The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

"Your Majesty, look, Qiu Le said that the clothes for newborn babies are all a bit too big, but when I compare them, I feel that this bellyband is too small. I wonder what it would look like for the baby." Her eyes were gentle and soft, turning slowly, as if she was thinking about that scene.

Xiao Yu's heart softened suddenly, a gentle warmth spreading through him. He also imagined their child wearing this bib, and a sweet smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He looked up at Ning Shuyan, and Ning Shuyan met his eyes. Their eyes met, and he felt as if something soft and yielding had brushed against his heart.

That must be a lovely child, just like her.

Xiao Yu reached out his hand, and Ning Shuyan placed her hand in his palm, letting Xiao Yu pull her onto his lap.

Xiao Yu gently placed his hand on her lower abdomen; his palm was large and wide, almost covering her entire belly. He said softly, "Yan'er will definitely be a very good mother."

In his memory, no concubine had ever cared for and looked forward to the child in her womb with such tenderness and anticipation. Even though her embroidery was not very good, she still wanted to do her part as a mother.

Ning Shuyan was momentarily stunned to be called "Yan'er," and looked up at him, saying, "At home, my aunt also called me 'Your Majesty' like that."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and said softly, "May Your Majesty call me 'Your Majesty' for the rest of your life?"

"Okay!" He smiled gently and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Ning Shuyan leaned against her, a meaningful smile flashing across her lips.

Now is a better opportunity to deepen their relationship, and she is determined to make good use of the "child" in her womb to increase her status in Xiao Yu's heart.

What's important to her is that she wants Xiao Yu to personally look forward to this child's future.

She wanted to give Xiao Yu the child he had been eagerly anticipating, but he lost it right before his eyes.

She wanted to make him feel heartbroken and guilty!

If you want a man to have you in his heart, you have to make him feel sorry for you, feel pain for you, and even feel heartbroken for you. If the latter happens, then you've truly fallen in love.

Now that Xiao Yu has done this, he definitely doesn't want to go back to Zhaochen Palace.

Yang An, naturally, was also good at reading people's expressions, so he didn't come in to remind the Emperor that he had summoned Consort Xue to serve him tonight.

Since Consort Zhuang failed to persuade the Emperor to leave Consort Ning's palace last time, it's clear how low Consort Ning's standing is in the Emperor's eyes. Why should he risk offending Consort Ning by reminding the Emperor?

That's not worth it! Most importantly, Lady Xue isn't worth it.

The next day, when Ning Shuyan went to Fengqi Palace to pay her respects, she saw Lady Xue ahead of her from afar. She believed that Lady Xue had also noticed her, but was probably angry or embarrassed, so she didn't wait for her to pay her respects together.

That's good. Now that we've broken through this barrier, we don't need to pretend anymore.

As they approached Fengqi Palace, Consort Xi strolled in, stroking her lower abdomen. Leaving aside what others might call affectation, Ning Shuyan couldn't help but chuckle. Her belly wasn't even that big yet, and she was already gesturing like that; she was hardly that delicate. In modern times, even when they're close to giving birth, they still take the bus to get off work and climb stairs every day.

Therefore, different life environments inevitably lead to different lives.

Xi Jieyu watched Xue Yunu walk away and curled her lips into a smile: "You stole her favor. She probably hates you now."

Ning Shuyan smiled calmly: "I'm afraid they've already come to hate me."

Xi Jieyu laughed, "I thought you two were quite close before. I always said, how could someone with your personality befriend someone so pretentious? I find Xue Yunu disgusting; who is she trying to impress with her delicate and weak demeanor?"

"Who else? Let's show it to the Emperor," Ning Shuyan said with a gentle smile.

Xi Jieyu picked up the handkerchief and chuckled softly, the long tassels rustling as she shook it.

Upon arriving at Fengqi Palace, surprisingly no one caused any trouble this time. Ning Shuyan had expected Consort Zhuang to pick a fight with her or embarrass Consort Xue.

During this time, Consort Zhuang was unusually calm, never making things difficult for herself, nor showing the slightest jealousy about her unborn child. She did, however, occasionally make a few sarcastic remarks towards Consort Xi.

Ning Shuyan increasingly suspected that Consort Zhuang was behind it all. Because she knew she was faking her pregnancy, she was neither anxious nor jealous; in fact, she was secretly excited, waiting for the day when her secret would be exposed.

Consort Zhuang slowly peeled a red tangerine with her delicate, slender fingernails, a hint of a smile in her eyes: "Your Majesty's birthday is in a few days. Will Your Majesty be able to manage all this alone? Would you like my help?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled gracefully and said gently, "It's just a simple family dinner. Du Ruo, who is by my side, is very capable, so there's no need for Consort Zhuang to trouble herself."

She slowly put the orange into her mouth, savoring it with great care. Who knew if Consort Zhuang might do something to make her spend her birthday in unease?

Consort Zhuang listened but did not continue speaking. Instead, she ate the orange in her hand with great interest.

Ning Shuyan looked at Consort Zhuang and wondered why she felt that Consort Zhuang seemed to be looking forward to the Empress's birthday celebration. Perhaps she was the one behind it all.

The Empress then said gently to Ning Shuyan, "It's a bit chilly today, Consort Ning, you should put on an extra layer of clothing. Don't catch a cold at this crucial moment."

Ning Shuyan quickly stood up and smiled, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you for your concern."

Ning Shuyan had been particularly puzzled lately. Even if the Empress was faking it, the faking was just too convincing.

Her words and actions conveyed such genuine concern that it was impossible to detect any flaws, and she would even secretly send things over every few days.

Ning Shuyan's heart skipped a beat as she realized something. If the Empress wasn't the one who drugged the child, then perhaps she intended to raise it?

That's right... I've only been a Beauty for two months, so there's no way I can be promoted again. Even if I give birth and am promoted to Consort, I still won't be one of the Nine Concubines and won't be able to raise the imperial heir. The Empress, as the legal mother, is the most qualified to raise the imperial heir.

In this palace, everyone is scheming and plotting.

Ning Shuyan gripped the orange tightly until the cool, damp sensation on her hands brought her back to her senses. She quickly divided the orange into segments to cover up her lapse in composure.

As expected, after everyone had left, the Empress said sternly to Du Ruo, "You must check all the food and decorations at the banquet carefully, and make sure there are no mistakes. Especially the food prepared by Consort Ning, I feel very uneasy, I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will personally oversee everything. The imperial heir in Consort Ning's womb is also Your Majesty's child, so I will be extremely careful."

The Empress nodded and rubbed her temples. "I always feel that Consort Zhuang is too calm. Take the last incident for example. The Emperor left Consort Zhuang at Lan Yue Pavilion. If it were in the past, Consort Zhuang would have made a huge fuss, but she only said a few sarcastic remarks to Consort Ning. This style of doing things is really not like her."

Du Ruo thought about it and agreed with what the Empress said. "This servant will thoroughly investigate everything at the banquet. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Du Ruo knew that if anything went wrong with the banquet arrangements or the food, it would more or less implicate the Empress. Therefore, she could only be extremely careful.

Unfortunately, no matter how much you try to prevent it, it's still impossible to completely prevent it...