"It’s good that Lin Daying has changed." Tianmiao smiled, "What about Shufei? Oh right, there’s news of that master, I’ve already sent someone to fetch him. He should be arriving in the Capital City soon."
"Really?" The Emperor stood up with excitement and asked, "How many days until then? I can’t wait to meet this master. If he has more of this Jade Pendant, can we ask him to give Mother one too, then Mother can join me in watching the show."
Tianmiao: "..." Watching a show, indeed. The women in the Imperial Palace with their hidden agendas are now just actors in the Emperor’s eyes. My dear child, you were shivering in fear at the start.
...
Dong Xiao, who is playing the master, has yet to appear, but a joyful event has already arrived in the Imperial Palace.
A concubine is pregnant.
Every day, the Empress would bring the concubines to greet the Empress Dowager.
On this morning while greeting, Rongfei was originally drinking tea but started to retch after just one sip.
Tianmiao, of course, asked with concern what was wrong and called the Imperial Physician to take a look.
Rongfei, pale-faced, indicated it wasn’t needed.
The other concubines saw Rongfei like this and started speculating among themselves, feeling both jealous and envious. This woman must be pregnant, nine times out of ten.
The Empress’s face didn’t look good either. Rongfei was pregnant, while she herself, being the Empress... She instinctively touched her own stomach. The Emperor only visited her palace a few days each month; getting pregnant was too difficult for her.
Tianmiao looked at the faces of all the concubines below, remaining calm. Because she saw that more than one concubine showed signs of life in their bellies.
Very soon, the Imperial Physician arrived.
After diagnosis, indeed Rongfei was pregnant.
Rongfei’s face was full of joy, while the other concubines offered their congratulations. How sincere these congratulations were, only they themselves knew.
The Empress also thanked her and then advised Rongfei to take care of her health.
The Empress Dowager remained neutral, making Rongfei uneasy. Does the Empress Dowager not want the Emperor’s eldest son to come from a concubine, rather from the Empress from the main palace?
Tianmiao smiled and asked the Imperial Physician to diagnose all the concubines present.
An Guiren was still busy eating pastries.
"An Guiren." Tianmiao couldn’t help calling this little chubby one. Eating with the Emperor all this time, just look how plump she’s become? Any sense of decorum is gone.
"Ah, Empress Dowager? Here I am." An Guiren snapped back to reality, "Empress Dowager, I don’t need a diagnosis. My health is very good."
Yes, you’re eating heartily, doing very well. But this diagnosis isn’t to check your health!
"Let the Imperial Physician see if you might be pregnant as well." Tianmiao said. Originally, the Empress was supposed to be diagnosed first, but this food-obsessed concubine’s focus was too obvious in the hall, so Tianmiao had to interrupt her.
"Impossible! My belly..." An Guiren almost blurted out her stomach was filled with fat from overeating, not pregnancy. Mid-sentence, realizing the slip, she quickly took it back.
The Imperial Physician stepped forward to examine An Guiren, and soon reported back to Tianmiao. An Guiren was indeed pregnant, and already three months along.
The Empress’s face turned even more unpleasant.
"Diagnose the Empress." Tianmiao instructed.
The Imperial Physician quickly diagnosed the Empress, somewhat astonished, he revealed that the Empress was pregnant too.
The Empress’s face lit up with joy, incredulously caressing her own stomach.
Could it be she was pregnant too?
The jealousy and needless thoughts the Empress harbored moments ago disappeared entirely.
"Continue diagnosing." Tianmiao said calmly. Because the signs of life she had seen in bellies weren’t limited to just these three people.