In the following days, the spotlight was almost entirely on Song Zhao among the concubines.
Because she was pregnant, Xiao Jingheng accompanied her every day, and the Empress Dowager even obtained a rare and precious bone-shedding Buddha bead from a temple. She invited a master to chant sutras and bless it, instructing Song Zhao to wear it daily to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
On Song Zhao's birthday, which fell on the fourth day of May, the whole city of Suzhou was filled with joy and celebration, thanks to her influence.
During the banquet, although Xiao Jingheng and the Empress Dowager didn't explicitly mention it, their words and gestures hinted at promoting Song Zhao to a higher position after she safely delivered this child.
After all, the only consort who kept herself locked in her chamber day after day, refusing to see anyone, had continuously given Xiao Jingheng the cold shoulder for five days straight.
Men always prefer obedient women, especially when Xiao Jingheng is an emperor.
Initially, he had intended to reconcile with Ning Wanshuang, but repeated setbacks made him lose face as an emperor. Consequently, he stopped visiting her chamber altogether.
This time, with Song Zhao's pregnancy, Rongyue found it much easier to move around since she was outside the palace. Therefore, she took exceptional care of Song Zhao.
Anything related to the well-being of Song Zhao and the royal heir in her womb received her utmost attention. Even the food she sent to Song Zhao had been triple-checked by the kitchen staff, the courtiers, and the people in Song Zhao's chamber. Yet, Rongyue still went through it once more, striving for perfection.
Before the meal, Song Zhao noticed Rongyue's meticulousness and jokingly said, "Now that I'm pregnant, I've become a burden. I should have my sister feed me every bite of this feast."
Rongyue replied, "These morsels that enter your mouth are crucial for the health of you and your child. How can I be careless? I'm just afraid that another venomous snake like Consort Huiping might emerge and plot against you in secret."
Speaking of this, she finished inspecting all the dishes and smiled in reassurance.
"Alright, it's ready to be served. Yesterday, I noticed how much you enjoyed the shrimp, so I personally selected fresh ones for you to try today."
The task of arranging the meal was originally assigned to Yunsan, but with Rongyue present, she couldn't interfere. Yunsan could only jest and tease, saying, "Lord Tong comes every day and has made us servants weary."
Rongyue smiled and whispered to Song Zhao, "I've heard some news that I want to share with you. Let's take it as a diversion during the meal."
Curiously, Song Zhao asked, "What is it?"
Rongyue put down her chopsticks and leaned closer to Song Zhao, lowering her voice. "Consort Yao's facial acne has worsened these past few days, and it has developed into pustules that are now oozing."
Song Zhao's expression showed a slight change. "When I last saw her, it seemed like her condition had improved significantly."
Rongyue scoffed and shook her head. "She eats hotpot with Consort Yin every day, which is asking for trouble. Hotpot itself induces internal heat, and I heard they even dipped lamb meat into it.
Lamb meat is hot in nature, and now it's the peak of summer when internal heat is at its highest. Consuming excessive amounts of such heat-inducing food will undoubtedly cause acne to keep erupting.
I secretly went to see her, and she tried to cover the acne with makeup, but by keeping the pimples covered and oozing, she will most likely be left with scars."
Song Zhao quickly understood the intentions of others and said, "Consort Yin wants to monopolize favor?"
Rongyue calmly replied, "It's not surprising that she has such calculations. With the Empress and Consort Hui returning to the palace, and the Imperial Concubine at odds with the Emperor, I, as a small concubine, cannot share the bed with him while you are pregnant. At this time, if Consort Yao's reputation worsens, Consort Yin will be the sole focus of attention."
As she spoke, Rongyue gently caressed Song Zhao's abdomen and added, "After all, others also want to bask in the glory of your pregnancy."
"Fool," Song Zhao said. After savoring a shrimp, she disdainfully retorted, "With Consort Yin causing such a commotion, how could we not see what's really going on? The Emperor will never indulge her as she wishes. Her methods of seeking favor are low and foolish. How could the Emperor, who is surrounded by delicate women from the Jiangnan region, think of someone like her, who only knows how to wield a bow and arrow?"
Song Zhao sneered and continued, "In my opinion, Consort Yin wants to completely exhaust her favoritism before she can feel at ease."
"Let them do as they please," Rongyue said, tightening her grip on Song Zhao's hand. "The more they stir up trouble, the better. We can consider it paving the way for you."
The next day, the imperial entourage set off for Lin'an. After two days of traveling by water, they arrived at the city of Lin'an.
Chen Kuangxiang, the regional inspector, and Tong Chishan, the naval commander, along with local officials, greeted the Emperor's arrival.
The welcome banquet was held at the Lin'an Xianyu, a special palace that had been built by the late Emperor, who had a fondness for the Jiangnan region.
Upon hearing of the Emperor's visit, this palace had been prepared two months in advance for Xiao Jingheng and the imperial concubines to rest.
The banquet was lively, with exquisite dishes and various performances such as Kunqu opera, Pingtan storytelling, and Yueju opera.
In recent years, Lin'an had made great progress in water management, and Tong Chishan's book, "The Essence of Water Management," had gained national recognition.
Seeing this achievement, Xiao Jingheng felt delighted and unknowingly drank a few more cups.
During the banquet, Ning Wanshuang excused herself, claiming to feel unwell. The other concubines were engrossed in listening to music and watching the performances, and they noticed that Xiao Jingheng seemed a bit intoxicated.
As the Empress Dowager was not present, and Ning Wanshuang had already left, among the women present, Song Zhao held the most esteemed position as the one who assisted in managing the six palaces.
According to etiquette, she should advise Xiao Jingheng not to drink excessively. However, matters of men's drinking at the table were mostly about saving face. If Song Zhao were to advise him now, the courtiers might think that Xiao Jingheng couldn't hold his liquor, which would be embarrassing.
Therefore, she remained silent and instructed Yun Shan to bring a cup of sobering soup in a purple clay pot to Xiao Jingheng.
When Xiao Jingheng tasted the tea and sensed something was amiss, he understood Song Zhao's intentions. It allowed him to save face as the emperor while fulfilling the duty of the concubines' admonishment. It was a win-win situation.
At that moment, Rongyue, who was sitting behind Consort Yin, whispered something to her.
"Consort Yin, it seems that the Emperor has had a bit too much to drink. It is the responsibility of the imperial concubines to offer advice, but Consort Yi is sitting there motionless, perhaps neglecting her duties."
Upon hearing this, Consort Yin thought to herself,
During Song Zhao's pregnancy, she had been careless and neglected her duties. Among the other consorts, she held the highest position and needed to demonstrate it well.
So she got up and respectfully greeted Xiao Jingheng, saying,
"The Emperor is a bit intoxicated, and after traveling by water for two days, he must be tired. How about I attend to the Emperor and let him rest for today, and we can continue tomorrow..."
"No need," Xiao Jingheng interrupted Consort Yin's words with a cold voice. "Today, seeing all of you ministers so delighted, it is only right that I enjoy myself. If Consort Yin is tired, you may return and rest first."
"This..." Consort Yin was left hanging, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Fortunately, at that moment, the Governor of Lin'an spoke up,
"Since the Emperor has come to Lin'an, how can he not appreciate the beauty of West Lake? The boats are already prepared, and a night tour of West Lake will surely bring a unique experience."
