Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 178 is the Empress

"Consort Jin, how is Wenxi's condition? I heard that the imperial physician was summoned this morning, but has there been any change?"

At the morning greetings gathering in Weiyang Palace, the Empress asked a question out of concern.

"The child has woken up. The imperial physician examined him and said he's out of danger, but he still needs to rest," Xie Jiu said.

The recovery from illness is like pulling silk from a cocoon; without the intervention of various hormone-based drugs in later generations, the symptoms inevitably subside much more slowly.

The Empress nodded slightly. "It's good that she's awake. The child has suffered quite a bit this time, so she must be carefully nursed back to health. I think Wenxi doesn't need to go to school for the next few days. No matter how old a girl is, she always cares about her appearance, and it's inconvenient for her to be seen with a rash on her body."

"Your Majesty has considered everything very well." Xie Jiu nodded.

She didn't sleep well last night, and now she's so sleepy her head hurts, so she doesn't have the energy to talk.

Fortunately, the Empress did not keep her talking for too long, but instead gave instructions to Consort Zhuang.

"Consort Sun may give birth at any time. Yanqing Palace must make thorough preparations in case of any unexpected events that are difficult to handle. Consort Zhuang, you have given birth once before, so you must have experience. You must take good care of Consort Sun."

Although she said that, Consort Zhuang clearly did not want to take on such a task, so she moved her beautiful eyes and spoke.

"What experience could I possibly have? When I gave birth to the Fourth Prince, I fainted as soon as the baby was born, which terrified everyone. The imperial heir is a matter of great importance, and I dare not exaggerate or take any responsibility. It is best to find an experienced midwife to serve me. I cannot arrange these things; Your Majesty the Empress must take care of them personally."

Although she was usually bold and impulsive, Consort Zhuang knew that when it came to crucial moments, she was someone not to be trifled with.

She takes care of Sun Baolin, but what if something goes wrong while she's taking care of him?

Who can take responsibility?

The Empress did not expect Consort Zhuang to refuse, but she could not force the arrangement, so she said indifferently, "Very well, let the person in charge choose good midwives and wet nurses."

“Indeed, servants who understand these things are better at taking care of people,” Consort Zhuang added.

It seems a bit intentional.

"If Consort Sun gives birth to a prince, the Empress will likely have to take great care in raising him."

These words were like stepping into the Queen's minefield.

Everyone knows that the Empress was injured when she gave birth to Princess Lingyi and could no longer have children. Not having a son was a sore point for the Empress, and Consort Zhuang's actions were like stabbing her in the heart.

Just as the Empress's face darkened, Consort Chen's voice rang out.

"Her Majesty the Empress is the legal mother of all the princes and princesses. It is naturally her duty to educate the imperial offspring. Not to mention the child in Consort Sun's womb, even the princesses and the fourth prince should, according to the rules, come to Her Majesty the Empress's side every day to receive instruction. It is only because Her Majesty loves the princes and princesses that she has exempted them from this trip."

As he spoke, he glanced at Consort Zhuang and continued.

"Last time, the Fourth Prince accidentally bumped into Consort Sun, which startled her unborn child. Consort Zhuang was confined to her quarters for a month to reflect on her actions. Now, Consort Zhuang should pay more attention to teaching the Fourth Prince, so that such a thing does not happen again."

These words immediately made Consort Zhuang's face show annoyance.

He turned around and glared at her.

"Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me like that!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not." Consort Chen lowered her head and brows. "I was only kindly reminding Your Majesty. If there was anything inappropriate in my words, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Consort Zhuang snorted coldly, and was about to say something when she was interrupted by the Empress.

"Alright, it's all in the past, let's not bring it up again. Consort Zhuang, Consort Chen meant well."

Only after the Empress intervened did Consort Zhuang stop harping on Consort Chen and sit back down. Xie Jiu had no interest in watching their bickering and waited for the Empress to announce the end of the matter before preparing to go back and catch up on some sleep.

Unexpectedly, after leaving Weiyang Palace, they hadn't gone far when they heard the voice of Zhang Liquan, the chief eunuch of Weiyang Palace, behind them.

"Your Highness Consort Jin, please wait!"

Xie Jiu paused, then turned to look at him. "Eunuch Zhang, is there something you need?"

"Her Majesty the Empress prepared some nourishing foods for the Second Prince, but she forgot to give them to Her Majesty. This servant is bringing them over now," Zhang Liquan explained.

At this moment, Xie Jiu also saw the mahogany tray being held by the little palace maid behind him.

"Please convey my gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress for her kindness," Xie Jiu said calmly.

She gave a wink to someone nearby, and Chunrong immediately stepped forward to take the things.

Unexpectedly, the young palace maid tripped and fell to the ground, causing two or three brocade boxes on the tray to roll off.

"You idiot!" Zhang Liquan cursed, quickly bending down to help pick it up. "How could you do such a thing? You've startled Consort Jin; you'll be punished!"

The young palace maid knelt on the ground, trembling and begging for mercy, but Zhang Liquan ignored her and personally packed up the things.

Xie Jiu felt annoyed as she listened to his words.

They're using her as a scapegoat again. Poor little palace maid, she's only thirteen or fourteen years old.

So Xie Jiu said, "It's alright. This girl is a bit young and inevitably a little unsteady. I've always heard that Eunuch Zhang is good at training people. He can teach her more. She seems quite clever."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liquan immediately smiled obsequiously, then told the little palace maid to thank him, and handed over the things in her hand.

Just as Chunrong was about to take it, Xie Jiu suddenly noticed several long scars on the back of Zhang Liquan's hand, which looked like scratches and extended from the back of his hand to his wrist.

The scratches instantly brought to Xie Jiu's mind the image of Consort Zhang's death.

Zhang's fingernails were embedded with bits of flesh and blood, clearly indicating that she had scratched her killer forcefully.
“Oh dear, what happened to the injury on your hand, Father-in-law? It looks quite frightening,” Xie Jiu said.

When someone mentioned the scar on his hand, Zhang Liquan immediately recoiled as if burned by something, pulling his hand back and bowing his head in a humble manner while adjusting his sleeve.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. A few days ago, a stray cat ran into the back courtyard of Weiyang Palace. It was meowing so loudly at night that it was frightening. I was afraid of disturbing your sleep, so I tried to catch it, but I got scratched. It has healed by now, but I didn't expect it to frighten Your Highness again."

This explanation was plausible, but Xie Jiu had already become suspicious.

However, she didn't show it on her face, but frowned and said, "It looks painful. Father-in-law will have to be careful in the future."

"Yes, yes." Zhang Liquan bowed, trying to cover his scars.

Only after watching Xie Jiu walk away did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly return to Weiyang Palace.

Meanwhile, Xie Jiu was wide awake and full of energy.

Chunrong noticed her change and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What are your thoughts on the scar on Zhang Liquan's hand, Your Highness?"

"Do you still remember the details of Consort Yi's death after she was demoted to a lower-ranking concubine?" Xie Jiu asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Chunrong immediately remembered it and glared at him.

"Was it done by the Empress?!"