Chapter 119: You Are Happy in Zhong Gong

Chapter 119

"Enough!"

Seeing Consort Ning becoming more and more presumptuous, the Empress was angered.

"I am the one in the central palace, my words are the imperial edict!"

She swept her phoenix eyes across the concubines sitting below, stating firmly: "Consort Yin, sit down!"

With the Empress's support, Consort Yin regained her confidence and sat down neatly.

Consort Ning glanced at her and looked at the Empress with a cold voice: "Since the Empress's palace can't accommodate me, then I don't need to stay here and watch you all put on a performance of sisterly affection."

Arrogant as she was, after snapping at the Empress, Consort Ning turned around to leave immediately.

However, she had not taken two steps when she suddenly heard the Empress retching, and then heard Consort Shu say:

"Your Majesty, you must not get angry, be careful of hurting the fetus."

Upon hearing this, the entire hall was in an uproar.

Consort Ning's feet froze as if filled with lead.

She stiffly turned her head back and looked at the Empress on the phoenix seat pretending to retch.

The concubines began chattering eagerly,

"Hurt the fetus? Don't tell me Her Majesty has good news?"

"That's right, look, today Her Majesty didn't even drink her usual golden needle, only a cup of warm water in front of her."

"When is the happy event? Her Majesty didn't tell us so we could also bask in the joy!"

Faced with the influx of concern, the Empress remained quite calm.

She smiled and took a sip of water to suppress the urge to retch, then said,

"The reason I asked you all to come today is to tell you this. I do have a three-month pregnancy."

Three months?

Song Zhao glanced at Noble Consort Xiao. Her expression clearly flickered for a moment.

Counting it out, her pregnancy was also over three months...

So the Empress had gotten pregnant at almost the same time as her?

If that was the case, the Empress must have kept it steady, concealing it for three full months until the fetus was stable before announcing it.

Not just Song Zhao, but most of the concubines probably realized this.

But the Empress gave them a reasonable explanation,

"Actually, I was muddled. My health has always been poor, my monthly cycles irregular. With many trivial affairs to attend to in the palace, coming and going, I neglected it even more. Please don't laugh, but I only found out about this news last night when I asked the imperial physician to take my pulse."

How could the Empress have forgotten?

She caressed the phoenix pattern on the chair in fascination, memories of sweet nothings Xiao Jingheng used to whisper to her in their times of affection flooding into her mind.

Thinking of it, her eyes brimmed red.

A glimpse from the corner of her eye showed the wood seemed to be discolored and faded. Consort Ning immediately became anxious and shouted loudly,

“Ying Xiang! How do you do things? The color is fading already, go get some pine oil to moisturize it!”

The one who stumbled in hastily to respond turned out to be palace maid Qiu Lan instead.

“Please don’t be angry, My Lady. I’ll go now.”

Seeing her instead of Ying Xiang, Consort Ning suddenly realized that Ying Xiang was gone...

Ying Xiang had served her since the age of six for over ten years. She served her wholeheartedly.

Now she had died at the hot springs villa. Consort Ning couldn’t even see her for the last time, much less give her a proper funeral.

Seeing tears shimmering in Consort Ning’s eyes, Qiu Lan carefully comforted, “My Lady...”

“What are you still dawdling around for!” Consort Ning suddenly glanced up and glared at Qiu Lan resentfully, "Get out and do what you're supposed to do!"

Qiu Lan was so frightened that she almost fell over as she scrambled out like her life depended on it.

Shortly after she left, while Consort Ning was still brooding alone, she heard movement outside the door again and scolded without even lifting her head,

"Didn’t I tell you to get lost and do your job? Do those two pieces of flesh on your cheeks no longer work?"

"Why is my sister so angry?"

Hearing Consort Yun's voice, only then did Consort Ning lift her head and glare at her, still sounding displeased. "What are you doing here?"

Consort Yun cautiously closed the door and lowered her voice while standing beside Consort Ning, pretending to whisper secretly,

"I know sister is upset about the Empress’s pregnancy. But isn’t this the perfect opportunity for sister to take revenge? I’ve just used up my share of fragrant powder here, so I’ll take some more back today. During your trip to the hot springs resort with His Majesty these days, the Empress has been quite intimate with me. I'll just pester her everyday, make sure she can't carry to full term before her heart condition acts up and she miscarries!"

Consort Ning shot her a sideways glance. For some reason, she felt a few degrees more disgusted by her than before.

When the Empress didn't have a child, she always equivocated and refused over and over at her attempts to harm the Empress.

Now when she heard the Empress was pregnant, she even eagerly took the initiative herself?

Consort Ning was silent for a moment, then indifferently said, "Never mind, don't bother then."

"Don't bother?" Consort Yun looked completely baffled. "You've always suspected the Empress had something to do with your miscarriage back then. Now there's finally a good opportunity to avenge your unjustly dead child, yet you are..."

“Of course I hate her!” Consort Ning’s emotions suddenly became agitated, her eyes wide open as she said furiously: “I hate her so much I want to skin and debone that cheap woman and throw her into a pot to be fried into scraps! But...but...”

She was initially full of hatred,

But I don't know why, her tone gradually weakened,

There were tears welling up in her dim eyes as she stroked the phoenix pattern on the chair and said with grief:

“But her child is also the Emperor's child.”

"How could I let the Emperor be heartbroken..."