PNB Chapter 161 Not Wanting to Be My Sister's Shadow
Chapter 161 Not Wanting to Be My Sister's Shadow
Granny Qu thought to herself, "Is the backyard of this Prince's mansion the same as the inner palace?"
Is this Consort Chen an ordinary concubine?
The Empress said, "Did the Princess Consort of Jin come to talk to me about this?"
Princess Jin's heart skipped a beat. She preemptively said, "You want to talk to me about Lady Fan? Yes, Lady Fan is the one I chose, but you also know that the person she has in her heart is not Prince Jin."
I didn't expect her to attack you. But, sister, how could you be so easily trusting?
The Empress's tears streamed down her face. "You and Mother have repeatedly instructed me to promote Lady Fan, valuing her more than I do. Do I trust Lady Fan? I clearly trust you and Mother!"
"But you have caused me to lose my son, and I can no longer be a mother. You are the people closest to me in this world, how could you treat me like this!"
Princess Consort of Jin took a deep breath. "If Madam Fan doesn't trust you, what can my mother and I do? As the Empress, you can't even arrange for her to serve you in bed. She hates you, and who can stop her?"
Granny Qu couldn't bear to listen any longer. "Your Highness, the Empress is very sad. Please don't say such things."
Princess Jin said, "I'm speaking to your master, what right do you, a lowly servant, have to interrupt?"
The Empress wiped away her tears. "Wasn't it you who instructed Lady Fan to treat me like this? Weren't you afraid that after I gave birth to the prince, I would only care about my own son and would no longer do anything for you?"
Princess Jin said, "Stop trying to glorify yourself. What ability do you have to help me? If you had even a tenth of my skills, things wouldn't be like this today. I've never relied on you, and I have no reason to harm you."
Her tone softened slightly, "You are still my sister, why would I use such methods to harm you?"
There was a moment of calm.
Granny Qu looked at the Empress with concern, and seeing the relieved expression on her face, her heart sank.
The Empress was persuaded!
It's all about blood ties!
Despite having doubts, I ultimately couldn't let go.
Princess Consort of Jin walked over and took the Empress's hand. "I know you're upset, but my mother and I are just as upset. How could you doubt us? My mother often scolds you, but it's for your own good!"
The Empress recalled the day when musk deer were found in her palace. Her mother scolded her severely and then reminded her to drink a contraceptive soup.
It wasn't that her mother didn't care about her.
The empress began to cry.
Princess Consort of Jin said, "Even if you are the Empress, even if you give birth to a legitimate son, the Emperor may not be willing to make your son the Crown Prince. You heard what Shen Shixi said at the birthday banquet. Throughout history, how many legitimate sons have succeeded to the throne?"
Don't let your imagination run wild. That fool, Lady Fan, has lost our loyalty. You should understand that without the Pei family, without us, you can't keep your position as Empress. Can't you see how much Li Yuanke wants Lady Shen to be Empress?
The Empress nodded emphatically.
"What are your plans?" Princess Jin asked.
The empress looked up blankly.
Princess Jin was furious at her son's lack of ambition. "Instead of thinking about how to get rid of Shen, are you planning to keep her around for the New Year?"
The Empress was both eager and uneasy. "But, sister, you've seen how much the Emperor values her."
Princess Consort Jin sneered, "So what if you figured it out? That's precisely why Shen must not be allowed to live. Otherwise, not only you, but I might also be harmed by her. Think carefully about how to make your move, and I will do everything in my power to help you!"
After Princess Jin left, Granny Qu hurriedly advised the Empress, "Your Majesty, you must not listen to Princess Jin. Consort Chen is untouchable. As the Empress, you should not compete for favor with the concubines. The Emperor values rules. As long as you recover, he will still come to Fengyi Palace on the first and fifteenth of the month, so there is hope."
Two nights a month to serve the emperor is less than Consort Chen's, but it's more than other concubines.
"Granny, do you think Fan Shi and Mother really didn't know about it?" The Empress wasn't stupid; even after calming down, she still couldn't let it go.
What could the old woman say in response?
"Since things have come to this, Your Majesty, please don't think too much about it. Just listen to the imperial physician and take good care of your health. Establishing or deposing an empress is not a trivial matter. As long as the master is here, your position as empress is secure."
"But with Lady Shen around... it's truly stifling for me to be Empress."
Granny Qu said, "That's true. It would be best if the Princess Consort could take action; a lose-lose situation wouldn't be a bad thing. The Emperor isn't a new emperor anymore; it's impossible for the Madam to have such thoughts."
Forgive my bluntness, but if you secure your position as Empress, the Pei family will still depend on you in the future. Even the Lady cannot admit that you are more capable than the Princess Consort of Jin.”
This is what the Empress most wants to hear. She doesn't want to be her sister's shadow, and she doesn't want all the glory to be on her sister while she is forever overlooked.
"Go and bring me the official document, I want to see it!"
The Empress opened the official history book and saw the records for the last month of last year. Her heart ached as if someone were grabbing at it.
"Besides these four concubines, His Majesty has been having Lady Shen serve him almost every night. How can this be tolerated!" The Empress closed the official history book, unable to bear looking at it.
shocking.
No wonder, everyone says that Lady Shen is the emperor's favorite concubine.
Granny Qu also thought it wouldn't work. "Right now, there are only these three women who can serve the emperor. The emperor still dislikes Consort Ping. He said he summoned her, but in my opinion, Consort Ping is probably still a virgin."
The Empress originally intended to have Yang Tingyue counter Shen Shixi, but in the end, she couldn't even put up a single move.
The emperor refused to consummate the marriage with Yang Tingyue, leaving the empress unsure whether to be happy or unhappy.
Are you happy? The emperor wasn't upset because of her. Are you unhappy? The emperor actually had a moment of disliking a beauty. To be honest, Yang Tingyue was truly beautiful.
Shen Shixi was unaware that the Princess Consort of Jin had already decided her death date with the King of Hell. After Li Yuanke had something to do, she left Qianyuan Palace and, having nothing to do, went for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
The snow was piled up very thick, and the scenery was naturally quite beautiful.
There are quite a few beauties among them.
"Greetings to Consort Chen! May Consort Chen enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" A group of concubines bowed to her.
"No need for formalities!" Seeing that everyone was there, Shen Shixi was a little surprised. "Did you all arrange to come out together today, or did you all just happen to run into each other?"
Here are Xu Murong, Wang Yuehuai, Su Fuying, and Guo Shi and Yuan Shi, who rarely appear in public. Both of them were originally palace maids, and when they went to the Empress's palace to pay their respects, they always sat at the very end and never made a fuss.
These two were also among the first to follow Li Yuanke.
Back when Li Yuanke had just been made a prince, Shen Shixi went to the prince's residence, and it was these two who served her very well, often doing needlework for her to please her.
Shen Shixi nodded to the two of them and greeted them.
Su Fuying took the initiative to reply, being exceptionally attentive, "To answer Your Highness Consort Chen, it was just a coincidence. It seems the weather was good today, and much of the snow on the road melted, leaving snow piled up on the branches. If it had been sunny for a couple more days before we came out, there would have been nothing to see."
Shen Shixi smiled, "Lady Su is right!"
Su Fuying was an ambitious woman. She used to sing to win the emperor's favor, but later she was afraid that the emperor would take a fancy to a foreign woman. Now that the empress has miscarried, she has been going to the empress's palace the most.
Now she's trying to please Consort Chen, which shows she's quite shrewd.
Shen Shixi asked Xu Murong, "Have you seen your mother?"
Xu Murong hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I have met you."
"Why didn't you invite your mother to have a meal? I thought you must be eager to see your mother, so I didn't have her come to my palace to pay her respects. It wasn't for any other reason, so don't overthink it."
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am not heartless. How could I not know Your Majesty's good intentions!" Xu Murong was extremely nervous, afraid that she might offend Shen Shixi with any words.
She didn't believe that her rebirth was a gift from heaven to bring her back to achieve great things. In the past six months, the palace had been turbulent and unpredictable, and most of the concubines had been lost, which had terrified her.
Shen Shixi then took a look at Wang Yuehuai. She stepped forward and called out, "Your Majesty!"