freenovelworld Chapter 227 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 40
Chapter 227 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 40
During Zhen Huan's childbirth and postpartum period, Consort Duan behaved extremely calmly, focusing wholeheartedly on raising Princess Longyue, and remaining indifferent to the grudges and disputes between the Empress, Consort Xuan, and others, as if she were outside of this complex palace struggle.
Finally, the day arrived for Zhen Huan's investiture ceremony. The Emperor looked at Yi Xiu with a deep gaze and suddenly spoke, "Consort Xuan is exceptionally intelligent and knows how to handle things. Your Majesty, your health is not good, and you should also take good care of yourself. I intend to entrust the management of the six palaces to Consort Jin, Consort Xuan, Consort Jing, and Consort Duan. From now on, the trivial matters in the palace will be handled by these four. What does Your Majesty think?"
The Emperor already harbored resentment towards Yixiu. Although Yixiu seemed to handle the previous rumor incident cleanly and efficiently, the Emperor still uncovered some clues, and his trust in her had diminished considerably.
Yixiu's face instantly stiffened, but when the Emperor's gaze swept over her, she quickly regained her smile and said, "Your Majesty is wise, this is naturally excellent. However, I am worried that since Consort Xuan has to take care of her two children, if Princess Longyue is also taken to Yongshou Palace to be raised, I'm afraid Consort Xuan will be overwhelmed and unable to take care of both."
However, Yixiu's wishful thinking failed. The Emperor smiled faintly, his tone tinged with coldness: "I have already discussed this with Consort Xuan. Princess Longyue can continue to be raised by Consort Duan. There is no need to move her. Hongyan and Lingxi will be taken care of by their wet nurses, so Consort Xuan will not be too overworked."
Yixiu smiled slightly, still unwilling to give up, and continued, "Your Majesty, I have not thought this through. However, Consort Jin has never managed the affairs of the inner palace before, and I'm afraid..."
The Emperor interrupted Yixiu directly, a hint of coldness in his eyes, and said, "I will send an experienced matron to assist Consort Jin in handling the affairs of the inner palace. The Empress need not worry."
With Hongxi residing in the Prince's quarters, Wen Yuan had no authority to manage the harem, which the Emperor found somewhat inappropriate.
Hongxi is his most intelligent son, sensible and filial, and the Emperor feels that his birth mother, Wen Yuan, should be given some power. Previously, Wen Yuan had been too lazy to participate in these trivial matters of the inner palace.
The Emperor's decision to act first and inform Wen Yuan later was a huge surprise. However, when Wen Yuan learned that she had been granted the power to assist in managing the six palaces, she secretly sneered.
Wen Yuan deliberately complained to the Emperor, implying that she didn't want to deal with these tedious matters. Seeing this, the Emperor was even more reassured, believing she had no ambition.
But once the Emperor has spoken, the decree is issued, and it cannot be easily revoked. Wen Yuan wasn't truly without power; she was merely putting on an act.
Having four concubines manage palace affairs together, with each checking and balancing the others, was exactly what the emperor wanted. He hoped to maintain the balance and stability of the harem in this way.
Another month passed, and Zhen Huan's relatives finally arrived in the capital. They were just waiting for Zhen Huan's order to enter the palace to visit her.
Zhen Huan was filled with anticipation and couldn't wait to summon her mother and sister to the palace. Xiao Yunzi led Zhen's mother and Zhen Yu Rao into the palace.
Throughout the journey, Zhen Yurao always tried to hide herself. Every move of the eunuchs and palace maids made her uneasy, fearing that they would laugh at her.
When they entered Yongshou Palace, Zhen Huan was already eagerly waiting in the courtyard.
When Zhen Huan saw her mother, she noticed that her mother had aged considerably, with noticeably more fine lines around her eyes.
As for Zhen Yurao, there is a huge scar on her face diagonally from the middle to the right, which almost injured her eyeball. Her eyes have also become numb, and she no longer has the liveliness and agility she once had.
Zhen Huan tenderly stroked Zhen Yu Rao's face, tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing her sister cry, Zhen Yu Rao was also moved and began to weep, making the scars on her face appear even more grotesque. Zhen's mother silently shed tears beside them; the family reunion was filled with heartache.
Huanbi quickly led them into the hall, and the three women sat down and began to recount their hardships over the years.
"My sister's face... what happened?" Zhen Huan asked, her voice trembling as she looked at her mother.
With tears streaming down her face, Mother Zhen said, "Back then, a steward tried to take advantage of Yu Rao. When Yu Rao struggled and resisted, she was accidentally scratched on the face." Mother Zhen was filled with grief. She knew that for a woman, without beauty, it would be difficult to find a good husband.
"Has that person been caught?" Zhen Huan asked through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with anger.
"That little steward knew he had caused a huge disaster, so he ran away. Now our Zhen family is not what it used to be, how could we possibly catch him?" Mother Zhen complained softly, her words full of helplessness.
Zhen Huan felt as if her heart had been pierced by a sharp blade. She was filled with self-blame, believing that it was her own willfulness that had led to the Zhen family's exile to Ningguta. If she could have found evidence to overturn the Zhen family's case sooner, her mother and sister wouldn't have suffered such misery.
"Alright, sister, we've finally reunited today, so stop crying all the time. I'm doing quite well now, and it would be even better if Father could come back too. It's just that Father's case hasn't been overturned yet, and he still has to suffer in Ningguta." Having gone through so much, Zhen Yurao had matured a lot, and she comforted her sister while holding back her tears.
There was a time limit for Zhen's mother to enter the palace, but Zhen Huan really couldn't bear to let Zhen Yu Rao leave so soon, so she let Zhen Yu Rao stay in the palace for a few more days.
After settling Zhen Yu Rao's affairs, Zhen Huan began to handle the affairs of the inner palace. The Emperor entrusted most of the matters to Consort Jin and Consort Jing, and it was clear to everyone that the two were closely related and in cahoots.
However, for Zhen Huan, now that she possessed power in the harem, she had the opportunity to do many things she wanted. She secretly vowed to reclaim everything she had lost and to seek justice for herself and the Zhen family.
……
As October arrived, the weather in the capital gradually turned cold, and An Lingrong became increasingly reluctant to go out.
At this time, she was three months pregnant. Ever since the Emperor learned of the "ominous" news from the Imperial Observatory about her, he had never visited Yanxi Palace again.
This might not be a bad thing for An Lingrong, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to hide her pregnancy.
As the weather turned colder, she wore more clothes, and since her belly was not yet showing, it did not arouse the Empress's suspicion. However, her plan to seek refuge with Consort Jin, Wen Yuan, made no progress.
An Lingrong dared not go to Chuxiu Palace again, and after Zhen Huan took charge of the affairs of the harem, she intensified her efforts to spread the rumors of An Lingrong's "inauspiciousness" throughout the harem.
Zhen Huan also refused to install floor heating in Yanxi Palace, citing the need to save expenses. Huan Bi egged her on, and Zhen Huan actually did it, which made Wen Yuan quite disdainful of Zhen Huan's actions.
Consort Zhen and Consort Kang, being opportunists, naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to humiliate An Lingrong. As soon as their greetings were over, the two went to Yanxi Palace. An Lingrong looked at them with a cold expression and listened to their mockery.
"Consort An, you need to face reality. Things are different now. We sisters don't have any good charcoal, so you'll have to make do with what we have," Consort Zhen said sarcastically.
An Lingrong was so angered by their humiliation that her stomach ached. She endured the discomfort and said, "You all leave Yanxi Palace immediately!"
"Do you still think you're the favored Consort An? Now you're living worse than even our palace maids." Consort Kang chimed in, her tone full of contempt.
An Lingrong clutched her stomach, her face turning pale, and she was sweating profusely from the pain. She cried out in a hoarse voice, "Chunzhu, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician!"
"Your Majesty, please hold on, I'm coming right now!" Chunzhu hurriedly got up, wanting to rush out, but was stopped by the people brought by Consort Zhen and Consort Kang.
Chunzhu squeezed through the gaps in the crowd and ran quickly towards the Imperial Hospital after leaving Yanxi Palace.
When Consort Zhen and Consort Kang saw that An Lingrong was pale and looked pained, they were also a little flustered. They looked at each other and worried that something might really happen.
They could only wait for the imperial physician to arrive, thinking to themselves that if the physician said An Lingrong was fine, they could continue to mock her; but if there was a real problem, they would have to quickly distance themselves from her.
Chunzhu was extremely fast, and with Wen Yuan's secret help, she opened a back door for An Lingrong, and successfully brought a royal physician to Yanxi Palace.
Just as the imperial physician arrived, Jianqiu from Jingren Palace also came to Yanxi Palace, where she was loudly reprimanding Consort Zhen and Consort Kang.
An Lingrong looked at Jianqiu with a strange expression, thinking: She didn't come when things were getting so chaotic, but she showed up when the imperial physician was almost here. I was so loyal to the Empress back then.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician has arrived." Chunzhu quickly pulled the imperial physician to An Lingrong's side.
Jianqiu glanced at the imperial physician and, finding him to be a young, unfamiliar doctor, asked, "What's wrong with Consort An? Is she feeling unwell anywhere?"
Chunzhu interrupted Jianqiu directly, saying anxiously, "Imperial Physician, please take a look at Her Majesty. Her face is pale and she is covered in cold sweat."
After the imperial physician stepped forward and bowed to An Lingrong, he said, "Please extend your hand, Your Highness."
The imperial physician took An Lingrong's pulse, frowned, and then had her switch hands. His face lit up with joy as he knelt and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations! Your Majesty is three months pregnant. You just accidentally disturbed the fetus; I will immediately prescribe medicine to prevent miscarriage."
Upon hearing this, Chunzhu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly congratulated An Lingrong.
Upon receiving the news, Jianqiu's face instantly darkened. She hurriedly said a few words and rushed back to Jingren Palace to report the news to the Empress.