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

Chapter 237 Both Mothers
When the Empress arrived, Consort Sun was somewhat surprised, but she still had to go out to greet her, so she had no choice but to go with her child.

"Quickly, no need for formalities. Let me see how you suddenly fell off the bed. I was quite frightened when I heard about it, so I came immediately." The Empress, her face full of concern, stepped forward to check on the Fifth Prince's injuries.

After seeing it, she frowned and looked distressed. "It's so swollen! How did the people around you take care of it? They were so negligent!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Sun felt both angry and aggrieved.

"I beg Your Majesty to punish these insolent servants severely. They are all lazy by nature, and today they even caused the Fifth Prince to fall off his bed. I am incompetent and have not won the Emperor's favor. As a result, my child has been neglected and bullied by these insolent servants!"

At this point, it was clear that he was speaking in anger, as his words carried some resentment towards the emperor.

However, the Empress did not care and simply comforted her, "Such an unruly servant deserves severe punishment, but right now it is more important to check on the child's injuries. Has the imperial physician arrived yet?"

“I have already sent someone to invite them,” Sun Cairen replied.

Before long, a royal physician arrived, panting heavily. Despite it being the middle of summer, beads of sweat were streaming down his body, showing how quickly he had come.

The Fifth Prince was, after all, a prince. Even though Consort Sun was out of favor, the Imperial Hospital dared not neglect such a serious matter as the Fifth Prince falling out of bed. A fall from bed could be a minor or major incident; if nothing happened, it would just be a superficial injury, but if something went wrong, it could be fatal.

"Come quickly and see how the Fifth Prince is doing," the Empress hurriedly ordered.

The imperial physician gave a perfunctory bow and immediately stepped forward to examine the child's condition.

After a moment, the Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the Fifth Prince is fine. It should only be a superficial injury. I will prescribe some ointment suitable for infants, and he will be alright once it is applied."

"Are you sure he's alright? The child hit his head." Consort Sun asked anxiously.

How could I not love my own child?

The imperial physician nodded. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. It should only be a superficial injury. However, Your Highness should keep an eye on it for the next few days. If the Fifth Prince vomits, has a fever, or cries incessantly, please have someone call me to take a look.”

"Okay, okay." Consort Sun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After applying the medicine and putting the child to sleep, I finally relaxed from my tense state.

Before the Empress had left, she gently beckoned to Consort Sun to sit down as she emerged from the inner chamber.

"Is the child asleep? It breaks my heart to see him crying like that."

Sun Cairen nodded, her eyes slightly red, and she kept wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was angry just now and said some things I shouldn't have. But I have no resentment towards His Majesty for neglecting me. I was just sad and anxious about the child."

"I am also a mother, how could I not understand your feelings?" The Empress sighed. "Back when we were in the Prince's residence, the person looking after Zhaoqing was negligent. In the dead of winter, Zhaoqing, who had just learned to walk, accidentally fell on the incense burner and burned her hand. I was furious. Fortunately, the child was not left with any scars."

This example immediately brought the two closer together, as if they were not an empress and a concubine, but rather mothers exchanging words.

Consort Sun was touched and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."

"You've had it tough too. The Fifth Prince is almost six months old. His Majesty said before that once the child is six months old, he will be sent to the Fangyi Pavilion to be raised by special people. You don't know how much you're worried about him," the Empress suddenly said.

This matter was a thorn in Sun Cai's side, and it hurt whenever she thought about it.

Before the child was born, it wasn't so obvious. But after the child was born and we've been together for so long, even if we were to separate for just half an hour, I would be eager to go back to see the child. Now, however, we are facing separation, and naturally, I am heartbroken. "Your Majesty's rank is lowly, and I am already extremely grateful that Your Majesty has allowed me to keep the Fifth Prince by my side and raise him until he is six months old."

Consort Sun, as if grasping at a lifeline, knelt down before the Empress with a thud.

"But Your Majesty, you surely understand my feelings. How worried Your Majesty was when Princess Zhaoqing moved to Ruiyu Palace! My Fifth Prince is still so young, and the servants below are not taking good care of him. I only rushed to call the imperial physician after I discovered what happened today. If I were not by the Fifth Prince's side, those unruly servants might cause trouble and, fearing discovery, not call the imperial physician. What would I do then? I cannot bear to think about it!"

As she pleaded and cried, the Empress looked troubled, pursed her lips, and reached out her hand.

"Get up before you speak."

But Consort Sun refused, and even bowed her head and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, as a fellow mother, I hope Your Majesty can help me and let the Fifth Prince stay by my side a little longer!"

She remained kneeling, and the Empress, her face showing distress and heartache, sighed deeply after a long while, then stood up and helped Consort Sun to her feet.

"Very well, I understand your distress. I will plead with the Emperor on your behalf, but I cannot guarantee that it will succeed."

"Your Majesty, I thank you so much!" Consort Sun was deeply moved. "As long as Your Majesty is willing to speak up for me, His Majesty values ​​you and will surely agree!"

The Empress smiled without saying a word, patted her hand, and then quietly went into the room to check on the sleeping Fifth Prince before leaving.

After the Empress left, Consort Sun wept with joy.

"Thank goodness, my child won't be taken away!"

"Yes, I was originally thinking of asking Consort Jin for help at Jingming Palace, but the Empress took the initiative to speak up, which saved us a lot of trouble." Wanqiu was also happy.

Sun Cairen was somewhat introverted and embarrassed to speak up casually, especially when it came to asking for favors.

Today, the Empress, being a mother herself, understands and sympathizes with her, making it much easier for her to speak.

Consort Sun lowered her eyes. "Given my nature, I can no longer compete for the emperor's favor. But now that the Fifth Prince is here, I still have to think more about the child. Since the Empress is willing to help my son and me, I will try to get closer to her in the future."

"Doesn't the Lady intend to befriend Consort Jin?" Wanqiu asked.

“Consort Jin was kind to me in the past. Without her, perhaps the Fifth Prince would not have been born. But things are different now. She is increasingly favored and has become the head of a palace. It is not easy for me to curry favor with her. It would be better to follow the Empress. After all, no matter how favored a concubine is, she is still a concubine and cannot compare to the Empress.”

Sun Cairen looked thoughtful and spoke in a deep voice.

That makes sense, and after hearing it, Wanqiu didn't ask any more questions.

Living in the same Summer Palace, Consort Guo naturally knew about the Fifth Prince's fall from his bed. After the Empress left, she also came to check on him.

Because she did not want to have any contact with the Empress, Consort Guo deliberately avoided her, pretending to be tired and asleep, and that she was unaware of the situation in time.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the palace also found out.

Zhao Xingjin came to check on him personally, and the Empress Dowager also sent Tan Hui over. They were all relieved to see that the Fifth Prince was alright.

In the Xiefang Palace, Consort Chen looked at her soon-to-be-born belly, her face full of worry.

“My current situation is even worse than that of Consort Sun. At least her family is of good standing, while my family is now disgraced. I’m afraid that even if I have a child, it will be difficult for me to be promoted. It’s better for her to accumulate seniority and rely on the Fifth Prince to eventually rise in rank.”