The Beloved Imperial Consort

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Few days later, Di Wu Yi Zhao returned back to the capital along with chief of this season's Ten Gentleman, Gong Shu Yang. The two entered the study in the afternoon to pay a formal visit to the sixth prince Zhong Zheng Lin. Afterward, the three of them engaged in the confidential talk until the morning of the next day. During the time, Mu Xi Yao ordered Danruo courtyard's little kitchen to send over dinner and midnight snack. Di Wu Yi Zhao praised to Heaven Mu Xi Yao's meticulously paired food. His sixth Highness felt that the little woman was very considerate.

The return of Di Wu Yi Zhao and joining of Gong Shu Yang was deemed by later generation as Jianan Emperor Zhong Zheng Lin's core reason behind the birth of the secret cabinet during his reign.

Inside the palace, Yuancheng Emperor also has gradually recovered. On the first day of holding the court audience, he summoned the crown prince to the imperial ancestral temple and reprimanded him severely. He ordered the crown prince Zhong Zheng Hui to kneel in the imperial ancestral hall for two days and also had taken the authority to patrol over the capital and its surrounding area away from his hands.

Yuancheng Emperor's move made the first prince and his faction very happy. One can well imagine how the loss of the authority to patrol the capital would weaken the crown prince's forces in the Shengjin. However, the first prince and his people weren't even happy few days, Yuancheng Emperor soon announced that he will be conducting an army revision after the new year. The garrison stationed at the Mobei borders and military forces at the three provinces in Jibei will be the first to bear the brunt. This time the deep gloom started to cast over the first prince's faction, making them all quite irritated. Before they had time to use the high ranking military officers they had taken the trouble to win over prior on, these people were most likely to be changed. They practically suffered much bigger damage than the crown prince.

This move of Yuancheng Emperor made the crown prince and the first prince behave much better than before. They understood that Yuancheng Emperor did so to handicap and balance the two factions.

Mu Xi Yao has well-behavedly raised her fetus already for three full months. Zhong Zheng Lin, who was guarding her by the side, waited for the imperial physician to check her pulse. The result was very gratifying. The imperial physician said that shufei had a good foundation and had taken good care of herself. The unborn child was very healthy. As long as they were more mindful in the future and didn't use taboo things, this fetus will be very steady.

Zhong Zheng was overjoyed. He immediately ordered the imperial physician to be rewarded. After more of the attentive inquiries, Zhong Zheng Lin came back to tell Mu Xi Yao to take heed of some details. He particularly had her distance herself from the other women in the inner yard.

On the following day, she dispatched people to deliver a letter to Qingzhou. As for Mu Jin Zhi, lady Yu will inform him.

The Empress Dowager's birthday was approaching. Yuancheng Emperor ordered imperial noble consort that she must do her best to overlook the preparation of the birthday banquet. The noble consort was to fully support imperial noble consort. How do the two dare to neglect the matter? They complied right away.

Since then, each palace and residence sunk their teeth to earn Empress Dowager and Yuencheng Emperor's favor at the birthday banquet.

On one hand, Zhong Zheng Lin discussed congratulation gifts with his advisors. On the other hand, he entered into the palace to seek consort Shu's audience to discuss the matter regarding the request of bestowing Mu Xi Yao the title of cefei.

When consort Shu heard her younger son mention that he wanted to raise Mu Xi Yao's rank, she hesitated at first. After all, the imperial prince's shufei could be promoted to cefei rank only due to the merit of bearing a child. Mu shi was only expecting at the moment. It was still too early to bestow her a title.