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

Chapter 42 The Queen Mother Returns to the Palace
Manyu Pavilion, where Xie Jiu is temporarily staying now.

The queen paused for a moment, then continued to work on her needlework.

She didn't look up. "The Emperor seems to really like her. He originally had her staying in a side hall of Chengming Palace for a long time. Now that the Empress Dowager is returning to the palace, he has moved her out to save Xie's face. Even so, he's reluctant to part with her and has gone to take a nap."

"Don't be angry, Madam. Even before she divorced Marquis Weiyuan, Xie dared to climb onto the emperor's bed. I think she was extremely humble and trying to curry favor. She usually looks like a dignified lady from a noble family, but once she got on the bed, I wonder how despicable she was."

Tingyun stepped forward quickly to help the queen straighten out the situation, and spoke with a look of contempt.

"As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. This is true for all men, and the emperor is still young. The concubines in the harem all come from good families and are proud of their status. Who would try to please like a prostitute? It's inevitable that the emperor found Xie Shi's novelty, but after a while, he felt that Xie Shi was vulgar and cast her aside."

Although the queen did not respond, her expression was much better than before.

Seeing this, Ting Yuncai said again, "Your Majesty, that palace maid named Liuzhi is dead. Are her family members outside the palace going to be eradicated?"

"No need for that. They are a poor family and can't cause any trouble. Saving their lives will be a blessing for my Zhaoqing and Lingyi." said the queen.

The queen loved her two daughters very much.

But this was also her pain, because when she gave birth to the third princess Lingyi, she encountered a difficult labor and injured her body. The doctor asserted that she might not be able to get pregnant again. Later, when Zhao Xingjin ascended the throne, he found famous doctors inside and outside the palace to see her, but the answer they got was the same.

The queen was very sad that she could no longer have a son, after all, only a prince could inherit the throne.

"It's a pity that my Zhaoqing is not a boy. She has been very intelligent since she was a child and has inherited her father's personality. If she were a boy, he would have been made the crown prince." The queen sighed, her face unable to hide her loneliness.

The eldest princess Zhaoqing is indeed an extremely outstanding child.

Ting Yun knew that she was thinking of sad things again, and hurriedly comforted her softly, "Don't be too sad, Your Majesty. You are the Queen, and all the royal heirs in this palace are your children. When the time comes, you can choose a smart and well-behaved prince and raise him as your own. It will be the same."

"That being said, he is not of my Zhou family's bloodline, and I'm afraid he will eventually have ulterior motives. If I raise him with great effort and earn everything for him in the future, but he doesn't appreciate the Zhou family's kindness, then everything will be over. So, in the end, I have to ask my mother's family to send someone else in." The queen frowned.

She has been thinking about this matter, but has not made up her mind yet. However, the appearance of Xie Jiu made the queen feel a sense of crisis.

Even though Xie Jiu was marrying into the palace for the second time, the Xie family was quite powerful, and Xie Jiu was good at scheming and vying for favor. If she gave birth to a prince in the future, it would be even more difficult to deal with her.

The empress was originally very wary of having Concubine Wei in the palace. Fortunately, Concubine Wei was upright and old-fashioned, and was not liked by Zhao Xingjin, which made the empress relax a little. But the empress also knew that even for Wei Zhang's sake, Zhao Xingjin would not completely ignore Concubine Wei.

Therefore, it is possible that Concubine Wei could give birth to a prince.

Whether it is her or Xie Jiu, they are both major hidden dangers.

As for Concubine Zhuang, who had given birth to the fourth prince, the queen didn't take her seriously.

Concubine Zhuang was simple-minded and very flamboyant, making her very easy to deal with. The Fourth Prince was even more like Concubine Zhuang; both mother and son were noisy, and it was obvious that they would not amount to anything.

The queen was thinking about it and had already made up her mind.

"It seems the Emperor intends to have the Empress Dowager issue an imperial decree to admit Consort Xie into the harem, using the word 'filial piety' to silence the ministers. Now that this loophole has been opened, and a new person has been selected, adding another should not be a problem. Although I don't know how the Emperor persuaded the Empress Dowager, I guess she would never accept Consort Xie so easily. I think she would be happy to have more people share Consort Xie's favor."

"Since Your Majesty has an idea, then, can you tell the clan to send the person over?" Tingyun asked.

The queen had planned this before, so the Zhou family had already selected candidates early on and were just waiting for the queen to give the order.

"Pass the message." The queen took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

His face was filled with reluctance and helplessness.

Once you've changed your status and entered the palace, you'll never be the same again. Everyone has their own reasons. After that day, and for the next few days, the palace was peaceful.

The previous dynasty was also quite peaceful.

Xie Mingshen was thinking that Xie Jiu was about to succeed in getting the official status, and was afraid that something unexpected would happen, so he kept everything under control during this period of time and did not dare to act rashly.

Soon, the day came for the Queen Mother to return to the palace.

To show his filial piety, Zhao Xingjin brought the queen, concubines from the harem, princesses and princes, and went to the palace gate to welcome them in person.

They are mother and son, so naturally they have a good relationship.

A large group of people met at the palace gate. After a few greetings, Zhao Xingjin asked the concubines and children to leave, and only he and the queen accompanied the empress dowager back to Fukang Palace.

"I haven't been in the palace for a while, and I see that the Queen has lost a lot of weight. But there are so many things to do in the palace, is she tired?"

In Fukang Palace, the Queen Mother asked with concern.

The Queen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mother. I'm in good health. It's just that it's the scorching summer heat, so my appetite has decreased. I eat light food, so I've lost some weight."

"That's good. You have to take care of yourself. I see that you didn't seem to sleep well last night. There are some dark circles under your eyes. What's wrong?" The queen mother asked with concern.

This daughter-in-law was chosen by her personally, so she was very good to the queen.

"Ah, that's nothing. It's just that last night I was thinking that my mother would be returning to the palace soon, and I kept wondering if there was any untidy place in Fukang Palace. I was afraid that my mother would be uncomfortable living there, so I went to bed a little late because of this thought." The queen looked a little embarrassed.

After hearing this, the Queen Mother felt very relieved.

"You, my child, have always been the most filial to me." Turning to Zhao Xingjin, he said, "Emperor, you must treat the Empress better and not let her suffer any injustice."

"Son knows. I have seen how hard the Queen works. Sun Baolin has been pregnant during this period, and the Queen has taken good care of him. I was thinking about waiting for the Queen Mother to come back, and then calling the two maids, Zhaoqing and Lingyi, so that we can have a good meal together as a family." Zhao Xingjin said softly.

The Queen Mother nodded immediately. "Well, I haven't had a good talk with the two sisters in a long time. So, tonight, you all should come to Fukang Palace and have dinner with me."

After he finished speaking, he asked again.

"Sun Baolin is pregnant? I didn't even know about it."

"The month is still young, so I was thinking of telling you after you return to the palace. It will be a surprise." Zhao Xingjin said with a smile.

There was no mention of Sun Baolin having a miscarriage.

Seeing this, the queen tacitly did not mention it.

After all, Zhao Xingjin had just praised her for taking good care of the dragon fetus in Sun Baolin's belly. Now she said that the woman had just had a miscarriage. That was quite embarrassing, and he was also afraid of displeasing the empress dowager.

"Good, good, there will be another baby in the palace. This is a great joy. Come, take my painting of a hundred children and a hundred blessings and give it to Sun Baolin. She is pregnant with the first heir after the emperor ascends the throne. He must be born safely and bring joy to the palace!" The empress dowager smiled.

The three of them talked for a while, and then Zhao Xingjin found an excuse to let the queen leave first.

When only the mother and son were left in the room, the Queen Mother spoke in a deep voice.

"Where is Xie? Where is she?"

(End of this chapter)