342: Ending Like This (1)

Ending Like This (1)

After the men entered the hunting garden, the women set off for the ornamental garden under the Empress's lead. The women in the harem rarely had the chance to walk out of the palace. Not to mention visiting rare ferocious beasts, even looking at a few wild flowers and weeds was enough for them to talk about. Consort Zhen and Consort Yu were very happy, and Worthy Consort Xu's expression was a little dark.1

It was not strange when she thought about it. The wedding of Prince Cheng and the princess of Xiongnu had gone very smoothly. Even though there were some small problems at the wedding banquet, flaws could not hide the jade. The Empress's status had become even more stable. Originally, Worthy Consort Xu could still rely on her child to suppress the Empress, but her son, Yan Huaijing, had something happen to him again. He could not even attend Prince Cheng's wedding. Her Xianfu Palace was almost deserted. The only thing that made her happy was that the Prime Minister Manor did not shake the marriage between Han Jingshu and Yan Huaijing.

She only had to wait patiently and there would be a chance to turn the tables.

Before that, she had to be patient and watch the Empress strut around in front of her. This did not feel good.

"Are you not feeling well?" The Empress held the Ninth Princess' hand and smiled at Worthy Consort Xu, who was half a step behind her.

Three of the four first-grade consorts had passed away one after another. Now, only Worthy Consort Xu was left. Her position was only below the Empress, and she was closest to the Empress, unlike Consort Yu and Consort Zhen who were two to three steps behind.

However, they could still hear the Empress's words clearly.

If there was anyone who was the most angry about the Empress's return to favor, it would be Worthy Consort Xu. Consort Zhen and Consort Yu's son had no chance of becoming the Crown Prince in all aspects, so they were too lazy to fight for the position of Empress. Worthy Consort Xu was different. She had always been aiming for the position of Empress. Now that the Empress had left Fengshai Palace, Worthy Consort Xu's path as Empress would probably be even more difficult.

On the Empress's side, the person she was most afraid of was definitely Worthy Consort Xu. On the surface, the Empress was concerned about her, but who could say that she was not mocking her?

The two of them secretly wondered how Worthy Consort Xu would answer. Then, they heard Worthy Consort Xu say with a smile, "Sister, you're thinking too much. I'm in good health. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to His Majesty's invitation to come to the ornamental garden."

Consort Yu and Consort Zhen looked at each other. His Majesty invited Worthy Consort Xu over? The Empress would probably feel uncomfortable again.

As expected, the Empress's eyes turned cold. Everyone followed behind her and did not notice anything amiss, but the Ninth Princess, who was holding her hand, clearly felt her little hand hurt. The Empress was holding her hand too tightly.

The Empress's anger calmed down extremely quickly. She gently let go of the Ninth Princess's hand and rubbed her head. "Go play with your cousin-in-law."

This time, the Ninth Princess did not continue to be shy and went obediently to look for Yu Wan.

Yu Wan let Zi Su and Fu Ling hold the little fatties' hands while she held the Ninth Princess's hand.

The Ninth Princess was stunned. Her cousin-in-law's palm had calluses, which were not as soft as the Empress, but her cousin-in-law's hand was more like her mother's.

The Empress smiled and said, "I heard that the Tenth Princess caught a cold. I thought you would stay in Xianfu Palace to take care of her."

The Tenth Princess was Worthy Consort Xu's daughter. She was born in the same year as the Ninth Princess. One was born at the beginning of the year and the other at the end of the year. The two of them were the same age but had different lives. The Ninth Princess grew up in the cold Prince Hall, but the Tenth Princess was raised by Worthy Consort Xu.

The Ninth Princess remembered her tenth sister. She was always with Worthy Consort. She was very envious that she had her own mother, but the nanny said that she no longer had to be envious because she had the Empress. Her mother was the Empress, so her mother would treat her as well as Worthy Consort treated the Tenth Princess.

The Tenth Princess's cold had long recovered. Worthy Consort Xu was too lazy to greet the Empress every morning and always used it as an excuse.

Worthy Consort Xu said with a fake smile, "Thanks to the Empress, the Tenth Princess is much better."

The Empress smiled and said to Emissary Cui, "I remember that the envoy of Nanzhao sent two Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotuses. One is for the Tenth Princess, and the other is for Consort Zhao's palace."

"Yes," Emissary Cui agreed.

Everyone was stunned. It could be said that giving such a good thing to the Tenth Princess was to nourish her body, but why did they give it to Consort Zhao? Although they knew that Consort Zhao was on the Empress's side, there were some things that did not matter in private, but she had to treat them equally in public. The Empress had to have a reason to reward her so openly.

"Consort Zhao is pregnant," the Empress said with a smile.

Everyone was shocked, and Worthy Consort Xu's expression froze.

The Empress was someone who had already acknowledged her age. She clearly understood that it was impossible for her to serve the Emperor in bed, let alone be pregnant again. However, Worthy Consort Xu did not accept her fate. She had always hoped to give the Emperor another child. Unfortunately, fate played tricks on her. She did not get pregnant, but Consort Zhao did.

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