They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 491 Palace Banquet
"If you don't agree, you're going too far!"

Marquis Rong'an left with a dark face, but his wife was not so lucky. She couldn't avoid it at all and fell ill from the anger caused by Aunt Bai. Aunt Bai even cried and said that she was faking her illness.

Lady Rong'an was even angrier!
Aunt Bai decided to act first and report later. She used some tricks to secretly obtain Xue Han's betrothal letter and asked the matchmaker and the letter to register it at the Shuntian Prefecture government office. Now, the Rong'an Marquis's family couldn't back out of this marriage even if they wanted to.

When Ji Yingxuan and Liang Minglang, who were secretly keeping an eye on the Rong'an Marquis's residence, found out about this, they spread rumors about it, ruining the Rong'an Marquis's reputation.

Marquis Rong'an was so angry that he had a big argument with his wife, and in his anger, he even shouted that he wanted to divorce her.

The Rong'an Marquis's family had no choice but to reluctantly accept the marriage and hastily arranged the wedding just half a month later.

Consort Xue from the palace specially sent someone to deliver gifts, but even so, it couldn't salvage the reputation of the Rong'an Marquis's mansion.

Compared to the chaos and turmoil at the Rong'an Marquis's mansion, Xu Zhichun and Liang Minglang lived a much more peaceful life.

Watching the Rong'an Marquis's mansion make a fool of itself with cold eyes, they probably don't realize that this is just the beginning.

In mid-June, a flower-viewing banquet was held in the palace, at which it was announced that the Empress was more than two months pregnant.

Everyone was surprised, and then they all knelt down and kowtowed to congratulate them.

Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!

"Congratulations to the Queen!"

Xu Zhichun smiled broadly, genuinely happy for the Empress. After the first time she paid her respects, the Empress summoned her to the palace twice more, and their relationship grew increasingly close.

The Emperor and Empress had a harmonious relationship. If the Empress gave birth to a prince, he would be the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and there was almost no chance that he would become the Crown Prince in the future.

Everyone thought of this, and congratulatory words poured out one after another.

If we can please the Empress now, there will be many benefits in the future.

Xu Zhichun couldn't help but glance at the Lady of Rong'an Marquis in the crowd.

Lady Rong'an happened to be looking at her as well. Their eyes met, and Lady Rong'an's gaze immediately turned sharp and resentful.

Xu Zhichun curled her lips in a mocking smile.

Consort Xue wanted to go even further, while the Rong'an Marquis's mansion was still indulging in unrealistic dreams. What a dream!
Consort Xue's face was now filled with a humble and gentle smile, impeccably so, but in reality, she was furious inside.

The Empress hasn't had any news for so many years, so how come she's suddenly pregnant?

Things that seemed so easily within reach have suddenly flown far away!

Although she originally had nothing, she had hope. Because she was young and beautiful, and had the Empress Dowager's support, she believed that as long as she waited patiently, good things would soon happen.

Good things did happen, but they didn't happen to her.

Everything the Empress Dowager had promised and encouraged her in the past, whether intentionally or unintentionally, now seemed utterly hopeless!

Consort Xue was inwardly furious and powerless, but she had to maintain a gentle and senior-like smile on her face. Otherwise, if someone found fault with her, and the Empress became unhappy, she would not be able to get away with it.

When Consort Xue found a pearl bracelet that someone had dropped, she was suddenly overcome with a wicked thought that she couldn't shake off. Taking advantage of the crowd, she quietly broke the pearl bracelet and subtly stepped on a woman's skirt. The woman stumbled and fell forward with a scream. The Imperial Garden was crowded at that time, and the woman's fall caused more people to panic and step on the round pearls, resulting in a chaotic scene of screams and shoving.

If Xu Zhichun hadn't desperately protected her, and hadn't acted as a cushion when the Empress fell, instead of avoiding the fall and instead reaching out to help her up, who knows what would have happened to the Empress if she hadn't fallen so heavily.

"Your Majesty the Empress! Your Majesty the Empress!" "Quickly, summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!"

The scene was in chaos.

In the chaos, Xu Zhichun inadvertently caught a glimpse of Consort Xue's expression and felt a vague sense of unease.

The Empress was quickly helped by the crowd to the nearest palace to rest, and Xu Zhichun was also helped there.

The Empress escaped unharmed after taking two days of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. Fortunately, the pregnancy was stable, and since it wasn't her first pregnancy, she didn't panic excessively. Even though she was frightened, there were no major problems.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness!"

"God help me, God help me!"

"Her Majesty the Empress is blessed with boundless good fortune and is naturally unharmed."

Everyone, having survived the ordeal, showered him with compliments.

If something were to happen to Her Majesty the Empress today, none of those present would likely fare well.

Xu Zhichun breathed a sigh of relief more than anyone else.

She was always by the Empress's side, so if anything happened to the Empress, she would probably be implicated, regardless of whether she was the one who did it or not.

When the emperor was furious, he would always find someone to vent his anger on.

She lives nearby, so who else should I contact if not her?

The Empress is fine, but Xu Zhichun has injured her back and wrist, and is lying on the couch in the partition, unable to sit up.

The Emperor and Empress were deeply grateful and ordered the imperial physicians to treat him with the best medicine.

Since the Empress was unable to move around easily, she sent her closest and most trusted confidante, Granny Lu, to express her gratitude.

Granny Lu came on behalf of the Empress, so Xu Zhichun didn't dare to act arrogantly. She made a move to get up, but Granny Lu quickly stepped forward and pressed her down, saying, "Madam Liang, please don't move. You're still injured."

"Thank you, Granny. How is Her Majesty the Empress?"

"Very well," said Granny Lu, still shaken, unsure how to express her gratitude. "If it weren't for Madam Liang risking her life to save Her Majesty, who knows what might have happened—Her Majesty asked me to tell Madam Liang that Her Majesty owes Madam Liang a favor, and that if Madam Liang ever needs anything in the future, Her Majesty will respond without hesitation."

Xu Zhichun gave a forced bow, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. It was only right that I saved Your Majesty. Your Majesty's safety is also due to Your Majesty's great fortune and the protection of Heaven. I dare not take credit for it."

Granny Lu smiled slightly: "Madam Liang, please don't be modest. It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm. If you didn't truly care about Your Highness, how could you do this? Your Highness understands! I had some doubts before about how much Your Highness valued and was close to Madam Liang, but now I know that Your Highness has good judgment."

Xu Zhichun exchanged a few polite words, but then she remembered Consort Xue's expression and felt uneasy. However, she had no evidence and dared not speak rashly, so she hesitated.

With her keen eye, Granny Lu immediately sensed that Xu Zhichun had something to say, and said with a smile, "Madam Liang, please don't stand on ceremony. Is there something you want to say?"

Xu Zhichun's heart skipped a beat.

If her guess is true, they don't need to do anything else; the Rong'an Marquis's mansion will be finished.