Chapter 448

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

When the hibiscus flowers in Hibiscus Garden were blooming at their most brilliant, the Jiangnan selected maidens entered the palace.

By this time, it had already reached the end of May.

Unlike Shen Yao and her group, the Jiangnan selected maidens generally came from lower backgrounds, possessed outstanding looks and brought their own skills; the highest rank they could attain upon entering the palace was Fifth-Rank Talented Lady, yet they gave everyone a sense of urgency.

Shen Yao's side had not done anything yet, but Furong Palace had already received one concubine after another coming to seek an alliance, their purpose mostly to jointly resist this batch of Jiangnan consorts and prevent them from gaining a foothold in the palace.

Shen Yao: ……

'Only when their own interests are threatened do they become this nervous.'

Ordinarily they would stay eight hundred meters away from Furong Palace, but now, worlds apart, they started forming vertical and horizontal alliances; pity Shen Yao doesn't buy this act.

The system felt that this batch of Jiangnan consorts entering the palace, to a certain extent, provided convenience for the Host; with the Emperor's promiscuous nature of loving each one he sees, the Host would soon be tossed to the back of his mind.

'By then, once the Host safely passes the first three months, even if both inside and outside the palace stir up trouble, we'll have the excuse of safely protecting the pregnancy.' After all, the system's cheat is unsolvable; as long as the Host doesn't leave Furong Palace, any 'doctored' items sent in cannot affect the offspring in the Host's abdomen.

'Won't pass? You don't even look at whose people staff the Imperial Hospital?' Even the Shen Family, when outside the palace, could buy off one or two; others are easy to imagine.

The Emperor having no surviving offspring to this day is not only due to internal factors, but also external ones.

Shen Yao touched her flat lower abdomen, indicating it would be exposed in two and a half months at most, and the primary blow she would face would likely come from the Emperor.

System: ……Ah?

The system was puzzled; why say this? Whether as a father or as an Emperor, he was looking forward to this child's birth.

'But that doesn't mean the imperial heir can threaten imperial power; don't forget the cautionary example of Consort Shu's clan.'

Consort Shu's misfortune perhaps truly had something to do with the imperial heir; after all, the Ji Family rose to power because Consort Shu gained favor, reached its peak because Consort Shu was pregnant, and finally fell into the abyss together with Consort Shu because they violated a royal taboo, never to recover.

Shen Yao and the current Shen Family bear considerable similarity to them, especially since Shen Changyu and Shen Zhanghe, the brothers, were both placed by the Emperor into the Yulin Guard to be gilded, and Shen Chunbai has also performed notably at court recently; if Shen Yao were to publicly announce her pregnancy at this time… it's not hard to imagine how lively the Shen Family would become.

System: ……

The system began to feel retrospective fear, and stated that everything would follow the Host's plan, believing the Host would certainly pass safely and lead the Shen Family to the pinnacle of life.

Shen Yao: ……

A thousand wear, ten thousand wear, flattery never wears out.

The system has also learned the essence of muddling along; Shen Yao rolled her eyes in annoyance in her heart, 'Told you to watch Furong Palace, don't forget this matter.'

The system guaranteed, 'Didn't we just catch a few double-agents a while back? Believe the others won't dare act rashly.'

Shen Yao nodded, 'Right, planting people inside isn't easy; if they don't earn back their keep, it's a losing business.'

So the remaining palace servants will surely stay honest and cautious for a while, until Furong Palace has some benefit that makes them willing to take desperate risks.

For example, news of Shen Yao's pregnancy; another example, leverage that can control Shen Yao.

…………

"Master, just now Fengyi Palace's servant delivered a message, saying tomorrow's greeting will proceed as normal."

Xiao Ji hurried in from outside the door, bowed, walked up to Shen Yao, and reported.

Raising a hand to stop Xiao Fu from applying her makeup, Shen Yao turned and asked Xiao Ji, "Who exactly did Fengyi Palace tell this to?"

Xiao Ji tilted her head, thought a moment, and said, "Every palace hall with a Main Position had people arranged to inform them."

Hearing this, Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, stood up leaning on Xiao Fu's arm, and walked to the bedchamber; her hair was only half-done, half-pinned at the back of her head, yet it didn't look bad at all.

"Since it's the Empress's arrangement, we'll go normally tomorrow."

Curving her finger, she tapped the tea table in the bedchamber, Shen Yao propped her chin and sighed, "Entered the palace nearly two months ago, wanting to see the Empress once is truly difficult."

"Who says it isn't? The Empress is so mysterious; who knows what trick she'll pull this time she shows her face."

In Yongning Palace's main hall, Lian Xiang had just relayed the news to her own master when she was met with the Noble Consort's impatient complaint.

Lian Xiang looked up and wiped the sweat drops from her forehead, "Your Ladyship, perhaps the Empress's health has improved," not necessarily that she's making trouble.

The Noble Consort looked at Lian Xiang with a face full of surprise, "You believe that?"

Lian Xiang: ……Speaking truthfully, I indeed don't really believe it.

"The Empress is perfectly healthy," the Noble Consort couldn't help but sneer, "even healthier than your master."

Mentioning the Empress put her in a bad mood; originally the Noble Consort was already feeling awful because of the Jiangnan consorts, now this was a debuff stacking, making the Noble Consort curse even more.

"Prepare that set of gold-threaded gauze robes I treasure; tomorrow at Fengyi Palace's main hall, this palace wants to see what tricks the Empress can play."

The Noble Consort finished speaking viciously, then immediately swept a sharp gaze over the surrounding palace servants.

The palace servants tacitly knelt in a crackling heap, Lian Xiang included, begging their master to quell her anger.

"Heh! Ridiculous! If the Noble Consort could control her temper, she wouldn't be sitting in that position today."

Virtuous Consort covered her already healed cheek with one hand, speaking ill of the Noble Consort to Yunxiang with a gloomy face.

Ever since being slapped by the Noble Consort last time, Virtuous Consort's emotions have been somewhat abnormal; Yunxiang often sees her master talking to herself, yet the master herself has no impression of it at all.

Right now it's even more so; Yunxiang outwardly echoed Virtuous Consort's cutting words, but inwardly calculated why the Ye Family outside the palace still hadn't sent a letter; clearly the master could no longer endure the palace pressure, yet the Ye Family kept pushing her forward.

Pitiful, her master was pure and beautiful in her early years; all the Emperor's and the Ye Family's fault!

"……Yunxiang, Yunxiang, tomorrow we go to Fengyi Palace to see the Empress; wonder if the Noble Consort and Consort Shu can be reprimanded, this palace truly hopes they suffer great misfortune."

Yunxiang's face turned extremely ugly; here it comes, the master's memory confusion again; Consort Shu passed away last year, where is there any Consort Shu?!

The palace elders each have their own nerves; the remaining newcomers are still relatively calm.

Like this time's entrant Zheng Xiurong; whether she gains favor or not, she can steady herself, plus she is eloquent and possesses a spring-breeze-like temperament, gradually becoming the head of the caravan for certain concubines.

Take this time the Empress suddenly resumed greetings; Zheng Xiurong thought the Empress might be staging a 'snipe and clam fight' drama.

The Empress, though not the fisherman, is also a passerby standing on the shore, casually instigating the two sides into sharp confrontation, "Deliberately wanting to make the harem lively?"

Zheng Xiurong murmured to herself beside the potted plant; she still did not understand the Empress. Her father had mentioned the Xiao Family, but when the Xiao Family was destroyed she was still young and ignorant, and besides, who would dare gossip about anything connected to imperial power?

"Your Ladyship, Deng Chongyuan has arrived."

Zheng Xiurong's maid came to report, also taking advantage of the moment to interrupt her train of thought.

Waving her hand to have the maid take Deng Chongyuan to the Dian Dian, Zheng Xiurong smoothed her skirt hem and sleeves, then walked out with a composed expression.

…………

"Master, it is time to get up."

Shen Yao was roused from sleep by Xiao Fu in a daze, and casually asked what hour it was.

"It is already the early chen hour."

Shen Yao made an "oh" sound in her heart; seven in the morning, indeed she should get up.

Wiping her cheeks and palms with a wrung-out handkerchief, Shen Yao sat before the dressing table and signaled Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji not to spare expense when selecting jewelry, "the more expensive the better."

If she did not put on a show, how could she probe the Empress's mind? Whatever the Empress's intentions, Shen Yao could not ignore them.

Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji made an "mm" sound at these words; the two helped their mistress select jewelry and helped her change clothes, and once fully dressed, Shen Yao successfully projected the air of a nouveau riche, everything she wore and adorned herself with delicate and precious, further highlighting how much favor she had gained in these days.

The sedan chair was prepared and waited outside the palace, and the three consorts residing in the Rear Hall also rose early to come see Shen Yao off; whether out of pretense or sincerity, at least everyone in Furong Palace appeared harmonious and friendly, not false.

"You may return; the morning wind is strong, and since your health is just recovering, there is no need to push yourselves," Shen Yao said as she boarded the sedan chair, smiling and nodding to the three.

"The consorts respectfully see off Consort Xin."

The sedan chair was slowly carried away by the palace attendants until Furong Palace was left far behind.

"Mistress, if you do not like them, this servant will have them not come over."

Xiao Fu had once, because of her mistress's words, shown some daily consideration to Zhang Nü and the other two, and their illnesses had consequently improved; she currently observed that the three were not bad, but could not guarantee they would remain so respectful in the future.

"No need; those who wish to come may come, this palace can use a few more chat partners."

Zhang Nü and the other two were all old servants of Furong Palace, with nothing on them worth Shen Yao scheming for; not even outsiders driving nails would choose them.

Such people made fine tools to relieve boredom day to day, and besides, Shen Yao had given them a sheltered and peaceful life; compared to the miserable state of other palaces, living in Furong Palace was absolutely cost-effective.

Seeing her mistress say this, Xiao Fu secretly resolved to keep a closer watch on the three.

Left and right, true gold fears no fire; as long as they were good people, the mistress would certainly not mistreat them, and if they harbored petty thoughts, do not blame a miserable end.

The sedan chair moved forward along the paved stone corridor, soon arriving outside Fengyi Palace.

Unlike when Shen Yao had previously come and been openly refused at the door, today the gates of Fengyi Palace stood open, with consorts of the Main Position coming and going.

The sedan chair stopped at the palace gate, and Shen Yao, leaning on Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji's arms, got down.

Not far away stood Zheng Xiurong, who had arrived a step earlier.

Shen Yao smiled and returned the courtesy to her counterpart, and Zheng Xiurong generously invited her to enter the hall together.

"Why is Consort Deng not by Consort Zheng's side?"

"Consort Deng is busy, unlike me, an idle person; has Consort Xin not also failed to come with Consort Shen?"

Hearing this, Shen Yao blinked, understanding that the Consort Shen Zheng Xiurong referred to was Shen Yanming, daughter of the First-Rank Zhen Nan General; though both surnamed Shen, they had no private connection whatsoever.

"Consort Zheng truly loves to jest; Consort Shen resides in Xuan Ting Ge, far from my Furong Palace, and besides, Consort Xin has always disliked delicate women like my sister, so how could we come together?"

The two exchanged words back and forth as they walked into the hall.