The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 69 Nostalgia

The three of them stopped in unison.

"I saw it too, but I was too embarrassed to look any longer. Your Majesty and the Empress just now..." Consort Zhen was a little embarrassed to continue.

“Even if the Emperor and the Empress really are…” Consort Liang frowned: “The Empress has been married to the Emperor for so many years, they should have consummated their marriage long ago. Does the Empress still look like a virgin when she is in charge of the Eastern Palace?”

"Never mind, let's hurry back and see the child. It's getting late." Consort Shu changed the subject.

"Yes, yes, hurry back, the child is still waiting in the palace."

"Let's go!"

After everyone else left, only Shen Qingwan and Consort Jin remained at Chuxiu Palace.

From time to time, Consort Li's screams echoed from the palace, causing Consort Jin's face to turn pale.

"I had only ever heard that childbirth was a brush with death for women, but I never imagined that Consort Li's experience would be even more painful than childbirth," Consort Jin said, clutching her clothes tightly to her chest.

Consort Li suddenly fell silent as she called out.

Shen Qingwan rushed into the palace in a panic: "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Li has fainted from the pain, but the bleeding has stopped, and her life should be considered saved."

With her life no longer in danger, Shen Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your Majesty, now that Consort Li is alright, why don’t you return to your palace to rest? I will stay here with you so that I can inform you immediately if anything happens,” said Consort Jin.

"I'm not leaving. There's nothing for me to do back home anyway. Let's wait until Consort Li wakes up before we talk about it," Shen Qingwan sighed.

at the same time.

The entrance to Yanxi Palace.

"Your Majesty, please wait for me."

Consort De followed behind Emperor Yuanwu, panting heavily and suffering from severe abdominal pain. She finally caught up with him at the entrance of Yanxi Palace.

"I know Your Majesty is in a bad mood, but Your Majesty is walking so fast, I really can't keep up."

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent, only pausing briefly before continuing his journey towards the imperial bedchamber once Consort De caught up.

Consort De could tell that Emperor Yuanwu was in a bad mood, so she didn't dare to say anything and could only jog behind him.

She truly regrets it from the bottom of her heart now.

Originally, she was just guessing that Emperor Yuanwu would definitely go back to see Consort Li because of her appearance. She could take this opportunity to see if she could get Emperor Yuanwu to come back to the palace with her and win some favor.

Now that the person has actually come to the palace, Consort De feels a pang of regret.

With Emperor Yuanwu's face so dark, what if she wasn't served properly the next time? Would he take his anger out on her?

A palace maid brought over a bowl of tea, which Consort De took and handed to Emperor Yuanwu: "Your Majesty, please have some tea first."

The candlelight in Yanxi Palace shone on Emperor Yuanwu's face, revealing his beautiful features, like a blooming flower, except that his crimson lips were slightly swollen.

This mouth...

Just now, Emperor Yuanwu went to Consort Li's place with the Empress. Could it be that...?

Consort De's hand slipped, and the tea in the cup scalded the back of her hand. The maid hurriedly took the teacup from her hand, saying, "Your Highness, please be careful."

"What's wrong?" Emperor Yuanwu looked up at her.

Consort De slowly shook her head: "I'm fine."

"Since there's nothing wrong, you should rest early. I'm a little tired, so I'll go to sleep first." Emperor Yuanwu walked to the bedside, and after the palace servants helped him change his clothes, he turned his back and closed his eyes.

Another child has been lost in the palace. Although he had known for a long time that the child could not be saved, the screams of Consort Li lying there just now reminded Emperor Yuanwu of the day Consort Li gave birth. It seemed that Consort Li, just like Consort Li just now, had a strong smell of blood throughout the palace. When Consort Li gave birth, she was also in unbearable pain, crying out incessantly.

He had never heard a voice like that of Consort Li before, and that voice remained unforgettable to this day.

On that very day, after Consort Li gave birth to the eldest prince, she never woke up again.

According to the rules set by our ancestors, the birthing room was unclean, and the emperor could not enter it. He didn't even get to see Consort Li one last time.

When I saw Consort Li again, she was already a cold corpse. The bite mark on her lip, which she had bitten because of the pain, had not yet healed before she passed away.

Over the years, he has refused to see Jiang Wenlan and has been unwilling to let anyone mention Consort Li, because he has been blaming himself.

If he hadn't always wanted Consort Li to give birth to his eldest son, how could he have taken so many fertility-enhancing drugs?

Every medicine has its side effects. She got pregnant, but her body was damaged, and she eventually died in childbirth.

As an emperor, he could have anything, but he couldn't keep the woman he loved. He was filled with self-blame and regret.

Sometimes he even wondered if Consort Li had never been able to conceive, would they still be doing well to this day?

late at night.

A torrential downpour began outside the window.

Consort De lay beside Emperor Yuanwu, and did not sleep all night.

She stared at the figure with his back to her, thinking of his swollen lips, and suddenly realized that everything had changed.

In the past, the person Emperor Yuanwu disliked the most in the entire palace was the Empress. Now, even though the Empress Dowager no longer enforces the ancestral rule of going to Kunning Palace on the first and fifteenth of each month, Emperor Yuanwu still often goes to Kunning Palace to dine with the Empress.

If things continue like this, it's only a matter of time before the Empress has a legitimate son.

After Consort Shu gave birth to the Third Prince, Consort Xian's health gradually improved. Even though the Third Prince was not by her side, she would always be the Third Prince's birth mother.

After Consort Rou gives birth to a prince, it's likely that she won't have to wait long to be promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine.

Everyone else has someone to rely on, but she is still all alone.

Before Emperor Yuanwu ascended the throne, he still had to take advantage of her maternal family's influence to coax her and pamper him.

In this peaceful and prosperous era, the greater the power of her maternal family, the more they will be feared. The example of Consort Xian may one day befall her as well.

Another clap of thunder sounded outside the window, startling Consort De, who shrank back in her quilt.

She instinctively hugged Emperor Yuanwu from behind around the waist.

It was as if they had grasped at the last straw in their despair.

The next day.

Emperor Yuanwu went to court on time as usual. After court, he went directly to Consort Li's palace. When Emperor Yuanwu arrived at Chuxiu Palace, Consort Li had already woken up and was taking medicine. When she saw Emperor Yuanwu, tears fell involuntarily.

Knowing she would never be able to have children again, Consort Li was moved to tears when Emperor Yuanwu still came to visit her.

After Emperor Yuanwu learned that he had left the previous night, Shen Qingwan and Consort Jin stayed here all night to keep watch.

An imperial edict was immediately issued, promoting Consort Jin to Imperial Concubine Jin.

When Consort Jin received the imperial edict, she was stunned.

Consort Jin had no children and received no favor from the emperor, but she had served Emperor Yuanwu since the time of the Prince's residence, making her one of the elders by his side.

Although emperors are ruthless, Emperor Yuanwu still bestowed many honors upon the concubines who had followed him since he was born, which shows that he was a man who valued old friendships.

The fact that Emperor Yuanwu was tolerant of the original owner of the body shows that he was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as he appeared on the surface.

(End of this chapter)