The child was almost seven months along now. Just three more peaceful months and she would give birth. At this time, she didn't want to cause any additional trouble.
Her appearance would only anger those women blinded by jealousy. It was better to let the Emperor pour cold water on them, to help them cool down and regain their senses.
The Xuanwu Emperor strode out of Hexi Palace and stood on the steps at the entrance, looking down at everyone.
Empress Zhu led the way in bowing to the Emperor. After being told to rise, before she could speak, she heard the man berate them: "I picked a few plum blossoms and it made you all unhappy. Did you come to Hexi Palace to cause trouble for Concubine Zhen?"
"Your Majesty..."
"Wang Dequan!"
The Xuanwu Emperor didn't give Empress Zhu a chance to explain, instead coldly ordering: "Wang Dequan, have the people from the Internal Affairs Department go to the Warm Pavilion and cut down all the plum trees. From now on, plum trees are not to be planted."
Each consort in the palace had her own preferences.
Just as Concubine Li loved crabapple blossoms, Empress Zhu only adored the lone plum blossom that defiantly bloomed in snow and frost.
"Your Majesty!"
Empress Zhu looked at him in disbelief, the accusation in her eyes becoming almost tangible.
The Emperor acted as if he hadn't seen it: "If anyone uses flowers as an excuse to cause trouble for Concubine Zhen again, then there will be no need to plant any flowers in the palace. I've never heard that once a flower blooms, it can't be picked. It will bloom beautifully again next year. I really don't understand why you're all so concerned about one or two flowers."
This statement not only implicated the Empress, but also included Concubine Li, who had once punished Concubine Zhen for picking a single crabapple blossom.
It was as if all the women in the palace were so petty and mean-spirited that they would want someone's life over a single flower.
Was this really about one or two flowers?
This was about her dignity as the Empress, a challenge to her authority.
Consort De's eyes peered behind the Emperor, but not seeing Jiang Xinyue come out, she had no way to employ her various tactics.
She took two steps back, hiding behind the crowd, not wanting to draw attention and risk annoying the Emperor.
Empress Zhu was so angry that her sensitivity to wind flared up, and her body swayed. Fortunately, Fenxun supported her: "Your Majesty..."
She took a deep breath, suppressing her temperament: "All the flowers and concubines in the palace belong to Your Majesty, of course, whatever you say goes. However, Your Majesty, please don't forget. The country has its laws, and the family has its rules. No matter how favored Concubine Zhen is, she is still a concubine and should greet and bow to me daily. The gates of Hexi Palace are not for her to open and close as she pleases."
After holding back for so long, she couldn't resist anymore. Unable to vent at the Emperor, she could only take it out on Concubine Zhen.
The Xuanwu Emperor looked at Empress Zhu for a long while. Seeing that she showed no sign of backing down, a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of his lips: "Has the Empress forgotten? Concubine Zhen's confinement was ordered by the Empress Dowager, set to end at the year's end. It's only a month until the New Year's banquet now, what's the problem with Concubine Zhen's confinement ending now?"
Empress Zhu had indeed forgotten about this, only remembering Concubine Zhen's willful closing of the palace gates, forgetting that even if she hadn't closed the gates, she was still confined by the Empress Dowager's order and couldn't leave Hexi Palace anyway.
Seeing the Empress struck speechless and clutching her chest in pain, Consort Liang bit her lip and said: "But she shut out the sovereign of the nation, which is itself an act of insubordination. If all the palace concubines were to learn from her..."
"This is a private matter between me and Concubine Zhen. I have no objections, yet Consort Liang, you seem to be quite meddlesome."
Today, the Xuanwu Emperor had transformed into a master of rebuttals.
So sometimes, men do know how to protect a woman, it just depends on whether they're willing to or not.
After this round of debate, both Empress Zhu and Consort Liang were utterly defeated. Only then could the Xuanwu Emperor enter the inner chambers as he wished, to tell stories to the little one in Concubine Zhen's belly.
Heaven knows, he hadn't told stories to the child for two months and he really wasn't used to it.
This child was special to him, as he had personally taken care of Concubine Zhen since she became pregnant.
Hexi Palace once again returned to the days when the Emperor would come to check in daily. The difference now was that he no longer needed Wang Dequan's reminders; he would conscientiously head to Hexi Palace at the appointed time each day.
In view of his excellent performance, Jiang Xinyue even rewarded him with a hot pot meal.
Considering that he couldn't eat very spicy food, the copper pot was made in the style of a yuan-yang pot. Following her instructions, Chief Steward Gao prepared various side dishes. The Xuanwu Emperor ate from the mushroom soup base, adding spicy condiments if he wanted more heat.
Jiang Xinyue ate from the spicy soup pot, her small mouth turning red and her eyes glistening with tears, a sight that mesmerized the Xuanwu Emperor.
His Concubine Zhen had not only maintained her beauty but had become even more attractive. He wondered if the child would inherit their excellent looks?
If so, who knows how beautiful the child would be.
But in any case, with the parents' innate conditions, he believed his child would certainly be very beautiful.
With only three months left until the big reveal, the Xuanwu Emperor silently raised his expectations to the maximum, and became even more determined not to allow Concubine Zhen to suffer even the slightest harm.
The security and screening at Hexi Palace became stricter than ever before.
He even replaced all the midwives originally assigned to Jiang Xinyue, having Tang Shiliang personally arrange for people to accompany Yan the Imperial Physician to secretly select several reputable midwives from among the common people and bring them into the palace.
Fearing that they might be bribed to harm Jiang Xinyue during childbirth, the Xuanwu Emperor ordered their families to be placed under control.
According to Yan the Imperial Physician, because of the proper care and protection during pregnancy, and Jiang Xinyue's attention to the combination of exercise and diet, the fetus was developing very healthily.
She measured her own abdominal circumference every seven days, constantly monitoring the size of the fetus. There were no unexpected situations, indicating a very good prospect for delivery.
Therefore, if anything were to happen to Jiang Xinyue at the time, or if there were to be two deaths in one, the Xuanwu Emperor would kill all the midwives and their families, without any room for leniency.
So even if those midwives wanted to accept money or favors, they had to consider whether they would live to enjoy it.
In Shunan Palace—
"My lady, the task you assigned to this servant cannot be accomplished. The Emperor has driven out all the original midwives. If we want to take Concubine Zhen's life, I'm afraid we'll have to find another way."
The woman lay in a rocking chair. In the small room, a brazier of fine gold wire charcoal was burning, its warm aroma making one drowsy.
After hearing the midwife's report, she slowly opened her eyes: "Has that thing been placed?"
The midwife nodded repeatedly outside the door: "As per your instructions, it has been placed under Concubine Zhen's bed."
"That will do."
The woman lazily got up: "The Emperor has just managed to placate her and is quite fond of her at the moment. We shouldn't make a move on this front for now. When the Emperor shows signs of tiring of her, we can use this to cast Concubine Zhen into the eighteenth level of hell, ensuring she can never recover in this lifetime."
The midwife nodded obsequiously: "Yes, yes, my lady is wise."
The woman's eyes glanced to the side, and immediately a eunuch stepped forward: "Come then! Since there's nothing more for you to do, I'll escort you out of the palace now. Remember to keep your mouth shut."
