Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and the blessing of having children is not something that can be obtained casually.

Shen Qingyin was anxious, mainly because she was indeed getting old.

One reason was the pressure from her family, and another was that she genuinely wanted to have another child to fill the void left by her lost son.

But at her age, it's still not easy.

The imperial physicians have a clear conclusion: given the Empress's current physical condition, it is not impossible for her to conceive again, but she is not as suitable for childbearing as the younger concubines, and if she were to have another child, it could very likely cause some irreversible damage.

That's a very strong statement.

Imperial physicians have always been one of the most cautious people in the harem. They never speak definitively. If the concubines or the emperor are even slightly unwell, they can exaggerate the severity of the problem, all so that these masters will pay attention to their health.

However, if any problems do arise, they won't say anything too harsh, so as not to affect their master's mood.

Therefore, the fact that the imperial physician could give Shen Qingyin such a diagnosis was already quite a clear indication.

Fortunately, Shen Qingyin had asked, and it wasn't that having a child might endanger her life—this was almost a given. Every woman in the world who had given birth knew that childbirth was like walking through the gates of hell, and if anything went wrong, it was normal to lose one's life.

The imperial physician meant that since Shen Qingyin had given birth before, it wouldn't be life-threatening, but given her current physical condition, having another child would likely cause many problems.

Simply put, she might develop some unsightly markings or even injuries in certain areas, which could prevent her from ever winning the emperor's favor again.

So now, Shen Qingyin is also struggling with this decision.

The palace is an extremely realistic place, especially when it comes to having children, which is incredibly realistic.

She did try to comfort herself, thinking that as the empress and the emperor's principal wife, it wouldn't matter if she never had children in her life.

All the children in the harem are her children. As long as she accepts this, she will naturally be able to secure her position as Empress.

Moreover, she wasn't without her own children; she still had Princess Gaoyang, a child who was exceptionally intelligent and adorable from a young age. Both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager doted on this princess.

Even now that Princess Dongyang is here, this favor has not diminished.

Yao Jinse sat in her seat, taking small bites of fruit. The plate of fruit in front of her was almost empty.

On an occasion like today, a mere Jieyu (a concubine rank) would normally be completely out of the running. However, in order to bring honor to the Empress Dowager and to fulfill the Emperor's filial piety, the Empress required everyone to attend.

Without the Empress's "favor," she might not even be qualified to be here.

According to their seating arrangement, Chen Meiren sat next to her.

Ordinary lower-ranking concubines were to sit with their respective principal consorts, and were further categorized according to their rank. In addition, there were so many people that the palace had to set up many round tables, which took up a lot of space.

In the imperial harem, the lower-ranking concubines naturally had to give way to the wives of high-ranking officials. Although they could have their own small table, it was still a bit cramped.

There are advantages to being crowded. At the very least, when people are talking privately, they don't have to hide too much. Sitting so close together, if you speak a little lower, the person next to you can hear you. If you add a bit of deliberate effort, then there are no obstacles to communication at all.

So it's not surprising that Yao Jinse was pulled twice by Chen Meiren while she was eating.

"I noticed that Her Majesty the Empress seems to be a little sleepy, and she hasn't spoken for quite a while."

It's normal for her not to speak. Yao Jinse glanced up without leaving a trace and saw that, just as Consort Chen had said, the Empress was looking at a small plate in front of her, slightly distracted. The people around her, seeing the Empress's absent-mindedness, exchanged knowing glances and no one bothered her.

"How the Empress is is none of our business. If the Empress is truly tired, she will surely need to change her clothes later."

As the mother of the nation, it's perfectly acceptable for her to rest when she feels tired, and no one would dare to object, especially since the Empress is sitting here dignified and proper, which is a great honor for everyone. It's just that Consort Chen has the mood to pay attention to these gossips at this time, which shows that she has a lot of free time on weekdays.

"I originally thought there would be some big events today, but it turned out to be all very pleasant at the end, and there were no ups and downs at the beginning. It was really boring."

Yao Jinse had just whispered a few words of warning when she heard Chen Meiren's reply, and couldn't help but smile: "What kind of lively scene do you want? This isn't a storybook. In a setting like this, any disturbance could implicate the entire clan. Even the most arrogant and domineering person in the family wouldn't cause any trouble in such a setting. Unless it's a deep-seated hatred that would drag their family to hell, who would disregard such things?"

Yao Jinse's words were like a signal.

To Chen Meiren's ears, it sounded perfectly normal, but just as she finished speaking, amidst the laughter and chatter, the sound of bowls and plates shattering rang out.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes turned to the source of the sound, and even the Empress, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality in an instant.

In the very center of everyone's attention, Consort Rong stood with one hand supporting her on a chair, struggling to stand with the help of Wanqiu beside her. On the other side of the table, a young palace maid was kneeling on the ground, quickly picking up the broken porcelain shards. It seemed that Consort Rong had just been frightened by the broken bowls and plates that had fallen to the ground.

"Consort Rong, what's wrong?"

The Empress's voice came at just the right time, giving Consort Rong a chance to explain herself before anyone knew what had happened.

After all, the scene just now looked too much like Consort Rong smashing bowls in anger. But on such a good day, no matter what the reason, getting angry is ultimately not dignified.

"Your Majesty, I just got up to walk around a bit and lost my balance. It should be nothing serious."

"You've never been in good health, and you haven't even had any alcohol today. How could you suddenly be unable to stand? Let's have the imperial physician take a look, just to put your mind at ease."

Shen Qingyin really didn't want anything to happen to Consort Rong at this time, because the Emperor would blame her again, and she couldn't bear such a big burden.

Anyway, the imperial physician was always ready to serve, so taking a look wouldn't be difficult.

However, the answer that the two imperial physicians gave after taking her pulse together and pondering for a moment was not what Shen Qingyin wanted to hear at that moment.

"You're saying the Imperial Concubine is pregnant? Is it true?" (End of Chapter)