The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

Inside the bedroom of the Yikun Palace, the queen lay under a brocade quilt with a haggard face, her chest rising and falling weakly.

Imperial Concubine Chen walked in slowly, then sat on the brocade stool beside the bed, took the medicine from the palace maid, stirred it gently with a spoon, and said softly:

"My lady, I have already heated up this bowl of medicine six times. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to swallow."

After a long while, the queen on the bed slowly opened her eyes, which were full of red bloodshot. She adjusted to the light in the room for a while before she opened her eyes completely.

The queen now has sunken cheeks and white hair that cannot be hidden under her black hair, making her look like she has aged by ten years in just a few days.

When she saw Imperial Noble Consort Chen beside her, she was stunned for a moment before she said, "It turned out to be Sister Chen. I thought I saw Concubine Hui."

The Empress and Imperial Noble Consort Chen were married to Emperor Jianyuan, who was still a prince at the time, on the same day.

One was the principal wife who was welcomed into the palace by a sedan chair carried by eight people, and the other was the concubine who entered quietly through the side door.

Not long after Emperor Jianyuan ascended the throne, Consort Chen was found to be pregnant. Even though the eldest prince was already one year old at that time, Emperor Jianyuan was still very happy.

Unfortunately, the road was slippery due to the snow, and Imperial Concubine Chen fell on the way to pay respects to the Queen. Not only did she lose the little prince, but she also lost her fertility forever.

Under the double blow, Concubine Chen lost weight rapidly.

Chen's mother brought her young daughter, who had not yet reached the age of marriage, to the palace to visit her daughter who had miscarried and to counsel her. However, she did not expect that Emperor Jianyuan fell in love with Consort Chen's younger sister at first sight.

Not long after, another girl from the Chen family entered the palace, she was Concubine Hui, who had been imprisoned in the cold palace for nineteen years.

The sisters are 60% similar in appearance.

When Imperial Noble Consort Chen saw that the Queen had woken up, she put the spoon close to her mouth and said, "If Concubine Hui knew that the Queen was still thinking about her during her illness, she would definitely pray for you in the cold palace."

The queen turned her head to the side, and the still warm medicine flowed down her neck and into her collar, leaving a brown stain on her bright yellow pajamas.

Imperial Concubine Chen sighed, put the medicine bowl in her hand on the small table beside her, smiled and said, "Your Majesty is still so cautious."

"That's right. So many doctors have died in the Imperial Hospital. It's really hard to trust anyone in this chaotic situation. It's a pity for the eldest prince. He has to wait for his mother to send him off at such a young age."

Imperial Noble Consort Chen stood up and looked down at her condescendingly.

In the past few days, the tears in the queen's eyes have dried up, and her hands are tightly grasping the quilt on her body. Her hands are skinny and seem to have lost their vitality.

"Kang'er's body has long been broken. Living one more day is a torture for him. This is a relief for him. What's more..."

She raised her eyelids, her eyes flickering, "I am the queen. No matter which prince inherits the throne in the future, I will be the queen mother!"

Hearing this, Imperial Concubine Chen bent down and said softly, "May your Majesty get what she wants soon. Your Majesty is still waiting for news of your well-being. I will take my leave now."

When Concubine Shu arrived at the gate of Kunning Palace, she happened to meet Concubine Chen who was coming out.

She walked over with great grace, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. May Her Majesty be well." Her tone was humble and polite, and her attitude was respectful.

Zhao Xuan, who was standing by, got off the sedan chair and bowed, "I hope the Imperial Concubine is well."

Imperial Concubine Chen stopped there, wrapped in a heavy cloak, and said softly, "Since I first met you, you have always been so polite over the years."

They all came from military families, and although they held high positions in the harem, they lived two completely different lives.

Concubine Shu was wearing a fur cloak with a collar and cuffs embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread and inlaid with sparkling gems, which made her look luxurious and warm.

Her beautiful face, whose age seems unpredictable, is made to look even more graceful and dignified.

Fur requires exquisite sewing skills to reflect luxury and refinement. As a result, it seems that Concubine Shu is a little too plain today.

She smiled and replied, "I haven't seen you for a long time. The weather is cold, so you should take care of yourself when you go out."

After saying that, he turned to look behind her and saw Aunt Fangruo off, "I wonder if the Queen is feeling better? Is it convenient for me to go see her?"

Fang Ruo was the head maid of the Queen when she was a concubine in the mansion. She bowed and greeted Concubine Shu and the eldest princess, and a smile appeared on her haggard face:

"If Her Majesty knew that Imperial Concubine Shu and the Princess missed her so much, her illness would be almost cured."

Then she explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Unfortunately, the queen just went to bed, so Concubine Shu and the princess made this trip in vain."

After Fang Ruo finished speaking, she bowed to the three masters, and the gate of Kunning Palace slowly closed.

Noble Consort Chen, Noble Consort Shu and the eldest princess stepped onto the sedan chair.

The Yikun Palace and the Zhongcui Palace are in different directions. Concubine Shu said to Concubine Chen: "If your Majesty doesn't mind, how about going to your sister's Yikun Palace to sit for a while?"

Imperial Concubine Chen took the hand warmer handed over by the palace maid, placed it close to her belly, and refused her with a smile: "Let's do it another day. The emperor is still waiting for news from the queen."

Concubine Shu smiled and nodded, watching Concubine Chen's sedan chair leave before her.

After returning to Yiku Palace, Liu Yingqiu helped Concubine Shu take off her fur cloak and helped her sit on the Luohan bed.

"Yongle, your mother has no objection to your marriage with Lord Zheng. But under the current circumstances, it is not appropriate to tell your father."

Concubine Shu warned her daughter, fearing that she might bring bad luck to the emperor at this time.

After all, the eldest prince is the eldest son of Emperor Jianyuan, and the relationship between father and son is extraordinary.

Zhao Xuan came over and sat beside her mother. She seemed to have grown up and matured overnight, with more determination and perseverance in her eyes:

"Mother, I know. The day after tomorrow is my grandmother's birthday. Do you have anything to say to her?"

Concubine Shu patted her daughter's hand and said with a smile: "It will be New Year's Eve soon after the twelfth lunar month. Yongle might as well spend more time with your grandmother. It will also be a filial duty for your mother. It won't be too late to return to the palace after the New Year's Eve banquet."

During this period, His Majesty would always find the right time to announce the eldest prince's death.

The palace banquet on New Year's Eve might be a good opportunity to ask for an imperial decree granting marriage for Yongle and Lord Zheng.

After the princess disappeared, Zhuo Liang served tea to his master and whispered, "That Tang Liu has been working in the Yangxin Palace in recent days. I have no idea what he is doing."

Concubine Shu said "hmm", took the teacup from his hand, looked at the tea leaves swirling and floating in the tea soup, and said softly: "Someone should be more anxious than us now."

Imperial Concubine Jing of Jingren Palace lowered her eyes to admire her freshly painted nails. When she heard the news that Imperial Concubine Chen and Imperial Concubine Shu had come out of Kunning Palace, she said nonchalantly:

"Our queen, who is the mother of the country, worked hard to pave the way for her son, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned..."

When he heard the eunuch's next words, a surprised expression appeared on his well-maintained face, and he pulled Wang Ying excitedly and asked:

"What did you say? The eldest prince is dead! Who is lying in the Yangxin Palace?"

Wang Ying stepped forward and whispered back, "Your Majesty, this is the news that my foster father just passed on. The imperial doctors who knew the truth were all executed by the emperor..."

After hearing this, Imperial Concubine Jing leaned back on the large welcoming pillow and smiled broadly without any reservation, "Send someone to tell the Second Prince the good news."

Just before the eldest prince became seriously ill, Emperor Jianyuan accepted the ministers' proposal to set up residences for the adult princes, because it would be beneficial for the princes to get married and have children.

The Queen's thoughts were obvious, but things did not always go as planned. Her sickly son had not even enjoyed a single day in the Prince's Palace. He was an unlucky man!

I don't know what she was thinking of. Imperial Concubine Jing sat up from the kang. The flirtatious smile on her face disappeared, and her face became solemn. She frowned and ordered the chief eunuch Wang Ying:

"Go check who the four doctors were who were executed by the emperor? Then go to the Imperial Hospital and see if Doctor Ma is on duty today!"

......

Old Madam Jiang was worried about her eldest daughter in the palace and her granddaughter, the eldest princess, so she didn't sleep well all night.

Gu Jinchu saw that Madam Jiang looked a little listless, so he helped her take a nap and stayed with her until the Duke came back. It was already dark by then.

When she returned to Yuanyuan Hall, Bai Shao came over and said to her, "Madam, the Fifth Master is back."