Chapter 67

At the end of February, the early-blooming peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the spring scenery was at its peak.

Jiang Xueyi was trimming a freshly picked bouquet of peach blossoms in the palace when Nichen informed her that Lin Wei had personally come to invite her to accompany His Majesty to Luanming Palace to visit Noble Lady Liu.

Lingxi Palace was in the Western Six Palaces, while Luanming Palace was in the Eastern Six Palaces. The distance was considerable, separated by an entire imperial garden and a pear orchard. Yet, His Majesty remembered his promise and made a special trip to Lingxi Palace to pick her up before heading to Luanming Palace.

The sunlight was bright, and the spring breeze was gentle. Apart from visiting Noble Lady Liu, it would have been a perfect day for a spring outing.

Jiang Xueyi was dressed in a pale apricot-pink palace gown, a style she seldom wore. As she stepped out, bathed in the golden rays, she exuded an extraordinary charm. His Majesty was waiting for her at the door, and not daring to waste any time, she hurried out of Lingxi Palace with her skirt in hand, her movements graceful like a flying butterfly.

Shen Zhanghan looked down at her, tapping his fingers and chuckling softly, "This attire is a rare sight."

Jiang Xueyi tilted her head slightly, letting the sunlight touch her fair skin, her eyes full of spring water rippling, "In this beautiful spring scenery, your concubine has matched this peach blossom outfit. Do you think it’s beautiful, Your Majesty?"

"My beloved consort is as radiant as peach and plum blossoms," Shen Zhanghan lifted his hand to spare her the formal greeting, saying gently, "Let's go."

Sunlight bathed the red walls and golden roof tiles, and the returning swallows flapped their wings high in the sky—a perfect scene of the season. Jiang Xueyi boarded the sedan chair behind His Majesty, gazing up at the clear blue sky, as they set off in succession.

Upon arriving at Luanming Palace, the palace attendants announced the arrival of His Majesty and Consort Tang. She dismounted the sedan and entered the palace with His Majesty.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard the voices of women talking and laughing. After walking a few steps with His Majesty, the door curtain was lifted, and people began to emerge one after another.

The Empress, Consort Dan, Lady Liu, and others came out to greet them. It was quite a gathering.

Jiang Xueyi silently paid her respects to the Empress and Consort Dan. His Majesty walked into the room and said gently, "What a coincidence that the Empress and Consort Dan are here today."

Early in the morning, it was unexpected for Consort Tang to accompany His Majesty to visit Noble Lady Liu.

The Empress glanced at Jiang Xueyi, her expression unchanged, and followed His Majesty back into the room, her demeanor remained composed and peaceful, "Noble Lady Liu is quite far along in her pregnancy. I was concerned about her condition and came to sit with her. It is indeed a coincidence that Consort Dan is also here today."

Consort Dan watched as His Majesty brought Consort Tang over, feeling an inexplicable sense of oddity.

Lately, her thoughts had been solely on the unborn child of Noble Lady Liu. She hadn't thought of anything else. If not for seeing Consort Tang by His Majesty's side today, she might have forgotten that she hadn’t been favored for a long time.

His Majesty had only visited her palace, Green Mist Palace, twice since the beginning of the year. Although His Majesty had been busy with state affairs and rarely entered the harem recently, this was unusual.

Others might not know, but she was the most aware. For twelve years, she had accompanied His Majesty through the most difficult times, a journey no one else could experience firsthand.

How could someone like His Majesty allow anyone else to know his past?

But upon reflection, much had changed without her knowledge. She hadn’t realized that Consort Tang had been spending more time with His Majesty lately.

Having her affection unknowingly shared, Consort Dan couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. However, she didn’t overthink it, guessing that perhaps His Majesty knew she was eagerly awaiting the child or was too busy to attend to her. Or maybe it was because Consort Tang was young and beautiful, which naturally garnered more of His Majesty's favor. It was only human nature.

No matter how favored others might be, her uniqueness was unparalleled and nothing to worry about.

But... Consort Dan subconsciously looked at her own hands and noticed that despite careful maintenance, signs of roughness and aging were evident. Age was a factor, and she couldn't compare to a beauty like Consort Tang, fresh as a spring flower.

She was already twenty-nine years old...

Imperceptibly, most of her life had passed by. It seemed she had obtained everything she once desired, yet her heart still felt empty.

Once His Majesty and Consort Tang entered, the already slightly cramped room became even more filled. His Majesty and the Empress sat on the soft couch, while Noble Lady Liu, who was inconvenienced due to her condition, leaned on the side. She, Consort Dan, and Lady Liu had to sit on round stools by the round table, with the room full of people.

The sense of crowdedness was indeed quite obvious, and Shen Zhanghan naturally took note of it.

However, it was unavoidable that concubines of lower than fifth rank could only reside in the side chambers. As the attendants, including Zhu Yun and the palace maids, served tea in turn, he said lightly, "It is a great merit for Imperial Concubine Liu to give birth to an imperial heir. Once you deliver the royal child, I will advance your rank. By then, you will be able to move to the side hall, which is much more spacious."

Among the concubines who entered the palace in the fourth year of Chengzuo, Jiang Xueyi and Imperial Concubine Liu were the ones who had been promoted the fastest. If Imperial Concubine Liu gave birth to an imperial heir, she would at least be a fifth-rank concubine, advancing three ranks from her current seventh rank.

Jiang Xueyi was highly favored, yet she was only at the fifth rank. Although Imperial Concubine Liu could not surpass her, it was evident that giving birth to an imperial heir at the right time was not only a lifelong reliance but also a highly advantageous event.

Grateful for the emperor's favor, both Lady Liu and Imperial Concubine Liu were deeply thankful. Lady Liu stood to express her gratitude, saying, "I, on behalf of Imperial Concubine Liu, am grateful for Your Majesty's grace."

In the presence of an official’s family member, Shen Zhanghan was especially gentle and magnanimous. He raised his hand to gesture for her not to be so formal and said warmly, "Lady Liu, there is no need for such courtesy. Imperial Concubine Liu is modest and gentle, and she is carrying the imperial heir. It is only right that I treat her well."

With the emperor, the empress, and the mother of Imperial Concubine Liu all present, Consort Dan saw this as a perfect opportunity to showcase herself. Just as Imperial Concubine Liu, feeling tired from leaning for too long, was about to get up, Consort Dan hurriedly stood up to support her, concerned, "Sister Liu, are you uncomfortable? Would you like to lie down for a while?"

Having a consort of such high rank take care of her made Imperial Concubine Liu feel quite embarrassed. However, Consort Dan had been so attentive lately that she couldn’t speak up in front of the emperor and could only agree, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Consort Dan was pleased as she helped her to the bed and tucked her in carefully, saying happily, "Your Majesty, with such a good pregnancy, Imperial Concubine Liu will surely give birth to a thoughtful child."

Shen Zhanghan saw through her little scheme but did not expose it. He only smiled faintly, "It must take after the mother, quiet and obedient."

However, Lady Liu felt uneasy seeing Consort Dan act this way.

That day after entering the palace, she had gone to visit Consort Lan during her free time. She was deeply impressed by Consort Lan's gentle and graceful demeanor, her noble character, and especially her outstanding talent despite her humble background. In just one meeting, Lady Liu realized that Consort Lan would be a far better foster mother than Consort Dan.

However, Consort Dan came to visit nearly every other day, which was quite annoying. Since Consort Dan held the rank of consort and visited under the pretense of seeing her daughter, Lady Liu could not refuse.

Given Qianzhong’s weak personality, it was a blessing that she had safely given birth to a child. Even if they didn’t expect the child to achieve great things, they at least hoped the child would grow up to be polite and obedient, becoming a support for Qianzhong.

Consort Dan was impulsive and foolish, with crude behavior. Not to mention whether the child would be influenced by her, given her personality, could she even protect the prince born to Qianzhong?

Rumors circulated that the first prince, born to Imperial Attendant Rong, was frail. With Imperial Concubine Liu's child likely being a prince, if something were to happen to the first prince, the second prince would naturally become the eldest son, his status rising significantly, making him a target for treachery.

Rather than relying on Consort Dan, it would be better to count on Consort Lan.

Qianzhong's emotions often fluctuated during her pregnancy, and sometimes at night, she would secretly cry. As her mother, how could she not know her daughter's hardships and concerns?

But because she knew, she wanted her daughter's future path to be smoother.

Lady Liu was deeply troubled and unsure how to make this request to the emperor. She fell silent and stopped speaking, while Consort Dan remained oblivious to others’ thoughts, immersed in her conversation with Imperial Concubine Liu.

After a while, Zhi Yi and Lin Wei, who had been waiting outside the hall, saw someone hurrying over. After a few words, their expressions changed.

Realizing they couldn’t delay reporting this matter, they headed inside together.

The door was opened, and Shen Zhanghan glanced outside, asking in a low voice, "What's the matter?"

Under normal circumstances, unless it was urgent, Lin Wei and Zhi Yi, who were usually calm, would not disturb him at this time.

Lin Wei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Empress, a palace maid from Qian Changzai’s quarters reported in a panic to the empress that Qian Changzai had a moment of despair and almost jumped into Taiye Lake. She fainted from crying just moments ago."

The empress frowned and asked, "Qian Changzai? I allowed her to take leave to rest properly. Why would she attempt suicide?"

Zhi Yi glanced at Consort Dan and carefully said, "Your Highness, Qian Changzai took leave because she was slapped. The maid who reported, in tears, said that Qian Changzai's recovery from her injuries was not going well, leading to her despair and the near accident at Taiye Lake."

Upon hearing this, Consort Dan widened her eyes and blurted out, "How did she become so fragile? I only slapped her twenty times, not twenty strokes!"

As soon as she said this, she suddenly realized that everyone in the room was looking at her, and her voice trailed off, "The imperial physicians have treated her for several days; she should have recovered by now..."

The empress took a deep breath and said sternly, "What is Qian Changzai’s condition now?"

Zi Yi curtsied and replied, "The young palace maid reported that the Royal Physician was summoned immediately. He should have arrived by now."

Jiang Xueyi gave Consort Dan a discreet glance, suspecting that this matter was more complex than it seemed.

How coincidental that Consort Dan struck Qian Changzai the day before Lady Liu’s arrival. And how coincidental that Qian Changzai would consider jumping into Taiye Lake just as the Emperor was with Noble Lady Liu?

At this moment, Shen Zhanghan glanced at Lady Liu, who looked shocked, and said calmly, "Attempting suicide is a grave offense for a consort. What could have driven Qian Changzai to such despair?"

"Bring her here. If there is any injustice, I will ensure justice is done."