mtl008 Chapter 248 Peace
Chapter 248 Peace
"What? How could the fairy duck disappear for no reason?"
The emperor asked in shock.
Although he was somewhat disliked of ducks after the incident of the dethronement of the empress, everyone in the palace knew that the fairy duck given to Concubine Hua was a gift from him personally.
If someone steals the imperial gifts in the harem, that would be truly audacious.
"Your Majesty, the fairy duck you gifted me is very intelligent. I couldn't bear to restrain it, so I let it roam freely in the imperial garden. This morning, I discovered that the fairy duck had not returned all night. I have sent people to search for it everywhere, but there is still no clue."
"The master accidentally learned that the fairy duck had not returned all night, and in a hurry..."
When Songzhi said this, she burst into tears.
An Lingrong, who had been standing quietly by the side, interrupted gently.
"Your Majesty, everyone in the palace knows how much Concubine Hua cherishes the Fairy Duck. Perhaps some ignorant palace servant, seeing how adorable and intelligent the Fairy Duck was, secretly captured it and took it home to admire."
"I will send someone to look for the whereabouts of the fairy duck right now."
When Songzhi mentioned the fairy duck, An Lingrong guessed Hua Guifei's intention. She wanted to take the opportunity to catch Yingpin off guard.
Yingpin, who was seeing the emperor for the first time since moving into Chunxi Palace, heard people talking about the fairy duck. She didn't care about staring at the emperor with loving eyes. While everyone's attention was on the princess, she glanced at Nanny Yang.
Nanny Yang, who was feeling nervous, saw the look in her master's eyes and knew that the two of them had the same idea and both had questions in their minds at the same time.
Could it be such a coincidence that the fat duck stewed in the small kitchen is Concubine Hua's?
Wu Ya Wanying quietly took a few steps back, hoping in her heart that the duck being stewed would not be Concubine Hua's.
Before entering the palace, my mother specifically told me to try not to confront the fierce Concubine Hua.
This is a person that even the Empress Dowager has to coax.
An Lingrong didn't care what Yingpin was thinking and called out a few young eunuchs.
"You two, search in the Imperial Garden."
"You should go to each palace and ask about the whereabouts of the fairy duck."
"..."
She gave instructions for every place that could be found in the harem and added something at the end.
"Zhou Ninghai, send someone to the kitchen to ask as well."
The emperor was comforting Concubine Hua, who was worried about Xianfu behind the curtain, and had no time to take care of this side.
Although Concubine Hua cried sincerely, An Lingrong, who often dealt with her, knew that she had learned this from Hongzhan.
An Lingrong was not worried at all that "crying" during the confinement period would affect Concubine Hua's health.
She had been worried from the moment she found out she was pregnant until the birth, so she decided to let the emperor's ears suffer a little.
Childbirth is energy-consuming, and Concubine Hua didn't cry behind the curtain for long before Songzhi helped her go back to rest.
The emperor just breathed a sigh of relief when Su Peisheng hurried over to report.
"Your Majesty, the criminal has confessed, claiming to have been instructed by Concubine Duan of Yanqing Palace to prevent Concubine Hua from giving birth."
"My servant was incompetent. The criminal bit his tongue and committed suicide after he confessed."
An Lingrong's eyes flashed, she firmly believed that the mastermind behind this was definitely not Concubine Duan.
Concubine Duan had long been under the supervision of the Emperor's men. According to the servant who delivered the allowance, Concubine Duan had been sleeping in the room almost the entire day.
If it was arranged by the deposed queen, An Lingrong would still believe it to some extent.
The emperor, who was sitting at the top, said nothing. He was very confident in the people he had arranged.
Xia Qie would report Concubine Duan's situation every two weeks. If the emperor didn't need her to occupy the position of concubine, he would have sent someone to deal with her long ago.
After a moment, he spoke sharply.
"Since the evildoer has bitten her tongue to death, let's send someone to her home to conduct a thorough investigation."
"Su Peisheng, I am very pleased that Concubine Hua has given birth to a princess. Please ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send the reward as soon as possible."
After the emperor gave his order, he looked at An Lingrong again.
"Noble Consort Shu, you have always been prudent. The princess is the child that Noble Consort Hua and I have been waiting for for many years. You will be the one to host her third-day bathing banquet."
"I will certainly live up to your Majesty's trust. May I ask, Your Majesty, since you said the princess's third-day baptism banquet should be grand, do you wish to invite relatives to attend?"
At the third day bath of the eldest princess and Princess Wen Yi, only the queen and the concubines were present and said a few auspicious words.
Princess Longyue, who was raised by the Queen Mother, never had a third-day bath.
Her Zhaohua only received a little attention from the emperor because of her twins, a boy and a girl.
The emperor suddenly wanted to hold a grand wedding banquet for Concubine Hua's princess, so An Lingrong had to ask directly.
To be honest, the princess had just been born, so An Lingrong did not recommend inviting too many people to the third-day bath banquet.
If the emperor really loved the princess born to Concubine Hua, he should not have put them and their daughter in the spotlight.
"Let me think about it."
Seeing that the emperor was really thinking, An Lingrong smiled and spoke again.
"Your Majesty, I just calculated the date, and the princess was born half a month earlier than the imperial physician predicted."
"Do you think it would be helpful to ask the imperial physician to take the princess's pulse and check her health?"
Seeing this, the kind-hearted Concubine Jing also joined in.
"Your Majesty, what Noble Consort Shu said is absolutely right. The princess does appear to be a bit weaker than a full-term baby."
"Okay, Zhang Wuwei, go and take the princess's pulse."
The emperor, who wanted to use Concubine Hua as a target, hesitated for a moment and then agreed.
Nian Shilan has been smelling musk for more than ten years, and her body has been damaged. I wonder if it will have any effect on the princess?
An Lingrong, who had been watching the emperor, saw the hesitation on his face and felt a chill in her heart.
A concubine and a concubine from the empress dowager's mother's family entered the palace, and such concubines with such backgrounds put the emperor under great pressure.
He wanted to create hatred for Concubine Hua, who was still in confinement after her childbirth, and wanted to bring Concubine Hua out to compete with the newcomer supported by the Empress Dowager.
During the time when Concubine Hua was pregnant, the Emperor came to Yiku Palace only a few times.
This turn around and the fact that he showed his great favor to Concubine Hua in front of everyone could not fool the old people in the palace, but it was hard to say what the newcomers would think.
An Lingrong took a quick glance and saw a look of obvious jealousy on Yingpin's face who was standing behind the people.
The emperor cared about the princess, and Zhang Wuwei did not dare to neglect her. Fearing that the princess would catch a cold, he took her pulse through the curtain.
The skin of a newborn is so delicate that Zhang Wuwei doesn't dare to press all his fingers on it.
He closed his eyes tightly and carefully felt the pulse of his hand.
Judging from her pulse, the princess is a little weak and needs careful care.
Out of pity for the newborn, Zhang Wuwei delayed for a while before bowing to report.
"Your Majesty, the princess is a little weak due to her premature birth. She will need extra care and attention in her future growth."
"Babies are very fragile in their early stages and it is best for them to stay with their mothers and be raised."
He suspected that the musk in Concubine Hua's body might have had a certain impact on the princess's health.
The emperor obviously thought of this as well, and he sighed regretfully.
"I feel guilty about not being able to hold a grand ceremony for the princess's third-day baptism. I'd rather grant her the title of 'An Le'."
"I hope she is healthy and happy forever!"