The Female Psychology PHD Got Time Travelled To The Royal Harem

Chapter 61

"Crash!"

The bowl in Consort De's hand fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces. The third prince's thigh was scalded by the still-hot bird's nest soup, causing him to burst into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry... Xuan'er, don't cry... Cui Yin, quickly bring some clean clothes."

She held the third prince, fearfully stroking his cheek. The terror in her eyes had not yet dissipated. "Thank the Bodhisattva for protecting us. It's fortunate we discovered this early. If we had allowed that vicious Lady Su to continue living in Yanqing Palace, who knows what harm she might have done to my Xuan'er. Thank heavens... thank the Bodhisattva..."

Cui Yin hurriedly had someone fetch burn ointment. Luckily, the third prince had only suffered minor redness from the scalding. With some comforting, he soon stopped crying.

He pouted, "Mother, Concubine Zhen has a new puppy in her palace named Guolai. Can I have one too? Guolai is so cute."

"I'm afraid not," Consort De said, pinching his little nose. "You've seen how Concubine Zhen's puppies always end up killed by bad people. If your puppy died, wouldn't you be very sad?"

The third prince furrowed his brow in thought. If Guolai were his pet and Su Consort killed it, he would indeed be very upset.

He sighed, "Alright. But on my days off, can I go with the Eldest Princess and Second Princess to Zhen Consort's Palace to play with Guolai for half an hour?"

"If they're going, of course you can go too."

Children's emotions come quickly and go even faster. Having received his mother's permission, he was so delighted he started jumping up and down.

In Kunning Palace—

Seated before the Dowager Empress were Consort Shu and the now-recovered Consort Rong, while Empress Zhu knelt on the ground.

A massive, phoenix-shaped incense burner stood behind a screen, wisps of blue smoke curling from its beak as it burned agarwood incense. The entire great hall of Kunning Palace was suffused with a solemn, composed fragrance.

Empress Zhu had turned pale, her already frail body—worn down by overwork—swaying unsteadily.

"Smack!"

A folder of documents struck Empress Zhu's forehead, causing spots to dance before her eyes.

"Empress," the Dowager Empress began, "I entrusted you with the imperial seal to manage the inner palace on behalf of the Emperor. My intention was for you to ease his burdens, to prevent the women of the harem from hindering him. But look at this... For the sake of a mere animal, the Emperor has been swayed by Consort Zhen's whispers, using such ruthless methods against a defenseless imperial consort. Isn't this a slap in your face as Empress? How can you still tolerate her?"

As Empress Zhu pondered how to respond, she heard the Dowager Empress continue in a somewhat threatening tone: "I hear your health has been poor since before the new year. If you feel overwhelmed managing palace affairs, I can have Consort Shu and Consort Rong help share your burdens. Your most important task now is to quickly restore your health and bear the Emperor an heir as soon as possible. Otherwise, if this continues and the Mother of the Nation fails in her duty to produce offspring, do you think your position as Empress will remain secure?"

Her fingers dug deeply into her palms, as an unhealthy flush colored Empress Zhu's cheeks.

Had she truly never given birth before?

In her first year of marriage to the then-Crown Prince, now Emperor Xuanwu, she had borne his first child. Two years later, she gave birth to a second son. But her fortune was poor, and she couldn't keep either of them.