newbobooks Chapter 251 The Origin of Concubine Xiao
Chapter 251 The Origin of Concubine Xiao
In his past life or this life, Shen Zhinian had never heard of this person.
Where did the little prince come from?
Finally, it was Nanny Xiao who remembered and explained for Shen Zhinian: "...That one is the biological mother of the second prince."
"After His Majesty ascended the throne, he conferred titles on the six palaces. The Empress and His Majesty planned the position of the old lady in the palace. Her family background is not high, but she gave birth to the second prince, so His Majesty originally planned to confer her the title of concubine."
"Unexpectedly, the second prince died suddenly. She couldn't bear the blow and soon became crazy..."
"The imperial decree for her canonization has not been issued yet, and the ceremony of canonization has not been held yet, so she is not a proper empress. In the past, everyone only called her 'Master Xiao'. I guess it was because she gave birth to the third prince this time that people in the palace guessed the emperor's intention and called her 'Empress Xiao'."
"According to palace rules, a concubine who has gone crazy should be moved to the cold palace to recuperate. But His Majesty took pity on her and only moved her to the most remote and desolate Gyeongbokgung Palace, southeast of the harem."
"No one will care about a crazy concubine. She is destined to be forgotten. In addition, although the second prince died young, he is listed in the royal family's jade book after all. Having a crazy mother is ultimately shameful."
"Your Majesty has issued an order that no one is allowed to mention her anymore. The old people in the palace are very secretive about her. Your Majesty has not been in the palace for long, so it is normal that you don't know this person."
After listening, Shen Zhinian's eyes flashed with understanding: "So that's it..."
She pondered for a long time, analyzing each and every thing carefully, and finally came up with a rough outline in her mind.
"The methods of this Concubine Xiao are really extraordinary!"
"She probably didn't go crazy because she couldn't stand the death of the second prince. Instead, she knew she was pregnant and was afraid that the heir in her belly would be harmed like the second prince. So she pretended to be crazy and stupid, faded out of everyone's sight, and made everyone forget that there was such a person in the harem. Then she could rest assured in Gyeongbokgung Palace to take care of her pregnancy and give birth to her baby!"
As for the previous life, why had Shen Zhinian never heard of Concubine Xiao? Queen Jiang could not tolerate other women giving birth to the emperor's heir. She guessed that Queen Jiang must have discovered the clues and secretly eliminated Concubine Xiao.
In this life, because the person who entered the palace was Shen Zhinian, who had fought against Queen Jiang in advance, she no longer had the ability to make changes in the harem. Concubine Xiao escaped the disaster and successfully gave birth to the child.
"Although none of the ladies in the harem are simple, Concubine Xiao is truly unfathomable..."
Madam Xiao looked at Shen Zhinian's belly with worry in her eyes: "Your Majesty's eldest son is of noble status! I originally thought that if the queen could give birth to the emperor's eldest son, your future with the heir would be limitless!"
"But now... Concubine Xiao has been dormant for so long and brought such heavy news to the harem, which made the Third Prince take the word 'long'."
Even if the queen gave birth to a prince, although his status is noble, he is still not as good as the eldest son...
Shen Zhinian touched her belly, not worried, and said slowly: "It's Concubine Xiao's ability to give birth to a prince."
"Besides...the first prince, and then the second prince, which one of them was not the eldest son of your Majesty, but what was the final result?"
Madam Xiao was just anxious for a moment and lost her judgment. Seeing Shen Zhinian's calm appearance, she also calmed down.
"Your Majesty is right."
"Being named 'long' attracts everyone's attention, and the dangers he faces are countless times greater than those of other heirs."
"The harem's schemes are always hard to guard against. Otherwise, the eldest and second princes, with such noble status, would not have died young in the end..."
Whether or not the Third Prince can be protected is Concubine Xiao’s business, and Shen Zhinian is too lazy to worry about it.
She just felt that, whether one is the legitimate son or the eldest son, although they are extremely noble in the eyes of the world, a person's destiny is in his own hands!
Wasn't she once just a small concubine's daughter of the Shen family, neither the legitimate daughter nor the eldest daughter, yet she still climbed to her current position.
Looking through the history books, the legitimate sons and eldest sons of the royal family were indeed very noble at the beginning. But in all dynasties, how many of them were legitimate sons or eldest sons who eventually sat on the throne? Didn't they all fight for the throne based on their own abilities?
Shen Zhinian doesn't think that coming out of someone's belly or being born a few months earlier than someone else means one's status is noble. She only believes that man can conquer nature!
However... the matter that had been puzzling Shen Zhinian for the past few days finally had some clues.
"I have never been able to determine who caused the poisonous spider to bite Concubine Zhou. Now it seems..."
"Princess Xiao pretended to be crazy and hid in Gyeongbokgung Palace, but she kept an eye on the movements in the harem. She was about to give birth, so she took the opportunity to mess up the harem."
"The main lady is basically under house arrest. Everyone's attention is drawn to this matter, and no one will pay attention to her. She can ensure a safe delivery."
Shen Zhinian always thought he was good at taking advantage of troubled waters, but he didn't expect that Concubine Xiao would use this tactic to perfection!
Madam Xiao pondered and said, "Your Majesty is saying that neither Noble Lady Wen nor Noble Lady Meng is the real murderer, and Concubine Xiao is the one hiding behind it?"
Shen Zhinian put down the teacup in his hand: "Although there is no evidence, Xiao Fei is the biggest beneficiary in this matter, isn't she?"
"If Concubine Zhou had worse luck and the heir to the throne was lost, the Third Prince would have one less competitor."
Handan and others were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats!
"If your majesty's guesses are true, then Concubine Xiao is too scary!"
"You are still pregnant with the royal heir. In order to clear the way for the Third Prince, Concubine Xiao may harm you one day!"
Shen Zhinian's eyes flashed with a cold light: "Xiao Fei also needs to have this ability!"
Do you really think she is like Noble Lady Wen or Noble Lady Meng, who would allow others to scheme against her?
And... after the news spread, the person who was most anxious and restless in the harem was not her.
Shen Zhinian chose to sit back and watch the fight quietly.
The person she has to deal with now is another person!
"…Did Imperial Doctor Tang go to Wenfang Palace to check Concubine Liu's pulse?"
On the day when Concubine Zhou got into trouble, Liu Chang kept inciting everyone and begging the emperor to punish Shen Zhinian.
Did she really think that everything would be fine if she took refuge with Jiang Wange?
Shen Zhinian has reached her current position. If she can't even handle a concubine who jumps in front of her, what prestige will she have in the harem in the future? !
Yuan Bao said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician Tang said that Concubine Liu is suffering from a chronic illness and is no longer fit to serve you in bed."
Shen Zhinian raised his eyes and said, "In that case, let's inform the Jingshifang of the results of Doctor Tang's diagnosis."
"Yes!"
It doesn’t matter whether Concubine Liu is really sick or not. The Empress said she is sick, so she is sick!
If she is a smart person, she'd better behave herself in the near future, otherwise the Queen wouldn't mind confirming her illness!