A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Xie Jing returned to the Eastern Palace, still absent-minded.

As usual, the Crown Princess told him some trivial matters about the Eastern Palace.

For example, which women in the backyard are pregnant, and what kind of clothing and jewelry they possess.

Xie Jing was always gentle and refined in public, and rarely showed any impatience.

The Crown Princess is the daughter of a high-ranking official. She is dignified and beautiful. As the Crown Princess, she has borne him children and managed the affairs of the Eastern Palace. She has always been diligent.

Xie Jing treated her in a way that was somewhat different from others.

This is his wife.

But now, his mind is in turmoil.

On one side was a peerless beauty, seemingly a celestial being; on the other, there was her fantasy of entanglement with Emperor Qianwu in the harem. Xie Jing recalled what he thought... He felt both ashamed and angry, yet a trace of delusion inevitably arose within him...

This stunning beauty is none other than the currently sought-after Consort Zhen.

That was truly unexpected.

If he were the emperor, then... The thought of this possibility plunged the crown prince into uncontrollable delusion.

To Xie Jing, the Crown Princess's words at that moment were like annoying mosquitoes.

"Buzzing..."

Xie Jing waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, you can handle these trivial matters in the inner palace yourself. You don't need to report every little detail to me."

After speaking, he walked away.

With the pent-up desire within him burning fiercely, Xie Jing was eager to find someone in the backyard to vent his anger, and naturally had no patience to listen to the Crown Princess's report on the trivial matters of the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Princess was left stunned for a moment, her eyes suddenly reddening.

The maidservant beside the Crown Princess dared not speak.

The Crown Princess took a deep breath, and her eyes suddenly darkened.

"Where did the Crown Prince go today? Did anyone say anything to him before that? You must report to me in detail."

The trusted nanny hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

……

Zhou Mingyi had no idea that because of her whim, a certain beauty in the Eastern Palace's backyard would suffer misfortune.

The Crown Prince was eager to find someone to vent his anger on, so the person he sought out naturally became a thorn in the side of the Crown Princess.

Even knowing this, Zhou Mingyi did not feel guilty.

The Crown Prince's harem was, in some ways, far more competitive and brutal than Emperor Qianwu's harem.

Because it's "alive" over there.

If Emperor Qianwu were to pass away and the Crown Prince were to succeed him, these women of the Eastern Palace, if they had children to rely on, might very well have a chance to compete for that high position in the future.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious.

Emperor Qianwu died without an heir, and the concubines in the harem fought and fought, but without children, it all came to nothing.

Since ancient times, imperial favor has been fleeting, and beauty fades easily. Who can obtain the emperor's favor for long?

Without children, there is no future.

There's no point in arguing about it.

Only people like Consort Chen and Consort Jin are still fighting for that last glimmer of hope.

Consort Chen deeply loved Emperor Qianwu, and since she had Princess Chaoyang, she thought that if she could get pregnant the first time, she could get pregnant the second time, the third time... Even if she was disappointed again and again, she would never give up.

Jin Baolin was acting on the prophecy of the abbot of Hanshan Temple.

She thought she was the chosen one.

But His Majesty was so valiant that Jin Baolin could not withstand it more than a few times before fainting, and thus did not get any enjoyment from it.

What kept her going was the endless stream of rewards, including gold, silver, jade, and other precious things.

Today, the Empress Dowager summoned Mingyi and Jin Baolin to inquire about their health.

The so-called "peaceful pulse" refers to what the Empress Dowager cared about most—her offspring.

These two women from Hanshan Temple were summoned by the Empress Dowager frequently after entering the palace a month ago. Whenever they entered the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace, there was nothing else to do but the imperial physician take their pulses.

To ensure that the pregnancy is discovered as soon as possible, and to avoid any oversights due to the fact that the woman has never been pregnant before and therefore does not know that she is pregnant, which could lead to any accidents.

It must be said that the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianwu were almost driven mad by their desire for an heir.

Zhou Mingyi entered the Cining Palace, where Jin Baolin was already waiting.

When Shiliu, who was following behind Zhou Mingyi, saw Jin Baolin, she was taken aback. She immediately pursed her lips to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Zhou Mingyi frowned slightly, and Shi Liu immediately pursed her lips even tighter, looking very serious.

She then turned to bow to the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you good health and long life!"

The Empress Dowager's voice was neither warm nor cold: "Get up."

As soon as Zhou Mingyi stood up, she subconsciously looked at Jin Baolin and realized where the source of Shiliu's almost uncontrollable laughter had come from.

Jin Baolin had truly woven the words "wealth and honor" into a mobile dressing case.

She wore a bright red robe embroidered with gold peonies, so vibrant it was almost blinding; the gold was dazzlingly bright.

She was even wearing a satin vest embroidered with butterflies in a vibrant green color, the contrasting red and green making one's eyelashes twitch.

Looking up, it's even more incredible.

On a single golden-threaded bun, one could almost turn it into a jewelry shop.

The front is adorned with a peony headdress in gold and kingfisher feathers, with bright hairpins on both sides, a full crown inlaid with large rubies on top, and heavy gold lotus leaf hairpins hanging from the back.

That wasn't all; she also had many velvet pomegranate flowers tucked into her temples, and a pair of gold gourd earrings the size of a fist hanging from her ears.

As they moved, their jade pendants jingled and tinkled, and their golden jewels and brightly colored headdresses created a truly lively scene!

It was as if she was afraid others wouldn't know she had recently gained favor and received a stipend.

In contrast, Mingyi appears to be too "simple".

She was still wearing a sky-blue, dark floral-patterned, stand-up collar cardigan.

The turquoise was extremely pale, like the sky after a rain shower, or like the spring waters of Jiangnan.

She wore a moon-white brocade skirt with silver threads, the hem of which was embroidered with sparse magnolia branches in light gold thread. As she walked, a faint shimmer of color would flow through her, like moonlight gently cascading down.

She wore her hair in a simple and elegant updo, with only a lotus-shaped hairpin made of mutton-fat jade at the center, which was flawless and had a gentle luster.

A few small pearl hairpins adorn the sides, like morning dew clinging to the hair.

She wore a pair of jade gourd earrings, small and exquisite, swaying gently with her steps.

She wore a translucent jade bracelet on her wrist, with excellent clarity, which made her fair wrist appear even more like snow.

From head to toe, there was not a trace of noise, only the interweaving of blue, white and jade colors, like a light ink painting, exuding a noble air in silence.

The beauty lies not in its dazzling appearance, but in its charm.

One must calm down and savor it carefully to perceive that elegance and composure that permeates to the core.

The Empress Dowager didn't initially think there was anything wrong with Jin's flamboyant manner.

Young people should dress in bright colors; it looks festive.

But this comparison immediately reveals the difference in quality.

This Jin woman was, after all, just an ignorant peasant girl who was a bit too flamboyant.

However, the Empress Dowager no longer cares about these things.

As long as she could bear children, she could accept even if Jin Baolin were a bit more vulgar.

Once everyone had arrived, she said to the imperial physician, "Let's begin."

Zhou Mingyi looked at him and realized he was an unfamiliar imperial physician.

This imperial physician was quite perceptive.

Despite her simple and elegant attire, Consort Zhen held a higher rank than Consort Jin. He bowed and stepped forward to take Consort Zhou's pulse first.

"Your humble servant, Liu E of the Imperial Medical Academy, is here to inquire about the health of Consort Zhen."

Zhou Mingyi glanced at the Empress Dowager, who had no objection, so naturally she had no objection either.

She nodded, sat down, and spread out her slender wrist.

Physician Liu immediately placed a plain gauze handkerchief on her and gently draped it over her, then asked her some questions about her diet in detail.

"Has Your Majesty lost your appetite lately?"

The Empress Dowager suddenly raised her eyes.