."
Xi Que hurried to carry out the instructions.
When Empress Zhu arrived, accompanied by Consort De, Consort Liang, Consort Jin, Noble Consort Ye, and Court Lady Jiang, Jiang Chuan directly led them to where the Emperor was.
