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

Granny Chen subconsciously looked up at Consort Chen.

"Your Majesty..."

Consort Chen did not look at Granny Chen, but hurriedly sat up, put on her undergarments and walked barefoot to the mirror.

He touched his face, then touched his hair.

"Do I have a few more wrinkles on my face now?"

"White hair?"

Consort Chen screamed.

"I'm only thirty-four years old, how come I already have white hair?"

"Quickly, someone come here and pluck this white hair from my head!"

Granny Chen hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you mustn't pluck them! Plucking will only cause more white hairs to grow!"

Consort Chen became agitated, "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Cold sweat poured down Chen Mama's back. She lowered her eyes and said, "The hair styling cream specially prepared for Your Highness by the Imperial Hospital, I will bring it to you right away."

Consort Chen finally calmed down a bit, "Go quickly."

Granny Chen took the hair styling cream.

Immediately, a clever palace maid stepped forward to help Consort Chen put on her shoes and socks, and then draped a cloak over her shoulders.

The so-called hair cream is a dark blue, almost soap-colored paste.

Granny Chen personally combed through Consort Chen's thin hair, smoothing it out bit by bit, and then, with trembling hands, applied hair cream little by little to it.

That sliver of white was instantly swallowed up by the color of soap.

Consort Chen's emotions calmed down considerably.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Last night, she slept with His Majesty fully clothed and did nothing.

Just then, Princess Chaoyang skipped and hopped in.

"Why did Mother get up so early?"

"what?"

Princess Chaoyang's gaze also fell on the dark circles under Consort Chen's eyes.

Her princess residence housed many male concubines, so she was certainly not an innocent and naive girl. She immediately teased, "Father is still vigorous in his old age, and Mother is blessed."

Consort Chen can't stand the word "old" these days.

If these words hadn't come from her beloved daughter, she would have already lost her temper.

But how could she tell her daughter that her father didn't touch her mother at all last night?

Your father dislikes your mother because she's too old.

She coughed lightly, changing the subject, "Why are you up so early too?"

"I remember that when you were in the palace, you wouldn't get up until noon."

Princess Chaoyang blinked. "Father promised me yesterday that he would bestow that estate outside the city upon me, and I will raise horses there."

Consort Chen sighed helplessly, "You silly girl, you're all grown up now, yet you're still so wild."

Princess Chaoyang didn't care at all.

"Mother, I'm leaving!"

"Your Majesty, I begged you for a long time before you finally agreed."

After saying that, she left in a hurry.

Emperor Qianwu granted his only daughter's every request.

The reason I didn't agree to let her raise horses before was simply because I was afraid she wouldn't know her own strength and might accidentally fall off the horse and hurt herself.

Now that she had passed her seventeenth birthday, she pestered him relentlessly, and Emperor Qianwu had no choice but to give in.

As soon as Princess Chaoyang left, Consort Chen asked Chen Mama to inquire where His Majesty would have lunch today.

No matter where he has lunch, he must invite His Majesty to Chang Le Palace for dinner.

Granny Chen had served Consort Chen for decades and was an old woman she brought from the Chen family; she was the one who knew Consort Chen best.

Although the Consort did not say it explicitly, she was particularly concerned about her appearance early in the morning. She also did not hear His Majesty ask for water last night. Perhaps nothing happened between His Majesty and the Consort last night.

The astute Granny Chen immediately understood the Consort's unusual behavior.

In fact, Consort Chen did not look old at all.

As a noble consort, she lived a life of luxury and had the skilled physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy tirelessly helping her to regulate her body.

Consort Chen looked to be no more than twenty-five.

No matter how young she looks, she can't really be compared to a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

This harem is full of young and beautiful women.

Take Consort Zhen for example.

Granny Chen had served Consort Chen for over ten years and had seen countless beauties in the palace, but she had never seen anyone like Consort Zhen.

She possessed all the charm and allure of the women in the imperial harem, and yet she was still young, like a princess, no more than sixteen years old, with stunning beauty and unparalleled grace, making her a sight to behold and evoke pity.

However, in Chang Le Palace, the currently favored Consort Zhen is the biggest taboo.

"Yes, this servant will take care of it right away."

Before long, Chen Mama's men returned.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after the court session, His Majesty received the court officials in the Wenhua Hall. It seems that..."

Consort Chen looked at Granny Chen and asked, "What does it seem?"

Then Granny Chen said, "It seems someone has impeached the Crown Prince."

Consort Chen frowned slightly. "What's going on? Who impeached the Crown Prince?"

After hesitating for a moment, Granny Chen recounted the incident from the previous day when the Crown Prince had been entangled with a palace maid in the Imperial Garden on Princess Chaoyang's birthday.

Consort Chen did not leave Chang Le Palace yesterday, and neither Emperor Qianwu nor Princess Chaoyang would deliberately tell her about it.

Chen Mama and her trusted confidantes kept a close eye on the movements in the inner palace.

But Granny Chen knew that last night, the Imperial Concubine's mind was entirely on His Majesty.

Therefore, I didn't tell her about this trivial matter.

Now, I can finally talk about it.

Consort Chen looked surprised upon hearing this.

"Has the Crown Prince gone mad?"

Emperor Qianwu had no sons, and the relationship between Consort Chen and the Crown Prince was quite delicate.

She wanted to have another child, but she also hoped that the future crown prince would treat her daughter well.

Now that the crown prince has been reprimanded for his misconduct, she doesn't outwardly gloat.

He just frowned and said:

"His Eastern Palace has every woman he could ever want."

Although the crown prince was not born to Emperor Qianwu, he is at least the crown prince now.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be the next emperor after Emperor Qianwu's death.

Consort Chen found it absurd.

The Crown Prince is far too eager for quick success and instant benefits.

Besides, is a palace maid worth him breaking such a taboo in the palace? It's truly absurd.

Granny Chen hesitated before replying, "Yes, but..."

"Rumor has it that the woman he was entangled with in the Imperial Garden yesterday... wasn't a palace maid..."

Consort Chen was taken aback. She looked at Granny Chen and said, "What you're saying is quite confusing to me."

"Didn't you say that the Crown Prince was entangled with a palace maid in the Imperial Garden yesterday? How come she wasn't a palace maid?"

"Could it be that someone else is impersonating a palace maid?"

Yesterday was Chaoyang's birthday. In addition to members of the royal family and concubines, Consort Chen also invited the daughters of several high-ranking officials.

They were about the same age as Chaoyang.

However, because Emperor Qianwu had no heir, these daughters of court officials were very well-behaved and did not wander around, lest they accidentally bump into something or cause something irreversible, and what would happen if they had to enter the palace and live out their lives alone.

Of course, some people did want to take the opportunity to say a few words to the gentle and refined Crown Prince.

But the prince disappeared halfway through the banquet.

Those noble ladies could only regretfully give up.

Granny Chen glanced at Consort Chen, lowered her head, and whispered, "Some people say that the person who was entangled with the Crown Prince yesterday was actually Consort Zhen."

As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Chen stood up instantly.

She quickly sat down again, her expression showing more hesitation.

But there was a hint of excitement deep in his eyes.

She sat down again. "Speak properly and explain yourself clearly to me."

Granny Chen recounted in detail what had happened in the Imperial Garden the previous night to Consort Chen.

The more Consort Chen listened, the brighter her eyes became.

"What an audacious Consort Zhen!"

She glanced sideways at Granny Chen, "You know what to do."

"That vile Consort Zhen dared to invite His Majesty on the Princess's birthday? Does she think I'm dead?"

"But what you say makes sense. That lowly maid must have caught a cold after jumping into the fishpond."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Consort Chen couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't she drown?"

She was already feeling a little regretful. If she had known the Imperial Garden would be so lively last night, she would have gone out for a walk too.

Consort Chen thought that His Majesty's demands were insatiable, and that she always needed to rest for several days after serving him. Therefore, she did not leave her palace.

Who knew I'd missed such a great show?

Chen Mama couldn't help but speak up for Zhou Mingyi in her heart, "But I think Consort Zhen shouldn't be so bold, with His Majesty and the Princess watching."

"If she were caught red-handed, given His Majesty's temperament, her life would be in danger."

Consort Chen snorted coldly, "I don't care whether she did it or not."

Her sharp gaze fell on Granny Chen. "You should know what to do."

Granny Chen stiffened. "Yes, I understand."

……

Wenhua Hall.

As Emperor Qianwu listened to the censor's memorial impeaching the crown prince, a glint of cunning flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"The Crown Prince is young and inexperienced, and his minor flaws have been appeased by me."

"Now that we have accepted the new recruits, we hope they can settle down, cultivate their character, and focus on their studies and national affairs."

In just a few words, the Crown Prince's moral character was confirmed to be flawed and his behavior improper.

Several officials from the Censorate, known for their uprightness, began to submit memorials impeaching the officials of the Crown Prince's palace for their ineffective guidance and lack of remonstrance...

Emperor Qianwu was in a very good mood.

When lunchtime arrived, remembering that Consort Zhen had a high fever the night before, he said to Fuquan, "Prepare the carriage for Weiyang Palace."

Upon arriving at Weiyang Palace, one sees palace servants hurrying about, and soon after, an imperial physician rushes over.

Emperor Qianwu immediately asked, "What's wrong? Has Consort Zhen's illness not improved yet?"

Fuquan frowned as well. Yesterday, when he came on behalf of His Majesty, the palace servants clearly said that Consort Zhen was well.

The fever subsided in the latter half of the night.

Why did they suddenly call the imperial physician again?

Could it be that something has happened to Consort Zhen's health?

Emperor Qianwu seemed to have thought of something and gave Fuquan a wink.

Fuquan immediately understood.

The two entered Weiyang Palace quietly without alerting anyone.

Fuquan glanced at His Majesty and thought to himself that His Majesty was indeed very special to Consort Zhen.

I love eavesdropping on her conversations...

However, this might just be a little playful thing between His Majesty and Consort Zhen, and as a mere eunuch, he couldn't say much about it.

There was no sound inside the room at first.

After a while, they heard Consort Zhen's gentle voice.

"Imperial Physician Chen, I once told you that I accidentally fell into the water when I was young, which may affect my fertility. At that time, you said that I was fine."

"Last night was Her Highness's birthday. I drank too much and then went to the pavilion by the water to catch a chill. But I feel like something is wrong."

"My period is already several days late."

Outside the palace, Emperor Qianwu was expressionless, but Fuquan could feel that His Majesty was tense all over.

At this moment, the woman said softly, "I hope Physician Chen will examine me carefully, so that we don't repeat the same mistake that happened with Consort Jin, which caused His Majesty to be disappointed."

Emperor Qianwu's eyes narrowed slightly, but his face remained expressionless.

Inside the hall, Physician Chen was already drenched in a cold sweat from shock.