"Your Majesty, you haven't eaten all day. Please, have a little something. If Consort Zhen wakes up and finds you collapsed..."
Wang Dequan knelt with the meal at the feet of the Xuanwu Emperor, "If Consort Zhen wakes and sees this, she will scold me for my carelessness."
He truly was the most trusted servant of the Xuanwu Emperor, even invoking Consort Zhen's name at this moment.
Wang Dequan saw it clearly; when Concubine Li was severely injured and unconscious, the Emperor was frantic with worry, staying up all night by her side, yet he still managed to eat and drink and didn't delay handling the petitions.
Even after leaving Hexi Palace, he was still concerned whether Consort Zhen, sent to the Palace of Exile, was being mistreated, hinting at him to instruct the Internal Affairs Department to ensure she was not neglected.
At that time, the Emperor had sent Consort Zhen to the Palace of Exile, perhaps as his way of protecting her.
Otherwise, just look at today...
Consort Zhen fell into the water unconscious, and without investigation, the Emperor concluded that Consort Shu and the Empress Dowager had conspired to endanger Consort Zhen's life, forcing Consort Shu to commit suicide to prove her innocence.
Even so, the Emperor showed no pity for Consort Shu, ordering her to return to her palace to recover from her injuries.
Wang Dequan could imagine, if Consort Shu hadn't taken her own life, her fate would have been grim.
It seems the Emperor's affections are mostly feigned towards the many consorts of the palace, with Consort Zhen being the exception.
Oh no...
He is the Emperor's servant; he shouldn't say the Emperor is insincere. His feelings for Consort Zhen are genuinely deep.
"I can't eat."
The Xuanwu Emperor held Jiang Xinyue's icy hand, his eyes bloodshot: "She climbed ashore herself to seek help. The maid who saved her said... said that Consort Zhen pointed to the water before she fainted, saying someone was pulling at her legs. Can you imagine how frightened she must have been? She trusted me so much, yet I've disappointed her time and again, putting her in danger when I could have protected her."
Wang Dequan didn't know how to respond; he certainly couldn't say that the Emperor was heartless, indifferent to the life and death of the consorts.
But now, with Consort Zhen, the Emperor surely couldn't bear the thought of her dying; he wasn't that heartless.
He had seen all the affection Consort Zhen held for the Emperor; she deserved his care.
A nimble young eunuch ran into Hexi Palace, kneeling before the Xuanwu Emperor to report: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu's bleeding has stopped. The royal physician says she needs to rest well. Consort Shu... is pregnant."
The silence in the sleeping chamber was deafening as the Xuanwu Emperor slowly turned to him: "What did you say?"
The young eunuch, sweating profusely, sensed the Emperor was not pleased, his voice even quieter: "The Empress... the Empress sent me to bring the good news... Consort Shu is one month pregnant. She was just too emotionally agitated and sustained severe injuries, which caused some spotting. The royal physician says she needs to rest well, otherwise... she might miscarry."
The Xuanwu Emperor closed his eyes, taking a deep breath: "Wang Dequan, go to the royal pharmacy and get some tonics to send to Jingren Palace."
If he showed no concern, the Empress Dowager would blame Consort Zhen.
Today she was nearly drowned in the lake; what about tomorrow?
As a former master of palace intrigue who ultimately became the Empress Dowager, her cunning and strategic tricks couldn't be underestimated.
He couldn't let Consort Zhen risk herself anymore.
After Jiang Xinyue lost consciousness for three days, the Xuanwu Emperor would stay in the Hexi Palace except when at court. Even when the Empress Dowager held a banquet to celebrate Consort Shu's pregnancy, the Emperor could not be persuaded to attend.
All the concubines finally understood that Consort Shu had thoroughly fallen out of favor.
The Emperor blamed her for harming Consort Zhen... No... two days ago, she officially became Consort Zhen.
The emperor had Wang Dequan proclaim the imperial edict -- no one could object.
Initially, Consort Shu’s pregnancy was a happy event, but the next day, Empress Zhu revealed another startling matter.
Located far from the six palaces of East and West, in the remote Yanxi Palace, Court Lady Lan gave birth to a little prince.
In Hexi Palace, as Empress Zhu presented the baby to the Xuanwu Emperor, she pleaded, "I found out about it just a few days ago myself. Ironically, it coincided with the time when Consort Zhen fell into a coma. No sooner than Court Lady Lan was about to give birth, that I rushed the midwives there. Right after the birth, I immediately sent someone to fetch the little prince. Court Lady Lan was so unlucky that she passed away after the delivery. I couldn't bear her pitiful situation, and I specially came to plea for a favor."
The Xuanwu Emperor asked knowingly, "What favor?"
Empress Zhu knelt on the ground with a 'thud', "I plead with you to allow me to raise the Fifth Prince."
Compared to the Song family, the Zhu family, where Empress Zhu comes from, is not the most prestigious among scholars, but it’s not weaker than either Song or Pei's families. Otherwise, the victor of the selection for the imperial harem couldn't possibly have been Empress Zhu.
Concubine Li has opposed the Empress all these years because the two families were evenly matched. They had been rivals since before they married into the palace. In terms of beauty, Concubine Li was one step ahead, but in terms of grace and talent, Empress Zhu was more favored.
If Empress Zhu also had a legitimate son, who knows what kind of madness Concubine Li would fall into.
Jiang Xinyue only felt aching pain through her nose and throat. It was when Empress Zhu mentioned Court Lady Lan from Yanxi Palace that her consciousness finally began to clear.
But she didn't immediately open her eyes. Her mind was still a little bit fuzzy and if she opened her eyes now, she would inevitably be dragged into the dispute between the Emperor and his Empress.
Being a favored concubine who always had the Emperor's best interests at heart, she was sure to upset the Emperor's plans and instigate him to think of Consort Zhen as one of 'his own'.
But she didn't want to.
First, her head was still hurting badly. Speaking out now might offend Empress Zhu. Second, she didn't want to face off against the Empress so early on.
She could imagine how important a legitimate son was to the Empress, even with her eyes closed.
Ye Baolin is not the Empress's person!!
No!
It should be said, only Ye Baolin herself thought that she belonged to the Empress.
So, it seems that Empress Zhu didn't find Ye Baolin to 'bear the child', but rather Ye Baolin went to the Empress voluntarily, willing to be her pawn.
However, even Ye Baolin didn't realize that she was merely attracting attention to allow the Empress to distract Concubine Li from Yikun Palace. Meanwhile, Empress Zhu had already selected a womb and had successfully given birth to a child without anyone’s knowledge.
Empress Zhu's feint successfully fooled everyone, including Jiang Xinyue.
Indeed, she is the queen who stands firm and unyielding at the peak of the mountains, the ever-resilient Empress Zhu. Her resilience is something admirable.
The sound of Empress Zhu's voice continued to swirl around, "Your Majesty, my eldest and second princes have departed from this world many years ago. The pain in my heart is ever-present and unbearable. The court officials, noting my lack of an heir, are urging me to abdicate and yield the throne. I beseech you, Your Majesty, to provide me with a path to survival!"
She is challenging the Emperor with her life at stake.
However, seeing Empress Zhu's anguish and repeated sobs, the Xuanwu Emperor just couldn't bring himself to express anger. The premature death of their two legitimate sons was indeed a bitter pill to swallow.
