“The Princess Consort of Prince Yan is already four months pregnant. Even without the Imperial Physician’s confirmation, I—” Halfway through her sentence, Noble Consort Xian suddenly remembered something and fixed her gaze intently on the Princess Consort of Prince Qi. “What did the Imperial Physician mean?”
The Imperial Physician, his face beaming with joy, bowed to Noble Consort Xian and said, “In response to Your Highness, the Princess Consort of Prince Qi is with child.”
An immense wave of joy surged through Noble Consort Xian’s heart, and she blurted out, “Is it true?”
All along, the Fourth Prince’s greatest regret had been his lack of a son.
For a couple of Fourth Prince and his wife’s age, this wouldn’t be a significant issue in an ordinary family. However, being part of the royal family, especially with aspirations for the throne, offspring became crucial.
To put it, if one were to choose between supporting Prince Jin or Prince Qi, some might hesitate due to Prince Qi’s lack of a son. Who could guarantee that Prince Qi would be able to produce a son in the future? What if Prince Qi ascended the throne but remained childless? To whom would the vast empire be entrusted? Surely, they couldn’t adopt the child of another prince at that point?
Rather than face such uncertainty, it would be better to support someone with a more secure lineage from the start.
Under Noble Consort Xian’s persistent questioning, the Imperial Physician hurriedly replied, “The Princess Consort of Prince Qi’s pregnancy pulse is already evident. There should be no mistake.”
Noble Consort Xian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “How far along is the Princess Consort of Prince Qi?”
“Just over a month.”
Joy spread across Noble Consort Xian’s face. “Thank you for your hard work, Imperial Physician.”
With a subtle gesture from her, a palace maid immediately stepped forward and slipped a thick envelope of rewards to the Imperial Physician.
“Many thanks, Your Highness.”
Noble Consort Xian nodded slightly. “Please trouble yourself to prescribe some nourishing medicines for the Princess Consort of Prince Qi.”
“Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll prepare the prescription right away.”
As her gaze followed the Imperial Physician out, Noble Consort Xian could barely contain her joy.
This child’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect!
She looked towards the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, who was staring blankly, clearly still in shock.
“Ahem, ahem.” Noble Consort Xian coughed twice. “Fourth Prince’s wife, how are you feeling now?”
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi’s eyelashes fluttered as she covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
Princess Rongyang, standing at the doorway, felt conflicted but smiled and said, “Your Highness has received double joy today. Such good news should be shared with His Majesty to lift his spirits as well.”
Noble Consort Xian’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, she had forgotten Princess Rongyang was present. Now the news of Fourth Prince’s wife’s pregnancy couldn’t be kept secret.
Generally, it was inadvisable to widely announce a woman’s pregnancy before three months, but there were always exceptions.
Fourth Prince was competing with Prince Jin, and the news of his wife’s pregnancy would undoubtedly be greatly advantageous to him.
Princess Rongyang’s suggestion was not bad. Such joyous news should indeed be shared with the Emperor.
In Princess Rongyang’s presence, Noble Consort Xian immediately instructed an attendant to report the good news to the Emperor.
Princess Rongyang smiled. “The Imperial Physician just left to prescribe medicine for the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, but he forgot to check the pulse of the Princess Consort of Prince Yan.”
While others might have forgotten, she clearly remembered the Princess Consort of Prince Yan’s feigned illness. It wouldn’t be so easy for her to escape scrutiny.
Noble Consort Xian suddenly remembered Jiang Si and looked toward her.
Jiang Si stood beside the chaise lounge, her expression calm.
Noble Consort Xian suddenly recalled what Jiang Si had said earlier, and a strange feeling arose in her heart.
“Seventh Prince’s wife, you mentioned earlier that your Fourth Sister-in-law would share in your good fortune. Could it be that you had already sensed that your Fourth Sister-in-law was with child?”
Jiang Si displayed a look of surprise. “Your Highness jests. I’m not an Imperial Physician; how could I have known that my Fourth Sister-in-law was pregnant? Besides, even the Imperial Physician needed to check her pulse to confirm.”
Noble Consort Xian realized this was true, but became increasingly puzzled by Jiang Si’s earlier words.
“I was just speaking casually,” Jiang Si explained irresponsibly.
Princess Rongyang sneered, “Even casual words proved accurate. The Princess Consort of Prince Yan truly has a gift.”
Jiang Si replied with a smile, “Aunt, you flatter me. I don’t have a gift; perhaps I’m just blessed with good fortune.”
Princess Rongyang clenched her fist, resisting the urge to slap Jiang Si, and asked, “Is the Princess Consort of Prince Yan feeling better now?”
“Upon hearing that Fourth Sister-in-law is with child, I became so excited that I indeed feel much better.”
Due to the sudden news of the Princess Consort of Prince Qi’s pregnancy, Noble Consort Xian had long since ceased to dwell on Jiang Si’s matter. She smoothed things over, saying, “It’s good that you’re feeling better. Given your condition, you should indeed be careful. Don’t delay if you feel unwell at any time.”
She then turned her attention to the Princess Consort of Prince Qi: “Fourth Prince’s wife, your pregnancy is still in its early stages, so you must be even more cautious. Don’t compromise yourself or the child for any reason. You needn’t come to the palace to pay respects for a while.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi, having composed herself, replied while suppressing her excitement, “How could that be? Paying respects to Mother is my duty as a daughter-in-law.”
Hearing this, Noble Consort Xian immediately glanced at Jiang Si.
There truly was no comparison. The Seventh Prince’s wife had avoided even showing her face since becoming pregnant, while the Fourth Prince’s wife was so considerate.
It was no wonder she had a soft spot for the Fourth Prince’s wife.
“Not worrying about one’s elders is also a junior’s duty. Fourth Prince’s wife, I know you’re filial, but with the cold weather, your coming to pay respects would only make me uneasy. The greatest filial act you can perform now is to take good care of yourself and the child at home.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi nodded, her face flushed. “Mother’s concern for me is truly my good fortune…”
Jiang Si impatiently raised her eyebrows and spoke up, “Your Highness, I’m feeling a bit tired and would like to return to the residence to rest.”
Noble Consort Xian’s face darkened slightly as she said coolly, “You may go.”
Out of sight, out of mind. She still had many things to discuss with the Fourth Prince’s wife and had no time to deal with this ill-mannered creature.
Seeing that she couldn’t embarrass Jiang Si further, Princess Rongyang also lost interest in staying. She bid farewell to Noble Consort Xian and left shortly after Jiang Si.
With the others gone, Noble Consort Xian chided, “Fourth Prince’s wife, you’ve already been a mother once. How could you not have known you were over a month pregnant?”
It was absurd that it took the Seventh Prince’s wife’s nonsensical words to discover this.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi looked embarrassed. “Since giving birth to Miss Yuan, my health hasn’t been the best, and my monthly cycles have been irregular. I didn’t think in that direction…”
“Never mind, just be more careful from now on. Tell me, when you were alone with Seventh Prince’s wife earlier, did you two disagree?”
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi’s expression changed slightly, the joy gradually fading from her face.
“What’s the matter? Is it difficult to speak about?”
The daughter-in-law and mother-in-law both knew well that Prince Qi was aiming for the throne. With their efforts aligned, there was nothing Noble Consort Xian couldn’t ask the Princess Consort of Prince Qi.
“Seventh Brother’s wife bluntly stated that she found me disagreeable and told me to avoid her presence in the future,” the Princess Consort of Prince Qi said, swallowing her humiliation.
Noble Consort Xian’s eyes widened in surprise. “She said that?”
Among the ladies both inside and outside the palace, even those who might secretly wish to stab each other would maintain a smiling facade. How could there be such a fool?
“What could she be thinking?” Noble Consort Xian muttered, bewildered by her youngest daughter-in-law’s behavior.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi gently touched her abdomen, feeling the sudden immense joy, and spoke with a hint of coolness in her voice, “Mother, the Prince originally wanted me to get along well with Seventh Brother’s wife, to help bring the brothers closer. But with Seventh Brother’s wife showing such disdain towards me, won’t Seventh Brother become even more distant from the Prince…”