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

Chapter 179

"That incident was full of interconnected details and many suspicious points. Although Consort Yi confessed to her crime, I was somewhat skeptical. If the Empress had also been involved, many things would make sense."

Xie Jiu's eyes were deep, and his face was somewhat cold and stern.

"After all, the Empress is the one who most wants to kill two birds with one stone, eliminating both me and Consort Wei at the same time."

Chunrong understood her meaning, and her face darkened at that moment.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will investigate this matter carefully after I return."

Xie Jiu responded softly and said nothing more.

Back at Jingming Palace, I first went to a side hall to check on the child.

Princess Wenxi was exhausted from this ordeal and was currently asleep. It was clear to the naked eye that her condition was slowly improving, which put Xie Jiu at ease.

"Your Majesty, please rest for a while. You didn't sleep well last night, and you got up early today," Qingfang said with concern.

Xie Jiu wasn't one to fuss over her body, so she nodded, removed her hairpins and jewelry, took off her clothes and shoes, and rolled onto the bed.

Tired.

Sleep is always important for people at any age; if you don't sleep well, your mind won't be clear.

While she was sleeping, Zhao Xingjin came over.

Seeing that she was asleep, he didn't disturb her, went to the side hall to see Princess Wenxi, and then left.

I went to Yanqing Palace.

Sun Baolin is about to give birth; we should go and see her.

However, upon arriving, Sun Baolin couldn't help but say a few words to Zhao Xingjin.

"Your Majesty, I know that my rank is too low to raise the imperial heir. However, when my child is born, the weather will still be a bit cold, and it is really not advisable to move to another place. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to personally take care of the child until he is six months old."

This was the first time she had mustered the courage to make a request to Zhao Xingjin; before, she had always been docile, obedient, and quiet.

Zhao Xingjin wasn't so heartless as to not even allow this.

In particular, Sun Baolin has always been well-behaved and has never caused trouble even during her pregnancy, so he was willing to give her face.

So he said, "Alright, you're thinking of the child too, let's do it this way."

Sun Baolin breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. I will take good care of the child in my womb and will not disappoint Your Majesty!"

“You have always been sensible and quiet. After this child is born, I will promote you.” Zhao Xingjin’s voice was relatively gentle. “Has Consort Zhuang come to see you recently? You live in Yanqing Palace. She must take good care of you.”

Upon asking this question, Sun Baolin's eyes flickered, but he answered anyway.

"Her Highness Consort Zhuang treats me very well. She provides me with all the best in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities. She even came to see me today."

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved." Zhao Xingjin said this, then stood up. "I have other matters to attend to. I'll come to see you another day. Please take good care of yourself."

Sun Baolin nodded obediently, supporting her belly as she watched Zhao Xingjin leave.

After the person was seen off, Sun Baolin's maid, Wanqiu, said, "Baolin, look, the Emperor still loves you. This proves you right. Now, don't overthink things. Just focus on giving birth to the little prince safely in your womb first."

"I was also worried that the Emperor would not agree, but fortunately we managed to obtain his favor."

Sun Baolin gently stroked her belly, looking relieved. "What Consort Zhuang said today reminded me that the Empress has no son and is always watching the inner palace. If this child is a prince, the Empress might have designs on him. Now that the Emperor has agreed to let me raise the child myself until it is six months old, the Empress will have no excuse to take my child away. I just hope she is a princess, so that no one will covet her and my daughter can be together in the future."

After she finished speaking, Wanqiu quickly spat out a few times.

“What nonsense are you talking about, Baolin? The Emperor only has one son, the Fourth Prince, which is a rare and precious thing. If you give birth to a prince, you will be able to rise in status because of your son. We have already secured half a year. After Baolin gives birth, we can make plans slowly. Isn’t Consort Jin at odds with the Empress? She helped you before. You can ask her for help then.”

As Sun Baolin listened to her words, he also thought of Xie Jiu, but then hesitated.

"Let me think about it some more."

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk any further, Wanqiu stopped talking and helped her into the house to rest.

On the other side, after Zhao Xingjin came out of Yanqing Palace, he instructed Yang Zhian, "Investigate what Consort Zhuang did today."

Sun Baolin was very timid; he would never ask for such a favor unless someone spoke ill of him behind his back.

After all, it violated palace rules.

With the baby about to be born, Zhao Xingjin didn't want any problems to arise at this crucial juncture, especially since he had been busy with the affairs of the court and hadn't been able to pay much attention to the harem. So he couldn't help but show some concern.

Later, during a break while he was reviewing memorials, he obtained the information he wanted from Yang Zhian.

"Today, Her Majesty the Empress mentioned that Consort Zhuang should take good care of Consort Sun's pregnancy. Consort Zhuang did not agree and also brought up the fact that Her Majesty the Empress has no children. Consort Chen said a few words on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress, and Consort Zhuang seemed unhappy. After returning, she went to Consort Sun's place and reminded Consort Sun that if she gave birth to a prince, she should be careful that Her Majesty the Empress would take him away to raise."

With Consort Zhuang's personality, and the lax management in Yanqing Palace, it was too easy for Zhao Xingjin to gather information. Moreover, the matter at the morning greeting was easily spread due to the large number of people present, so the investigation was not very difficult.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xingjin frowned.

He then raised his hand and rubbed his temples. "I understand. You may leave."

It's about the prince again.

Zhao Xingjin knew all too well why they were fighting for the custody of the prince, but he was still young and found it very distasteful that the concubines had such thoughts.

Zhao Xingjin could understand the empress's insecurity due to not having a son, but he could not tolerate that the empress had a strong sense of purpose and utilitarianism towards his offspring, and might even pick and choose in the future, wanting to raise the best ones.

"Yang Zhian!" Zhao Xingjin called out to him again, "Summon the Marquis of Qing'an to the palace for an audience."

He decided not to delay any longer. He planned to tell Qing'an Earl about the marriage of Zhao Zhiyu, the daughter of Qing'an Earl, to Xichi today. As for Gao Sui, he would invite him in for tea tomorrow when he had some free time.

Yang Zhian responded and quickly left.

In Weiyang Palace, the Empress heard that the Emperor had summoned the Earl of Qing'an, and she immediately began to ponder the matter.

"Which young talent in the court should she be matched with? The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Qing'an is of marriageable age."

“This servant didn’t expect it either.” Tingyun frowned. “It can’t be the young master of our Zhou family, can it? Your Highness should prefer the young lady of the Marquis of Wuxin’s family.”

The Empress lowered her eyes. "Of course. Although she is born out of wedlock, she is practically a legitimate daughter since she was raised by her stepmother. Marquis Wuxin and his wife dote on that girl. I saw her the other day; she is quite beautiful."

Most importantly, Marquis Wuxin held military power and had a high position in the court.

The Empress was unaware of the truth, which is why she made this guess. In Jingming Palace, Xie Jiu woke up and heard the news from Chengming Hall, and then she understood the situation.

This means Zhao Xingjin is starting to take action to arrange a marriage between the two countries.

I wonder if Zhao Zhiyu and Gao Sui will be able to have a marriage.