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

Logically speaking, women have no reason to participate in the affairs of the previous dynasty.

Wei Wujiu has angered the emperor, so he can only suffer the consequences himself. Hua Ershisan can ask anyone to persuade him to exonerate, but he cannot, and should not, come to Lin Wantang.

but……

Regardless of Hua Ershisan's intentions, Lin Wantang suddenly came up with a plan.

"Eunuch Jiang, I've come up with an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible. If you trust me, perhaps you could let me give it a try?"

Jiang Fulu was taken aback. He wanted to stop her, but seeing Lin Wantang's determined gaze, he was worried that Wei Wujiu might have fallen ill from kneeling in the palace all night. Caught in a dilemma, he had no choice but to let Lin Wantang give it a try, even if it seemed hopeless.

Lin Wantang said something to the little eunuch, then hurriedly returned to her courtyard, changed into a proper court dress and headdress, and Jiang Fulu had prepared a sedan chair outside. Soon, she entered the palace with the little eunuch's carriage.

Lin Wantang did not go to the Imperial Study first, nor did she let the eunuch disturb the Emperor. Instead, she went to the Qianqing Palace, reported her arrival, entered the hall to pay her respects to the Empress, and was given a seat, where they chatted for a while.

The Empress is Shen Huai'an's birth mother. Because of the marriage, Shen Huai'an felt guilty towards Lin Wantang. The Empress is also very understanding and treats Lin Wantang very well.

Especially seeing Lin Wantang addressing Shen Huai'an with the same respect as before, the Empress felt even more at ease and said, "You child, I have always seen that you are intelligent and sensible since you were little, and I was right about you."

"This marriage, although it is not meant to be between you and Huai'an, and it was all a matter of fate, Lord Wei is both talented and handsome, and holds an important position, so he is certainly a good match."

As the Empress brought up Wei Wujiu, Lin Wantang readily followed suit, quickly bringing up the matter of Wei Wujiu offending the Emperor in the Imperial Study.

The Empress was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then smiled and said, "I thought it was something important. It's just a small matter. Since it's inconvenient for you to go to the capital to meet the Emperor, I will take care of it for you."

The Empress was already dissatisfied with Shen Huai'an's insistence on promoting Lin Qinglian, but the Emperor unexpectedly agreed. This caused a rift between the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor also knew that he had wronged the Crown Prince and was looking for an opportunity to make amends to the Empress. He believed that if the Empress took the lead, the matter would be easier to handle.

Lin Wantang bowed to express her gratitude, but she couldn't let the Empress handle it alone. After a moment's thought, she remembered that the tribute had been robbed and the luminous pearl had been stolen. This had happened in her previous life as well. She recalled that Shen Huai'an had found the stolen luminous pearl on the Emperor's birthday and presented it to him, which greatly pleased the Emperor, who praised it highly.

But Lin Wantang knew that the luminous pearl was clearly stolen and hidden by Shen Huai'an.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly, and she bowed again, saying, "Your Majesty, I am neither virtuous nor talented, but I enjoy listening to stories and tales, and I am quite curious about strange and unusual things. If possible, you may allow me to try to find the stolen luminous pearl, so that it may add a joyous occasion to His Majesty's birthday celebration next month, bringing auspiciousness and blessings to our dynasty."

The Empress was surprised to hear this, then looked at Lin Wantang and asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you can find the stolen luminous pearl?"

"Your humble servant dares to offer her assistance to Governor Wei and give it her all."

Seeing her confidence, the Empress didn't say much. After agreeing, she didn't keep Lin Wantang any longer. After she left, she helped her maid and led the palace servants to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in a grand procession.

It was the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), and the Empress ordered the small kitchen to prepare a medicinal meal. The meal was kept warm by adding charcoal to a food box, but the wind was cold and the dew was heavy. Wei Wujiu had been kneeling for two hours, and his court robes were covered with a thick layer of ice crystals. Ice threads also clung to the shoulders of his civil and military robes.

"Why is it so cold?"

The Empress lowered her eyes to look at Wei Wujiu's cold and handsome face, sighing inwardly. When she saw Wei Wujiu bowing and kowtowing to her again, she waved her hand and said, "Lord Wei has always been a smart man, and with Eunuch Hua's guidance and care, how could he have come to this?"

Wei Wujiu stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a voice shrouded in cold mist: "This humble subject is foolish, this humble subject thanks Your Majesty for your mercy."

The polite words contained no truth whatsoever.

The Empress did not react, and when the palace servants relayed the message that she was to offer her remonstrance, she left her maids and servants behind and stepped into the hall.

The emperor had just woken up from a nap, drank a couple of sips of tea, and listened to the abbot chanting sutras in the outer hall. He still felt a tightness in his chest, and his complexion was rather poor.

"The Empress has arrived. No need for formalities, please sit."

"As Judge Liu said, His Majesty's health is due to overwork and excessive worry."

The Empress, concerned and distressed, did not sit down immediately. She gestured to the maid to hand the medicinal food she had brought to Hua Twenty-Three: "Seeing His Majesty working so hard these past few days, his eyes are bloodshot. It breaks my heart to see him like this."

"Your Majesty, I had the kitchen simmer this medicinal dish for eight hours according to the recipe of Imperial Physician Liu. It is neither fishy nor greasy, and is most suitable for nourishing the body. Your Majesty, you are busy with state affairs, but you must take care of your health first."

As they were speaking, Hua Niansan had already presented the medicinal meal and even served a bowl to the emperor.

The emperor nodded to the empress, cleared his throat and coughed twice before taking the food and tasting it. "Not bad, Your Majesty is very kind. I am in good health, just getting old."

Age has always been a source of anxiety for emperors. As beauties grow old and heroes fade, emperors are unwilling to relinquish power and are unwilling to grow old. In recent years, in addition to listening to Buddhist teachings from the abbot, they have also been trying to find a way to achieve immortality.

"How come His Majesty is getting old?" Hua Twenty-Three spoke up at the right time: "Both Consort Yu and Consort Mei in the palace have had their pulses checked by the imperial physicians, and both of them are pregnant."

"This old servant congratulates Your Majesty and Empress! Your Majesty, you are far from old! You are clearly very vigorous!"

The emperor was slightly surprised. He only remembered that Consort Xiaoyu was pregnant a couple of days ago, but he did not expect that Consort Mei was also pregnant.

"Really?" The Emperor's face lit up with joy, and he sighed, "A pregnancy is a good thing, and continuing the family line is of paramount importance. Otherwise, to whom should I entrust this vast empire and the people's livelihood?"

Seeing that the Empress's smile was half-hearted, Hua Ershisan continued, "Didn't Your Majesty also announce your pregnancy two months ago? Although your health was poor and you ultimately suffered a miscarriage, the Emperor and Your Majesty have a deep and loving relationship. Your Majesty knows best whether the Emperor's health is up to par, right?"

Hua Ershisan's teasing words not only struck a chord with the emperor, making him laugh heartily, but even the empress, who blushed and covered her lips with her handkerchief, still looked pleased.

Because the emperor and empress were childhood sweethearts, the empress gave birth to three sons and two daughters, making her the concubine with the most children. Although two of her sons died young due to unforeseen circumstances, the fact that the empress can now conceive again proves the emperor's affection for her.

The empress was too old to have a safe pregnancy and gave birth, which led to a miscarriage. This was not considered a scandal or taboo.

"You, so glib-tongued, all you know how to do is flatter me..." The Emperor chuckled, pretending to scold Hua Twenty-Three, but also sighed, "If only your godson were half as obedient as you!"