Empress Xian De stopped walking and looked at Shen Miao with a smile, “You indeed believe in BenGong. In fact it is strange when one speaks about it. From the first time BenGong saw you, one felt that you are very similar with BenGong but your personality is much more intense. It is most likely because your Father is a General. BenGong had heard many things about you and even though you have versatile means and schemes, but the actions are clean and direct which possess a military air. BenGong cannot do it as literary families pay attention to being indirect. Even though BenGong want to do it in a roundabout way, one has to tie it up softly till the end, thus at the end you and BenGong will always be different.”
Shen Miao was silent.
Empress Xian De smiled again, “There is really no need for BenGong to push her into the pond and the Emperor understood this rational, the Lu family also understood it but the only one that did not understand was Lu Jing. As for this crime, it does not matter if one carries it. The goal of framing a person is to deceive everyone under the skies but even you, who just came to Long Ye, know about this lie, not to mention the officials in Long Ye.”
Shen Miao, “Could it be that Your Ladyship would not explain?”
“BenGong is too lazy to explain and cannot be bothered to do it. Consort Jing can do whatever she likes. BenGong would not take it to heart at all.” Empress Xian De said faintly.
Shen Miao thought that just this point, she was completely different from Empress Xian De. If it was her, if it was not the crime that she committed, she would not admit to it and no matter how much she changed, the fierceness in her bones would not change. Empress Xian De was like vast and deep water that was tolerate and calm and that made others feel very small in front of her.
Just as they were speaking, unconsciously Wei Yang Palace was in sight and Tao GuGu was waiting at the doors. Upon seeing both of them returning, she quickly walked to Empress Xian De, “Is Your Ladyship alright? Is Her Ladyship Consort Jing alright?” After people came when Consort Jing fell into the water, Empress Xian De instructed Tao GuGu to return first and Tao GuGu had been worried all the time and Empress Xian De return only now.
Empress Xian De did not answer Tao GuGu and instead smiled, “Nothing the matter. BenGong will change one’s clothes first. Tao GuGu, bring WangFei to the hall to sit and prepare some hot tea for her.” Finishing, she headed inside to change her clothes.
Tao GuGu brought Shen Miao to the hall. The tea was hot as Tao GuGu poured some for Shen Miao and could not help but asked, “WangFei, what is actually going on with Her Ladyship Consort Jing? Nothing big happened right? Why was one delayed for so long?” She was an anxious and eager loyal servant.
Shen Miao thought about it and said, “There is nothing the matter with Consort Jing and the child in her womb is also doing well.”
Tao GuGu was violently startled and the tea was almost spilt. When she finally reacted, she stopped her actions but her face was very pale.
When Shen Miao saw her as such, she asked, “You all do not know that Consort Jing is pregnant?”
Tao GuGu smiled forcefully, “WangFei is joking. How would one know it earlier? If one had known…” She did not continue speaking.
Shen Miao did not overlook the resentful anger that flashed passed on Tao GuGu’s face and her heart was thinking of what would happen if she had known about it. Would she annihilate the child in the womb, like all the females in the Palace would do?
Just as she was thinking about it, Empress Xian De walked over from inside. She had changed her clothes but the clothes she changed into were white thin robes and there was embroidered bluegrass on top of it. One could not deny that Empress Xian De without the official Empress outfit would look an entirely different person. Shen Miao looked carefully and noticed that Empress Xian De’s brows was light but comfortable and she indeed embodied the historian style and was a little similar with Pei Lang but embraced the wind more than Pei Lang.
She walked over and sat by Shen Miao’s side before picking up a cup of tea, “One it really tired at night and it is so much warmer to have tea like this.”
Tao GuGu suddenly knelt down, “Your Ladyship, how could you still have the mood to drink tea?”
Empress Xian De was startled, “What is this?” There was a faint strictness in her tone of voice.
Tao GuGu remained unmoved and continued kneeling but said with some grief and indignation, “Her Ladyship Consort Jing is pregnant. She is pregnant and still wants to frame you. You still tolerate it. Till when do one need to endure?”
These words had exceeded what a servant should say to a master and thus the atmosphere quickly became cold. Shen Miao looked at her nose and she did not speak while she was holding the teacup. Empress Xian De said, “Qiu Shui, you have followed BenGong for so many years and BenGong see you as family but you have exceeded one’s boundaries.”
Tao GuGu refused to get up.
After a moment, Empress Xian De sighed, “Never mind. Lu Jing did not know that she was pregnant. BenGong knows Lu Jing’s temprement well. If she knew that she was pregnant, she would not use the child in her womb to frame BenGong. She would only protect the ‘Dragon’s seed’ well and not let anything happen to the child.”
“But now it is a fact that Consort Jing is pregnant.” Tao GuGu raised her head, “Your Ladyship has to consider for oneself!”
Shen Miao could no longer stay silent and said, “Tao GuGu’s words are not wrong. One needs to carefully think about the matter of Consort Jing. That was not all for the Empress. Even with the current situation with the Lu family, Your Ladyship the Empress cannot just be an onlooker.
Empress Xian De looked at her astonished as she did not expect that Shen Miao would speak at such a juncture but she quickly smiled, “It seemed that Jing Xing had spoken a lot to you.”
“Qiu Shui, get up.” Empress Xian De said to Tao GuGu, “BenGong do not wish to speak the second time.”
An ordering tone was used when saying this sentence thus Tao GuGu hesitated before she finally stood up.
Empress Xian De looked towards Shen Miao, “One had let you see a joke. Qiu Shui is a person very close to BenGong and would think of BenGong wholeheartedly thus her words might be somewhat anxious. However her heart comes from a good place.” She then sighed, “Actually BenGong had all the while thought that Lu Zhen is a stupid one and BenGong disdain to compete with her but from now it seems that it is BenGong that made an oversight. Lu Zhen still has some capabilities as she could avoid the concoction to avoid pregnancy and bear the Emperor’s child.”
Concoction to avoid pregnancy. Shen Miao’s heard moved. Empress Xian De just told her about the Palace’s secret like that. In fact the more she knows, the more dangerous it would become as those who knew about the private secret matters would at the end become fertilizers for the Palace’s flowers. However one did not know why but she felt that when Empress Xian De spoke to her about these things, it was only because she wanted to tell her and not to guard against her because of her knowledge.
“You are a smart person so one thinks that you have noticed that the Emperor has no children in the Palace but this was not because of the concubines or the Emperor himself but because they all drank the concoction to avoid pregnancy. Lu Jing initially also drank it but one did not know why but it is most likely she had used some methods to be pregnant with the Dragon’s seed. This is the first in the Palace.” After finishing speaking, she seemed to have thought about something else and smiled, “Perhaps this is not the first. BenGong had also had a child before but there was a miscarriage.”
When Tao GuGu heard it, her eyes became somewhat red.
Shen Miao’s hands that were holding the tea cup trembled but she did not speak.
“The Emperor often felt that you are not good because he felt that Jing Xing is the best that even if the female is a fairy, most likely it would not be even worth mentioning to his eyes. At the beginning Jing Xing said that he wanted to marry a female from Ming Qi, thus the Emperor instructed people to inquire many of your matters. After hearing about all the matter, he said to BenGong that you have a malicious heart.” Empress Xian De suddenly changed topic and looked at Shen Miao, “However looking at it now, BenGong feels that you are very kind.”
Shen Miao was puzzled and only heard Empress Xian De speaking, “You obviously want to ask about the miscarriage of BenGong’s child but fear that it would affect BenGong’s feelings and thus did not ask.”
Shen Miao said softly, “This one does not dare only.”
“You are in fact very frank and sincere. Jing Xing has indeed found an interesting wife. BenGong like you even more.” Empress Xian De smiled before continuing, “Actually the matter has passed a long time so BenGong is at ease. At the beginning when BenGong was pregnant, Lu Zhen added a cold herb into the snacks that the Imperial Kitchens made. Just a little and BenGong’s child was gone. At that time Lu Zhen just entered the Palace and was at the ‘favoured’ period. The Lu family was watching and His Majesty could only punish a little. BenGong felt that one was not fated with one’s child.”
Just from listening, Shen Miao could already guess the heartbreaking pain in it. In her previous life in Ming Qi Inner Palace, the concubines would fight with one another for the Monarch’s love and favour thus the Inner Palace is the battlefield for females and when females became vicious, they would be more fearful than males. There were a number of consorts’ children who became victims in such a situation. However no matter how vicious a concubine was, the moment they lose a child, they would cry hopelessly. Did this calm and gentle Empress in front of her also experience this kind of despair? It took a long time for the scar to be healed but only she herself would know of the pain from the scar.
The most hateful thing was that she could not even avenge for her child. Why was this so?
“You must not blame His Majesty and don’t pity BenGong. Even though BenGong is indeed pitiful, BenGong have also become a wicked person.” Empress Xian De said, “After BenGong miscarriage, one could no longer have children so in this lifetime, one would not be able to have my own child. Thus the Emperor did not let all the females in this Inner Palace carry his children. BenGong does not live well so everyone cannot live well.”
Shen Miao was startled.
Because Empress Xian De could not bear children so Emperor Yong Le did not let all the female in the Palace give birth?
Then Emperor Yong Le really loved Empress Xian De but if he truly loved her then why would he allow Empress Xian De suffer such a great grievance? Even if Empress Xian De did not mention, Emperor Yong Le himself would want to kill the murderer so why would he make her his favoured Consort?
Shen Miao felt that the secrets of Great Liang’s Imperial family it not at all less than Ming Qi’s.
When Empress Xian De saw her startled look, she suddenly smiled, “You really believe it. How would His Majesty be willing to give up all the concubines’ children because of BenGon? Jing Xing could do it because of Jing Xing’s good fortune but the Emperor’s fortune is not good as he is the Emperor.”
There was so much more meaning to this sentence thus Shen Miao did not know how to continue for the time being.
“But you are right with your words. One naturally has to plan for the future. Consort Jing’s child come in a convenient time as this child would temporarily protect her life but the Lu family do not have such luck.” Empress Xian De smile slightly but the smile became sharp…
“The child cannot be kept.” In the Imperial Study, Xie Jing Xing’s gaze was cold as he spoke to the Emperor in front.
“Zhen knows that this child cannot be kept and if it is possible, Zhen wishes to give her a bowl of medication at this moment.” Emperor Yong Le spoke indifferently, as if the person that would suffer from the medication was not his child and someone else.
“Then why do you not do it?” Xie Jing Xing asked sharply.
“Qing Zhen doesn’t allow it.” Emperor Yong Le said.
Qing Zhen was Empress Xian De’s unmarried name and this name was not spoken from Emperor Yong Le’s lips for a long time.
After half a moment, Xie Jing Xing laughed in ridicule, “Imperial Sao’s heart has always been soft and perhaps because of pitying the death of one’s child.”
“Xie Yuan!” These words seemed to have touched on Emperor Yong Le’s pain that he glared at the other party.
But it only brought a casual smile from Xie Jing Xing, “So what can be done now? I do not care about Lu Jing and I do not want to pay any attention to that child. The Lu family came and left, with the absolute certainty that the child in Lu Jing’s womb is a talisman. How could one give them such a big gift?”
To an Emperor without any descendent, to suddenly have one, it would be a life-saving straw. No matter how unwilling Emperor Yong Le was, the position of the Monarch would land onto the child in Consort Jing’s womb thus after the Lu family came to take a look at Consort Jing’s pregnancy, they did not make a fuss or have any disagreement and left quickly. Perhaps in their eyes, the Empress position of Empress Xian De would soon be gone and did not even have time to take pity. The power was their kindness.
But could one really sleep in comfort without worries?
Since ancient times, there was a saying that it was hard to foresee future events.
“The Lu family has always forgotten about a matter. You and I bear the surname of Xie and we have the Xie family’s blood in our body.” Emperor Yong Le said indifferently, “The people of Xie family are all ruthless and unfeeling.”
