Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

"How did he die?"

The news spread like wildfire the next day. Lin Wantang had just arrived at Jinxiu Palace when Yong'an, who was listening to the maids chatting idly, asked her out of curiosity.

The maid stepped aside, and Chunhen helped Lin Wantang to sit down. She hadn't heard the details, and was also thinking about what had happened last night when she returned to Chentingxuan. She had done something wrong, so she felt a little guilty and didn't dare to bother Wei Wujiu.

She slept in the side hall. Today was too busy. When she came out, Wei Wujiu had already gone to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with several princes.

"It seems that he was... strangled to death." The maid continued to report, her voice weaker. "The specifics are unclear. Normally, the servants in the Eastern Palace are very tight-lipped, but somehow, this matter has spread."

"Death is always a big deal." Yong'an sipped his hot tea and smiled as he gestured for Lin Wantang to try the newly made pastries on the table. "Besides, Cuihe, right? She was a concubine who had been favored by the Crown Prince, so she had a rank."

Lin Wantang took a piece of hibiscus cake, took a small bite, swallowed it, and looked at Yong'an with a hint of confusion: "What happened? Who died?"

"My sister just arrived, and I only overheard them chatting. Apparently, she was a concubine in the Eastern Palace named Cuihe. She was quite pretty and was favored by the Crown Prince, but for some reason, she strangled him to death last night."

Yong'an still harbored resentment towards Shen Huai'an, and his words inevitably carried a sarcastic and gloating tone.

"It's not a big deal, but it just happens to be in that period of time." Yong'an found it more and more interesting and said with a smile, "Oh, how could I forget? Brother Crown Prince is still being punished. This is really... adding insult to injury."

Once the twelfth lunar month arrived, the emperor could no longer be intimate with his concubines until the first lunar month, after which everything could resume as usual. This was the emperor, the supreme ruler, and what about the crown prince? Could he possibly surpass the emperor? He was intimate with his concubines during the year and even strangled one of them.

This was a crime that the emperor couldn't help but punish.

Lin Wantang raised an eyebrow slightly, continuing to eat the hibiscus cake with a normal expression, but inwardly she thought coldly, "Serves him right, Shen Huai'an."

It was his own doing.

Who told his father to poison Wei Wujiu and Lin Rucong? The son inherited his father's mistake, but the poison Lin Wantang used was superficial and not easily detected. It was not fatal; it only caused people to become mentally confused and insane for a few hours.

Who would have thought that Shen Huai'an would kill one of his concubines at this time?

Lin Wantang had originally thought that as the poison took effect in Shen Huai'an's body, his occasional violent temper would eventually reach the emperor's ears. This would at least restrain Shen Huai'an from making a comeback and also make the emperor think that what he said was just gossip.

Unexpectedly, he really did bring this upon himself...

Yong'an was unaware of these things, but he was happy to see Shen Huai'an suffer. After talking with Lin Wantang for a while, the two of them rode together in a sedan chair to Chengqian Palace.

Yesterday was the beginning of spring. Today, the emperor will preside over the sealing of seals and the ceremony of personally plowing the fields in the outer court, while the empress will preside over the ceremony of personally silkworm rearing in the inner palace.

The silkworm altar has been opened, and the silkworm-raising ceremony has begun.

The Empress's phoenix-shaped ceremonial carriage led the way, adorned with gilded phoenix palanquins, feather fans, palace lanterns, and a long procession of ceremonial guards. Bells jingled softly, and incense burners cleared the path, creating a grand and imposing procession that exuded imperial grandeur.

Afterwards, the concubines lined up according to their rank, dressed in magnificent court robes and brocade skirts that trailed on the ground. Their blue, red, and purple palace attire was strung together to form a magnificent long scroll. They helped their maids into the sedan chairs, and the ceremonial procession proceeded one after another.

The princess's retinue was second only to the county princesses, followed by the wives of princes and nobles, their jade pendants and hairpins reflecting the sunlight, arranged in order of seniority.

The procession of over a thousand people marched along the imperial road to the foot of the silkworm altar, where they stood in orderly rows, their steps perfectly synchronized, and not a single whisper could be heard.

"Offering to the gods..."

As the female official arrived with a loud voice, everyone performed the three kneelings and nine prostrations according to their rank, and then offered incense, silk, and wine to the Silkworm Goddess in turn.

The female official was also loudly reciting a prayer, wishing for a bountiful harvest and national peace and prosperity.

The female official knelt down again and presented the empress with a golden hook and a colorful basket. The maidservant helped the empress to the mulberry grove beside the altar. As the female officials sang the mulberry picking song, the empress personally picked three mulberry leaves and put them into the basket.

The remaining concubines, each holding a silver or copper hook, also began picking mulberry leaves in turn. Just as it was the silkworm mothers' turn to pick the last leaves, Sanxi came running from afar in a panic, kneeling down hastily: "Your Majesty the Empress..."

The Empress's face darkened, and immediately an old nanny approached Sanxi, angrily scolding, "What's the panic? What are you shouting for? No manners at all! Can't you see what's going on...?"

"Granny, please don't be angry. This servant has no other choice. His Majesty... His Majesty suddenly fell off the altar and is now unconscious!"

The old woman was stunned. She had never heard of such an emergency before. In a panic, she forgot that she was still bowing and hurriedly bowed to the Empress's side, whispering her report.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's face changed instantly. If it weren't for the maidservant beside her supporting her, she would have almost fainted. She barely managed to calm herself down, and after the silkworm harvest was completed and the ceremony was finished, she hurriedly gave a few words of praise. Her face was so pale that she was almost unrecognizable.

He then hastily prepared his carriage and, accompanied by several high-ranking concubines, went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The remaining guests were entertained and socialized by Princess Anyang. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she invited them to move to Changle Palace, where she instructed the palace staff to expedite preparations and host a banquet.

After finishing all that, An Yang slowly helped her maid toward the ceremonial procession. Glancing at Yong An and Lin Wantang beside her, she didn't try to hide her feelings and sighed, "What kind of mess is this? The ceremony had just ended, and the Empress was already hurriedly leaving with her entourage."

Who will clean up this mess?

An Yang wouldn't bother with these things if it weren't for the dignity of the royal family, but she was still the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, and she was also the eldest sister of the previous Emperor Jing.

The true legitimate lineage has always looked down on Emperor Shen Hu, considering him a traitor and a mere upstart. They also believe that the current empress is incapable of achieving anything and is in no way comparable to Empress Xiaowen of the previous dynasty.

"A den of snakes and rats..."

An Yang muttered something under his breath, but no one else could hear him.

Standing at the back, Lin Wantang didn't hear anything, but by observing the expressions, she sensed An Yang's dissatisfaction with the Emperor and Empress. She thought that perhaps she could win over this eldest princess and maybe help support the sixth prince's succession to the throne.

Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether the sixth prince's birth mother was indeed a princess from the previous dynasty.

Even if they are, they are not direct descendants of the previous dynasty.

Ultimately, his legitimacy was questionable, and even if he were to be supported to succeed to the throne, it wouldn't be considered a restoration of the previous dynasty.

If the rumored crown prince from the previous dynasty were still alive, that would be wonderful.

Lin Wantang pondered for a moment, then sighed with emotion and boarded the sedan chair with Yong'an, heading together to Chang Le Palace.

On the way, Yong'an couldn't stay still. She sent her maid to gather information, and then had the maid get into the sedan chair. She whispered back, "Princess, Miss, what I found out may not be true, but I only heard that His Majesty was... enraged after hearing that the Crown Prince had killed a concubine. He originally intended to preside over the ceremony first, but... his ailing body couldn't hold up."