The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Before she finished her words, Concubine Li quickly covered the Second Princess' ears, glared at Concubine Zhang who dared not say a word, and then asked Ruyi to take the Second Princess away.

This time the emperor did not say anything about Concubine Li's actions. The second princess was only ten years old. Although she had already started to select a prince consort, it would take at least five or six years from the moment of dating, to the moment of decision, and then to the moment of marriage. Moreover, since the second princess was favored, it was not impossible for the emperor to keep her for a few more years.

As for whether the future prince consort will be in a hurry to marry and have children... As the emperor said, it is an honor for the whole family of the minister to marry a princess, and it is a gift from the royal family to them. If someone knows that they have to marry the princess but still can't control their belt, given the emperor's temper, they can only go to the underworld to learn how to start a new life.

As a young girl in the boudoir, the Second Princess was far from being exposed to such knowledge. Concubine Zhang also secretly felt that it was a mistake. She had been standing under the pavilion and refused to sit down because she wanted to use Concubine Li's aggressiveness to highlight her own weakness and ask the Emperor to be more sympathetic to her. However, things did not go as she wished. The Emperor came in anger for some reason and deliberately ignored Concubine Zhang for a long time before he spoke to her.

Considering that the emperor came from Shouning Palace... Concubine Zhang took a deep breath to calm her emotions which had been easily unstable since she found out she was pregnant. She watched the second princess leave and the emperor nodded before she continued.

"When the weather gets cold, I can't get up early. Although I haven't had my period for two months, I just think it's normal. I saw traces on the bed and thought it was menstruation, but the amount was a little more, and my lower abdomen was a little painful. It was Pei'er who was worried about my health and insisted on finding the imperial physician to check my pulse. Only then did he know that I was more than two months pregnant, and..." She bit her lip and was about to cry, "and there were signs that the drugs had harmed the fetus, and there were signs of miscarriage..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the emperor's expression changed.

"A sign of miscarriage?" he asked. "Which imperial physician examined your pulse?"

Lady Zhang gently pressed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "It was Imperial Physician Wu. When I was still in the Imperial Study, your Majesty invited this Imperial Physician to treat me when I caught a cold... I'm not afraid of your Majesty laughing at me. I'm timid, and Pei'er doesn't know any other doctors, so I only dared to ask Imperial Physician Wu to diagnose my pulse."

She caught a cold because she got up early to collect dew for the emperor to make tea. The emperor loved her tea art, so Concubine Zhang put a lot of thought into making herself unique enough, and caught the emperor's attention step by step. She was bullied by the palace eunuchs and happened to be rescued by the emperor. She was willing to sacrifice her life for the emperor's little hobby.

Concubine Zhang regarded the emperor as her heaven. She tried all kinds of ways to please him. When she was sick with a high fever, she acted like a coward who was willing to give up the emperor's cowardice that had been suppressed for many years. She shyly expressed her love for him, and then acted fearful that she could not serve the emperor for long. Finally, after she recovered from her illness, she succeeded in getting him into the emperor's study. She jumped from being an ordinary tea-serving maid in the study to the emperor's new favorite.

Now they look back at the illness that brought them together.

The amorous emperor's attitude softened, and he waved his hand and asked Concubine Zhang to sit down: "Let him come in."

Imperial Physician Wu had already been waiting outside.

He was a middle-aged man with a short beard. He had been caught in the snow and his shoulders and head were wet. The emperor asked him in detail about Concubine Zhang's health.

Imperial Physician Wu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the beauty's health was not bad originally. The reason why she showed signs of miscarriage, I guess, is probably because there are many things in her residence that are harmful to her health. The beauty has been in contact with these things for a long time, which has slowly damaged her body."

"Then in your opinion, Lord Wu, can Concubine Zhang's child still be saved?" The emperor first asked about the issue he was most concerned about, and then gave Concubine Zhang a reassuring look.

Lady Zhang lowered her head shyly and trustingly, constantly wiping the handkerchief in her hand.

"Your Majesty, the dragon fetus in the beauty's belly is still young and the fetal breathing is not strong enough, which is a sign of miscarriage. Fortunately, the beauty discovered it early and the fetus is just a little unstable. If she can stay away from those cold and harmful foods, stay in bed for a while, and take fetal medicine to regulate it, the dragon heir will be safe and sound."

After saying this, the emperor's expression finally relaxed completely.

Concubine Zhang looked at him expectantly, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for Pei'er's alertness and my carelessness, I would have only realized it after the child was gone. She...she caused such a disaster for me. I beg Your Majesty and Concubine Li to spare her life, whether it's by demoting her or punishing her, for Pei'er's loyalty to the Lord."

The more pitifully she spoke, the more nauseous Concubine Li felt.

But... Concubine Li glanced at the emperor's emotional expression. Even though she was not very good at dealing with the human relationships, she knew that her "old love" who had long been forgotten could not compete with Concubine Zhang, her beloved concubine who had just become pregnant.

She forced a bitter smile and said, "...never mind. Since that maid ran around for Concubine Zhang, the Second Princess is fine. She, she knelt in the snow for so long, so she should be punished."

Anyone with eyes could see that Concubine Li was not being sincere.

While the Emperor was looking at Concubine Li, Concubine Zhang took advantage of the moment when she looked at Concubine Li and gave her a slightly provocative look at Concubine Li, who had to swallow this grievance. The smile at the corner of her lips quickly rose and then disappeared.

When the emperor turned his head again, she was still the clever, yet delicate and pitiful girl.

Concubine Li felt as if she had swallowed a piece of cold fat meat that was thick with white oil. She gritted her teeth and glared at Lady Zhang for several times, remembering the grievance for her daughter in her heart: "Your Majesty, I am afraid I can't handle the next matter. I will go to the Second Princess first. I will take my leave."

I turned around and walked out of the pavilion. The snow had stopped, but the wind was still cold.

When Concubine Li was blown by the cold wind, her eyes almost became sore and she shed tears. She tightened her lips and raised her hand to touch her heart gently, comforting herself. Fortunately, her Xianqiong did not see that she, as the queen, had to give in to a concubine of lower rank.

Otherwise, this unfortunate child will be even more difficult to discipline in the future.

Thinking of this, Concubine Li tried to curl the corners of her mouth upwards, but there was still a bitterness that could not be described in words.

When she turned a corner, she saw her daughter wearing a bright red cloak. Ruyi was holding an umbrella for her from behind, and she also had one in her arms.

The second princess opened the umbrella in her arms and raised it high with her right hand: "Mother, look, this umbrella was given to me by my elder sister yesterday. Today, your daughter is being filial. I will hold the umbrella, and we can go home together, okay?"

In the pavilion in the distance.

Only the emperor and Concubine Zhang were left. Concubine Zhang looked at the emperor expectantly, "Your Majesty, I am really unsure about moving so suddenly. Could you please accompany me and give me some advice?"

The emperor did not nod. "Since you trust Wu the imperial physician, ask him to go with you, and Feng Xiang to go with you. As for where to move... there is no need to bother the empress. Feng Xiang, go find Consort Xian and ask her to come up with a plan."

Concubine Zhang was surprised: "Your Majesty..." Won't you go with me?

The emperor patted Lady Zhang on the cheek and said, "Now you are a concubine, you must learn to make your own decisions. I will return to Shouning Palace first."

"......" Concubine Zhang looked at the emperor's back in disbelief. After a long while, she tried to persuade him to stay in a trance: "......Your Majesty......"

And that person has gone far away.