Chapter 5

Chapter 5

During the first lunar month, Consort Xiang told me she was a little over a month pregnant. I glanced at her belly, not quite sure what had made her come around, but it was good enough that she had taken my words to heart.

“Wait until the first month is over and the pregnancy is stable before telling His Majesty,” I said.

“That was my thought as well.”

“You are a cautious one.”

Only, I had not expected there to be more than one piece of good news. Just after the first lunar month ended, Lady Xue had good news of her own. She was only a month along, and naturally, His Majesty was delighted.

So I had Consort Xiang take the opportunity to tell His Majesty as well. With Lady Xue’s pregnancy drawing all the attention, hardly anyone would notice Consort Xiang’s child. That was for the best.

There were plenty of eyes fixed on Lady Xue, and His Majesty was watching over her. As for Consort Xiang, I had no such energy to spare.

When I heard officials in the outer court mention the triennial selection, I thought it was a fine opportunity and brought it up with His Majesty. As expected, he agreed. One arrangement after another was put into motion. At the same time, I also told the lower-ranked consorts and concubines to seize their chances to attend His Majesty in bed. Consort Kang was a perfect example, after all.

I imagined there were many in the harem who were unhappy about the selection, but only Lady Xue dared to make barbed remarks to my face. For the sake of the child in her belly, I could not be bothered to argue with her. If His Majesty had not agreed, could I have forced him?

Attendant Bai and Noble Lady Rou became pregnant one after another as well. By then, the final palace selection had begun. Excellent.

His Majesty only sat through half a day of it before going to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, leaving me to choose on his behalf. By the end of the selection, only six women were chosen. There were those with good family backgrounds, those with beautiful faces, and those with pleasant temperaments.

Of course, none of them were perfect in every way. For instance, the ones with strong family backgrounds were relatively less outstanding in appearance, while the ones with outstanding looks came from more ordinary families. I liked seeing the harem full of vitality, but I did not like anyone standing out too much.

As soon as they entered the palace, I arranged for them to serve in bed. The emperor could hardly avoid praising me for being virtuous. That was fine. In any case, I could not be bothered to look at him. When Lady Xue was five or six months along, the Imperial Physician said the child was likely a prince, and from then on, His Majesty never brought up moving Tun’er into Xian’an Palace again.

Heh. Fickle dog of a man.

As for their little squabbles, I tolerated them. If things truly got out of hand, I would simply punish both sides equally. Either way, the trouble would not reach His Majesty.

In early August, Consort Xiang finally gave birth. It was a princess. Her labor went very smoothly; it seemed her daily walks around her own palace had done some good after all.

Only, when I thought of the Imperial Physician’s diagnosis, it seemed the princess had indeed proven him right. In that case, did that not mean Lady Xue’s child truly was a prince? What a headache.

There were currently only three princes in the palace, so His Majesty was still very happy about Consort Xiang’s princess and, as an exception, granted her rewards on the same scale as a prince.

More than half a month later, Lady Xue gave birth. This pregnancy of hers had still ended a little early. As expected, it was a prince. He merely looked rather thin and frail, but compared with the child she had lost before, he was much better off.

The Imperial Physician took his pulse and said only that he needed to be carefully nursed. If he could be nursed back to health, then it was not considered any serious ailment. I looked at the child in his swaddling clothes, and for a moment, vicious thoughts rose in my heart. But on second thought, His Majesty was protecting them so closely. I still could not make a move, lest I drag both myself and Tun’er down with me and let someone else reap the benefits.