The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 56 Auspicious Omen or Calamity Star?
Half a month ago.

The capital city, the imperial palace.

The Grand Eunuch read out the imperial edict in the Xihua Hall.

"It is God's destiny, the emperor decreed:

Consort Yu is virtuous, kind, and graceful, and has won my heart since entering the palace. Now I hear that Consort Yu is pregnant with the Emperor's child, a blessed omen for the nation, and I am greatly pleased. To honor her virtue and glory, I hereby bestow upon her the title of Imperial Noble Consort, granting her the privileges of an Empress, with a rank equivalent to a Deputy Empress. I hope that Imperial Noble Consort will continue to uphold the virtues of womanhood, serve as a model for the nation, and be an exemplary figure in the harem. So be it!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Congratulations, Imperial Noble Consort!

"Rewards: Each member of my Xihua Palace will receive triple their monthly allowance this month, and there will be even greater rewards after I successfully give birth to the prince."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort."

The entire palace was caught off guard by Consort Yu's pregnancy.

Emperor Beiwen did not have many children.

Since the wedding, the emperor had at least 800 to 3000 concubines, yet he only had six princesses and two princes.

The princesses all grew up smoothly and became his tools for winning over powerful families through marriage alliances.

However, the eldest prince born to the late empress died young at the age of five.

When Emperor Beiwen was thirty-five years old, he became drunk and took advantage of a palace maid.

This palace maid was quite lucky; she became pregnant with the emperor's child on her very first try.

The palace maid was just an ordinary palace maid without any powerful connections.

During pregnancy, no matter how careful you are, you may still be repeatedly targeted.

The second prince was born after only seven months in her womb.

The palace maid suffered severe bleeding on the very day she completed her mission of giving birth.

The poor second prince, who can't even eat properly, is already drinking medicinal soup.

She never left her wet nurse's arms before the age of three.

As he got older, his health showed no signs of improving.

The diagnosis given by the head of the Imperial Medical Academy was that he would not live past thirty, and it would be impossible for him to have any offspring.

That's why he's still alive.

Every year, ministers would submit countless remonstrances, requesting Emperor Beiwen to adopt a son from the imperial clan.

When the old emperor was pushed to the limit, he would clamor to expand his harem and select concubines.

They even specifically requested the legitimate daughter.

No one's legitimate daughter is born of thin air!

Even for the eldest daughter of a prominent family, marriage alliances require careful consideration of the pros and cons.

The two sides have been at odds for many years, but neither has achieved their goal.

Five years ago, the old emperor issued another decree.

He brought his married princesses and his own sons (his grandsons) to the palace to study.

The civil officials and aristocratic families were all stunned by his outrageous actions.

Is this to select an heir from among the princesses' children?

The princess's bloodline is also that of a noble family!

It can be said that during these five years, the aristocratic families' tolerance for the old emperor reached its highest point in history.

Meanwhile, they fought each other privately, resulting in a bloody brawl.

They all wanted the next emperor to be legitimately their own.

During these five years, Grand Eunuch Nian firmly grasped the old emperor's Dragon Shadow Guard and the harem.

Only after he had fully gained power did he dare to plan this "borrowing a seed to have a child" scheme.

The happiest person about Yu Linglong's pregnancy was Emperor Beiwen himself.

Who would willingly pass the throne to a grandson who is only half a nobleman?
What does it mean that the Imperial Noble Consort could still get pregnant?
This means that the longevity pill he took had a miraculous effect!
As long as he works hard, the prince can have a few more children!

He earnestly instructed Chief Steward Nian: "Transfer fifty Dragon Shadow Guards to the Imperial Noble Consort's service, and make sure that the Imperial Noble Consort gives birth to the prince smoothly."

The head eunuch respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant will definitely protect Xihua Palace well. If the Empress's imperial offspring suffers even the slightest mishap, this servant will twist off his head and give it to you as a chamber pot!"

"Hahaha, good, good!!!"

The old emperor in the palace was overjoyed to have a son late in life.

The rewards flowed to the Xihua Palace like a stream.

The heads of the princess's residence and various noble families could no longer sit still!
For the past few years, they've been like a bunch of dogs, fighting and arguing over a bone, but none of them have gotten a single bite.

As a result, the owner suddenly took the basin away from them.

Who can bear this?

In an instant, the business capital was in turmoil.

Princess Ling'an looked down on those powerful and ambitious families.

He said to his son-in-law:

"She'll still be eight or nine months pregnant. So many people are eyeing the Imperial Noble Consort's belly; we can't be the first to stick our necks out!"

The prince consort echoed:
“The princess is right! Besides, who says that everyone born is a prince? How much does a baby have to go through to grow up? Our Yi’er is about to get married, and he is a rare talent in both literature and martial arts.”

When Princess Ling'an spoke of her eldest son, her eyes were filled with pride: "Yi'er has been taught by his grandfather since he was a child, so his knowledge and martial arts skills are naturally excellent!"

Princess Ling'an married into the Yang family of Shangdu, an old and prestigious family with a history spanning thousands of years and an unfathomable heritage.

The Yang family has produced countless capable ministers and officials.

They didn't have the aloofness and arrogance of other aristocratic families; they were very adaptable.

They chose the most handsome and emotionally intelligent member of the family to marry the princess.

The princess's child was given to the head of the family to raise personally as soon as it was weaned.

Yang Yi was already twelve years old when he was sent to the palace. He was an age where he understood everything and always put the interests of the Yang family first.

Compared to the sons of the other princesses, his cultural literacy, shrewdness, and martial prowess were outstanding.

Therefore, the more critical the situation, the less the Yang family dared to lose their composure.

I'm afraid that I might accidentally become someone else's weapon.

They didn't do it themselves, but they did plenty of stirring up trouble.

The Imperial Noble Consort has only been promoted for less than half a month.

The city was hit by the heaviest rainstorm in its history, which lasted for more than ten days.

The rain was getting heavier and showed no signs of stopping.

What worries the people of Shangdu the most is that the Zhuohe River is less than a hundred miles away from the imperial city.

The Zhuohe River was also one of the most troublesome water conservancy projects for successive dynasties.

The dikes breached every year, and were repaired every year.

Even Shangdu has a history of being flooded several times.

But those things happened more than a hundred years ago.

The people are worried and have many concerns.

"We haven't seen such a heavy rain in a century. Could it be a year of famine?"

"Who says otherwise? There's hardly any rain this spring. Last month, there was even a hailstorm in Daming Prefecture, which killed many people and livestock. Now there are continuous downpours. This year is probably going to be tough."

"Haven't you heard? The Heavenly Calamity Star has entered the world. Its destiny is incomparably noble. Every time the Heavenly Calamity Star is born, it will be accompanied by natural disasters."

"What kind of fate is truly incomparably noble? My God, that's not it."

"So the Imperial Noble Consort's baby is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Calamity Star, the one who brought hail and torrential rain! If he is born, will we common people have any chance of survival?"

"Heh, how can the lives of us lowly commoners be compared to those of a prince? What if a million residents of Shangdu were to be buried with him? The kingdom of Bei cannot fall into the hands of outsiders!"

"How can a princess's descendant be considered an outsider? She has half of the royal blood!"

"How can a fetus whose sex is still unknown be more important than the people of a nation?"

"It's the best, it's the best"

(End of this chapter)