A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Su Jinse looked up at her.

Consort Chen gazed into the distance, her eyes looking somewhat distant.

"My mother passed away the year I entered the palace. I didn't even get to see her one last time."

Su Jinse's eyes reddened.

"Your Majesty...please don't be sad..."

Consort Chen shook her head.

"I'm not sad. It's all in the past."

She is no longer sad.

When she first entered the palace, she was actually quite confused.

Although she considered herself exceptional, she only realized after entering the palace that there were far too many people who were smarter and more beautiful than her.

She was nobody among this group.

But fate smiled upon her just once, allowing her to conceive His Majesty's only and first child.

They also allowed her to live a long period of unbridled behavior.

At the time, she genuinely believed that His Majesty was sincere towards her, and she was also afraid that other concubines would bear children for His Majesty and steal away His Majesty's attention from her.

But that kind of life passed in the blink of an eye, and now when I think about it, it feels like a dream.

Chaoyang was still her daughter, yet she had become utterly unfamiliar, as if she weren't her daughter at all...

"Do you know what I regret most in my life?"

Su Jinse shook her head.

Consort Chen looked at her. That young and charming face looked really good. She was obviously shallow and her thoughts were all on the surface. It was easy to see through her at a glance.

It was this superficiality that gradually made Consort Chen lower her guard.

She said bitterly:

"It's because you trusted someone you shouldn't have."

Su Jinse's heart skipped a beat.

She remembered Consort Zhen's instructions... to extract Princess Chaoyang's secret.

Could it be... that this secret is related to Consort Chen?

She asked cautiously:

"Whom is Your Majesty referring to?"

Consort Chen remained silent.

She simply gazed into the distance, her expression complex.

Although Su seemed simple and foolish, there were some things she knew she shouldn't tell her. She forced a smile and began to change the subject.

Do you know what Chaoyang's favorite food was when he was little?

Su Jinse was hanging high up when she suddenly heard Consort Chen say that, and she almost died of anger.

Who's interested in what your daughter liked to eat when she was little?

Why don't you tell me what His Majesty likes to eat...?

But she had to endure it.

Consort Chen smiled, a smile tinged with nostalgia and melancholy.

"Steamed ghee cheese".

"When she was little, I had it made for her every day. But as she grew up, she stopped liking it."

Su Jinse didn't know how to respond.

Isn't it normal for children to change their minds?

She was quite a handful when she was little.

My mother always says she's a nuisance, and I wonder who she'll bother in the future.

But who knows?

She has now entered the palace and become His Majesty's concubine, but His Majesty is not the kind of person who wants to be bothered by her.

Even though she hadn't made any serious mistake, she was still sent to the Yongxiang Palace.

It was only then that Su Jinse realized that His Majesty would not indulge her without limits like her parents and family.

Little girls' thoughts are always superficial and based on assumptions.

Especially for people like Su Jinse, the position of Imperial Textile Commissioner in Jiangnan was a lucrative one, and the region was located in the wealthy Jiangnan area. They grew up in luxury, and their parents and family would indulge and spoil them with whatever they wanted, even unreasonable requests.

Moreover, Su Jinse is indeed beautiful. Her beautiful big eyes look at people with a natural tenderness, both innocent and charming.

Su Jinse once thought that no matter what terrible mistake she made, as long as she looked at others with innocent eyes, who would bear to punish her?

As it turns out, His Majesty has no mercy for women.

His Majesty only cares about his offspring.

But she hasn't even touched the hem of His Majesty's robe in all this time, how could she possibly get pregnant?

I'm so angry!

In order to survive and to live a more respectable life, she had no choice but to be a lackey for Consort Zhen.

Su Jinse lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze filled with gloom.

Consort Chen, however, did not notice her similarity.

"These days, I have had people make and send His Majesty the things that Chaoyang loved to eat when he was a child."

"His Majesty accepted them every time."

Although I didn't eat much.

Consort Chen looked somewhat forlorn.

"You don't know, Chaoyang will keep eating the things she likes. I thought she would never get tired of them."

"Suddenly, they stopped eating and were never allowed to be served again. So His Majesty must not have seen this for quite some time."

Su Jinse was just putting on an act; how could she possibly empathize with Consort Chen?

However, in order to complete the task assigned by Consort Zhen, she had to patiently accompany Consort Chen in reminiscing about the past.

Perhaps Consort Chen didn't trust her; it was just that she was lonely in the deep palace, and those maids and servants were, after all, lowly people, so there were some things she couldn't say to them.

Although Su Jinse was only a concubine, her status was the same as that of Consort Chen; she was the emperor's woman.

So without realizing it, she said:

"I know that Chaoyang is no pushover."

Su Jinse's heart pounded even faster. She subconsciously lowered her eyes, trying to hide her true thoughts.

But Consort Chen had already set her sights on her.

"Do you know what she did?"

Su Jinse shook her head subconsciously.

Consort Chen remained silent for a long time, and just when Su Jinse thought she wouldn't speak, she said:

"She drugged me."

Su Jinse was stunned.

His reaction at that moment was completely undisguised.

"Wh...what?"

Consort Chen gave a bitter smile.

"Four years. She administered an infertile drug to me for four years. I didn't know until later, thinking it was just my own health. I only found out later that it was her doing it."

"Tell me, why is that? She's clearly my own daughter, why would she do something so harmful and self-defeating?"

Su Jinse's hands were trembling.

I was genuinely terrified.

Princess Chaoyang gave her mother a drug that would prevent her from having children?

Is this something a human being would do? Even though Su Jinse didn't consider herself a filial daughter, she couldn't bring herself to poison her own mother.

At that moment, Su Jinse even considered backing out.

What kind of ruthless character is Princess Chaoyang?

If they find out that she was acting as a pawn for Consort Zhen and had this information about Consort Chen, would they kill her directly?

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

She wasn't Consort Zhen; she was out of favor and had no heir. If she were killed, she would simply die, and no one would seek justice for her.

Are we counting on Consort Zhen?

Consort Zhen has never summoned her; instead, she sends a maid to contact Chunying, who then relays the orders.

Perhaps because she had made foolish mistakes so many times, this time she suddenly became more sober.

"Your Highness, you're joking again. The princess is your own daughter, how could she possibly do such a thing..."

"Could it be that Your Majesty has misunderstood?"

Consort Chen glared at her. "A misunderstanding?"

She even raised her voice slightly, "I also hoped it was a misunderstanding, but she admitted it herself. She said she didn't want any other children in the harem and wanted to be His Majesty's only one. But for the sake of being his only one, she drugged me, her own mother."

"Don't you think this child is a bit too cruel?"

Su Jinse really didn't dare to respond this time.

Consort Chen looked at her. "Were you frightened?"

Su Jinse shook her head hastily, but her face was deathly pale, and her delicate face looked completely bloodless.

Consort Chen shook her head.

They were clearly scared, but they wouldn't admit it.

She's just a simple girl after all.

Consort Chen sighed.

"I hated her, I hated her to the core. But she's my daughter, what could I do?"

"Later, I understood. She did all those things because she was afraid. She was afraid that if I had another child, I wouldn't love her anymore."

Su Jinse listened, feeling a mix of emotions.

How terrible it would be if she had a daughter like that?

How could you drug your own mother for this?

But Consort Chen actually chose to forgive her...

Both mother and daughter are ruthless; we need to think carefully about how to respond to Consort Zhen.

Her eyes darted around.

Consort Chen didn't notice Su Jinse's expression and continued talking to herself.

Do you think I'm stupid?

Su Jinse shook her head.

"This concubine...this concubine dares not."

Consort Chen smiled.

"Whether she's foolish or not, it's all in the past. Now, all I want is for her to be well and not cause any more trouble."

Su Jinse nodded, not daring to ask any more questions.

……

A few days later, when Su Jinse went to Chang Le Palace again, Consort Chen's mood was noticeably better.

Su Jinse tentatively asked:

"Why is Your Highness so happy today?"

Consort Chen smiled.

"Chaoyang came to see me yesterday. He talked with me for quite a while."

Su Jinse quickly said:

"Her Highness the Princess is filial; Her Majesty is blessed."

Consort Chen nodded, her smile deepening.

"She said that after a few days, she would ask His Majesty for peace and to take me out for a walk. To the Western Hills to see the autumn leaves."

Su Jinse smiled.

That would be wonderful.

She paused, then suddenly lowered her voice:

"Your Highness, the Princess is so kind to you."

Consort Chen nodded.

"Yes. She is my daughter. If she doesn't treat me well, who else would she treat well?"

Looking at her, Su Jinse suddenly felt a mix of emotions.

This woman, who was harmed so badly by her own daughter, still trusts her so much.

Really...

But she had no time for reflection.

"Your Majesty, I've heard that Her Highness the Princess is quite formidable in court. Is that true?"

Consort Chen nodded, a hint of pride in her eyes.

"Of course. She is His Majesty's only bloodline, so it is only natural that she should share His Majesty's burdens."

Su Jinse asked again:

"Then... has Her Highness ever done anything... particularly impressive?"

Consort Chen glanced at her.

Su Jinse quickly said:

"I was just curious. If Your Majesty is unwilling to answer, then just pretend I didn't ask."

Consort Chen remained silent for a while.

"If we're talking about skill, then of course we utterly defeated the former crown prince. That Xie Jing was nothing but a good-for-nothing. If my Chaoyang were a man, what chance would Xie Jing have?"

Although Consort Chen has faded into obscurity, she was, after all, a favored concubine for many years.

At the height of her power, she acted as if she were the mistress of a harem.

As she said this, she snorted coldly, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction with the former crown prince, as well as resentment and indignation that her daughter was not her son.

Su Jinse gave a dry laugh.

If Princess Chaoyang were a prince, what role would Xie Jing play?

Perhaps, it's no longer her business.

Su Jinse asked a few more questions indirectly. Perhaps Consort Chen didn't completely trust her, but she also used her as a tool to vent her emotions, revealing a lot of things she shouldn't have revealed.

However, some of his words were quite subtle.

Phrases like "Chaoyang is no pushover" and "Never mess with Chaoyang."

Furthermore, judging from Consort Chen's tone, Chaoyang would definitely not let Consort Zhen off the hook.

After all, Consort Zhen is currently the only pregnant concubine in the palace.

If this child is born, wouldn't it be stepping into Princess Chaoyang's minefield?

No, she had to remind the Empress!

……

Su Jinse's legs went weak when she came out of Chang Le Palace.

Chunying supported her and whispered:

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Su Jinse shook her head, her voice trembling:

"Quickly...quickly to Weiyang Palace. I need to see Consort Zhen."