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

Chapter 199 Sending a Message

Things happened much faster than Yao Jinse had anticipated.

It seems that Xie Yun'an and the officials of the previous dynasty were concerned about the Mid-Autumn Festival. On such a festive occasion of reunion, Consort Rong would definitely have some dealings with the Duke's Mansion, whether it was through correspondence or gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since Xie Yun'an wanted to keep it from Consort Rong, he either decided to handle the matter quickly before the Mid-Autumn Festival or after the Mid-Autumn Festival, eliminating the Duke's Mansion quietly without the Consort's knowledge.

It was obvious that Xie Yun'an chose the latter.

It is said that this news came from the Imperial Hospital, saying that the old Duke was on the verge of death and had reached the point where medicine could not cure him. He was now holding on to his body, probably just wanting to spend another Mid-Autumn Festival with his family.

So, as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, Xie Yun'an did not bestow many gifts upon the Duke's mansion, but Chengqian Palace distributed a great many gifts, a lavish display of flowers and a grand feast. This lively celebration was the last vestige of dignity left for the Duke's mansion, and Xie Yun'an naturally allowed Consort Rong to bestow numerous treasures upon them.

Anyway, these things will be taken back when the house is searched in the end, so it doesn't matter if they are given away now.

As for the Imperial Concubine's lavish rewards, Yao Jinse unusually did not try to dissuade her this time. Perhaps with her help, the Duke's mansion would not suffer as tragically as originally predicted. With these rewards, at least those who survived would have some means to survive.

In the past month, apart from a palace banquet during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there has been no new activity in the harem.

The prince born to Consort Qi was newly born, so the Empress granted him special permission to be raised by his birth mother until he turned one year old.

Whether a child will grow up or not is not something that can be seen in the first year after birth. Or rather, children in the palace are often sick and have many misfortunes when they are young, and even if they grow up, it is not certain what they will look like.

Anyway, Consort Zhuang is still busy with the same old things and doesn't seem to regard the newborn child as an enemy at all.

They didn't make any moves, and naturally, there was no new information from Yao Jinse's side either.

Life seemed to continue peacefully.

The new concubines, being younger, didn't seem to have any malicious intentions when it came to children.

Everyone felt that they would have the opportunity to have children in the future, and since they could have children themselves, there was no need to target other children at this time.

Moreover, the Empress herself attaches great importance to this child and has arranged for many people to be stationed in Yangxing Pavilion, so even if she wanted to do something, she wouldn't be able to get involved for a while.

At the same time, the information that Bai Shuang and her team gathered also corroborated this point.

Because of the Empress's attention, Consort Qi didn't seem to care much about this son. She had already begun to dress herself up in preparation for accompanying the Emperor.

It has to be said that her choice was correct. After all, her first son had already been given to the Empress as an adopted son. Even if such a child grew up, it would be hard to say that he would be close to his birth mother. He could hardly be considered a good support.

If that's the case, then having another one will suffice.

Women who have given birth to their first child, having gone through a near-death experience, often subconsciously overlook the inherent dangers of childbirth.

"Or to put it another way, even if she knew the danger involved, she was bound to have the child."

For women in the palace, whether they have children or not is not important; what matters is whether they can give birth.

As long as one can give birth, it means there is hope of producing offspring for the royal family, and naturally one will receive some attention. Except for those who are completely rejected by the emperor, the rest of the women in the harem can eventually get through their days.

If she were to encounter another emperor like Xie Yun'an who valued face and "old feelings," her life in the harem wouldn't be too bad.

Ultimately, the kind of life you lead depends on your own mindset regarding gains and losses.

"However, the Emperor's attention is now focused on Consort Qiao and the others, so it seems that Consort Qi's hopes will be dashed."

"It's their business, they'll worry about it themselves. It's not good for us to say too much. If word gets out, they'll think we're cursing them."

At that time, Yao Jinse invited Consort Chen to have tea and talked about Consort Qi's promotion because of giving birth to a child, which inevitably made Consort Chen's mind wander.

"It's a pity that I haven't been able to see the Emperor for years. Back when I was in the Prince's residence, the Emperor rarely saw me. Now, I rarely have the chance to see the Emperor, but I'm always being summoned by Consort Zhuang."

Although there were opportunities for the emperor to serve him in bed, when the emperor stayed overnight in the inner palace, he often wanted to take his relationship with a concubine to the next level. Consort Zhuang easily swayed such opportunities with her child, and Consort Chen dared not say anything more.

In the end, she was a concubine, while she was just a beauty. Moreover, she was the birth mother of the eldest prince and might become the future empress dowager. If the harem were to fall into her hands one day, wouldn't she, who wanted to survive, have to depend on her?

Since they're afraid of this and that, they might as well stop fighting and live a peaceful life in their own palace. That wouldn't be a bad thing.

Of course, such a life is not without its hardships, which is why Consort Chen is sitting in Yuxiu Palace today, having a private conversation with Yao Jinse.

Ultimately, the bond forged through shared experiences in the Prince's mansion is somewhat unique.

Yao Jinse was not very familiar with this affection, but she could not refuse it. People in the harem needed to have some relationships. Unlike the superficial relationships based on interests, the relationship between Consort Chen and her was purely from the heart, without any exchange of benefits. Such an emotional connection is the most precious at any time.

“Speaking of which, it’s a good thing that you have such thoughts, sister. Life in the harem is monotonous. When we can’t see the emperor, we women inevitably feel lonely. If we could have a child by our side to keep us company, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

In the original novel, it seems that Consort Chen also had a child, but that was some time later. With the help of the female lead, Consort Chen received some favor and gave birth to a daughter.

She wasn't particularly skilled in palace intrigue, and she lived a peaceful life in the harem with her daughter, which ultimately led to a pretty good ending.

Speaking of which, why did Qiao Yanran choose Consort Chen as her concubine in the original novel? At that time, the original owner of the body had already passed away. Due to the downfall of the Duke's mansion and the death of the Imperial Concubine, the original owner, who was suspected of being a concubine, had also been dispelled. Meanwhile, Qiao Yanran had already established herself in the harem and was pregnant.

Pregnant women always have to worry about the emperor's favor in the harem, and no one wants to take advantage of their pregnancy to divert the emperor's affections.

So at that time, it was only then that Consort Chen, who had never competed for anything in the harem, caught Qiao Yanran's eye. From then on, she joined Qiao Yanran's side and ultimately had a good ending.

It's not so much that different people have different fates, but it's more like a small control group.

Ultimately, it is truly lamentable that two people who came from the Prince's mansion, with such a deep friendship, ended up with such different fates.

"How could I not know this was a good thing? Putting everything else aside, seeing you with a child by your side sometimes makes me feel that life in the palace is indeed much easier to pass the time. But I always get to serve the emperor when I'm not pregnant. As the saying goes, I know my own situation. My body has become increasingly heavy in the past two years, and after several attempts to serve the emperor, there has been no progress. I don't know if it's not suitable for me to get pregnant again."

Yao Jinse wasn't afraid of that.

When she was hiring a doctor for the Imperial Concubine, she had this idea in mind, so she specially asked for several secret recipes for conceiving a child. Although they might not be effective, it was better to use them than not to.

Not to mention, Consort Rong is actually pregnant now, which is a precedent.

Yao Jinse hesitated about this matter. Telling Consort Chen about it wouldn't be inappropriate, but if it were leaked, the previous events would be exposed, which wouldn't be good for the Imperial Consort.

Therefore, if this item is to be used, its source cannot be mentioned even a single word about the Imperial Concubine.

"Speaking of which, putting everything else aside, I do have some methods for conditioning the body. I consulted the imperial physician before, and he said that at our age, it is actually the most suitable time to get pregnant. Take this prescription and use it first. If it doesn't work after a period of time, then consult the imperial physician again and take good care of yourself."

Anyway, the origin of this thing was just made up on the spot. Yao Jinse had been pregnant before, and Chen Meiren would definitely believe it.

Yao Jinse was worried that Chen Meiren might resent her for not taking it out sooner, but as soon as the item fell into Chen Meiren's hands, the latter immediately accepted it happily without any complaints.

She was completely relieved.

The good nature that was confirmed in the original work is indeed something we've known for so long in private. It would be best if this trust and friendship could continue.

“Alas, if I were to use this in the palace, there would inevitably be too many people looking at me. How about this, you might as well help me to the end. Since this medicine isn’t taken every day, I’ll just come and sit here every two days. After all, you have your own palace, so it’s more convenient for you to decoct and prepare the medicine.”

Moreover, Yao Jinse still has some authority to manage official affairs, while Chen Meiren has nothing. Going to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine not only costs money but also attracts attention. In the eyes of those with ulterior motives, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause.

"That works too. Anyway, I've needed these medicines before, so there won't be any problems if I ask for them again now."

Chen Meiren is right. If you're going to help someone, help them all the way. The two of them are now really close friends, so there's no need to find it troublesome.

Having received Yao Jinse's affirmation, Chen Meiren left happily. Bai Tan, however, was somewhat puzzled as to why Yao Jinse had given her another task.

She was certainly not questioning the relationship between Yao Jinse and Consort Chen. Having spent so much time with the young mistress of the house, she could see Consort Chen's character clearly; she was someone worth befriending.

But when it comes to something as big as having a baby, who can be absolutely certain that they will have the baby?

I wasn't sure, but the words had already been spoken, and it was somewhat unwise of me to say them.

"In the inner palace, these things are nothing more than doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate. If fate is on your side, the child will come naturally. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try, there will be no chance."

This wasn't what Yao Jinse truly meant. She simply felt that having a child with Consort Chen would be entirely beneficial to her. The more people in her own faction there were, the safer she would be in the harem. As long as she didn't offend the emperor, she would be virtually in no danger.

On the other hand, she also wanted to see how much she had changed. Consort Rong's child had arrived ahead of schedule. If Consort Chen's child could also arrive ahead of schedule, then she could put many of her ideas into practice.

Although palace intrigues may not involve sword fights, they still end in a life-or-death struggle. People often fantasize about the lives of women in the harem, imagining them either fighting fiercely or living in harmony. But the reality is quite different.

Yao Jinse once said that the lives of women in the harem were actually the lives of men in the previous dynasty. Apart from having to bear children for the emperor, their lives were no different from those of officials.

One's status or rank is tied to the honor and wealth of the entire family. The world is bustling with activity, all driven by interests, and the imperial harem is no exception.

"His Majesty seems to be visiting Liuchun Pavilion more often these days."

Bai Tan nodded in agreement: "Yes, I heard from the palace maids in the Imperial Garden that His Majesty has recently enjoyed discussing poetry and songs with Consort Qiao. It is said that Consort Qiao is not only very knowledgeable in poetry, but also plays the zither very well and is very proficient in musical instruments."

"The music and dance are a pleasure to the ears, and although the Emperor is a wise ruler, he does need leisure time when he is busy with state affairs. However, Consort Qiao is currently the only one who stands out, which makes the other sisters in the harem seem to have no special talents."

As Yao Jinse spoke, she cut off a small branch of flowers. Bai Tao, who was standing not far away, smiled upon hearing this.

"Yes, but I think if the other ladies in the palace knew about His Majesty's recent preferences, they would probably practice even harder."

"Why don't you go quickly then?"

Bai Tao didn't say anything, just nodded and turned to leave.

It was almost time for dinner, and I heard that the Emperor would be dining at Liuchun Pavilion again tonight. The palace was bustling with activity at this time, with news coming and going non-stop. It was time to let everyone know about some interesting things.