Concubine Li looked at the empress on the stage and Jiang Xinyue sitting on the emperor's right hand, and felt a strong sense of unwillingness in her heart.
The position that Jiang Xinyue held in previous years belonged to her.
But now, she was wearing unfashionable clothes and an old hairpin from last year, sitting among a group of low-ranking concubines. Even if she wanted to see the emperor's face clearly, she had to go through layers of heads.
The best she had ever had, how could she accept such a gap?
"Empress, look at Madam, is she injured?"
Concubine Li looked towards the side of the minister's family. Her mother was bleeding from the corner of her mouth and looked very painful, while the little eunuch beside Concubine Zhen was looking at her with a smile.
"he……"
Just as Concubine Li was about to get up and go over, Xiao Xuanzi had already withdrawn from there and returned behind Concubine Zhen.
Only then did she learn that it was Mrs. Pei who had a bad mouth and insisted on saying some unpleasant words to humiliate Mrs. Ruan, and also scolded her in his words.
Fortunately, the cheap daddy is very good at handling things and he also knows how to protect his mother.
She deserved to be stabbed in the mouth.
Jiang Xinyue caught a sharp and hateful look. She turned her head suddenly and saw Li Guifei glaring at her, her beautiful face twisted like Pei's.
She raised the wine glass in her hand, raised it to Concubine Li, and drank it down in one gulp.
Of course, what she drank was not wine, but fruit juice, which the senior executive specially made for her alone.
Concubine Li did not pay attention to her, but leaned back and said to Xia He behind her: "Go and find out what Concubine Zhen did to Madam?"
"emperor?"
Xia He twisted the handkerchief in his hand and said to Mrs. Pei: "Madam, that little eunuch is not serving the emperor, but someone from the palace of concubines."
"What?"
As soon as Mrs. Pei was brought down and applied the medicine, she covered her mouth in confusion and gasped: "Hiss... you said... hiss... what did you say this... what do you mean? Ouch... it hurts so much. I am..."
Xia He sighed heavily: "What I mean is that you were deceived. It was not the crab that the emperor rewarded you with, but Concubine Zhen who deliberately tricked you."
"How dare she?"
Pei's eyes widened: "That's a fake imperial edict."
"Of course she dares."
Xia He said bitterly: "She is now the number one person in the harem. Even the queen has to avoid her. There is no one else she dares to offend. Even if we sue the emperor, she will only reward you two, madam." It’s just a crab, the emperor won’t blame her.”
Ms. Pei gritted his teeth and said, "This rampant little bitch, I won't just suffer the loss of being dumb."
She leaned into Xia He's ear and whispered a few words. Xia He said in surprise: "Did Madam bring her into the palace?"
"Yes, I originally wanted her to dress up as a palace maid and stay with Ni'er in case of emergencies. But now Zhenbi is so arrogant. If she gives birth to a prince in the future, won't Ni'er lose her status even more? Before she is born. Do it tonight."
On New Year's Eve, the palace officials in Hexi Palace must have relaxed, and everyone is huddled together waiting to stay up late on New Year's Eve. It is easiest to succeed at this time.
In the seemingly peaceful harem, undercurrents surge.
"Bah! Bah! Bah!"
When it was time to set off the fireworks, everyone went to the palace wall to watch together. Under the wall were the people in the imperial city.
Wang Dequan read out the emperor's imperial decree on tax reduction and exemption, causing the people under the city wall to kneel down and shout long live.
To Emperor Xuanwu's right stood Queen Zhu, and to his left was Jiang Xinyue, who was pulled to his side.
Great rivers and mountains, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, and the woman he loves is still in his arms, and she is still pregnant with their child.
The emperor felt that this year was the happiest year he had lived.
The repetitive life every day made him have no expectations for the coming year. He spent his whole life doing what an emperor should do step by step.
But now that he has a concubine, she is the one who makes him look forward to the stagnant life in the palace step by step.
When did this expectation begin?
It was probably when she was pregnant and asked him to go to Hexi Palace every day to tell stories to the child in her belly.
Even he found the story books written by Zhenbin herself, such as "Journey to the West", "Snow White", "Cinderella" and "Pony Crossing the River", very exciting.
Especially the story of Sun Wukong protecting Tang Monk from the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. As a storyteller, he was fascinated by it and wanted to tell the baby more every day so that he could read more.
Zhenbi is like a treasure chest, there is always a steady stream of novel things in it, which can always give him different surprises.
The gorgeous fireworks lit up the entire night sky. Jiang Xinyue raised her head and stared at it for a moment. Rarely...she felt a little homesick.
Although her father did not care for her mother in later generations, her parents divorced, each had their own families, and they both gave her younger brothers and sisters, she no longer had a family of her own.
But...she will still miss the oden restaurant downstairs in the company after get off work every day. I wonder if the fat boss will ask her colleagues where she went after not seeing her for so long?
Her parents, who were like strangers, would not think of her until they were short of money, but she still couldn't let go of the self that longed for family affection in her bones.
Because she knew that even her biological parents could not be relied upon in this world, she never thought of relying on anyone.
No matter how much Emperor Xuanwu loved her and doted on her, there were additional conditions. She must always be well-behaved, cute, beautiful, kind, and always considerate of him.
That's not her...
She really has a clear distinction between love and hate, and can't tolerate a grain of sand in her eyes. A scumbag like Emperor Xuanwu of the Sea will definitely be thrown over her shoulder by her in future generations.
"What are you thinking, concubine?"
Why are you not in a good mood?
"I'm thinking... I'm only seven months old, how come I'm as big as someone else's baby? Isn't it possible that I'm pregnant with twins?"
The ancients were superstitious about Feng Shui, especially those of the royal family.
There is a record in the "Book of Changes": "One is yang, and the other is yin." The ancients believed that the yin energy of twins in a child was very strong, and they would conflict with each other after birth. The ancient emperor believed that twins were equivalent to "double stars coming into the world", which was ominous. It will affect the national destiny.
There are two ways to deal with twins.
Cruel methods ranged from asking an imperial physician to identify the child, strangling the weaker child to death and leaving the stronger child alone, or at worst, executing both children or sending them outside the palace to be raised by others.
If the twins were raised with gentle means, one of the twins born to the concubine might be hidden and not recorded in the history books.
Either they claim they are not twins and tamper with their birth dates to record them as brothers with a one-year age difference in history books, or they pass one of the princes on to another concubine to hide the truth.
Turns out that was what I was worried about.
Emperor Xuanwu touched her head: "Your belly is not big. I have seen the queen pregnant. She was bigger than you at seven months. Don't worry too much. Just wait for the birth. Even if you give birth to twins, I will give birth to twins." We will also make proper arrangements so that nothing will happen to you and your child."
