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

Chapter 181 Chen Meiren's Pregnancy
Just as they were chatting, a maidservant came to report that Eunuch Qingdong from Chengming Palace had arrived.

"Please come in quickly," Xie Jiu replied.

Before long, Qingdong followed him into the house.

He first greeted the two people present before explaining his purpose.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor said he will come to see the Second Prince later and will have lunch at Jingming Palace. He asked you to prepare it."

"Alright, I understand." Xie Jiu smiled and nodded slightly.

After seeing Qingdong off, Liu Cairen was about to get up when Xie Jiu stopped her.

"How is Consort Wei doing lately?"

“After Your Majesty helped her review the accounts last time, she seems to have become much more relaxed lately, and she doesn’t seem as tense as before,” Consort Liu replied.

Xie Jiu lowered her eyes. "The Empress's people haven't contacted her again?"

"No, but the Empress Dowager summoned her to Fukang Palace a few times," Consort Liu replied truthfully. "What's wrong? Does Your Highness think there's something else going on here?"

Xie Jiu waved his hand, "No, it's just that the Empress had been trying to take back all power in a roundabout way before, so why is she not doing anything now?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qingfang said something.

"Your Majesty, after the Empress finished her morning greetings, she went to Chengming Hall. I didn't have time to report to you."

Xie Jiu looked over and asked, "Is that so? Do you know why?"

"I don't know," Qingfang shook her head.

Consort Liu chimed in, "It's probably about the child. Yesterday during the morning greetings, the Empress and Consort Zhuang were at loggerheads over the child in Consort Sun's womb. Childbirth is the most dangerous and arduous time for a woman, a brush with death. Consort Zhuang absolutely refused to get involved, so the Empress had to take responsibility. The Empress certainly didn't want to either."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something and immediately opened her eyes wide to look at Xie Jiu.

Seeing her somewhat frightened expression, Xie Jiu immediately said helplessly.

"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with me. I'm just going to live my life with Wenxi for now, and I don't want anything else for the time being."

Xie Jiu knew what Liu Cairen was thinking.

Qingdong just came by and said that Zhao Xingjin was coming to Jingming Palace for lunch, and coincidentally, the Empress had just been to Chengming Hall.

Could it be that the Empress said something to the Emperor that made him come here? Could it be that he wants Xie Jiu to take care of Sun Baolin's unborn child?
However, this is too unrealistic; Xie Jiu could not possibly raise another imperial heir.

Lady Liu was amused by her own absurd thoughts and shook her head, saying, "Your Majesty, I really am becoming more and more prone to wild imaginations."

"It's not that you like to overthink, but there are so many unspeakable things happening in this palace that it's hard not to overthink," Xie Jiu said jokingly.

However, the two of them only guessed half of what happened when the Empress went to Chengming Hall.

It's about children, but not about Sun Baolin; it's about Chen Meiren.

At lunchtime, Zhao Xingjin arrived at Jingming Palace and informed Xie Jiu of the matter.

"Ms. Chen is pregnant. We just found out this morning, and she's only a little over a month along."

Xie Jiu paused slightly as she untied his cloak, then looked up in surprise, "You're pregnant?"

“Yes, the Empress only told me this morning. However, considering that her pregnancy is still in its early stages, it would be too much of a hassle to announce it to the outside world, so she doesn’t plan to tell the rest of the harem for now. She will announce the good news after she is three months pregnant and her pregnancy is stable,” Zhao Xingjin said. “Then how will you tell me?” Xie Jiu raised an eyebrow, as if teasing, “Are you going to order people around again?”

Zhao Xingjin smiled and took her hand. "Now that you are in charge of the kitchen, I am thinking that things will be busy at the end of the year, and the New Year's Eve banquet is just around the corner. I am going to have to put in a lot of effort and may not be able to take good care of her. So let Consort Chen also use the small kitchen. You can have the head of the kitchen assign cooks to take care of her separately."

Things are valued for their rarity. Nowadays, there are not many offspring in the imperial harem, especially not many princes, so pregnant concubines are still treated very well.

However, Xie Jiu had no intention of getting involved in Chen Meiren's affairs.

That person is from the Empress's camp. The Empress has always disliked her. If she tries to use Consort Chen's pregnancy to do something to her, she'll be in big trouble.

But it wouldn't be good if she declined to take charge, since she was the one managing the kitchen. Zhao Xingjin had already spoken up, and if she couldn't handle the matter properly, it would make her seem useless.

I'm feeling very annoyed.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Zhao Xingjin asked softly when he saw her brows furrowed slightly.

Xie Jiu immediately shook her head. "No, I was just thinking that the Emperor doesn't want the harem to know that Consort Chen is pregnant, but he still wants me to prepare a separate small kitchen for her. Wouldn't that make people find out?"

"That's true. I was in a good mood, and the Empress brought it up. I didn't think of these things." Zhao Xingjin realized belatedly.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu lowered his gaze, concealing the cold light within.

Sure enough, it was the Empress causing her trouble again.

"So I think that if we're talking about tranquility in the palace, the Empress Dowager's place is the most tranquil," Xie Jiu said softly.

He pulled Zhao Xingjin to sit down.

"The Empress Dowager's palace has a small kitchen, which is enough to take care of the meals of just the Empress Dowager and Consort Chen. We can say to the outside world that the Empress Dowager is praying for the country during this period and needs someone to accompany her. Consort Chen's birth date and time are the most suitable, so we have summoned her to Fukang Palace to stay for two months. What does Your Majesty think?"

"Wouldn't this cause the Empress Dowager a lot of trouble?" Zhao Xingjin hesitated.

Xie Jiu then said, "Consort Chen is not a child anymore, she won't make a fuss. She's going there to rest and recuperate. The Empress Dowager has imperial physicians who check on her pulse every day, so they can also help Consort Chen with her pregnancy. Besides, the concubines wouldn't dare to disturb the Empress Dowager's peace and quiet, and the people below wouldn't dare to deduct anything from Fukang Palace. It's just a short stay, so the Empress Dowager doesn't need to take care of her."

No one dares to run wild in Fukang Palace.

Seeing that Zhao Xingjin was still hesitant, Xie Jiu added.

"On New Year's Eve, we must stay up all night, and on New Year's Day, we must kneel in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Empress Dowager is unwell, so she can just offer incense, sit for a while, and then go back to rest. The concubines cannot leave without a reason. Consort Chen is to accompany the Empress Dowager, which is also a reason for her not to stay up all night or kneel in the Imperial Ancestral Temple for a long time. Otherwise, she is in the early stages of pregnancy, how can she endure it? If she does not go for no reason, it will give people something to talk about. Or, we can only announce that she is pregnant."

Upon hearing this reason, Zhao Xingjin nodded.

Sun Baolin's pregnancy was fraught with difficulties, with two bouts of bleeding that nearly cost the baby its life. He didn't want Chen Meiren to experience anything like that again.

"You've considered things very carefully and thoroughly. I'll discuss this with the Empress Dowager this afternoon."

"The Empress Dowager will surely be pleased to know that Consort Chen is pregnant," Xie Jiu said with a smile.

After finishing their conversation, the two called someone in to help them wash their hands and sit down to eat.

"By the way, how is Wenxi today?" Zhao Xingjin asked. "I heard he was sleeping when I came. Why is he still sleeping? Doesn't he look well?"

Xie Jiu nodded, "She's always feeling unwell. The rash on her body is taking a long time to fade. The little girl loves beauty, and after seeing herself in the mirror once, she refused to go out. It's rare to be able to persuade her to go out in the yard to bask in the sun."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xingjin's face also showed worry. "You should be more careful about her diet in the future. She is in a lot of pain this time. Wenxi is usually the most well-behaved and never throws a tantrum."