RNP Chapter 185 Consort Chen's Ambitions
Chapter 185 Consort Chen's Ambitions
Li Yuanke didn't say either, because he didn't know who Shen Shixi had chosen.
While Consort De was still laboring and screaming in pain, Li Yuanke left his mother behind and leisurely departed.
Inside Zhaoyang Palace, Bai Ping asked Shen Shixi, "Your Highness, the Bao Ci Palace has been mobilized! The Empress Dowager and the Empress have both gone, as have the concubines. Aren't you going to take a look? You should at least show your face!"
"What's the point of showing off? It's not my child, why bother with this superficial stuff? I'm not going!" she refused decisively.
Isn't it nice to just lie in your own palace?
Fortunately, this was Consort De's third pregnancy. The child was born in just over an hour; it was a prince, the fourth in line.
Looking at the little penis, Consort De finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With a living prince in her hands, she felt much more confident, as if the eldest prince had returned to her side.
"Quickly take him out and show him to the Emperor!" Consort De said weakly, then closed her eyes.
This childbirth truly exhausted her, which was a good thing. She didn't even know that the emperor had already left. After the empress dowager and empress saw the child, they left some gifts and went back home.
I stayed here and listened to Consort De wail for more than an hour. My ears were ringing, and I was completely exhausted.
Especially the Empress, who seemed to be drizzling again.
A messenger from Baoci Palace came to announce the good news. Upon hearing that it was a prince, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I understand. Li Fude, reward him!"
That evening, the emperor visited Consort De and her son at Baoci Palace. The palace still reeked of blood, so he left without staying long.
Consort De was naturally somewhat disappointed. She thought that after giving birth to the fourth prince, the emperor would promote her rank, and then she would become a Noble Consort. But the emperor had no intention of doing so.
She understood that if the emperor didn't pursue her mother's case, she shouldn't expect him to promote her.
The rewards were plentiful, but none of them were as substantial as a promotion. In the harem, a mother's status depended on her son, and a son's status depended on his mother; they complemented each other.
Yinxing naturally understood Consort De's thoughts. "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is the most noble of all the princes. As long as the Empress doesn't give birth to another prince, are you still worried about the future?"
Consort De looked worried. "And what about Consort Chen?"
Yinxing said, "Consort Chen has received the most favor. After the New Year, the Emperor only stayed in Zhaoyang Palace and did not even summon any of his concubines. There has been no good news from Consort Chen so far. It seems that Consort Chen is truly unable to have children."
Even Consort De had to believe it. "She has always acted with integrity. Since she dared to say it, it must be true. Everyone in the palace is afraid of losing favor, but she is the only one who is not. I really admire her for that."
She then asked, "How is the Empress's health? Is the information from the Imperial Hospital reliable?"
"It has been Imperial Physician Zhang who has been taking the Empress's pulse. Our people have also seen the pulse record. The Empress's body is indeed severely depleted and has not yet fully recovered. In my opinion, it will indeed be difficult for her to conceive in the future."
"Is it difficult or completely impossible?"
"It's difficult, but there's always a way if you want to get pregnant. After all, I've been pregnant once before."
"I only regret that I cannot tear that old hag to pieces. If I have the chance, I will never let the Pei family go. So what if the Empress adopted the Third Prince? Does she think she has the power to contend with me?"
"I remember you had a prescription, didn't you? Find a way to get that prescription to Fengyi Palace, so the Empress knows. There's always a way out; if she wants to get pregnant, it's not impossible."
"What if the Empress really is pregnant and gives birth to a son?"
"So what? Does the prince born to the Empress necessarily have to be a prince? Do you remember what Lady Shen said? How many princes born to the Empress have actually ascended the throne throughout history?"
"yes!"
Consort De gave birth to another prince, which put immense pressure on the Empress. She couldn't help but feel anxious, stroking her belly and thinking about how eager the Emperor was to have a legitimate son, but her body was not cooperating. She felt quite sorry for the Emperor.
Soon, the imperial carriage was about to leave the capital, and the entourage had been decided: Consort Chen, Consort Jin, Lady Yuan, and Lady Guo. The palace was astonished.
It is said that these were all chosen by Consort Chen.
What is Consort Chen trying to do? Is she trying to gain exclusive favor?
Since Consort Jin was unable to bear children, the emperor didn't want to waste his bullets on her.
Consort Guo and Consort Yuan had long since stopped appearing before the Emperor.
The fact that Consort Chen chose these three men reveals Sima Zhao's true intentions to everyone.
Li Yuanke laughed when he saw the list, quite pleased with himself. He cursed "dogs" and then decided on the selection of attendants for the harem.
Actually, everyone misunderstood Shen Shixi.
With all those ugly women in Li Yuanke's harem, who could she possibly choose?
She disliked Wang Yuehuai. Yuan Zhaoyue's fake pregnancy was inextricably linked to her. She kept her distance from people who used such tricks, afraid of falling into their trap.
Su Fuying is pregnant, so Xie Tingwan can let it go, but even if she's not pregnant, she wouldn't dare take her out. What if she gets involved with Li Yuanyin? Oh my god, she can't even imagine it.
And then there was nobody there!
Shen Shixi looked through it all. To be honest, she felt quite sorry for Li Yuanke. In such a large harem, there wasn't even a single person who could properly serve him in bed.
Before leaving Beijing, there was another development from Shen Shixi's cousin's side; the people who went to investigate He Wensi's widowed sister-in-law returned.
It turned out that the child in his widow's belly was not He Wensi's at all, but was conceived through an affair with a local thug.
He Wensi's brother discovered the affair and, in a fit of despair, attempted to jump into the river. He survived but was rescued, though he caught a cold and died.
That local thug was also taken to the capital.
Shen Shixi said, "Tell that local thug that if he doesn't want to die out, he should go to the He family and cause trouble. Since the child in He Wensi's widow's belly is his, there's no reason for her to give her son to the He family and die out herself."
This matter escalated quite a bit thanks to Shen Shixi's instigation.
This thug usually makes a living by collecting debts and extorting money. He has nothing to lose, so what if He Wensi is an official? This thug thinks he has powerful backers.
They clashed with the He family.
Although the He family are officials, what kind of foundation does He Wensi have in the capital?
The Imperial Guards and the Shuntian Prefecture both knew that there must be someone behind this. As for who it was, it was self-evident. The only one to blame was He Wensi, who was such a despicable person. It was understandable that he wanted to take a concubine, but to have an affair with his widowed sister-in-law was a blatant slap in the face to his legal wife.
Who could bear this humiliation?
It's no wonder they had to take action.
Given Consort Chen's personality, she'd make a scene even when she's being unreasonable, let alone now that she's in the right.
Besides, this matter has no clear connection with Consort Chen, so let's just keep quiet about it.
How could the widowed sister-in-law of the He family agree to go with a local ruffian? She insisted that the child in her belly was He Wensi's, and even said that if He Wensi did not acknowledge it, she would take him to the authorities.
But the local thugs said that he had slept with the widow and that the child in her belly was his. They said that if He Wensi dared to take his child, they would report her to the authorities.
He Wensi definitely doesn't want his widowed sister-in-law anymore. He used to want a son, but now he's been cuckolded and even his wife, who came from an official family, is gone. If he were to still protect this unfaithful widowed sister-in-law, he would be a fool.
But now, not only can't the widowed sister-in-law be driven away, but even local thugs have moved in.
He Wensi's family now lives in a rented courtyard in the capital. That local thug still sleeps with his widowed sister-in-law at night. He Wensi's mother is so angry that she is on the verge of death.