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

The trusted nanny: ...

Who knows?

The old woman couldn't help but recall something: the second young master seemed to have said that the Zhou family's daughter was as beautiful as a fairy, but the madam just didn't believe it.

If she was truly as beautiful as an angel, and humbly claimed that her appearance was ruined in her childhood, the lady believed her and even took the initiative to cancel the marriage.

No wonder the second young master was making a scene!

Judging from the Second Young Master's attitude, he really has to have Miss Zhou!

The old woman felt utterly guilty!

Miss Zhou has already entered the palace and was even granted the title of Consort Zhen by His Majesty. She is the emperor's woman!

Second Young Master, forget about it for the rest of your life!

Before long, another servant came to report that the second young master had suddenly developed a high fever after returning from outside, and his face was almost red from the heat.

"What?"

"He must have caught a chill outside. That brat, he's not a child anymore, why is he still behaving like this?"

As he spoke, he quickly turned his head and methodically ordered someone to prepare hot soup. He also invited the family physician and personally went to his youngest son's courtyard.

Cen Shaoyuan's face was indeed flushed red from the fever.

His once carefree face was now full of vulnerability.

Madam Cen was heartbroken.

"You devil! Why are you wasting your life like this?"

"You are a piece of my flesh that I carried for ten months and gave birth to!"

"You think you're demeaning yourself? You're demeaning your mother!"

When Cen Shaoyuan saw his mother, his cheeks flushed red, but his eyes shone brightly.

"Mother, he said that Sister Mingyi has gone to the palace. How is that possible?"

"Wasn't Mingyi and I betrothed since childhood? She's my betrothed, how can she enter the palace?"

Upon hearing this, Cen's mother exclaimed, "Oh no! She's suffered brain damage from the fever!"

"What, a betrothed wife?"

"Your engagement with her was called off long ago. You are now married and have no further connection with each other."

"She's going to the palace to become a concubine, but you'll have your own path to walk from now on."

Cen Shaoyuan was suddenly provoked by these words.

"nonsense!"

"My sister Mingyi is my fiancée, my future wife. How could she possibly enter the palace as a concubine?"

"It must be because you made things difficult for her, Mother, that she broke off the engagement! Mother! You're killing your son!"

As he spoke, Cen Shaoyuan suddenly burst into tears.

Madam Cen was heartbroken when she saw this.

But she's already in the palace, what else can she do?

We can't possibly compete with the imperial family for people.

But in order to appease this devil, Madam Cen had no choice but to coax him, "Yes, yes, you're right, Mother was wrong, Mother won't do it again."

"As long as you're happy, I'll do whatever you want."

Madam Cen has been stubborn since childhood.

The only compromise was made by his two sons.

She was often so angry with her youngest son that she would stomp her feet and curse him as a devilish scoundrel, but in reality, Madam Cen knew that her youngest son was just like her.

Madam Cen originally thought that after her son had been sick and cried, he would be fine.

To everyone's surprise, the next morning, it was said that this devilish star had gone to the study to read, and actually stayed there obediently for the entire morning.

"really?"

Madam Cen stood up abruptly, refusing to even drink her tea.

Even Mrs. Jin said, "Ah Yuan has grown up, become sensible, and knows how to make progress."

Zhao Xiuyun covered her mouth with a smile, "Then can I go see my second cousin?"

Jin hurriedly said, "I'll go take a look too."

Although Jin Shi didn't say anything on the surface about her daughter's previous misfortune, she hadn't visited the Cen residence for quite some time.

Madam Cen naturally understood this as well.

Now that Zhao Xiuyun has taken the initiative to visit Cen Shaoyuan, Jin Shi immediately wants to follow, which clearly shows that she does not trust her son.

Madam Cen inwardly cried out in despair.

Now she doesn't even dare to mention those words.

Forget it, the child isn't in a hurry, so why should she be?

She has a son, so it's fine for men to marry later in life.

If the sister-in-law is truly unwilling, she will naturally find Xiuyun another marriage.

If Xiuyun has another marriage, then the matter between her husband Ayuan and Xiuyun will naturally be dropped.

……

Ever since the incident involving Consort Jin, everyone thought that Emperor Qianwu was furious and that the emperor's authority was inviolable.

Therefore, they held him in even greater awe.

But Zhou Mingyi knew this was the perfect time to curry favor.

Emperor Qianwu was an emperor, but also a fragile man who died without an heir.

He finally got a glimmer of hope he'd been longing for, only to be told it was just a joke!

Anyone would have a heart attack in this situation.

However, Emperor Qianwu was extremely imposing as an emperor, and those who offended him suffered terribly.

The emperor's majesty must not be trampled upon.

Consort Jin was beaten to death in court, her blood splattering everywhere. It is said that many timid palace maids fainted on the spot.

Zhou Mingyi did not join in the fun.

It was bloody and quite frightening.

It would remind her of some unpleasant memories from her past life.

Of course, this fawning must not offend Emperor Qianwu, and extra care must be taken.

Zhou Mingyi specifically requested the Empress Dowager's permission to go to Hanshan Temple, a royal temple outside the city, to fast for several days and pray for the emperor's well-being.

The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised and, unusually, softened her attitude towards Mingyi.

"You're so thoughtful."

The Empress Dowager did not have any particular preference for Zhou Mingyi or Jin Shi.

Upon first meeting Zhou Mingyi, the emperor felt that she was too beautiful and might not be a docile person, especially since she had a favor to ask of her brother Zhou Mingchong, which caused some discord between the emperor and the princess.

Chaoyang even personally escorted her away, yet she managed to return and even had the emperor directly bestow upon her the title of concubine.

It's clear he's quite capable.

The Empress Dowager herself suffered greatly from the infighting in the harem, so she instinctively loathed those with deep scheming minds.

However, since she personally delivered the person to the emperor's bed, the empress dowager could only turn a blind eye.

Later, when Lady Jin became pregnant, the Empress Dowager felt that Lady Jin was blessed, and that Lady Zhou was probably an accident.

Who would have thought that the Jin family would be so audacious?

Now that the Jin family has been executed, only the Zhou family remains.

The Empress Dowager no longer dared to hold any hope.

As it turned out, this Zhou family member was quite clever; she knew to temporarily avoid the limelight and even went to Hanshan Temple to pray for the emperor's well-being.

She naturally had no objection.

"When you're out and about, keep a low profile and don't cause any trouble for the emperor."

Zhou Mingyi gently agreed, "Yes, I understand."

……

A day later, in the same private room, Zhou Mingyi's status was different.

She went from a scheming young girl to the Zhenfei Consort of Emperor Qianwu.

Although she kept a low profile, the news quickly reached the Crown Prince's residence.

The prince couldn't wait and secretly went to Hanshan Temple, not forgetting to order his men to cover it up.

He had figured it out in the past few days: Consort Zhen hadn't appeared earlier or later, but she had appeared in the nearby Imperial Garden during the days he was listening to lectures at the Wenhua Hall.

And just then, he happened to see her holding a cochinchinensis bird, as if she were a celestial being.

It's clearly a deliberate attempt to seduce!

Emperor Qianwu was old, but he was still young.

The people in the harem see no hope. Zhou is still young, so why would she hang herself on Emperor Qianwu's tree?

In ancient times, there was a story of a new emperor taking his stepmother as a concubine. Zhou was as beautiful as a fairy, like a celestial being. It was a waste to be paired with that old bastard Xie Jinghong!

The Crown Prince is usually cautious, but these past few days he has been acting like a madman. As soon as he heard the news, he went to Hanshan Temple without stopping.

After dismissing the servants, he saw the face he had longed for again. This person, Crown Prince Xie Jing immediately stopped pretending.

"Your Highness Consort Zhen, Your Majesty Mother Zhen! I've been searching for you everywhere!"

Zhou Mingyi's eyes flickered, but her face showed a hint of panic. "You, Your Highness the Crown Prince... how did you get here?"

The crown prince's eyes were deep and his lips curled into a smug smile.

They kept approaching Zhou Mingyi, with an extremely aggressive air.

"Why isn't Consort Zhen staying in the palace? Why has she come to this temple on purpose?"