The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 24 Consort Rou is Pregnant

"What happened? Has the imperial physician been consulted?" Emperor Yuanwu frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty, Physician Zhang from the Imperial Medical Academy is currently at Zhongcui Palace."

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Shen Qingwan out of the corner of his eye: "I trust Physician Zhang's medical skills. Go and tell Consort Rou that I will go to see her after the morning court tomorrow."

"Yes," Wu Jixiang replied.

Seeing his hesitation, Shen Qingwan couldn't help but say, "Eunuch Jixiang, wait a moment, Your Majesty. It's so late. Consort Rou has invited you over. It seems that it's not just a minor ailment like a headache or fever. Consort Rou is gentle and doesn't seem like the type to feign illness to gain favor. Anyway, we just ate dinner. Why don't I accompany you to Zhongcui Palace to take a look?"

Emperor Yuanwu listened to her words, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

He looked up at Wu Jixiang: "What exactly happened to Consort Rou?"

Wu Jixiang seemed to have something he couldn't say. He glanced at Shen Qingwan, then his gaze fell on Emperor Yuanwu before he quickly lowered his eyes again: "It seems that Consort Rou is pregnant."

"You're pregnant? Really?" Shen Qingwan's eyes lit up: "Noble Lady Rou has been serving in the palace for some time now, and I figured it would take a while, but I didn't expect her to be pregnant so soon."

Wu Jixiang: ? ? ?

Emperor Yuanwu:? ? ?

What's wrong with the Empress today?
When he heard that Consort Rou was pregnant, his first reaction was that he was afraid the Empress would be unhappy.

At this moment, she seemed even more excited than he was.

It's as if she's the one who's going to be the mother.

She used to love sending contraceptive soup to the concubines who had slept with her.

Did Consort Rou not send anything?
"There are indeed too few princes and princesses in the palace. It is a blessing for Consort Rou to be pregnant so quickly, and it is also a blessing for Your Majesty. What are you still standing here for? Why don't you hurry up and go to Zhongcui Palace to take a look?"

Emperor Yuanwu:...

At this moment, his expression was somewhat indescribable.

Even Wu Jixiang, who had just come to deliver a message and was afraid of displeasing the Empress, dared not tell the truth immediately, but his eyes widened in shock for a moment.

Is she... still their queen?
It took Emperor Yuanwu a while to come to his senses: "Empress, would you like to come with me?"

Shen Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. It's been a long time since there's been such a joyous occasion in the palace. The Empress will be very happy to know. It's alright to go and see."

Shen Qingwan was quite excited to join in the fun.

Emperor Yuanwu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her excited expression seemed genuine.

The two of them walked side by side out of the gate of Kunning Palace.

Shen Qingwan spoke again: "Your Majesty, I'm just accompanying you to take a look. I'll come back on my own after we're done. You can stay in Zhongcui Palace and keep Consort Rou company."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"it is good."

When we arrived at Zhongcui Palace.

Several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy gathered in Consort Rou's bedroom to prescribe medicine to prevent miscarriage.

Upon hearing that Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan had arrived, Consort Rou smiled and excitedly got off the bed to greet them: "Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress. This concubine greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

There hadn't been such a joyous occasion in the palace for a long time. In all these years, apart from Consort Xian's third prince, no other princes or princesses had been born in the palace, and not even a single concubine had become pregnant.

Before Consort Xian became pregnant with the Third Prince.

For a long time, Emperor Yuanwu wondered if there was something wrong with him.

Now, upon hearing the name of Consort Rou, the joy on his face was almost impossible to hide.

"A decree is issued to the six palaces: Consort Rou is pregnant, and Consort Rou is promoted to the rank of Consort Rou."

Consort Rou's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly knelt down on the ground: "This concubine thanks Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

Shen Qingwan helped her up from the ground: "Now that you're pregnant, you don't need to perform the proper etiquette. You can also skip the morning greetings from now on. The most important thing now is to take good care of your health. You also need to be extra careful with your diet. It's best to avoid spices and the like."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I will be very careful," Consort Rou said gratefully.

"Alright, Your Majesty, please stay and keep Consort Rou company. I'll head back now," Shen Qingwan said, standing up.

"No, no, no." Consort Rou shook her head repeatedly: "Your Majesty should return to Kunning Palace with the Empress to rest. I am pregnant and cannot serve you in bed."

"It doesn't matter if he can't serve you in bed. You are pregnant now, which is a joyous occasion. Let the Emperor stay and talk to you," Shen Qingwan said softly.

"Your Majesty, please accompany the Empress back. It is already a blessing for me that Your Majesty and the Empress came to visit me together. How can I keep Your Majesty here any longer?" Consort Rou said in a flustered manner.

"Your Majesty, please stay and keep Consort Rou company. I will return now."

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, without waiting for Consort Rou and Emperor Yuanwu to speak, she curtsied and walked towards the palace gate.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

He was used to the concubines vying to have him go to their palaces.

Being pushed around by the Empress and Consort Rou felt so awkward.

The news of Consort Rou's pregnancy and promotion spread throughout the palace in an instant.

Consort Xian was so angry that she went mad in Jingyang Palace.

"Bitch! They're all bitches! She's only been in the palace for a short time, and she's already pregnant? She was promoted to Noble Lady after serving the Emperor, and now she's a Consort after getting pregnant. When she's pregnant, won't she be on equal footing with me?"

Xia Fuchuan frowned and gave a signal. One by one, the palace maids standing in the bedchamber walked out of the hall.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Even if you are very angry, there are some things you cannot say. Even in your own palace, there are bound to be many people gossiping."

"Heh." Consort Xian sneered: "What do I have to fear now? The Empress Dowager stripped me of my power to assist the six palaces, and the Emperor didn't say a word in my defense. When I was pregnant with the Third Prince, why didn't the Emperor promote me to Noble Lady? Why was that bitch made a Consort as soon as she found out she was pregnant?"

Xia Fuchuan glanced worriedly out the window: "Your Majesty, please keep your voice down. Aren't you afraid that if people hear these words, they will make things difficult for you behind your back? Consort Rou was promoted because her rank was relatively low. When you were pregnant, didn't the Emperor grant you the power to assist in managing the six palaces? The Empress Dowager even personally brought you to Cining Palace so that you could rest and recuperate peacefully. This is an honor that no other concubine in the harem has ever received."

Xia Fuchuan's words gradually calmed Consort Xian down.

"Your Majesty, please heed my advice. Although the Emperor didn't say anything about what happened last time, he's already harboring resentment. For now, the best thing you can do is nothing, focus on raising the Third Prince well, and there will be plenty of time in the future..."

"Consort Rou has been promoted three ranks since she entered the palace. I haven't seen the Emperor favor someone like this in a long time. If Consort Rou's baby is a prince, then what about the Third Prince?" Consort Xian glanced sadly at the sleeping Third Prince.

“Your Majesty, the more favored Consort Rou is, the more jealous she will be. During the selection of concubines, so many women entered the palace, and some of them hadn’t even served the emperor yet, but Consort Rou was already pregnant. Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry? There are plenty of people who don’t like her. Consort Rou is only pregnant now. Whether she can give birth, and whether she can raise the child, is all uncertain…”

(End of this chapter)