Concubine Li looked at the Emperor and Empress on the stage, as well as Jiang Xinyue sitting to the Emperor's right, and a strong sense of resentment welled up in her heart.
In previous years, Jiang Xinyue's position had always been hers.
But now, dressed in unfashionable clothes and wearing last year's old hairpin, she sat among a group of low-ranking consorts. She had to peer over layer after layer of heads just to get a clear view of the Emperor's face.
Having once possessed the best, how could she accept such a fall from grace?
"Your Highness, look at the lady over there. Isn't she injured?"
Concubine Li looked towards the wives of the court officials. Her mother's mouth was bleeding, and she appeared to be in great pain. Meanwhile, a young eunuch beside Concubine Zhen was smiling at her.
"He..."
Just as Concubine Li was about to stand up, the young eunuch had already retreated from there and returned behind Concubine Zhen.
She then learned that Lady Pei had been loose-lipped, insisting on saying some unpleasant words to humiliate Lady Ruan, and in the process, had also insulted her.
Fortunately, her stepfather was a clear-headed man and still knew to protect her mother.
She deserved to have her mouth pierced.
Jiang Xinyue caught a sharp, hateful glance. She quickly turned her head to see Concubine Li glaring at her, her beautiful face as distorted as Lady Pei's.
She raised her wine cup, lifted it slightly towards Concubine Li, then drank it all in one gulp.
Of course, what she was drinking wasn't wine, but fruit juice made from blended fruits, specially prepared for her by Chief Steward Gao.
Concubine Li ignored her and leaned back, saying to Xia He behind her, "Go find out what Concubine Zhen did to the lady."
"Your Majesty?"
Xia He twisted the handkerchief in her hands and said to Lady Pei, "My lady, that young eunuch isn't from the Emperor's personal service, he's from Concubine Zhen's palace."
"What?" Lady Pei, who had just been taken down to apply medicine, mumbled unclearly while covering her mouth, gasping, "Ouch... What do you... ouch... what do you mean by that? Oh... it hurts so much..."
Xia He sighed heavily, "What this servant means is that you've been tricked. That wasn't a crab rewarded by the Emperor at all, it was Concubine Zhen deliberately setting you up."
"How dare she?" Lady Pei stared with wide eyes, "That's tantamount to falsely transmitting an imperial edict."
"Of course she dares," Xia He said bitterly. "She's now the first lady of the harem. Even the Empress has to avoid her sharp edge. Who wouldn't she dare to offend? Even if we report this to the Emperor, it would just be her rewarding you with two crabs. The Emperor won't blame her."
Lady Pei gritted her teeth. "This insolent little hussy, I won't just swallow this grievance."
She whispered a few words in Xia He's ear. Xia He exclaimed in delight, "My lady, you brought it into the palace?"
"Yes, originally I wanted her to disguise as a palace maid and stay by Niang'er's side, to be prepared for any eventuality. Now that Concubine Zhen is so arrogant, if she gives birth to a prince in the future, won't Niang'er's status be even lower? We must act before she gives birth, tonight."
On New Year's Eve, the palace maids in Hexi Palace would surely be relaxed. Everyone would be huddled together waiting to stay up for the New Year. This was the easiest time to make a move.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the harem, undercurrents were surging.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
When it came time to set off fireworks, everyone gathered on the palace walls to watch together. Below the walls were the common people of the imperial city.
Wang Dequan was reading out the Emperor's decree to reduce taxes, causing the people below the city walls to kneel down one after another, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
To the Xuanwu Emperor's right stood Empress Zhu, and to his left was Jiang Xinyue, whom he had pulled to his side.
A grand kingdom, peace and prosperity for the nation, and in his arms was the woman he loved, carrying their child in her belly.
The Emperor felt that this year was the happiest and most blessed New Year he had ever experienced.
The repetitive daily life had left him with no expectations for the coming year, just mechanically doing what an emperor should do for the rest of his life.
But now he had Concubine Zhen, and it was she who gradually gave him expectations for this stagnant palace life.
When did these expectations begin?
Probably after she became pregnant and requested that he go to Hexi Palace every day to tell stories to the child in her belly.
Concubine Zhen had written her own storybooks, with tales like "Journey to the West," "Snow White," "Cinderella," "The Little Horse Crosses the River" - even he found them fascinating.
Especially the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Sanzang on their journey to the Western Heaven to obtain Buddhist scriptures. As the storyteller, he was also captivated and wanted to tell the baby more every day so that he could read more himself.
Concubine Zhen was like a treasure box, always full of new and interesting things, always able to give him different surprises.
The brilliant fireworks lit up the entire night sky. Jiang Xinyue looked up, her eyes fixed unblinkingly. Rarely... she felt a bit homesick.
Although in her past life, she wasn't loved by her father or mother. Her parents divorced, each remarried, and even gave her half-siblings. She had long lost her own home.
But... she still missed the oden shop at the foot of her company building where she used to go after work every day. She wondered if the chubby owner would ask her colleagues where she had gone after not seeing her for so long.
Her estranged parents wouldn't think of her unless they needed money, but she still couldn't let go of that part of herself that yearned for familial love.
Because she knew that in this world, even biological parents couldn't be relied upon, so she never thought of relying on anyone.
No matter how much the Xuanwu Emperor loved her and doted on her, there were always conditions attached. She had to be forever obedient, lovable, beautiful, kind, and always think of him first.
That wasn't her...
The real her had a clear sense of right and wrong, couldn't tolerate even a speck of sand in her eye. A scumbag player like the Xuanwu Emperor would definitely have been judo-thrown by her in her past life.
"What is my beloved thinking about?"
Why did she look a bit upset?
"This concubine was thinking... This concubine's belly is only seven months along, why does it look as big as someone about to give birth? Could it be that this concubine is carrying twins?"
Ancient people believed in feng shui and superstitions, especially among the royal nobility where such notions were even more severe.
The "I Ching" records: "One is yang, two is yin." Ancient people believed that twins carried heavy yin energy and would clash after birth. Ancient emperors considered twins equivalent to "two stars descending," which was an inauspicious omen that would affect the fortune of the nation.
There were two ways to deal with twins.
The cruel method was to have the imperial physician identify the weaker child and strangle it, keeping only the stronger one. In extreme cases, both would be killed or sent out of the palace to be raised by others.
The milder approach was to continue raising them. If a concubine gave birth to twins, one might be hidden and not recorded in the historical records.
Or it would be announced that they were not twins, and their birth dates would be falsified. In historical records, they would be recorded as brothers born a year apart, or one of the princes would be adopted by another concubine to deceive heaven and earth.
So that's what she was worried about.
The Xuanwu Emperor patted her head. "Your belly isn't that big. I've seen the Empress when she was pregnant. At seven months, she was even bigger than you. Don't worry too much. Just focus on your pregnancy. Even if you do give birth to twins, I will make proper arrangements. Nothing will happen to you or the children."
