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

Chapter 247

Qingfang frowned. "Should we remind the Emperor?"

“No need.” Xie Jiu lowered her eyes, her gaze clear. “The Emperor may not be unaware of this, but since Consort Chen chose the Empress over the Emperor, it will be difficult for her to gain favor in the future.”

Consort Chen was pregnant, and for the sake of the child having a clean birth mother, Xie Jiu, knowing Zhao Xingjin as he did, would not easily wrong Consort Chen. Even if he did not punish the Empress in the end, he would find another scapegoat.

It's a pity that Chen Meiren chose to take the blame for someone else instead of trusting Zhao Xingjin.

Naturally, for the sake of the imperial heir, Consort Chen's life would not be in danger, but what about in the future?
Originally, having given birth to a child was a merit, even if it wasn't a great achievement, it was still hard work. If she could just endure it and wait for Zhao Xingjin to forget about the Chen family's crimes, it wouldn't be a dream for Consort Chen to get a concubine rank in a few years. But now...
Xie Jiu chuckled, "I only hope that the Empress truly has a conscience and will remember her sacrifices."

However, that would be difficult, since a newcomer with a clean family background and no history of wrongdoing would be more useful.

Now that the Empress has started to pay more attention to Consort Liang and the Fifth Prince and his mother, the child in Consort Chen's womb no longer has such unique value.

Weiyang Palace.

After the Empress finished dealing with this matter, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty can rest assured now. Consort Chen is quite obedient." Ting Yunduan brought over a cup of tea.

The Empress accepted the document. "Yes, at least she knows what's good for her. But we can no longer underestimate Consort Wei. After being in the palace for a long time, she inevitably becomes more calculating. I was careless this time and almost suffered at her hands."

"This servant thinks it's because Consort Wei and Consort Jin have become closer. It wasn't like this before. It shows how deep Consort Jin's thoughts are, that even Consort Wei can be influenced by her," Tingyun guessed.

The Empress took a sip of tea, her gaze darkening slightly.

"Let's be cautious during this period. His Majesty first moved Consort Lu from Yanqing Palace. After dealing with this matter today, I also feel that His Majesty seems to have doubts about me. It's not advisable to take any further action. Let's just relax and wait for the autumn examinations to end and the autumn hunt to be over before making any decisions."

Tingyun nodded and said no more.

Meanwhile, inside Fukang Palace, Consort Jiang was having a snack with the Empress Dowager.

After the servants came in to report on the matter at Chengming Hall, the Empress Dowager frowned.

"Aunt, how could Consort Chen be so foolish? Consort Wei has never been favored, so why would she still try to harm her?" Consort Jiang asked, puzzled.

The Empress Dowager picked up a handkerchief and wiped her hands, losing all interest in the snacks. "Yes, how could that be?"

The Empress Dowager knew perfectly well who in the palace was so wary of Consort Wei and afraid of her giving birth to a child.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel some dissatisfaction with the Empress.

Lady Chen is about to give birth, and at this time she is forced to take the blame for her. What if Lady Chen is under too much pressure and it affects the baby in her womb?
The Empress Dowager suddenly realized that the Empress probably never cared about the children of the other concubines in the palace. As the legal mother, she could not tolerate the children born out of wedlock and only cared about her two daughters and her interests.

"How did His Majesty deal with Consort Chen?" the Empress Dowager asked the young eunuch who had come to deliver the message.

The man immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has temporarily confined Consort Chen to the Xiefang Palace, and she is not allowed to leave without being summoned. He said that he will punish her after Consort Chen gives birth to the imperial heir."

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager waved her hand and ordered the man to leave.

Observing the Empress Dowager's unwell expression, Consort Jiang said softly, "Aunt, Consort Chen is currently under house arrest. The servants in the palace are always inclined to fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. I am worried that they will neglect her. However, she is about to give birth, which is a critical time. For the safety of the imperial heir, should Aunt send someone to keep an eye on her?"

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"Ningyu believes that Consort Chen's family was already exiled for their crimes, and now she has made another mistake. If she has a child, the child will be with her and will inevitably be criticized in the future. After all, the child is the Emperor's bloodline and should not be implicated by others." The Empress Dowager listened to Consort Jiang's words and felt that they made sense. She sighed and patted Consort Jiang's hand lightly.

"If all the other concubines in the palace were as considerate and obedient as you, I would have so much less to worry about."

Consort Jiang smiled gently, "Aunt, Ningyu came to the capital to share your burdens."

"Nonsense! You shouldn't focus all your attention on me. You should also visit the Emperor more often. Did the Emperor say he would take you with him on the autumn hunt?" the Empress Dowager asked.

When this matter was mentioned, Consort Jiang seemed somewhat disappointed.

Her beautiful eyes lowered slightly. "It's only been half a month since we left. Even if we don't go, it's not a big deal. Ningyu is willing to stay in the palace to accompany her aunt. Her Majesty the Empress said that the Emperor only plans to take three concubines. Consort Jin must go. The rest will be arranged by the Empress."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment before asking.

"So, do you want to go?"

"Of course I want to go."

Consort Jiang answered, but then pursed her lips, her expression becoming more serious.

“But Ningyu didn’t want to compete with the other concubines for this mere spot to accompany the emperor, causing the emperor trouble. It’s only for half a month. The emperor is going hunting to enjoy himself with his officials, not to go out for a stroll with his concubines. So, state affairs should take precedence. Besides, if Ningyu stays in the palace to accompany her aunt, the emperor can feel more at ease knowing that her aunt has someone to accompany and take care of her. In a way, Ningyu is sharing the emperor’s burden.”

These words were truly appropriate, and the Empress Dowager felt extremely comforted upon hearing them, becoming even more certain that she had not made the wrong choice.

"Very well, I am truly pleased that you have such thoughts. In that case, it is fine not to go. Just stay in the palace with me. When the Emperor returns from the autumn hunt, I will naturally make him make amends to you properly and let him know how good you are."

Jiang Ningyu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled, lowered her eyes, and nodded.

Of all the people who were dissatisfied with this whole ordeal, it was Wei Jieyu who was the most unhappy.

Wei Jieyu vaguely sensed that Chen Meiren was just a scapegoat, but she was powerless to do anything about it. Her abilities were limited to this extent, but at least she had deterred others. Anyone who wanted to harm her in the future should think twice.

As for Chen Meiren, she certainly has a very strong mental fortitude.

Everyone in the palace was watching. Many people thought that after what she had gone through, she might be upset and have a miscarriage, or give birth prematurely. But unexpectedly, Consort Chen was able to carry the pregnancy to her due date and then went into labor two days later.

Unfortunately, it was the day of the palace examination. Zhao Xingjin was in the capital examining the new graduates, and since Consort Chen was under house arrest, only the Empress was there to give birth.

Consort Chen was afraid, fearing that the Empress would take the opportunity to kill her to silence her. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager also arrived and ordered the imperial physician serving her to keep a close watch on the situation, while Tan Hui went into the delivery room to supervise the midwife's delivery.

This put Chen Meiren at ease.

But the Empress was uneasy. The Empress Dowager's actions showed that she did not trust her.

However, at this time, the Empress dared not say anything or do anything, and could only obediently wait for Consort Chen to give birth.

Compared to Consort Liang, Consort Chen's birth was much smoother. From the onset of labor to the birth of the sixth prince, it took less than three hours, and both mother and child were safe.

The Empress Dowager was very pleased to see the healthy sixth prince and immediately took him away.

Consort Chen was anxious and reluctant, but there was nothing she could do. She knew in her heart that she could not protect her child now. It was better for the Empress Dowager to take the child away than for the Empress to take the child away.

At least, the Empress Dowager wouldn't mistreat or harm her own grandson.