Xiao Jingheng's words, one word at a time, were like dense needles, carrying a chill and stabbing toward the Empress's heart.
At this moment she was still pleading for herself,
"Your Majesty, your concubine is really wronged! Does Your Majesty not even believe your concubine, your wife, one bit?"
But no matter what she said,
Xiao Jingheng acted as if she did not exist at all. Whether good or bad, he would not give her a response.
As for Consort Yun—
Since Xiao Jingheng was unwilling to expose the Empress's evil deeds, Consort Yun's testimony was meaningless as well.
Similarly, she would not be punished by Xiao Jingheng either. It's just that from this day on, the favor she enjoyed would be completely cut off.
Song Zhao had not said a single word throughout the entire farce today.
She just listened quietly,
focusing on listening to the Empress's cries, listening to how wronged she was, listening to how shocked she was, listening to how heartbroken she was.
The more tragic her cries were, the more refreshed and comfortable Song Zhao felt,
There was no sound more pleasing and delightful to her than this.
Consort Chen, having regained the power to manage the six palaces, immediately assumed her role. Song Zhao heard her instruct: "The Empress needs to recuperate quietly. With so many people going in and out serving her, how can she calm her heart? Keep just two personal servants and dismiss the rest."
She was very smug,
almost wanting to write the four characters "raise her eyebrows and spit arrogantly" on her face.
In this play within a play, the Empress did not even have the capital to stage a comeback.
She slumped limply in her chair, not even able to squeeze out a tear as she cried.
Consort Chen, on the other hand, seemed to be deliberately
She swayed in front of the Empress a few times, then walked over to Xiao Jingheng's side, affectionately pulling his arm, and said,
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing my wrongs and restoring my innocence. Listening to all this nonsense must have tired Your Majesty. Why don't your concubine attend to Your Majesty and accompany you back to the palace to rest?"
Xiao Jingheng's face was expressionless. His attitude was neither affirmative nor negative.
Just as Consort Chen was about to continue soliciting his favor, she suddenly felt dizzy and staggered, barely able to stand.
Xiao Jingheng reached back to support her until she steadied herself before asking, "What's the matter?"
Consort Chen weakly massaged her temples and weakly, charmingly said, "It must be stuffy in the hall. Your concubine feels like I can't breathe."
The Empress Dowager, who had witnessed the whole thing, was used to seeing the coquettish, favor-currying methods in the harem.
She thought Consort Chen was deliberately putting on an affected appearance in front of Xiao Jingheng,
so she did not indulge her and simply told Imperial Physician Yu, "Consort Chen is not feeling well, go take a look."
However, no one could have expected that
Imperial Physician Yu's pulse reading would reveal a tremendous piece of good news for Consort Chen.
"Congratulations, Consort Chen! You are already two months pregnant!"
As soon as these words came out,
the Kun Ning Palace, which had just quieted down, instantly livened up again.
Consort Chen was even more stunned, asking in disbelief mingled with joy,
"Is it true?"
"It is undoubtedly true. Your pulse of happiness is obvious, powerful and forceful, this is truly tremendous news."
Following Imperial Physician Yu's confirmation, everyone's eyes focused on Consort Chen.
Song Zhao was the only exception.
Her eyes quickly scanned the faces of everyone present, observing the subtle changes in their expressions.
The Empress was jealous, Consort Rong envious, Consort Yun had not yet come back to her senses and was still sobbing to herself.
Concubine Yao couldn't help touching her own belly resentfully,
while Concubine Hui took the opportunity while no one was paying attention to grab a piece of chilled watermelon and stuffed it unceremoniously into her mouth, eating it with relish.
As for Xiao Jingheng and the Empress Dowager...
Song Zhao keenly captured the fleeting gloom in their eyes,
but soon, both of them burst into radiant smiles.
The Empress Dowager urged the palace maids to quickly help Consort Chen sit down. Xiao Jingheng also held her hand, looking very happy,
"You silly thing, already two months pregnant yet completely oblivious about it?"
Song Zhao congratulated Consort Chen along with the other consorts and concubines on her pregnancy.
But Consort Chen did not even glance at them, only clinging tightly to Xiao Jingheng's hand, tears shimmering in her eyes,
"Your Majesty... Your concubine is finally pregnant with our child again!"
It was obvious she was extremely happy.
Xiao Jingheng seemed to be as well.
It was just that some were genuinely happy from the bottom of their hearts, while others only appeared to be so.
On this day, Consort Chen looked more glorious than ever.
She had brought down the Empress, regained control over the six palaces, and now she was pregnant as well.
Nearly all good things had caught up with her on this one day.
At this time, Xiao Jingheng would naturally stay by her side.
Knowing her place, Song Zhao merely said she was tired herself and left in her carriage.
Yun Shan had been recovering for over a month. Her health was now completely restored.
When Song Zhao returned, she saw Yun Shan leading palace maids to catch summer cicadas in the courtyard with a sticky rod.
The girl was climbing up and down again in defiance of the imperial doctor‘s orders.
Song Zhao was about to call out to her when Xiao Fuzi hurriedly took the sticky rod from Yun Shan's hand, his tone slightly severe,
"Didn't the imperial doctor say you still needed at least another month of recuperation? How can you leap around like a monkey?"
"Oh, aren't I perfectly fine?" Yun Shan spun around Xiao Fuzi, stuck out her tongue at him, then happily skipped over to Song Zhao's side, pulling her along.
"Mistress has returned~ Weren't you with Her Majesty the whole day today? You must be tired..."
Song Zhao held her hand with a smile. "You've only just recovered. Leave these matters to the maids."
Yun Shan smiled sweetly and shook her head. "But I'm a maid too! Besides, I can't let anything go wrong when serving Mistress. I have to do everything myself before I can feel at ease!"
She and Xiao Fuzi accompanied Song Zhao back to the inner chamber.
Just as Yun Shan was about to attend to Song Zhao, she heard the girl say again, "The small kitchen has been simmering pregnancy-protecting medicine for Mistress all this time. I'm going to fetch it for Mistress, can't delay the time to take medicine!"
Then she bounced away energetically like a little rabbit.
Xiao Fuzi watched her receding back helplessly and sighed, then said with a doting smile,
"She's always the most rambunctious one. Back when Mistress was still in the manor, she was such a headache."
Song Zhao also laughed. "It's precisely because she accompanied me all along the way that my days became much more bearable."
Xiao Fuzi poured Song Zhao a cup of warm water, then lowered his voice and said,
"What does Mistress think, now that the Empress has fallen, once Consort Chen successfully gives birth, might she be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, or even...Imperial Noble Consort?"
Although there was the position of Imperial Noble Consort in the harem, it would not be granted while the Empress still occupied her position.
But Xiao Fuzi had reason to bring this up.
After all, what difference was there now between the Empress being present or absent?
Song Zhao did not directly answer his question.
Instead, she shook her head meaningfully and said,
"That depends on whether she can successfully give birth."
Xiao Fuzi understood that Song Zhao had noticed something,
but since she didn't explicitly say it, he didn't ask further, only responding,
"With the Empress losing everything in one wrong move this time, it seems His Majesty is truly furious with her."
Hearing this, Song Zhao let out a cold chuckle, her tone indifferent as she said,
"Her biggest mistake was targeting me in the first place.
"Since I entered the palace, I did not come to suffer humiliation. If people don't offend me, I try my best not to offend them. But if someone offends me, I will first make them wish they were dead, then cordially wish them a long life of a hundred years!"
