newbobooks Chapter 119 Provocation
Chapter 119 Provocation
"Well... Sister Shufei is so beautiful. I just pray that she will give birth to a beautiful little princess."
Concubine Hua was so embarrassed that she wanted to run back to the main hall.
This piece of cloth was written by An Lingrong at night out of jealousy when she announced her pregnancy at a palace banquet, hoping that she would give birth to a girl.
"Then I'll borrow Sister Hua Fei's good wishes. I have a feeling that this time I'll be able to fulfill your wish."
These harmless things were not worth remembering, so An Lingrong smiled and let them go.
"Pooh, pooh, pooh! Sister Shufei, please 'pooh' it away."
"Although you already have the Sixth Prince, adding another one would be even more powerful."
"If you want to make further progress, sister, you must make plans to raise the flag as soon as possible."
Hua Fei patiently explained to her.
From Taizu to Shengzu, there has never been a noble concubine in the Han Army Banner.
She also whispered that the emperor was not favored by the empress dowager, and that most of the women brought into the palace in the past were Han army bannerwomen, so she shouldn't worry too much.
Although An Lingrong was a concubine in her previous life, no one had ever broken it down and told her all this.
Before leaving, Concubine Hua specifically told her to have more children while she was still young.
On the way back to the palace, An Lingrong felt a little relieved that she had not had time to take action.
On the morning of the second day, as soon as An Lingrong stepped into Jingren Palace, she was met with people's stares, some openly and some covertly.
What was even more strange was that Concubine Hua opposite her actually avoided her sight.
Lian Jianqiu also quickly lowered his head.
Just when she was confused, the queen came out holding her belly and explained it to her.
"Sister Hua Fei, the Queen Mother often teaches that the sisters in the harem should live in harmony."
"How could you be so angry as to dig up all the bamboos in the rear hall of Yikun Palace just because your sister, Concubine Shu, came to dig up a few bamboos?"
An Lingrong had already guessed that it was related to the small strip of cloth, from which it could be inferred that Concubine Hua had wasted a lot of cloth.
This matter was caused by her, and she could not sit idly by and watch the Queen scold Concubine Hua.
An Lingrong was about to speak when Concubine Hua, who had been dodging just now, spoke with a smile.
"Sister Empress, I've heard that 'planting bamboo at home brings happiness to your descendants.' Yesterday, I informed the Emperor to transplant the bamboo forest in Yikun Palace to the Imperial Garden."
"I pray that the sisters in the harem will soon give birth to children for the Emperor. Isn't this exactly what the Empress Dowager hopes for?"
She looked at the queen with a smile, and glanced at her belly without leaving a trace.
I kept muttering to myself: Gods and Buddhas are above me. I dare not ask for too much. I just pray that you can bless Concubine Shu to give birth to my prince safely.
The small piece of cloth in An Lingrong's hand yesterday reminded her of the stupid things she had done.
As soon as Concubine Shu left, she ordered her confidants to dig up the bamboo forest to destroy the evidence.
He went to the Yangxin Palace and used the example of transplanting flowers and trees in the past to persuade the emperor.
But what she didn't expect was that the old queen would make a fuss about this matter, intending to stir up discord between her and An Lingrong.
Seeing that Concubine Hua had a clear mind for once and made a well-reasoned rebuttal, the Queen looked at her eagerly.
"My dear sister, you are absolutely right. I also hope that you will give birth to more children for the royal family soon."
If Concubine Hua had heard this in the past, she would have been furious, but now she was glad that she didn't have the burden of a child.
"On behalf of all my sisters, I would like to thank the Queen for her teachings. I believe that all my sisters are also willing to contribute to the continuation of the family line."
Have children, have children!
She gave birth to a group of princesses, all of whom were sent far away to marry.
An Lingrong said that one must not give others any handle when doing things in the palace, so she kept repeating this in her mind every day.
"The old woman gave birth to an ugly princess...Shen Meizhuang gave birth to an ugly princess...The concubine gave birth to a fat boy..."
Concubine Hua was afraid of saying something wrong, so she deliberately left An Lingrong to the end.
The Queen followed Concubine Hua's words and encouraged everyone. After greeting the three pregnant women, she hurriedly ended the greetings.
"Jianqiu, have you retrieved the old duck from the kitchen?"
"Reporting to the Queen, Jiang Fuhai brought it back personally and has placed it in the small kitchen."
"Well, Your Majesty has been working hard lately, and he really needs to take some rest."
The emperor loved to drink the old duck soup she cooked herself, so it was not a big deal.
One day he will realize that no matter how young a woman is, she cannot compare to him who works hard for him every day.
More than half an hour later, Jianqiu came hurriedly to report.
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince Hongshi is seeking an audience outside and wants to kowtow to you before leaving the palace."
"He's thoughtful, please invite him in."
"Hongshi pays homage to the Empress."
The tall man knelt down to greet as soon as he entered the room.
He had been adopted by his eighth uncle and could no longer call the queen "Huang'e Niang".
The queen stepped forward, helped the man up, and spoke lovingly.
"I haven't seen you for a few days. Hongshi looks much more haggard."
"If Sister Qi Fei were still alive, I wonder how heartbroken she would be."
These two simple sentences made Hongshi's eyes turn red.
That day he learned that his mother had died by hitting her head against a pillar in the Yangxin Palace, and was subsequently adopted out by his furious father.
The series of bad news hit Hongshi hard and he fainted on the spot.
After waking up, he sought help from Shoukang Palace at the suggestion of his personal servant, but was told that the Empress Dowager was recuperating and could not see anyone.
The Empress Dowager had expressed her opinion, and the people in the palace regarded him as a vicious snake. Only the Empress returned her mother's dowry to him without any hesitation at this time.
Although the remaining dowry was not enough for him to live a life of extravagance for a long time, one could still see the goodwill released by Jingren Palace from it.
The queen's concern now made him ignore the rules and ask with red eyes.
"Empress Dowager, can you tell me why my mother banged her head against the pillar in the Yangxin Palace?"
The emperor issued a gag order, and those who knew the truth kept it a secret. He still doesn't know the reason.
"Hongshi, promise the Empress Dowager that you won't ask these questions again."
"You must live a good life after leaving the palace. You must not let down Concubine Qi's painstaking efforts."
The queen patted his hand lovingly.
The more she persuaded him, the more Hongshi wanted to know the reason, so he knelt on the ground and begged.
"Empress Mother, please love Hongshi once more and tell him the truth about my mother's crime!"
He kowtowed heavily.
The smile in the queen's eyes flashed away, and she sighed with heartache.
"Hongshi, stop knocking your head and get up quickly."
"Empress Dowager, do you agree?"
"I am your mother's sister, how could I bear to see her child suffer?"
"Jianqiu, help him up quickly."
"This story all started when I returned to the palace from the Old Summer Palace last year. You were seriously ill at the time, and your panicked sister, Concubine Qi, got the news from somewhere. Concubine Shu from Yonghe Palace..."
"You should all know what happened later. The Emperor confined Concubine Qi to her house for six months."
"I have pleaded for mercy on behalf of Concubine Qi, but the Emperor, who feels sorry for Concubine Shu, did not agree."
"It wasn't until a few days ago when I went to the Yangxin Palace to plead for mercy that the Emperor finally relented."
"I want Concubine Qi to regain the Emperor's favor, so I'm asking her to help organize the palace banquet."
"But I didn't expect that Qi Fei's sister, provoked by Shu Fei and Wan Fei, would take the opportunity to seek revenge at the palace banquet."
"The chaos that day caused three concubines to suffer miscarriages."
After hearing this, Hongshi felt heartbroken.