hotmtlnovel Chapter 115
Chapter 115
it is said that servants resemble their masters. since these little palace maids and eunuchs are so kind, how could concubine zhen be bad?
certainly not.
if concubine zhen is a good person, then those who harmed her must all be bad people.
so when the xuanwu emperor summoned her, she told him everything honestly, without any bias, just the facts.
or so she believed.
originally, concubine zhen was sleeping peacefully in her chambers. jiang chuan simply didn't want the already frightened concubine zhen to get up and deal with the empress and others. as a servant thinking of his master's well-being, what wrong did he do?
but consort liang insisted he was disrespectful to the empress. not only did she slap jiang chuan, but she also kicked him, causing his forehead to bleed from hitting the ground.
when concubine zhen found out, her anger and fear were understandable.
childishly, she even said she was afraid that if consort liang became the leader of the four consorts in the future, she would often be slapped.
how pitiful.
both older maids said so, and the xuanwu emperor completely believed it.
this consort liang, who acted so affectionate with concubine zhen in public, turned out to be such a two-faced person in private.
she didn't even consider the eldest princess's feelings for concubine zhen.
what angered the xuanwu emperor most was that a mere palace consort dared to guess his intentions, firmly believing she would be the leader of the four consorts.
who gave her such confidence?
he would deliberately not let them have their way.
"emperor! emperor!" the dowager empress's grief-stricken voice rang out at the entrance of chengqian palace just as wang dequan had arranged for people to send consort shu's stillborn child out of the palace. "i want to execute concubine li! she killed my grandson. you must issue an edict to execute her immediately!"
"dowager empress..."
wang dequan had tried his best to stop her, but the dowager empress barged in regardless. he didn't dare to actually touch the dowager empress's body, and before the older maid could retreat, the dowager empress had already rushed in.
however, the dowager empress was so consumed by anger that she didn't notice the older maid quietly slipping out from behind wang dequan.
the emperor's gaze returned from the doorway, falling coldly on the dowager empress: "what benefits is mother trying to secure for consort shu this time?"
in yanqing palace, after consort de had lulled the third prince to sleep, she picked up a small belly band nearby and continued embroidering.
cui yin adjusted the oil lamp with a needle, brightening the room a bit more. she walked to the bedside: "your highness, please stop embroidering. it will strain your eyes."
consort de smiled gently and shook her head: "just half an hour more, it's no trouble."
cui yin craned her neck to look: "rose flowers? is this for concubine zhen?"
after the crabapple tree in the imperial garden was uprooted, the emperor had roses planted there. upon inquiry, it was learned that before entering the palace, concubine zhen had planted a large patch of roses in her family's courtyard.
concubine zhen loved roses, and the emperor loved concubine zhen, so the crabapple became a passing cloud, and roses became his heart's dearest love.
consort de nodded: "i don't know if she's carrying a little prince or princess, so i can only embroider two of each style. a baby's belly band is very particular. i'm using soft, fine cloud brocade as the base and embroidering with dyed silk thread. this way, it won't irritate their sensitive skin when they wear it."
a child's skin is delicate, and the slightest mistake can cause allergies and rashes, which can sometimes be life-threatening.
cui yin said with concern: "concubine zhen is so beautiful, she should give birth to several princesses to inherit her beauty. your highness, no matter how much you like concubine zhen, you must also take care of your own health."
concubine zhen should have more princesses, so their third prince would have fewer competitors.
the oldest prince in the palace now was their six-year-old third prince. the fourth prince wasn't worth mentioning, always living in the eunuchs' quarters, raised by a young eunuch. at five years old, he had barely two ounces of flesh on him, as thin as a monkey, with yellow and dark skin, looking like a little beggar.
there was also the fifth prince, who, despite his lowly birth, was being raised under the empress's care, making him undoubtedly a legitimate son.
if concubine zhen gave birth to a princess, the position of crown prince would go to either the legitimate son or the eldest son, and the third prince would have a claim either way.
but if concubine zhen gave birth to the sixth prince, their third prince would have another strong rival.
consort de smiled again: "i actually hope she has a prince, to be a companion for the third prince."
only after giving birth to a prince does one develop ambition and desire.
and only with desire and ambition can one be drawn into the power struggles of the imperial harem.
the emperor says concubine zhen is pure, but who wasn't pure before entering the palace?
it's the people in this palace who force them to become impure.
if concubine zhen were to fight tooth and nail with others in the harem for the sake of her son, would the emperor still think her pure?
"however, concubine zhen is quite a good person. she said in front of lady li that it would be better for you to be the first among the four consorts. i think lady li will surely report these exact words to the emperor."
everyone knows that lady li is the emperor's confidante.