mtl008 Chapter 314 Ruthless and Cruel Emperor × Runaway Palace Maid 10
Chapter 314 Ruthless and Cruel Emperor × Runaway Palace Maid 10
The imperial concubine curled the corners of her lips: "Let's go take a look."
Xiao Xuanzi and the imperial physician were almost at the Imperial Garden when they were suddenly told by a palace servant to go to Yaohua Palace. Xiao Xuanzi and the imperial physician then hurriedly rushed to Yaohua Palace.
In Yaohua Palace, Chu Yue was placed in front of the table in the main hall by the emperor, who sat beside her and embraced her.
"How is it?" The emperor stared intently at the imperial physician, his heart pounding wildly.
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine stood aside, both eagerly awaiting the Imperial Physician's reply.
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen should have good news by now, after all, she has served Your Majesty for so long," the Empress said calmly.
His Majesty dotes on Consort Zhen alone; how could there be no good news?
That Consort Gui is useless. The information was all leaked to her, yet she did absolutely nothing, allowing Consort Zhen to become pregnant. His Majesty already dotes on her, and she'll only become more arrogant from now on.
"Your Majesty, please don't worry. Consort Zhen will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations." The Imperial Consort comforted her considerately, her smile deepening.
The emperor lowered his head and said affectionately, "My beloved consort, if you give birth to a son, I will reward you handsomely and promote you to the rank of Imperial Consort."
"Your Majesty..." Chu Yue leaned against the emperor's chest and smiled weakly.
The imperial concubine's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly suppressed it and her expression returned to normal.
The Empress glanced at the Consort, who was useless. Now she realized she was panicking and was almost outshone.
"Imperial Physician Zhang, how is Consort Zhen's pulse?" The Emperor was growing impatient.
Physician Zhang withdrew his hand, wiped the sweat from his brow, and then knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, Consort Zhen is in good health. It is normal for her to feel unwell in the early stages of her pregnancy. However, she must take good care of herself. I will prescribe some medicine to help her maintain the pregnancy."
With his expectations fulfilled, the emperor was overjoyed: "Good, reward them all, reward them handsomely."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty..." The Empress's expression began to betray her displeasure. "Consort Zhen is truly blessed."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress..." Chu Yue replied respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen still needs to rest, so I will take my leave now."
After the imperial concubine finished speaking, the emperor did not respond; he was focused on the person in his arms.
The imperial concubine retreated sheepishly.
The Empress could no longer stay and turned to leave Yaohua Palace.
"Consort, it seems your position is in jeopardy." The Empress didn't forget to mock Consort as she came out: "Once Consort Zhen gives birth to a prince, she will be Consort Zhen, above you."
"With such good fortune as Consort Zhen, I'm sure she'll give birth to a prince." The Imperial Concubine's expression remained unchanged.
The Empress gave a disdainful snort and left Yaohua Palace.
The Imperial Concubine's face darkened. She looked at Fangcao, her teeth clenched, and asked, "Why is Consort Zhen pregnant? Wasn't she said to be pregnant?"
"Your Majesty, we have indeed learned that Consort Zhen is not pregnant," Fangcao said anxiously. "This servant doesn't know what's going on either."
"What use are you?" The Imperial Concubine walked back with a grim expression. "Once Consort Zhen gives birth to the prince, my position will be in jeopardy!"
“Your Highness, I clearly found out that Consort Zhen is not pregnant, and…” Fangcao whispered in the Consort’s ear, “…I only found out about the red menstrual cloth that Consort Zhen was wearing by asking the palace maids in charge of clothing in Yaohua Palace.”
"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" The Imperial Concubine stopped in her tracks, her face grim.
"Absolutely true." Fangcao whispered, "Your Majesty, could Consort Zhen have other intentions?"
"You mean..." Consort Gui looked at Fangcao, "that she's faking her pregnancy?"
"Your Highness, Consort Zhen must have heard the rumors circulating in the palace that she is pregnant, which is why she decided to play along."
"But what good will this do her? Won't His Majesty be disgusted with her if he finds out?" The Consort pondered as she walked.
Fangcao looked around and said, “Your Majesty, think about it. In the palace, it’s just you, the Empress, and Consort Zhen. If either of you or the Empress were to be brought down, the only one who would benefit would be Consort Zhen.”
"His Majesty dotes on Consort Zhen so much. If we pretend to have a miscarriage and then frame you or the Empress, wouldn't His Majesty believe us?"
The Imperial Concubine narrowed her eyes, her face grim: "I underestimated her."
"Your Highness, we must be careful, lest Consort Zhen come after us."
"I'd like to see how she gets out of this mess!" False pregnancy to gain favor is a major taboo in the royal family. No matter how much His Majesty favors her, he will no longer indulge her.
"Your Highness, please stay away from these filthy things," Fangcao advised softly.
"Have Fangfei pass these messages on to the Empress's people. I want to see how our dignified and magnanimous Empress will handle this matter."
"Your Majesty is truly brilliant..."
"Walk."
Inside Yaohua Palace, the emperor's lips never left his mouth as he held Chu Yue tightly, refusing to let go.
"Your Majesty, perhaps..." Chu Yue looked cautiously at the Emperor, "Please release me..."
"I will hug my beloved concubine and my son."
After he said this, Yulan and Yumei, who were standing nearby, almost burst out laughing. How long had His Majesty been holding her like that?
"Your Majesty... the medicine is almost cold." Chu Yue reminded him softly. The medicine that the imperial physician had ordered to be brewed had stopped steaming.
"Yes, look at me." The emperor was so happy that he forgot the palace servants had reminded him. He took the medicine bowl and personally fed Chu Yue: "Come on, drink slowly."
His Majesty's favor towards Consort Zhen is a source of great joy for the palace servants, especially since the Consort is pregnant.
Chu Yue frowned as she drank it; it tasted somewhat bitter.
"My dear consort, please bear with it for a few more days. Once the baby in your womb has stabilized, you won't need to take these medicines anymore." The emperor fed her some candied fruit. "Tomorrow, I will have the imperial physician come and examine you carefully."
"Alright... I'll do as Your Majesty says." Chu Yue's expression softened.
"All of you, leave." The emperor dismissed the palace servants, not wanting to disturb Consort Zhen and his son's rest.
"Your Majesty, are you not busy today?" The emperor seems to have been quite busy these past few days.
"I'm not busy anymore." No matter how busy she is, she has to stay and keep Consort Zhen company.
"Your Majesty..." Chu Yue looked up hesitantly at the emperor, "If I give birth to a princess... can I still become a Noble Consort?"
Seeing her cautious demeanor, the Emperor thought something was wrong. Hearing Consort Zhen's question, he smiled indulgently: "If it's about giving birth to a princess..."
The emperor spoke slowly, while Chu Yue anxiously inquired, "Your Majesty..."
"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you. Even if my beloved concubine gives birth to a princess, she can still become a Noble Consort."
After the emperor finished speaking, he took another bite of Chu Yue's rosy lips.
"Your Majesty..." Chu Yue said coquettishly, then nestled in the emperor's arms and said softly, "In that case, my son will not be wronged."
The emperor felt a pang of heartache, for Consort Zhen always considered her humble origins.
"My beloved consort, you must not have such thoughts. You are my beloved consort, of noble status, and I will not wrong my son."
"I've remembered it..."
The next day, the emperor summoned half of the Imperial Medical Academy staff to examine Chu Yue's pulse.
"Imperial Physician Li, how is Consort Zhen?" the Emperor asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen is pregnant, and has been pregnant for over a month."
The emperor waved his hand, signaling the next person to take his place.
"Imperial Physician Liu, how is Consort Zhen?"
"Your Majesty, the unborn child is healthy. Consort Zhen should keep a close eye on it."
"Imperial Physician Wang..."
"Your Majesty, rest assured. The Empress is in good health, and the unborn child is also safe..."
One imperial physician after another took turns examining Chu Yue's pulse, and the results were all similar, which put the emperor at ease.
"All of you may leave. Consort Zhen is pregnant, and the Imperial Hospital is treating her with utmost care."
"Yes, Your Majesty..."
After the hall quieted down, Chu Yue pouted and hummed softly, "Your Majesty, I'm exhausted."
"Alright, alright, my beloved consort, you've worked hard. I was just worried, but I'm only at ease now that the imperial physician has examined you."
Consort Zhen was in poor health, and being pregnant, the Emperor was therefore more cautious.
"Your Majesty, please stay with me." Chu Yue leaned against the emperor's chest, her eyes gently closed.
The emperor hasn't left since yesterday, that heartless little brat.
Feeling sorry for Consort Zhen's pregnancy and the hardships she was going through, the Emperor could only indulgently agree and wait until she fell asleep before leaving.
"it is good……"