Emperor Jingming’s expression was gentle, his tone considerate, as casual and natural as when he would say, “My beloved consort, if you’re unwell, please rest well.”
Consort Xian stared at that familiar yet strange old face, her mind momentarily blank, unable to process what he had just said.
“My beloved, don’t you think this is a perfect solution?” the Emperor asked.
Consort Xian nodded reflexively. It wasn’t until her fingertips unconsciously touched the warm teapot that she suddenly came to her senses.
She abruptly stood up, her face ashen. “What did Your Majesty say?”
If she hadn’t misheard, the Emperor had registered Old Seven under the Empress’s name.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Emperor Jingming looked concerned. “Is my beloved’s headache acting up again?”
Consort Xian stared intently at Emperor Jingming, her expression distorted, her pale and chapped lips trembling violently. Only one thought circled in her mind: she wanted to scratch this old man’s face!
Just as she raised her hand, a piercing headache struck her, clashing with her tumultuous emotions. Unable to bear it, Consort Xian’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
“Your Highness!” The palace maids serving in the hall cried out in alarm.
Emperor Jingming calmly waved his hand. “It’s alright.”
As the old saying goes, experience breeds wisdom. With so many women in the palace, after decades of accumulation, Emperor Jingming had seen plenty of fainting women and had become quite experienced in dealing with such situations.
He reached out and firmly pressed Consort Xian’s philtrum. After a moment, Consort Xian slowly regained consciousness, feeling a burning pain above her lip.
But Consort Xian couldn’t care less about that now. She grabbed Emperor Jingming’s sleeve. “What did Your Majesty just say?”
Emperor Jingming discreetly shook his hand free. “Why did my beloved faint? Is your headache troubling you again? If so, you mustn’t get angry or anxious. You need to rest quietly, you know.”
The emphasized words “rest quietly” made Consort Xian’s heart skip a beat, suddenly bringing her back to reality.
The man before her was the Emperor, the ruler of the nation, not an ordinary man.
In the imperial family, there were no father-son relationships, let alone an emperor’s affection for his consorts.
If she had truly acted on her impulse to scratch the Emperor’s face, what awaited her would likely be the Cold Palace.
Consort Xian felt a chill of fear, her face growing even paler, as fragile as a sheet of paper.
Seeing Consort Xian calm down, Emperor Jingming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Women were truly frightening. The usually dignified and virtuous Consort Xian had looked like she wanted to kill him just now.
He was the Emperor, of course, he wasn’t afraid of what a consort might do, but if those long nails had scratched him, wouldn’t his face be utterly disgraced?
Thinking this, Emperor Jingming quietly moved a bit further away, coughing once before saying, “My beloved’s headaches worry me greatly. It’s precisely because of this that I decided to give Old Seven to the Empress. This way, that scoundrel won’t keep upsetting you and making your condition worse…”
Consort Xian’s mouth twitched, unable to remain calm again.
So, the son she had given birth to was freely given to the Empress, and she was supposed to thank the Emperor for it?
“My beloved, please ease your mind. Nothing is more important than your health.” Emperor Jingming gently patted Consort Xian, feeling he had said all that needed to be said. Staying any longer would only increase the danger, so he decisively chose to leave.
“Take good care of Her Highness. If she feels unwell, immediately summon the Imperial Physician. If her condition worsens due to any delay, you will be held responsible!”
Taking advantage of the palace maids’ acknowledgments, Emperor Jingming strode out, leaving a room full of people trembling as they looked toward Consort Xian.
Under these gazes, Consort Xian felt like a massive joke.
Old Seven had become the Empress’s son?
If so, she could no longer use her daughter-in-law to make Old Seven submit?
With Old Seven registered under the Empress’s name, his wife would no longer need to come to Yuquan Palace to pay respects when entering the palace. She didn’t even have the right to be angry anymore…
The more Consort Xian thought about it, the more infuriated she became. Soon, she realized an even more serious issue: a prince registered under the Empress’s name was considered half-legitimate. Didn’t this mean Old Seven was now eligible to be the Crown Prince?
In this case, as Fourth Prince’s full brother, not only had Old Seven never helped Fourth Prince in any way, but he had now become Fourth Prince’s biggest rival, potentially even stepping over him to ascend.
Consort Xian could hardly bear to imagine such a scenario.
If the Fourth Prince couldn’t win, she would rather see any other prince take the position than Old Seven.
After that day when they had torn apart their relationship, she had seen clearly what a heartless creature he was.
If Old Seven were to ascend to that position, forget about any benefits for her as his birth mother; she would likely face the greatest humiliation.
What could be more heart-wrenching than seeing one’s son become the most revered person in the world, yet showing filial piety to someone else?
Consort Xian’s face alternated between pale and flushed, waves of qi and blood surging within her. Suddenly, she felt a sweetness in her throat and opened her mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood.
“Your Highness—” All the palace servants were shocked and dismayed.
The trusted elderly maid screamed, “Quickly summon the Imperial Physician—”
Soon, the Imperial Physician hurriedly arrived with his medicine box. After examining Consort Xian, he advised, “The liver stores blood, and great anger harms the liver. Your Highness must remember to rest quietly and avoid getting angry easily.”
Consort Xian, pale-faced, remained silent.
The trusted elderly maid escorted the Imperial Physician out, quietly slipping him a money pouch while saying in a low voice, “Regarding Her Highness’s condition, the physician must not mention it to others.”
The Imperial Physician skillfully pocketed the pouch, nodding slightly.
As a frequent visitor to Yuquan Palace, he was considered one of Consort Xian’s people and knew well what should and shouldn’t be said.
Consort Xian’s emotions had indeed been very volatile lately. Coupled with her unexplained headaches, if this continued, her health might—
The Imperial Physician sighed quietly as he left Yuquan Palace.
After leaving Consort Xian, Emperor Jingming went to Cining Palace.
With the Empress registering Old Seven under her name, he felt obliged to inform the Empress Dowager.
“His Majesty arrives—”
Seeing the Emperor enter, the Empress Dowager gently placed a string of prayer beads on the kang table and smiled, “How does the Emperor have time to visit?”
Princesses Fuqing and Fourteen hurriedly paid their respects to Emperor Jingming.
“Rise,” Emperor Jingming said to the two princesses, then sat down at the edge of the kang. “What is Mother Empress doing?”
The Empress Dowager pointed to the Go board on the table. “Just passing time, watching these two girls play Go.”
Emperor Jingming glanced at the board and smiled, “It seems the white pieces have the upper hand.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Princess Fuqing. “The white pieces are Aquan’s, but Fourteen isn’t bad either. The two girls are quite evenly matched.”
Princess Fourteen quickly said, “If Father Emperor had come a moment later, the black pieces would have been utterly defeated.”
Princess Fuqing calmly replied, “I’m not as good as Fourteenth Sister.”
Having been blind for many years, her Go skills couldn’t compare to Fourteen’s. Fourteen had been constantly letting her win.
Although she was aware of this, she didn’t point it out to avoid making Fourteen uncomfortable.
“Both of you are doing well,” Emperor Jingming praised them briefly before turning to the Empress Dowager, “I have some joyous news to share with Mother Empress.”
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a smile. “Oh? What joyous news might that be?”
“I have registered Old Seven under the Empress’s name.”
The Empress Dowager’s hand pressed down on the prayer beads on the kang table.
The prayer beads, carved from agarwood, were round and smooth as if coated with a layer of oil.
The Empress Dowager’s smile didn’t change in the slightest, but her voice became a bit heavier. “In that case, we should congratulate the Empress.”