I swept the harem by pretending to be weak

"You don't have to talk about Miss Lan anymore, and you are not allowed to do anything. I have never been that kind of person, do you understand?" Liu Zhirou frowned and scolded Qiuju, telling her to give up this seemingly good idea and not to cause trouble for Ai Ziyi.

There is no essential conflict between Qiuju and Ai Ziyi. Although Qiuju wants to become a concubine, she has not become one yet after all. The reason why Qiuju said this today was to share Liu Zhirou's worries.

As long as Liu Zhirou showed her impatience about this matter and let Qiuju know that even if she did this, she would not be able to win her favor, but would instead gain her dislike and ruin her position in Liu Zhirou's heart, Qiuju would probably stop doing this thankless task.

But although she could stop Qiuju's bad thoughts, she had no way to stop other people's bad thoughts.

Ai Ziyi is actually still very dangerous.

Liu Zhirou thought about it and took Tan Xiang with her to visit.

Her relationship with Ai Ziyi was well-known to be good. Ever since Ai Ziyi became pregnant, Liu Zhirou often brought people to visit her. This was not something particularly strange.

But today was different from the past. As soon as Liu Zhirou stepped into the Weiyang Palace, she was asked to leave by the Concubine Xian. Liu Zhirou was quite curious about this. After all, the Concubine Xian usually didn't have the energy to care about the relationship between other people. Whether it was good or bad, it had nothing to do with her.

But today, for the first time ever, he asked someone to summon Liu Zhirou to his place in advance.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. Sister Chunpin is more beautiful than before."

"Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty. I miss you very much, but I didn't dare to disturb you because I was afraid that you would be disturbed while you were recovering from your illness."

After the two of them exchanged a few polite words, Concubine Xian seemed a little exhausted, but she still forced herself to speak to Liu Zhirou.

"I know that Sister Chunpin has a close relationship with Concubine Lan and they are very friendly, but there are some things that Sister Chunpin would be better off not getting involved in." Concubine Xian said.

"Oh, why does Her Majesty say that?" Liu Zhirou's heart sank, but she still looked puzzled on the surface.

"Zi Yi's child was also raised by me. No one loves her more than me. But even if I give birth to her, I can never raise her in my lap." Concubine Xian coughed twice before continuing the narration with difficulty.

She had a kind expression and clear eyes, as if everything she said was out of consideration for Liu Zhirou.

"There are many people eyeing the baby in her belly now. Why bother to get involved in this mess, Sister Chunpin? You are still young and strong. One day you will be able to give birth to your own child."

"Your Majesty, what I value is not the baby in Concubine Lan's belly, but Concubine Lan herself. I don't know what considerations led you to this conclusion, but I have never had such an idea. I just hope that she can live happily and peacefully in this palace." Liu Zhirou said what she really thought, but she also wanted to test Concubine Xian's reaction to this sentence.

Does Concubine Xian harbor ill will towards Ai Ziyi as a person, or towards the fact that she is pregnant?

Liu Zhirou was really confused by this.

She thought for a moment and started talking without being asked.

The effect was as she expected.

"You play with her every day, you are friendly with her, and you have a deep affection for her. She also trusts and relies on you very much. What should you ask those concubines who want to plot against her children to do? If they can't gain Ai Ziyi's trust, how can they get him to entrust their children to them smoothly?"

"The emperor himself came to power through a coup, and he is very wary of military commanders. If you had come a few years earlier, you would have discovered that he was not prepared to allow the daughters of military commanders to have children. It was only because he felt that he had done too much evil that he relaxed the conditions after not having a child for so many years. But even so, Lady Lan was unable to raise her child herself."

"If you continue to argue or even make things awkward, the most likely scenario is that the emperor will not compromise, but that Lady Lan will have a difficult birth or die from postpartum disorders. By then, the child will be motherless, so of course you will need to choose a foster mother who is of noble birth and powerful."

"Don't underestimate the daughters of civil officials. You may think that they are gentle and refined. They have only learned the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues since they were young and are very dedicated to their duties. But in fact, they are the ones with the darkest hearts. They are capable of doing anything!"

"Sister Chunpin, you are a rather special kind. You are neither a civil official nor a military general. Your mother's family is humble, but it is also a kind of protection. If you can give birth to a child, the emperor will most likely let you raise it personally."

The virtuous concubine expressed her opinions in a very calm manner, and Liu Zhirou listened patiently.

She had to admit that what Concubine Xian said made sense and had no loopholes.

But her intuition told her that Ai Ziyi's matter was not that simple.

At least the hardships that Ai Ziyi faced were not that simple. If she wanted a child, it would be much easier and quicker to establish a good relationship with Ai Ziyi than to persecute her.

But Liu Zhirou did not continue to ask. She knew that if she simply asked this question, she would probably not get an answer.

"Is there anything else, madam? If not, I will go visit Lady Lan."

Liu Zhirou decided to go and see it in person.

"Go, go, it's good to go and take a look. She's been looking forward to your coming all day long." Concubine Xian sighed.

"Miao'er, take Sister Chunpin over there so that she won't be disturbed by those ignorant people. Sister Chunpin has always been a kind-hearted person and she wouldn't have any bad intentions."

Miao'er stepped forward, responded crisply, and then led Liu Zhirou and Tan Xiang over.

I came to Zilan Garden again. It was only a few days ago, but I felt like I was in another world. The place that was originally flattened by Ai Ziyi and her men to be used as a martial arts training ground seemed to have been untouched for a long time. Some weeds even stubbornly grew out from the corners and cracks, adding a touch of tragic color to this late autumn.

Liu Zhirou suddenly felt a little cold.

There were many maids, palace maids, and eunuchs serving people in Zi Lan Garden. Everyone had a very serious expression, as if they were not serving a pregnant woman, but a dying patient.

"Who is this?" An old lady who looked very mean stepped forward and stopped Liu Zhirou who wanted to go in.

"Excuse me, Madam. This is Concubine Chun, who is good friends with Lady Lan. Our Madam has also passed the test. She has a pure heart and there is no problem with her." Miao'er stepped forward and explained to the old madam.

Mammy nodded.

"Please go to the side and let the imperial physician check if there is anything taboo on your body. I am not doubting you, but I am afraid that you may have brought something bad and caused harm to the young master."

"That's what I should do." Liu Zhirou answered very reasonably.