“That’s one way to do it.” Hua Chun nodded. “Go try it and see if it works.”

“Alright.” Qing Niao nodded and went off to handle it immediately.

The Empress Dowager’s side had agreed readily enough, but when Hua Chun was getting ready to go out that evening, she unexpectedly ran into Noble Concubine Xu.

“Where is Your Highness off to?” Noble Concubine Xu said with a beaming smile, sidling up and taking hold of her arm. “It’s been so long — you’ve grown even more elegant and dignified.”

Why did her luck have to be this bad? Hua Chun frowned and said in a low voice, “I’ve been cooped up in the palace too long. I wanted to take a walk by myself.”

She put extra emphasis on the words “by myself,” but Noble Concubine Xu acted as though she’d gone deaf in both ears, sticking close by her side without the slightest intention of leaving, and said with a warm smile, “If you want to take a walk, you really should go to the imperial garden. The weather’s nice today, the sun’s out, and quite a few of the sisters are sitting over there. Why don’t you come along and take a look, Your Highness?”

“No need.” Hua Chun lowered her eyes. “I’m going to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager on the way.”

“Paying respects?” Noble Concubine Xu thought it over. “Then it’s perfect — this concubine hasn’t been to see the Empress Dowager in a few days either. Let’s go together.”

Hua Chun: “……”

Her temper hadn’t been great lately, and she badly wanted to slap the woman and tell her to get lost, but she couldn’t. She clenched her hands until the veins showed on the backs of them, and forced herself to say, “I’ll go by myself.”

Noble Concubine Xu was usually quite good at reading the room, but today she acted as if she were blind to it. Even with Hua Chun this angry, she still insisted on tagging along — she only let go of her arm and followed a step behind.

What was she supposed to do about this? Hua Chun flung her hand out in irritation and stood where she was, looking at Rui’er for a moment. Rui’er wore her usual sweet, dim expression, clearly of no help at all. After a moment of silence, Hua Chun kept walking anyway, thinking she’d figure something out once she reached the Empress Dowager’s palace.

The Empress Dowager had sensed something was off with Consort De, so she’d made arrangements to see her alone. Who would have thought Consort De would not only bring Noble Concubine Xu along, but that a steady stream of other people would show up after her as well.

There was nothing to be done — she could only sit and let them all pay their respects. Once the courtesies were done, the Empress Dowager said, “You may all withdraw. This palace has something to discuss with Consort De alone.”

Hua Chun was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when, to her surprise, Noble Concubine Xu beside her spoke up. “Please wait a moment, Empress Dowager. Noble Concubine Wu will be here shortly — she has something to tell you. It’s very important, so please wait a little longer.”

The Empress Dowager paused, frowning. “Something important?”

These days, what could possibly be important in front of her besides an imperial heir?

Hua Chun pressed her lips together, glanced at Noble Concubine Xu, and fell into a frowning silence.

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of thing her own unlucky mouth had jinxed? Hiding it had been exhausting, and speaking it aloud would be exhausting too — would she even get the chance to lay it all out for the Empress Dowager today?

“She’s here, she’s here.” Catching sight of someone outside, Noble Concubine Xu gave a couple of low exclamations. Everyone turned to look and saw Noble Concubine Wu being helped in with great ceremony, a maid supporting her on each side.

Seeing this show of pomp, Hua Chun already had a bad feeling.

“This concubine pays respects to the Empress Dowager.” Noble Concubine Wu curtsied gently toward the Empress Dowager, then cupped her belly with both hands and said with a bashful expression, “I’ve come today because I have something important to report.”

Slightly startled, the Empress Dowager seemed to guess what it was, her eyes lighting up. “You… are you with child?”

Nodding gently, Noble Concubine Wu said in a low voice, “The imperial physicians have already confirmed it. This concubine is indeed pregnant.”

The room erupted in astonishment. Hua Chun sat frozen in her chair.

So this was it — she’d been beaten to it.

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. With the earlier scare fresh in mind, she immediately summoned several more imperial physicians to check the pulse together. After half an hour of fuss, she got the answer she wanted to hear and broke into a smile. “This is wonderful, wonderful news! Come, sit beside me.”

Congratulations poured in from all around, and soon someone went to inform Consort Shu and Zhaoyi Tang — it looked like Huiming Hall was about to be packed to bursting.

For safety’s sake, Hua Chun could only rise and say, “Empress Dowager, this concubine isn’t feeling well and will take her leave first. Congratulations to Noble Concubine Wu.”

“Mm, off you go.” With the happy news, the Empress Dowager no longer cared in the least what Hua Chun had wanted to say. She waved her hand and let her go.

Hua Chun nodded and walked out, disappointed. Beside her, someone — she couldn’t tell who — suddenly darted out and slammed into her.

Losing her footing, Hua Chun nearly fell, but quickly caught herself on a nearby flower stand.

“My lady!” Rui’er was startled and rushed over to steady her. Hua Chun looked up; the crowd around her was pressed together so tightly she couldn’t make out who had bumped into her.

Danger everywhere.

Even as slow as she could be to notice things, Hua Chun could sense that someone was targeting her. She immediately grabbed Rui’er and headed for the door.

“My lady, the palanquin.”

“No, I’ll walk back.” Hua Chun frowned at the tall palanquin. Something felt off today — better to be careful in everything.

“How can you not use the palanquin when it’s right here?” Noble Concubine Xu had followed her out and looked at her strangely. “Has Consort De been a little too careful lately? It’s a long way — walking will wear on your body, and yours isn’t strong to begin with.”

Without even glancing at her, Hua Chun took Rui’er’s arm and walked on ahead. As if — not using the palanquin had been for safety in the first place, and now that this woman had opened her mouth, refusing it had become a matter of survival.

Wasn’t she already carrying the title of “the Cold Consort”? She’d kept a low profile in the palace lately and hadn’t drawn anyone’s hostility — so why was she being targeted again?

Hua Chun was baffled, even wondering if these people had already found out she was pregnant. Otherwise why would they keep interfering, again and again, whenever she tried to see the Empress Dowager alone? And now, just when she’d finally managed to arrange a private word with her, someone had swooped in to steal her thunder.

Of course, Noble Concubine Wu’s pregnancy might well be real, and stealing the spotlight might not have been intentional — it just felt that way to her.

“My lady.” After they’d walked some distance, Rui’er glanced back and said quietly, “Noble Concubine Xu is still following behind us.”

“So annoying.” Hua Chun quickened her pace in irritation. But her body really wasn’t suited to walking too fast for too long, and before long she began to feel unwell. Spotting Zichen Hall not far ahead, she simply turned in.

Noble Concubine Xu was taken aback — she hadn’t expected Hua Chun to go pay respects to the Emperor. After a moment’s thought, she decided to follow along as well.

“Your Majesty.”

Once inside the rear hall, there was no sign of Consort De. Noble Concubine Xu, puzzled, glanced around.

“This throne has already given the order that consorts are not to come to Zichen Hall without reason.” The ruler seated within seemed to be in a foul mood, and the moment he opened his mouth it was pure fire. “Get out!”

Startled, Noble Concubine Xu quickly kowtowed, then lifted her skirts and hurried out. Only once outside did she come to her senses, trembling all over.

It had been a long time since the Emperor had been this fierce. Her attention had been entirely on Consort De, and being roared at so suddenly left her shaken to the core. After a moment’s thought, she decided to leave — she didn’t spare much more thought for where Consort De might have gone.

Inside the inner hall, Hua Chun let out a breath of relief and grumbled irritably, “That woman must’ve been a piece of gum stuck to someone’s shoe in her past life!”

Glancing at her, Yuwen Jie frowned. “That’s quite a distance — you actually walked all the way here?”

“I just felt like the palanquin wasn’t safe.” Hua Chun said. “What if someone’s hand slipped and I got dropped?”

The Emperor was startled, then thought it made sense. “So are you planning to walk everywhere from now on?”

“No.” Hua Chun waved a hand. “Please grant this concubine a wooden wheelchair. I’ll add shock absorbers myself — guaranteed comfortable, stable, fast, and with no safety hazards.”

Many of her words made no sense to him at all. The ruler, exasperated and too busy to deal with her, said, “Whatever you want, tell Eunuch Qin.”

“Got it!” Hua Chun nodded, rested a while in Zichen Hall, and seeing that the Emperor really was too busy to spare her any attention, took Rui’er’s arm and strolled slowly back.

The whole back palace was celebrating Noble Concubine Wu’s pregnancy, with many people probing to ask whether the Empress Dowager’s earlier promise still stood.

“It stands.” The Empress Dowager said with a smile. “As long as you bear me a prince, this palace will see you elevated to the empress’s position.”

Noble Concubine Wu was overjoyed and immediately began researching every manner of secret recipe for bearing sons. To guard against a repeat of the earlier tragedy and against the back palace’s schemes, the Empress Dowager had Noble Concubine Wu moved directly into the side hall of Huiming Hall.

Which meant it was now more impossible than ever for Hua Chun to get a private word with the Empress Dowager.

“Thinking about this really is infuriating.” Qing Niao said. “You were clearly the first to get pregnant, and now look — if she gives birth early, will the position of eldest imperial son have to be handed over too?”

“It won’t.” Hua Chun said. “Once things settle down, I’ll announce my own pregnancy openly. It’s not as if I’m the only one who’s pregnant anyway — that’ll actually take some of the pressure off.”

Easy to say, but Qing Niao still couldn’t help worrying.

The Emperor spent eight straight days holed up in Zichen Hall. In those eight days, He Chang’an only entered the palace once, and looking at Hua Chun with a complicated expression, said, “The sky may be about to change.”

Glancing out the window at the weather, Hua Chun couldn’t make sense of it — until she saw the troubled, worried look on He Chang’an’s face, and it finally clicked. “Is someone planning to rebel?”

He Chang’an nodded slightly.

As for who among the current princes actually had the strength to rebel, no one needed to ask. But Prince Xi was different from any other prince, because the Empress Dowager doted on him especially. So until there was ironclad proof — or until he moved against the throne himself — the Emperor couldn’t touch him. This was clearly a battle being fought in the shadows.

“This throne,” Yuwen Jie said at court, “intends to make a tour of inspection of the fiefs before the year’s end. Starting with Prince Xi’s territory, for half a month.”

Tang Yue was the first to step forward. “Your Majesty is wise. The state of the fiefs truly ought to be inspected personally by Your Majesty.”

Quite a few voiced their objections, but the court was currently dominated by the pro-imperial faction, so the Emperor assigned the government affairs to several officials to handle and then returned to the back palace to say farewell to the Empress Dowager and the various consorts.

“So sudden?” Hua Chun looked a little flustered, frowning at Yuwen Jie. “Half a month?”

“There’s no choice but to go.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This throne will entrust you to Chang’an — he can keep you safe. Wait obediently for me to return.”

Hua Chun fell silent. She knew the Emperor was going to test the waters with Prince Xi, but with him leaving at a time like this, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

But objecting wouldn’t do any good. After stealing a bit of time alone together and saying their goodbyes, the next day Hua Chun joined the others to see the Emperor off.