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

Chapter 183

"Is my sister pregnant again?" Zhao Xingjin's face also showed joy.

This is Princess Yushu's third child.

The Empress Dowager smiled kindly, "How could it be false? I called the imperial physician to examine her pulse, and she is perfectly fine. It's only been two months. Honestly, she should have just sent someone to announce the good news, instead of making the trip herself."

“No one else can bring good news as much as my elder sister coming in person. It makes Mother happy,” Zhao Xingjin said with a smile.

"I would much rather hear your good news." The Empress Dowager sighed. "The Prince of Heng's concubine has also given birth to a child in his household this year. Your Majesty, you are still young, you should have more children to carry on the family line."

Zhao Xingjin seemed to have a headache, but he still agreed.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, the Empress Dowager stopped there and asked about Xi Chi instead.

The mother and son sat for about half an hour before Zhao Xingjin left.

At that time, in Weiyang Palace, the Empress was also puzzled when she heard that the Emperor had gone to the Empress Dowager's place.

"Why did you suddenly decide to go to Fukang Palace? Have you found out why?"

"It seems she's just going to pay her respects," Hongmei replied.

This means that nothing unusual was detected.

Upon hearing this, the Empress lowered her eyes and did not press the matter further. Instead, she said, "Keep a close eye on Consort Chen. She is also prone to getting cocky. Don't let her be too flamboyant and ruin things."

Hongmei nodded, "Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will keep reminding you."

While the mistress and servant were talking, in Jingming Palace, Xie Jiu got up and played with Princess Wenxi for a while before sending the child to read. Only then did she call Qinlan over and ask her questions in detail.

"You said that Consort Xian cannot eat yams, and outsiders do not know this, right?" Xie Jiu asked.

Qinlan nodded, "The Empress discovered this when she was young, and has been very restrained ever since. She told others that she disliked yams, so no one has ever brought them to her."

"It was fine when you were a young lady, but is it the same after you entered the Prince's mansion? Has there been any unexpected incident? Think about it carefully," Xie Jiu pressed.

Upon hearing this, Qinlan began to think seriously, and after a while, she seemed to have something to say, and immediately spoke.

"Once, on the Empress Dowager's birthday, the chefs in the mansion came up with a unique idea and made a kind of pastry. I only remember that the design was novel and the pastry was made like a painting. The cranes were flying through the clouds and offering longevity peaches. The auspicious clouds were made by grinding yam into a paste."

"The Empress Dowager was pleased and had everyone share the food. The Empress felt bad about not eating, so she took a couple of bites. Before long, her face turned red, and she quickly made an excuse to leave the table. The Empress was there and even asked her a few questions. That was the only time."

After hearing this, Xie Jiu lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"In other words, someone might know that Consort Xian cannot eat yams."

“That’s not impossible.” Qinlan frowned, then realized, “Your Majesty means that the Empress may have guessed it, and is using the princess to confirm it?”

Xie Jiu looked up at her, "If you really guessed it, then it's not as simple as just wanting to confirm it."

Qinlan was stunned at first, then gasped and her face turned pale.

"Alright, go see Princess Gu first. This is just speculation. There's no evidence yet, so we can only be more careful and take precautions in the future," Xie Jiu said in a deep voice.

"Yes, this servant remembers!" Qinlan bowed and then withdrew.

After she left, Xie Jiu raised her hand and rubbed her temples, looking somewhat tired.

Chunrong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to have a cup of tea?"

She knew Xie Jiu was troubled because things hadn't been progressing lately. Whether Consort Yi was killed by Zhang Liquan, who was by the Empress's side, or Princess Wenxi's urticaria, whether it was related to the Empress or not, neither of these two matters could be investigated.

There were no clues, no evidence, only guesses. It was incredibly frustrating.

Outside the palace, Xie Mingshen is currently in secret contact with the Xichi people, playing the long game and needing patience.

Sitting on the sidelines is also annoying.

"Chunrong, do you remember when I first entered the palace, the Emperor was investigating corruption, and my father submitted a memorial impeaching a group of people he had connections with who were not clean?" Xie Jiu suddenly asked.

Chunrong nodded, "That is indeed true. Why did Your Highness suddenly bring this up?"

"Does Your Highness want to investigate them?" Qingfang chimed in. "But those people are all long dead."

Those who ran into the line of fire were doomed to die; Zhao Xingjin used this to intimidate his ministers.

Xie Jiu stroked the pattern on the teacup, a sharp glint in his eyes. "They're dead, but their families are still alive. If Xie Mingshen wants them to work for him, he must have offered them generous benefits, or perhaps he even resorted to underhanded tactics. Will those families hate him?"

As he spoke, he put down his teacup, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and said slowly.

“I think these people must have done a lot following my good father, and they must have left something behind. Back then, when things were tense, everyone kept their tails between their legs and didn’t dare to show their faces. Now that so much time has passed and it’s the New Year season, people always need something to live for. They should come out and make some noise.”

It's a time when we miss our loved ones even more during festivals, especially the New Year.

Chunrong and Qingfang exchanged a glance and understood her meaning. Without needing to give any instructions, they immediately made the arrangements.

The next day.

After paying their respects in the morning, the concubines dispersed, and the Empress was invited by the Empress Dowager to Fukang Palace.

He came out in less than half an hour, looking unwell.

Soon after, news spread that the Empress Dowager had summoned Consort Chen to Fukang Palace to accompany her in Buddhist worship.

When Chen Meiren received the news, she was completely stunned.

But he dared not refuse, so he immediately went to Fukang Palace to report for duty.

Fortunately, upon learning from the Empress Dowager that it was to allow her to focus on her pregnancy, Consort Chen felt relieved.

Of course, she was more than willing. In Fukang Palace, even the Empress wouldn't dare to touch anything casually; it was so safe.

She was happy, but the Empress was not so happy.

After dismissing all the idlers in the room, he angrily smashed the beaded bracelet on his wrist.

"That Xie family is something else. They actually managed to persuade the Emperor to send someone to Fukang Palace to prepare for pregnancy. Is she trying to keep an eye on me?"

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Consort Chen can’t stay in Fukang Palace forever. She has to come out eventually, right? Once she’s three months pregnant, she should go back to where she was before. If Your Majesty wants to control her, it will be a piece of cake,” Tingyun advised.

The Empress snorted coldly, "You know that Consort Chen is dishonest. The child in her belly is most likely a prince. I wanted to promote her, but she wants to raise the child herself. If she can't understand this, I don't mind removing the mother and keeping the child."

After speaking, the Empress raised her hand to rub her temples, sat down, and looked displeased.

"It's a minor matter that Consort Chen went to Fukang Palace. You heard it today too. The Empress Dowager has decided that a selection of concubines will be held next year. This is the first formal selection of concubines since the Emperor ascended the throne. There will definitely be a lot of people entering. The palace is going to become more and more lively."

Who would be happy to see their man have more and more concubines?

Furthermore, the number of children in the palace will increase, which will only make the empress feel more and more that her position is about to become unstable.

Seeing her distress, Tingyun looked distressed and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's still too early to say whether Consort Chen is pregnant or not, but Consort Sun is about to give birth. If it's a prince, Your Majesty might as well bring him over first, so that you have some leverage."