The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 45 - Unable to Give Birth

Emperor Rui glanced at her briefly, and his eyes quickly darkened with a deeper hue. "Beloved Consort, I accept your congratulations. Please rise, and I too look forward to the child that you and I will share." When Wen Jieyu met the Emperor's gaze again, his eyes were entirely focused on her.
She had completely forgotten that this was Lan Guifei's Yongze Palace, not her own side palace. Daring to exchange flirtatious glances with the Emperor here, it seemed she had forgotten Lan Guifei's methods.
"Your Majesty," Wen Jieyu said with a shy expression.
The Emperor held her hand and walked toward the front. "Alright, you all may leave. Lan Guifei needs to rest. Once she is feeling better, you can come back." With that, he led Wen Jieyu into the main hall.
Lan Guifei naturally learned about what happened outside, and she was furious.
"Wretch."
"Your Highness, the Emperor is coming in. Please mind your words," her senior palace maid immediately advised.
"Hmph, just wait and see how I deal with her later," Lan Guifei said just as the Emperor entered, holding Wen Jieyu's hand.
"How is my beloved consort feeling?" Upon seeing Lan Guifei reclining on the lounge chair, the Emperor immediately released Wen Jieyu's hand and quickly walked over to her.
With a face full of joy and excitement, the Emperor said to Lan Guifei, "If there's anything you want to eat, just tell me. We mustn't let our child suffer."
Seeing the Emperor enter with Wen Jieyu hand-in-hand had originally irritated Lan Guifei, but his concern and gentleness softened her feelings, and much of her displeasure faded.
"Hmph, so the Emperor still remembers to care about me and our child. I thought I no longer held a place in your heart," she said, casting a glance at Wen Jieyu. If looks could kill, Wen Jieyu would surely be dead by now.
Of course, Wen Jieyu saw Lan Guifei's glare and involuntarily shrank back. She quickly spoke up in defense of the Emperor, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. His Majesty was deeply worried about you. Just outside, when everyone was being noisy, he scolded them and came in immediately."
She conveniently left out any mention of why the Emperor had been holding her hand.
If she hadn't explained, Noble Consort's heart might not have been so clogged. But hearing her explanation now, it made Lan Guifei even more upset. Did she need Wen Jieyu to explain how much the Emperor cared for her?
"Yes, Yunlan. As soon as I received the report, I summoned the imperial physicians to inquire. That's why I'm a little late. I didn't expect those clueless people to cause such a ruckus and disturb you," the Emperor said, gazing at her affectionately and calling her by her name.
Any lingering anger Lan Guifei had dissipated entirely when he called her "Yunlan."
How long had it been since the Emperor last called her by her name?
He had been calling her by her title for a long time. While she knew the title held great honor, she had always felt that between husband and wife, formal titles were unnecessary.
She loved hearing the Emperor call her "Yunlan," calling her by her name.
"Alright, I believe you, Your Majesty," Lan Guifei said coyly, throwing herself into the Emperor's arms.
Watching from the side, Wen Jieyu felt a pang of jealousy.
Lan Guifei's maid, Huachun, was quick-witted. Seeing the intimacy between the Emperor and her mistress, she immediately stepped forward to ask Wen Jieyu to leave.
Though Wen Jieyu was reluctant, she didn't dare offend Lan Guifei. She cast a sorrowful glance at the Emperor before respectfully saluting and leaving the palace hall.
Once she was gone, Lan Guifei's tone quickly turned sour again.
This amused the Emperor so much that he burst into laughter, repeatedly calling her a jealous woman.
But Lan Guifei was more than happy to play that part.
Then, the Emperor issued a decree, bestowing a dual honorary title upon Lan Guifei, leading to the scene where De Fei went to visit the Empress.
Unfortunately, no one truly understood the Emperor's real intentions, and while the concubines of the palace rejoiced, who wouldn't desire to have a child to secure their position?
On the other side, at Qingzhou Hall.
This was the residence of the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan. As it was the imperial palace, the management wasn't as strict as in the imperial city.
Shortly after it was confirmed that both Lan Guifeit and De Fei were pregnant, the news reached them.
Prince Duan rushed to the Empress Dowager. "Mother, is this true?" The only reason he had dared to openly contend with the Emperor for so long was that the Emperor had no heir, and his mother had been supporting him.
But now, with two high-ranking consorts in the Emperor's harem both pregnant, this was not good news for him.
The Empress Dowager's face was equally grim. She hadn't expected Lan Guifei to become pregnant. If she remembered correctly, back when she sought to create discord between the Emperor and the Tan family, she had...
Seeing her son in such a panic, sweating profusely, she nodded. "It's true. The pregnancies are still in the early stages and were only discovered by chance. Had they not been so careless, we might not have known until they were much further along."
Was the Empress Dowager angry?
Of course, she was. Not only angry but also anxious.
No one knew better than she did the state of her relationship with the Emperor. If it hadn't been for Wen Ke's threats using her child, they would have long since turned against each other, and she would never have ended up confined to Cian Palace.
For years, apart from major holidays, the Emperor's concubines hadn't even paid her daily respects.
It was a true slap to the Empress Dowager's face. What kind of Empress Dowager was she anymore?
"What are we going to do? That's Lan Guifei's child. If she gives birth to a prince, Mother, what will happen to me?" He had long been plotting to take the throne once his brother was gone, but now...
"Mother, that child cannot be born. It cannot." If a prince were born from the Emperor's harem, he would never have another chance.
He had been vying for the throne for so many years, but even his earlier defeat didn't make him as desperate as he was now.
Seeing her beloved son so distressed, the Empress Dowager's heart ached. "Duan'er, don't worry. Mother will not let anyone block your path. Though I don't know how Lan Guifei became pregnant, I guarantee that the child in her womb will not be born."
She had great faith in the medicine she had used years ago.
If it hadn't worked, the Emperor wouldn't have only fathered two princesses in all these years and no sons.
Prince Duan's eyes lit up. "Really?" His gaze bore into his mother as if trying to determine whether she was telling the truth.
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you? Just wait. That child will not be born." Even if Lan Guifei had truly conceived, what difference did it make? She had plenty of ways to ensure that a child would not be born.
Relieved, Prince Duan's panic subsided somewhat. "I knew Mother was the best," he said, reverting to the tone he used as a child, playfully affectionate.
"You, you really should learn to steady yourself. Take this opportunity to hone your skills, and let the court ministers see your capabilities. Why don't you head to Jiangnan and resolve the scholars' unrest? It will be tough, but it could bring great benefits," the Empress Dowager said, lovingly wiping the sweat from her son's brow.
"Don't rush to refuse. It's a difficult task, but if handled well, not only can you quell the unrest, but you'll also win the hearts of the people. The support of the scholars is invaluable."
The Empress Dowager patiently explained, breaking down the reasoning for her son.
She worried he might refuse to take on such a laborious task that wouldn't earn immediate rewards.
But if he succeeded, it would not only resolve the unrest but also win him much-needed support. Winning over the scholars was no easy feat.
Prince Duan dared to stand up to his brother, the Emperor, because he was capable. If he were truly foolish, he wouldn't have dared to risk his neck this way.