The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 54 - Hidden Motives

"Mother, what exactly is the plan? Please let me know so I don't have to be anxious," Prince Duan, who had been so impatient before, was now calm.

The Empress Dowager glanced at De Zhong and signaled for him to explain the details to Prince Duan.

De Zhong, showing a look of affection, said, "Your Highness, please listen to what this servant has to say."

De Zhong outlined the strategy he and the Empress Dowager had devised. However, Prince Duan looked puzzled after hearing it. "Why wait until she's in labor to act? What if the child survives despite our wishes? That would be a legitimate heir, and my royal brother will surely protect it as if it were his own eye. How could we succeed then?"

He wasn't stupid; the plan was good, but what if they failed and the child survived? How would that affect their claim to the throne?

"Don't worry, the child will definitely not survive. Even if it does, it will end up like the Third Prince," the Empress Dowager said with a harsh tone.

Upon hearing the mention of the Third Prince, Prince Duan felt a twinge of unease.

He had never dared to speak about the incident back then, not even to his own mother.

"Yes, Your Highness, just trust the plan. The Empress Dowager has been plotting for years for your benefit. If you have some free time recently, take your consort and sons out more often. After all, the Empress is pregnant; it's only right to celebrate," De Zhong said, hoping not to be disturbed by his son.

In the palace, the Emperor's spies were everywhere, so they couldn't be too reckless.

If the Emperor found out, their years of plotting could go to waste, and it might even jeopardize Prince Duan's family.

"I can't be happy about this," Prince Duan said, sitting down on a cool couch with a worried expression. "What about the other consorts? Why are there suddenly so many pregnancies? Why did they all happen in the same year?"

He couldn't understand this. If the Emperor really had a way to make the consorts conceive, why was it all happening at once? What about before?

The Empress Dowager and De Zhong were equally baffled. They assumed the Emperor must have found a renowned physician who had successfully treated the consorts.

"Don't worry, my son. It's probably because your royal brother has been too busy with state affairs and hasn't paid attention to the harem," the Empress Dowager said, making a mental note to investigate the Emperor.

However, for now, it was best to get her son out of the way.

"How could that be? He has favored the consort for many years, and there are so many women in the harem. How could this be such a coincidence?" The more he spoke, the more he felt something was off. "Mother, I'll send someone to investigate. There must be something we don't know."

He was aware of the scheming between the Zhang family and his mother. Since the Emperor was injured, it had been difficult for women to conceive, which was why he hadn't been impatient for many years.

But now, things had clearly gotten out of control.

Far away in the palace, Bai Jingxian had no idea that her one act of spreading the fertility potion had driven a mother and son to madness. Even if she knew, she wouldn't have felt any sympathy.

"This is not the time for rash actions, Duan'er," the Empress Dowager quickly intervened as her son tried to investigate the Emperor. The current Emperor was not the same as when he first ascended the throne; he had control over the harem.

At present, not only was the Empress Dowager's influence diminished, but the Emperor's own power in the harem was stronger than hers.

"Leave this matter to De Zhong. You should just maintain the appearance of being pleased for the Emperor," she said, feeling exasperated by her son's incompetence.

Prince Duan was reluctant but eventually yielded after considering De Zhong's capability. "Fine, I'll listen to Mother, but the Empress's pregnancy must not succeed."

This was his greatest threat.

"Rest assured, Mother will ensure you ascend the throne smoothly."

The mother and son had their ideal plans, but De Zhong had no intention of helping Prince Duan ascend. He only wanted Zhao Zhi to become emperor, as Zhao Zhi was not only his grandson but also a descendant of his cousin.

Naturally, De Zhong wouldn't inform them of his true intentions. Their family had been scheming for too long; he couldn't let this mother and son disrupt their plans.

An hour earlier, Prince Duan had rushed into the Empress Dowager's residence, and an hour later, he left with a smile, instructing his consort to prepare a substantial gift to congratulate the Empress.

The Empress Dowager also prepared rewards for the Empress. However, since this was a temporary palace for the summer retreat, the gifts were not as grand.

But the Empress didn't take the gifts from the two seriously and put them aside.

In the palace, Bai Jingxian received the news of the Empress's pregnancy and felt relieved.

"Your Majesty, we can now be at ease," Wang Momo reported, visibly relaxed.

Bai Jingxian smiled, "Yes, at last, my child in the womb has a chance to breathe. I wonder how they will react when they see my pregnant belly after they return to the palace?" She could already imagine the scene.

"Has the Emperor informed the Empress of my pregnancy?" Her pregnancy was only about a month younger than the Empress. Now that the Empress was three months pregnant, her own belly should be about five months along when they return. She wondered how they would envy her then.

"According to Eunuch Xia, the Emperor seems to have forgotten about it due to the numerous pregnancies of the consorts," Wang Mama said, thinking it was not a bad thing.

Bai Jingxian pouted, feeling that the Emperor was unreliable. "If he's forgotten, then so be it. I've already reported it. If the Empress wants to blame someone, it should be the Emperor." She was too uncomfortable with her pregnancy to worry about other matters. If the Empress looked down on her, she would not be at fault.

Without high-ranking consorts in the palace, her life as a consort was quite comfortable. "I wonder how things are with Xiu Momo. I don't know if Xiao Shuzi is capable or not."

It was inconvenient not knowing more about events outside the palace. Someone was definitely keeping an eye on her people. If they intervened, who knew what complications might arise.

"Have there been any updates from Eunuch Zhang?" Although she was in the palace, she still cared about external affairs.

Chunyu, who was attending, replied with a smile, "Don't worry, My Lady. Eunuch Zhang is doing well. Ever since you gave him the vegetable recipes, he's been valued by the Imperial Kitchen. I heard he might be appointed to manage the Internal Affairs Department." She was the one who liaised with Eunuch Zhang, so she knew more about him.

"He has good skills, but unfortunately, he's not in the palace at the moment. Otherwise, he might be able to gather some information," Bai Jingxian thought, still concerned about external matters.