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

After speaking, he suddenly met the prince's scarlet eyes.

Feeling guilty, the Crown Princess instinctively lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

If it weren't for her jealousy, which attracted Emperor Qianwu and Princess Chaoyang, he would never have been reprimanded like this.

To everyone's surprise, Emperor Qianwu pondered for a moment and then asked, "What is your name? Where do you work?"

The palace maid said, "This servant is Qingliu. I sweep and clean the east wing of Chang Le Palace. Today is Her Highness the Princess's birthday, and the main hall is short-staffed, so the Noble Consort transferred me here."

"This servant is guilty! This servant shouldn't have drunk alcohol and caused trouble!"

The prince was speechless and unable to defend himself.

This palace maid was eloquent, yet every word she uttered was logical and well-founded.

Who could have arranged this on purpose?

For some reason, Xie Jing thought of Zhou Mingyi.

That audacious woman.

But this palace maid is from Chang Le Palace.

Chang Le Palace was the residence of Consort Chen.

After entering the palace, Zhou Mingyi received constant favor and even moved into Weiyang Palace, which Consort Chen had always wanted to live in.

Zhou Mingyi had only been in the palace for a short time, so how could she possibly have bribed the palace maids of Chang Le Palace?

Is it really just a coincidence?

The crown prince was quickly calculating in his mind, but Emperor Qianwu only pondered for a moment before saying:

"The palace maid Qingliu is bestowed upon the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess looked up at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief.

Princess Chaoyang chuckled softly instead.

"Your Highness is blessed; you have gained another beauty."

"It's just that my brother, the Crown Prince, has poor taste..."

Chaoyang paused for a moment, "Perhaps it's because you've seen so many noble ladies like your sister-in-law that you find palace maids so special?"

The prince felt a chill run down his spine.

Emperor Qianwu's attitude and Princess Chaoyang's ridicule made him think a lot.

Did Emperor Qianwu discover his behind-the-scenes contact with court officials?

What did Princess Chaoyang mean by saying these things?

Was it simply mockery? Or was there some other deeper meaning?

Is saying he's seen many noble ladies like the Crown Princess a way of giving him a warning?

Was this Chaoyang's own idea, or was Emperor Qianwu using the princess's words to admonish him?

However, Emperor Qianwu personally issued an edict to bestow this woman upon him, and the crown prince dared not disobey.

"Thank you for your consideration, Father!"

……

The Eastern Palace.

The Crown Princess was deathly pale and dared not utter a word.

Facing Aoyagi, his eyes were filled with resentment, but he dared not do anything.

At this moment, the Crown Princess understood.

She definitely messed it up.

The Crown Prince's drunken entanglement with a lowly palace maid could have been dismissed as a minor transgression of romantic escapades.

Now that the emperor has personally issued an edict to grant this woman a title, it is tantamount to nailing this disgraceful matter to the imperial genealogy and announcing it to the world.

Wouldn't this be announcing to the world that the Crown Prince is morally deficient?

After much deliberation, the Crown Princess finally made up her mind, "Your Highness, perhaps I should give this woman..."

She made a gesture, her expression resolute.

The crown prince gave a cold laugh.

"She was bestowed upon me by the Emperor himself. Do you want the world to laugh at me for disobeying my father and being narrow-minded?"

The Crown Princess immediately shut her mouth.

"Then Your Majesty..."

The Crown Prince's eyes were filled with gloom. "Since you were bestowed upon me by the Emperor, you should stay here and eat and drink well. You are the mistress of the Eastern Palace, so don't disappoint me again."

The Crown Princess was startled, realizing that the Crown Prince was giving her a warning.

She could only swallow her anger and say, "Yes, I understand."

……

Weiyang Palace.

Zhou Mingyi was practicing calligraphy at his desk when a small sparrow flew in through the window. He had just finished writing one character when a sparrow flew in.

Upon seeing this, Shiliu exclaimed, "Huh? Where did this bird come from?"

Zhou Mingyi waved her hand, "You can go down now. Perhaps it got lost and flew in by mistake."

"I will do it myself, so as not to hurt it."

Shi Liu immediately obeyed and withdrew.

They even considerately closed the door gently.

Zhou Mingyi wrote another character.

Her brother taught her to write, step by step.

Zhou Mingyi hadn't practiced much before, mainly for the sake of making a living.

She wanted to make more embroidery to earn more money and save a large sum of money for her brother. When her brother got married and brought his wife into the family, everything would cost money.

The elder brother said that he was a man, and if he were to marry, he would have to use his sister's hard-earned money, so it would be better not to get married at all.

But Zhou Mingyi was already used to it; she was used to picking up needles and thread while sitting at home.

Unexpectedly, after being reborn, this habit was changed.

She had long since grown accustomed to handling needles and thread while living in the palace.

Those hands, usually used to embroidering colorful pieces, were now accustomed to holding a pen.

The little bird seemed completely unafraid of people, and actually perched on her desk, its bright eyes darting around before it pecked at the inkstone.

The tiny beak was immediately covered in ink.

Zhou Mingyi gazed at the small, agile creature, marveling at it.

Then, as agreed beforehand, a blank sheet of paper was taken out.

The little creature then used its ink-covered beak to poke around on the blank paper a few times.

After a while, words appeared on the blank paper: "Enter the Eastern Palace as a concubine."

Zhou Mingyi appeared calm on the surface, but she was still surprised inside.

Even though he had witnessed Aoyagi's methods in his previous life.

They were even able to tame birds and beasts.

Several days ago, Zhou Mingyi rescued a woman who was being punished near Changle Palace.

The palace maid, who called herself Qingliu, was punished with thirty strokes of the cane for accidentally knocking over Consort Chen's glass cup and was sent to a side hall.

Zhou Mingyi discovered that this woman was actually a concubine in the Crown Prince's palace in her previous life.

The concubines in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace actually came from Chang Le Palace.

So, was Qingliu's entry into the Eastern Palace in her previous life an accident, or the result of her own planning?

If it was obtained through planning, Aoyagi must have had his own purpose.

Zhou Mingyi used the system's methods to subdue Qingliu and make her work for him. He also set up this scheme specifically for Princess Chaoyang's birthday.

They were willing to use themselves as bait.

Xie Jing, undeterred by his lustful desires, was indeed fooled.

Her plan succeeded.

The price she paid was that she caught a chill after falling into the water and had a high fever for several days.

Zhou Mingyi did not take any specific medication.

He deliberately allowed his illness to progress rapidly on the night of Princess Chaoyang's birthday.

……

On the day of Princess Chaoyang's birthday banquet, Emperor Qianwu bestowed the palace maid upon the Crown Prince, confirming that Crown Prince Xie Jing had committed moral failings, and was in a very good mood.

He naturally grants his daughter's every wish, no matter how much she begs.

"Father, today is my birthday. Why don't you stay and not leave?"

Consort Chen also took the opportunity to say gently, "Yes, Chaoyang is right. When I was pregnant with Chaoyang, Your Majesty came to my palace every day."

"But these days, you haven't come for quite some time."

Her tone was indeed somewhat mournful.

Emperor Qianwu glanced at Princess Chaoyang, then at Consort Chen.

Just as she was about to soften her stance and agree, Fuquan said, "Your Majesty, Consort Zhen has probably drunk too much wine and caught a chill, causing her to develop a high fever and talk nonsense..."

Emperor Qianwu immediately stood up.

"I'll go take a look."

Consort Chen: ...

Princess Chaoyang immediately grabbed Emperor Qianwu's arm. "Father! Consort Zhen is ill, so there are imperial physicians. You're not an imperial physician, what use would you be if you went?"

Consort Chen immediately replied, "Yes, Chaoyang is right."

Consort Chen glared fiercely at Fuquan, thinking, "This dog really has no sense of propriety at all!"

His Majesty is currently in her palace, but has been abducted by Consort Zhen. What authority will she have left in the palace?

This Consort Zhen is truly her nemesis!

What a cunning scheme!

However, relying on her youth and the fact that she had just entered the palace, and that His Majesty still had some interest in her, he actually dared to snatch her away from her on the day of the princess's birthday banquet.

They were incredibly audacious, completely disregarding her!

Although Consort Chen was always jealous of Consort Zhou, she was still unable to stop her from entering the palace because of the rumors of her being the "woman of destiny" and because Chaoyang had even laid a hand on that woman.

She has been enduring it all.

But given the current situation, if she were to be abducted by His Majesty, Consort Chen would truly not tolerate it!

She quickly said to Fuquan, "Consort Zhen is ill! Go and fetch the imperial physician! What are you waiting for?"

Fuquan naturally understood the intentions of Consort Chen and Princess Chaoyang.

but……

He finally said, "Yes, then this servant will go and see Consort Zhen on His Majesty's behalf."

Emperor Qianwu nodded.

Consort Chen and Princess Chaoyang exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of smugness in each other's eyes.

Does this Consort Zhen really think she's unique?

His Majesty is simply looking for something new.

Today is the princess's birthday, and His Majesty must not be asked to leave under any circumstances.

Not anyone!

That night, Emperor Qianwu stayed at Consort Chen's palace.

No matter how hard Consort Chen tried, Emperor Qianwu remained unmoved.

"Today is Chaoyang's birthday. You've been preparing for so long, thank you for your hard work."

Consort Chen replied sweetly, "I'm not tired at all."

"It is my honor to have given birth to a princess for Your Majesty. I am overjoyed to see her grow up safely. My only regret is that I was unable to give birth to a prince for Your Majesty."

As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Emperor Qianwu, her gaze carrying a hint of coquettish suggestion.

But Emperor Qianwu, looking at her bulging waist, insisted on using a belt to tighten it...

He was afraid she would suffocate from being strangled...

The fine lines at the corners of my eyes and the bald patches of hair on the sides of my ears made me feel utterly bored.

He simply patted her hand in silence, and the two continued to lie down fully clothed.

Consort Chen: ...

"Your Majesty, for years I have been taking fertility-enhancing medicine specially prepared for me by the Imperial Hospital. Since I have given birth to a princess for Your Majesty, perhaps..."

Emperor Qianwu interrupted her.

"I am very pleased that my beloved consort has shown such kindness."

"But..." His voice was low and cold, "My beloved concubine is getting older, and her body may no longer be suitable for bearing children."

"I cannot bear to see my beloved concubine suffer."

"There are plenty of young concubines in the palace."

The implication is that, if possible, the hardships of conception should be endured by younger palace women.

You're getting old, go wash up and go to bed.

Consort Chen: ...

Although Consort Chen came from an ordinary background, she was still a noblewoman.

Since Emperor Qianwu has said so, how could she possibly go all out and make any seductive moves?

She was so ashamed and furious that she barely slept all night.

When I woke up early the next morning, Emperor Qianwu had already left.

The bed beside him was empty, without a trace of warmth.

Consort Chen had dark circles under her eyes, like a panda's.

Granny Chen was immediately startled.

"Your Majesty! This... His Majesty is far too unrestrained. At your age, how can you possibly withstand such temptation..."

Before he could finish speaking, Consort Chen's cold and sharp eyes swept over him.

"You mean, I'm getting old?"

"Even you think I'm too old?"