Chapter 447

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

The Noble Consort pursed her lips, telling the Virtuous Consort to quickly put away her ugly expression — did this really need to be blown up? Guilt was written all over her face.

"Don't think everyone is as bad as you. The Consort Shu's natal family's offense back then wasn't even half as bad as the Ye family's, yet the Emperor didn't pursue it after she died.

Tsk tsk tsk, if we swapped Consort Shu for you, Ye Jingwan, do you think the Ye family would make a fuss?"

The Noble Consort's voice had just fallen when the agitated Virtuous Consort pushed her away.

The Virtuous Consort blustered, "Nonsense! Noble Consort, Zhou Shuyun, don't push your luck!"

The Noble Consort stumbled from the push, nearly falling; fortunately Lian Xiang steadied her.

"Your Highness"

Lian Xiang's expression was tense, fearing the Virtuous Consort would go crazy and do something to her own mistress.

Just now the two were too close; Lian Xiang vaguely heard her mistress call the Virtuous Consort by name, but heard nothing else.

What exactly did her mistress say to make the Virtuous Consort lose control like this? Lian Xiang speculated wildly in her heart, but on the surface she looked at the Noble Consort with a face full of worry.

The Noble Consort smiled and waved her hand, casually breaking free of Lian Xiang's hold, "What is the Virtuous Consort so agitated about? Could it be that what this palace said isn't the truth?"

She smoothed her slightly disordered collar, the Noble Consort glanced at the Virtuous Consort a few times, thinking to herself: indeed a paper tiger — not only can her private deeds not see the light of day, even her baring-fangs-and-brandishing-claws act has no killing power.

"Lian Xiang, this palace has been out for a while and is truly physically weary; let us return to the palace."

Drop the bomb and leave — the Noble Consort has also learned the Virtuous Consort's trick of digging pits for people; wasn't she just trying to disgust this palace before? This time she'll return it all.

Turning, she leaned on the arm Lian Xiang offered, the Noble Consort smiling with utter arrogance.

The Virtuous Consort stood in place watching the Noble Consort's party leave; only after a long while did she recover her senses.

Yunxiang carefully inquired about the situation, afraid her mistress might be stimulated into going crazy if she wasn't careful.

Fortunately the Virtuous Consort's emotions had already stabilized; she raised her hand and touched her red, swollen cheek, "Summon an Imperial Physician, just say this palace accidentally bumped her wrist."

As her words fell, the Virtuous Consort had already turned and entered the room; as for Yunxiang, left behind, she looked left and right with extreme guilt, then hurriedly took people to the Imperial Hospital to summon an Imperial Physician.

'... Wah wah wah, Host, the Noble Consort has already returned to Yongning Palace after hitting someone; looks like she's going to settle accounts with those few minor consorts in the palace — truly bold.'

The System expressed wanting to witness the wildness of consorts fighting, never expecting the one to strike would be the Noble Consort.

Having just cried a whole scene in Qianqing Palace, eyes slightly red and having obtained the Xin title bestowal, Shen Yao sat in the returning sedan chair, behind her the Emperor's generous rewards, 'I just finished acting out such a big play, yet you didn't watch carefully?'

Even ran off to Cuihua Palace to watch the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort's excitement — looks like this System really can't be kept.

System:... Huh?

Beep-woo beep-woo beep-woo, Sensitive Radar Activated!

The System nimbly slid to its knees to explain, 'Host misunderstands, System isn't, System didn't, System merely—'

'Merely what?' Having already put down the handkerchief, revealing her whole face, Shen Yao coldly snorted in her heart, 'Like joining in the fun? Is our Mission important or is the fun important? Tell me everything you saw, no concealment allowed.'

The System didn't dare conceal anything; the Host's words were even more terrifying than the Main System's — it didn't even know what it was afraid of, and honestly recounted every detail of what happened after the Noble Consort went to Cuihua Palace.

Even to make it easier for the Host to understand, the System itself performed a role-play — not a single punctuation mark or expression change (image display) of the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort's dialogue was omitted.

Shen Yao:... Also quite dedicated

Keeping a straight face, she told the System to go play on the side; Shen Yao pondered the matter the Noble Consort mentioned.

Consort Shu? Consort Shu died last year, at the Virtuous Consort's hand; as for the reason, the Noble Consort didn't say, only that the Virtuous Consort's natal family's crime back then was even greater than Consort Shu's natal family's — could there be something else besides taking sides? Could it be assassination?

'System, how has Consort Shu's natal family been faring recently?'

Because it had just been scolded by the Host, the System itself didn't dare run too far.

Sure enough, hearing the voice, the System popped up in one second, 'Consort Shu's natal family is surnamed Ji; they have already been exiled to a border small city, living quite miserably.'

Relocated from the bustling capital to a remote place — one knows it's bad without thinking.

'The Ji Family,' Shen Yao touched the bead string on her wrist, 'I remember Father mentioning before I entered the palace that the Ji Family embezzled military pay and was jointly reported; the Emperor flew into a rage and exiled the entire Ji clan — and because of this, Consort Shu, though pregnant less than three months, directly miscarried.'

This happened three years ago; Consort Shu herself died last year; after the miscarriage she lingered on a sickbed, never recovering, and with the family matter knotted in her heart, 'There's the Virtuous Consort's involvement in this; perhaps the Ji Family's exile involved the Ye Family's participation, and the Noble Consort spoke so confidently — the Ye Family's crime must be larger than this, yet the Emperor has tolerated it all along,' there's a secret here, and the buried landmines are not small.

Not waiting for the System to respond, Shen Yao continued, 'These recent days will be hard work; prioritize helping me watch all palace servants inside and outside Furong Palace — my pregnancy cannot be revealed too early; if possible, have the children help hook a fish,' the Huang Hou's waters are somewhat muddy; just the Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort are hard enough to deal with — those other lower-presence consorts? Afraid they're all this crazy and frantic.

The System immediately guaranteed this was its specialty; it absolutely wouldn't miss a single movement.

"Master, ahead are Zheng Xiurong of Lanxin Palace and Deng Chongyuan of Yuqing Palace."

Xiao Fu walked to the front of the sedan chair and hurriedly reminded, fearing a meeting would be awkward.

Shen Yao waved her hand to have the sedan chair stop steady, then had Xiao Fu help her down.

Standing in place waiting for Zheng Xiurong and Deng Chongyuan to approach, Shen Yao smiled and performed a bow, "Greetings to Elder Sister Zheng, Elder Sister Deng."

"Shen younger sister is courteous"

"This palace is an only daughter at home, never had a younger sister; Imperial Consort Shen has called the wrong person, no?"

Zheng Xiurong looked at Deng Chongyuan with a face full of surprise, opened her mouth wanting to smooth things over, but Deng Chongyuan simply didn't give her face, continuing to confront Shen Yao head-on.

Zheng Xiurong:... Seen a ghost

Shen Yao's expression was faintly smiling; she bowed again and called out "Chongyuan Niangniang".

Deng Chongyuan still harbored resentment, but she couldn't find fault with Shen Yao; no matter how displeased, she could only watch Shen Yao board the sedan chair and leave.

Seeing Shen Yao leave, Zheng Xiurong turned and asked Deng Chongyuan what her implication was just now.

"No reason; Elder Sister Zheng can sit still, yet younger sister cannot sit still," Deng Chongyuan's words toward Shen Yao's favor were full of envy; she also wanted to serve the Emperor and bring glory to her family.

"How Deng Chongyuan wants to be, she need not explain to this palace; this palace's family also has no younger sister as big as Deng Chongyuan; Deng Chongyuan must not call the wrong person."

Zheng Xiurong completely didn't want to be entangled with Deng Chongyuan; using the exact same words from just now, she retorted back, turned her head, and left with her personal maid.

Deng Chongyuan, hit by the boomerang:...

Kicking a stone on the ground hard, Deng Chongyuan's eyes seemed to hold raging anger, "Zheng Xiurong! Consort Shen!" All of you just wait!

The turmoil on the road was not the least bit important to Shen Yao; after returning to Furong Palace, she first changed her clothes, then had someone redo her washing and attire, Shen Yao simply rested her feet for a while, then hurried to Qianqing Palace again to attend to the Emperor.

It wasn't that Shen Yao was shameless; it was all the result of crying her heart out in the morning.

The Emperor even promised not to go anywhere these few days, and just rest in Qianqing Palace and Furong Palace.

As for whether these words were true or false, it didn't matter; Shen Yao returned to Qianqing Palace happily, causing the crowd of imperial consorts in the harem who heard the news to smash their tables.

Those who could endure continued to endure; those who couldn't endure started cursing in the streets; the harem is like this — you're proud, I'm dejected; there's only one piece of Tang Monk's flesh, whoever eats it is eating.

…………

The Emperor kept his word to Shen Yao; after accompanying Shen Yao for five days, this person began flipping nameplates to summon new consorts to bed, from Zheng Xiurong all the way to Lin Nüshi, favoring every new entrant who entered the palace one by one; the Emperor then flipped the nameplates of a few old-timers, and by the time he finally returned to Furong Palace, time had already entered May with even higher temperatures; the hibiscus flowers in Furong Palace had bloomed.

At this time Shen Yao had been pregnant for nearly one month, with no discomfort reactions whatsoever, including the Imperial Physicians also unable to diagnose anything.

"Host, when do you plan to release the news?" The System asked curiously.

Shen Yao sat on the chair, beside her hibiscus flowers of red and white in full bloom, "Wait a bit longer; the Jiangnan selected beauties are about to enter the palace; here I'll soon have no one paying attention, and can delay for another stretch of time."

The System was not optimistic, pointing out that recently all sorts of cold-natured and cool-natured things kept appearing in the Host's meals; obviously someone had tampered with them.

"They don't want the harem consorts to produce imperial heirs," even with the Emperor's condition, conceiving is difficult.

Shen Yao half-narrowed her eyes, "The Shen Family recently obtained several good appointments; I have to wait for those who can't hold back to move first, only then can I use this child to counterattack back; otherwise if I play my trump card here, inside and outside the palace will just keep escalating their investments."

Do you know how Consort Shu's clan lost? Amidst a riot of flowers and brocade like oil on a raging fire, without a trump card to turn defeat into victory, they could only accept their gambling loss.

Lying comfortably in the sunlight for a short rest, waiting for Xiao Fu to come over, Shen Yao opened her eyes and asked what fresh matters there were in the palace today.

Fresh matters? The palace has fresh matters every day; not to mention distant ones, just the liveliness between Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort couldn't be finished talking about in two or three days.

"For some unknown reason, Noble Consort Niangniang always likes to go to Cuihua Palace to find fault with Virtuous Consort Niangniang; this servant heard that Cuihua Palace's palace servants have been replaced batch after batch, yet none could stop Noble Consort Niangniang."

Xiao Fu supported Shen Yao carefully and cautiously, afraid of bumping into her and letting the master get injured.

"This Palace is not a porcelain doll; those few palace servants were sent back to the Imperial Household Department long ago, you need not worry so much either," Shen Yao's expression was indifferent, not putting the fact that she nearly had an accident at heart at all, "Noble Consort is originally half a rank higher than Virtuous Consort; the Emperor recently often goes to Yongning Palace to sit a while; compared to that, Virtuous Consort has nothing to contend with Noble Consort; just honestly endure it."

"This servant feels Virtuous Consort Niangniang is somewhat abnormal; previously it was always Virtuous Consort Niangniang picking fights with Noble Consort Niangniang," yet now the two have actually swapped roles.

Shen Yao loosened her hand resting on Xiao Fu's arm bend, indifferently tossing aside Xiao Fu's doubts.

Because there is no need to discuss something so obvious; these two madwomen, Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort, who knows — they might end up destroying each other in the end.

But can the Emperor who uses Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort like this really get away scot-free? Not necessarily.