Chapter 111: Stillborn

Chapter 111: Stillborn

The two left Chu Xiu Palace, walking along the stone path through the bamboo forest towards Chonghua Palace. Sun Gui Ren then chuckled softly, murmuring, "Mother? My stepmother really knows how to handle things. She elevated Sun Qingyun so high, nurturing such a haughty nature, even casting aside her own birth mother."

Huamei, however, was worried about something else. She said, "My lady, if the Empress finds out about our visit to Chu Xiu Palace..."

Sun Gui Ren's expression softened, and she said quietly, "A minor matter like visiting Chu Xiu Palace won’t offend Her Majesty."

Last time, she had helped the Empress use Consort De. Although things didn't turn out as planned, at least she hadn’t made any mistakes. It was Consort He who unexpectedly intervened…

"However," she touched the veil on her face, "if Sun Qingyun is selected, the Empress might favor her too. Her beauty is only slightly inferior to that of the once-favored Xie."

"My lady, what if she doesn’t heed your advice today?" Huamei asked, puzzled.

Huamei might be just a palace maid, but observing the favored consorts, she knew the Emperor didn’t have a specific preference for any style of woman. In fact, Sun Qingyun's radiant beauty might be diminished if dressed plainly.

"You think I want Sun Qingyun to fail the selection?" Sun Gui Ren laughed softly, her tone playful, "She never listens to me. If I say east, she'll go west. On the day of selection, she'll surely dress extravagantly... I'll just wait for her in the palace. Otherwise, it would be so boring to let her stepmother marry her off."

"Also..." she whispered, "I’m just one rank away from the title of consort. The usual ways won’t work for me. I need to establish some merit to have a chance. Only as a consort can I have the opportunity to raise children..."

"Establish merit?" Huamei's voice was soft as she looked around cautiously, afraid of being overheard.

Sun Gui Ren glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Without merit, one must create opportunities for it. Anyway... Sun Qingyun and Wancairen are both fools."

Sun Gui Ren’s thoughts seemed known to no one. Time flowed like water, and soon, the selection at Taiye Pond's Yingxiang Pavilion ended. The newly appointed ladies were escorted into the palace in a procession of red-maned horse-drawn carriages.

Consort He, who enjoyed both boredom and excitement, did not go to Taiye Pond to watch the festivities for the new arrivals in the palace. Instead, she came to Yaohua Palace, carrying a sleek black cat with a white belly and paws.

At that time, Jiang Hui was teaching her son to write at the desk and did not have the time to entertain her. Consort He sat nearby, amusing herself by playing with the cat, named Wuyun Tazue.

The few little maids in the room also seemed to like the cat, stealing glances at it. However, her son, who was learning to write, did not look up even once, continuing to diligently hold the brush and write the character "永" under his mother's guidance.

Princess Huayang, sitting on a nearby velvet carpet, was not as focused as her brother. Nearly two years old and more active, she was interested in various things. Seeing the well-trained cat from the Imperial Beast Garden, she, still not speaking clearly, stood up, toddled over to Consort He, tugged at her sleeve, and demanded, "Huayang, want!"

Wuyun Tazue, unafraid of the strangers in the room, rolled over to show its belly at Consort He's feet, looking adorably endearing.

Consort He smilingly lifted Huayang into her arms and cooed, "Huayang, come play in Yufu Palace often, and I'll have Mimi accompany you!"

But to her surprise, Huayang wriggled out of Consort He's embrace, ran to Jiang Hui, and loudly insisted, "Mother, Huayang, want!"

Hearing this, Jiang Hui finished guiding her son through the last stroke, then turned to Huayang and said, "Huayang, the lady is just teasing you. The cat was actually chosen from the Imperial Beast Garden to be given to you."

Understanding that the cat was hers, Huayang happily went back to find the cat. Consort He stood up from her chair and complained, "Sometimes, Consort Zhao, can't you be a bit more naive?"

Jiang Hui didn't respond directly to her but instead told her son, "Writing requires lifting the wrist. You’re still young, Nian'er. It’s not too late to start using small sandbags for training after you start school. Don’t secretly practice like before, okay?"

"Mother, Nian'er understands," the boy obediently replied.

"Good," Jiang Hui patted his head affectionately and said, "Play with your sister for a while."

She then led Consort He out of the warm pavilion into the hall and asked, "Consort He, did you come today for a specific reason?"

Consort He picked up a piece of white sugar cake from the small table, popped it into her mouth, followed by a sip of tea, and said, "If Consort Zhao doesn’t come to see me, am I not allowed to visit you?"

After her playful remark, she became serious and said, "I think the child in Consort Luo’s womb is unlikely to be born."

Autumn Kui's prediction earlier in the year was correct; Consort Luo was indeed pregnant and now nearly six months along.

"Why?" Jiang Hui raised an eyebrow slightly, aware that the person before her was once a Xiongnu shamaness and surely knew some medical arts.

"Her belly hasn't grown much since mid-March. I invited some sisters over a few times to listen to music and took the opportunity to feel her pulse. The fetal heartbeat is very weak, possibly due to consuming something inappropriate," Consort He explained, then picked up another piece of white sugar cake and popped it into her mouth.

Consort Luo has always been healthy, so why would the fetus in her womb suddenly become so weak?

She is also a clever woman; who could have outsmarted her?

And which physician examining her pulse was bribed?

Jiang Hui summoned Autumn Kui and whispered a few instructions, then turned to Consort He, "Don't you have any news yet?"

Consort He stopped eating and patted her hands lightly, wiping off the crumbs with a handkerchief passed by her maid, before slowly saying, "Soon."

Seeing that Jiang Hui’s expression remained unchanged and apparently uncurious, Consort He continued, "I'm really tired of dealing with the Emperor, and I think he’s tired of me too. Can't we change the method?"

Jiang Hui nodded slightly, offering Consort He the words she wanted to hear: "It's possible."

"What is it?" Consort He sat up straight, looking intently at Jiang Hui.

"Just announce that you’re pregnant when any woman in the palace initially becomes pregnant," Jiang Hui said nonchalantly.

"You want me to fake a pregnancy?" Consort He was surprised, then realized Jiang Hui was joking with a straight face.

Being of Xiongnu descent, her distinct features meant any randomly chosen child, even with the Emperor’s endorsement, wouldn’t impress the Xiongnu; whereas choosing a Xiongnu child without the Emperor’s bloodline would not reassure the Emperor.

Realizing this, Consort He glared at Jiang Hui and sighed, "Why do women have to be able to get pregnant? It would be so much better if men did this!"