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

Chapter 196 (Preliminary Announcement)

After a whole day of commotion, the noise at Yangxingxuan finally stopped.

With the safe birth of the prince, the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager's gifts were also moved to Yangxingxuan one after another.

The birth of a prince in the palace is a very important event. Otherwise, the birth of a child by a concubine would not be considered a meritorious act for the country. However, compared to this merit, the reward that Consort Qi received seemed rather meager.

First, Xie Yun'an bestowed some jewelry and other gifts upon her, and then her rank was raised by one level. Qi Meiren should now be called Qi Jieyu.

However, apart from that, Xie Yun'an did not bestow any title upon Qi Jieyu, nor did he allow her to move to any of the palaces in the East and West Six Palaces. She remained in Yangxingxuan—it should be noted that there are still many vacant palaces in the East and West Six Palaces.

It is clear that even after giving birth to a prince, Qi Jieyu's importance in Xie Yun'an's heart was only so-so.

Of course, it's not very reasonable for Yao Jinse to say this, since she doesn't hold much more weight in Xie Yun'an's heart than Qi Jieyu; they're just about the same.

Besides, the Empress Dowager's gifts were more practical, as they were things that could be used in daily life. The Empress added a lot of gold and silver as extra gifts, but many people in the palace could tell that these gold and silver jewels were probably a form of compensation.

The Empress's feelings for this child were no secret in the harem. In fact, it was not uncommon in all dynasties. Most concubines with status but no children would choose this path to avoid loneliness.

It's just that this matter seems somewhat unusual now that it has happened to the Empress.

Now that the matter has been settled, all parties in the palace should give some response.

The gifts from Consort Gui, Consort Zhuang, and others arrived one after another as the Emperor and Empress left Yangxing Pavilion.

The gifts given to high-ranking concubines are mostly jewelry and fabrics, which are always the same things, so there's not much to say about them. On the other hand, the gifts given to lower-ranking concubines are perhaps more thoughtful. They don't have as much silver, and according to the rules, they can't have too many pieces of jewelry that exceed their rank. So even if they wanted to give something nice, they couldn't. They could only put their heart into these small details.

At times like these, Yao Jinse always liked to follow the crowd. As for herself, she was in Chengqian Palace talking with Consort Rong.

Consort Rong's belly is getting bigger and bigger.

Looking at Consort Rong's increasingly heavy body, Yao Jinse couldn't help but feel worried.

It's not that I'm worried about whether Consort Rong can give birth safely. In the original storyline, there were many reasons why Consort Rong couldn't give birth. In addition to Consort Rong's own depression, there were also reasons why Qiao Yanran and others secretly plotted against her.

Now that there are no open or covert attacks, and with Consort Rong able to focus on her pregnancy, the child is naturally developing very healthily.

But here's the problem.

The old Duke's health wasn't actually that good; according to Yao Jinse's memory, it would only be a year or two before he passed away.

As a founding father and a veteran of three reigns, the old Duke cherished nothing more than his family's honor and his youngest daughter in the palace. He was only holding on to his old ways to prolong the Duke's family's life, because within powerful clans, countless dirty deeds were committed, and even the Duke's family couldn't withstand the consequences if they were investigated.

When the old man was alive, those old friends and acquaintances, and even the emperor, still had to give him some face, so they wouldn't go so far as to kill the Duke's mansion.

But if he were to die, no one knew what would become of the Duke's mansion.

The old Duke was already worried about these things, so for so many years he kept a low profile, only thinking about supporting the family for a little longer. Among his descendants, the capable people had not yet grown up, and the daughters in the palace had not yet fully established themselves. Even if he were to close his eyes now, he would not be able to leave in peace.

But now, Consort Rong is pregnant.

Whether it's a boy or a girl, as long as Consort Rong can give birth, it means that Consort Rong's fertility is not a problem. In the harem, a favored concubine with a son and status can, to some extent, become a support for her family.

What Yao Jinse is most worried about now is the old Duke's mentality. If the old Duke really feels that he can relax because of the news of Consort Rong's pregnancy, then Xie Yun'an is very likely to take action at this time and catch everyone in the Duke's mansion off guard.

Ultimately, communication between the palace and the outside world wasn't that convenient. If Xie Yun'an, the emperor, wanted to keep it a secret, he could certainly do so for a while.

The fate of the Duke's mansion... now it seems that we can only gamble on the relationship between Xie Yun'an and Consort Rong. But to say that the emperor's feelings can really override considerations of interests is too unrealistic, even Yao Jinse thinks.

Having lived for so many years and been reborn twice, she has seen all kinds of men—those in high positions, those who are devoted and passionate. No matter what kind of person they are, they would never choose feelings over interests.

That's just how the world is.

Secular ethics always teach women to obey the three obediences and four virtues and to abide by their duties, but when it comes to teaching men, they always choose a path of trials and tribulations, like raising poisonous insects. In the end, the person raised to the highest position will never place emotions in the most important position.

Yao Jinse could understand because of her past life experiences. In her past life, she fought and struggled in the workplace, and her adversaries never showed mercy just because she was a woman. In fact, she was even subtly ostracized because of her identity. That's why she felt that it would be very difficult to change Consort Rong's mindset.

Without firsthand experience, it's impossible to change a person's deeply ingrained habits formed over many years simply by relying on others' persuasion.

Therefore, Yao Jinse could only take advantage of the fact that Consort Qi had not gained much after giving birth to her child, and subtly mention it to Consort Rong in advance.

Now that the Imperial Concubine is pregnant, many things don't necessarily have to turn out as tragically as the original story.

Ultimately, the extent to which the matter is handled is entirely up to the emperor's whim.

However, Yao Jinse couldn't help but sigh inwardly as she watched Consort Rong resting with her eyes closed on the warm couch.

Women who are immersed in the illusion of love are truly among the hardest people in the world to wake up.