Chapter 109: The Joyous Event of the Empress Dowager (2)

I contemplated for half a day and still figured it was not something that I could deal with all by myself, so I asked the servants to keep an eye on Concubine Huang, Concubine Wang and Concubine Chen as well as their maids, then I ran to the Grand Empress Dowager’s with Doctor Song.

The Grand Empress Dowager was struck dumb when she first heard the news, then her face turned pale. But experiences certainly counted. First, she instructed me to ground Concubine Huang and Concubine Wang for their fight, then send someone I could trust to interrogate Concubine Huang for her pregnancy.

Concubine Huang’s maid confessed in no time. To our surprise, the paramour was a young imperial doctor from the imperial hospital.

Concubine Huang was feeling ill for quite some time and every couple of days or so she summoned the imperial doctor to her palace. No one suspected it to be much of a deal. Who would have thought that she had invited the imperial doctor to her bed?

I was so shocked that I froze, marveling at Concubine Huang’s bravery. Of course, the imperial doctor was even bolder, for he dared to make the Emperor a cuckold.

I could not keep this news from Qi Sheng so I put it in a delicate way when he was in a good mood.

I was prepared for Qi Sheng’s fury, but he only frowned, and not even shifted his eyes from the document. He said indifferently, “Give Concubine Huang a sheet of white silk and send Concubine Wang and Concubine Chen into the temple.”

I was struck dumb and asked, “It is okay to deal with Concubine Huang like this, but what does it have to do with Concubine Wang and Concubine Chen?”

Qi Sheng looked up at me and asked with a faint smile, “Do you think they’ve played no part in this?”

Though I felt there was some coincidence, I didn’t imagine Qi Sheng would deal with it in such a simple and brutal way, so I was a bit perplexed.

Qi Sheng realized it and asked me, “What’s wrong?”

I smiled and tried to cover myself, “We don’t have many concubines in the Palace. And now with your punishment, we lose almost half of them. We have to pick some new girls into the palace next year.”

Qi Sheng only smiled indifferently but said nothing.

I hesitated for a while and I couldn’t help but ask, “Does Concubine Huang have to die?”

Qi Sheng was a bit surprised, “Do you pity her?”

I shook my hand, “I’m just saying. Never mind.”

Qi Sheng’s thoughtful gaze lingered on me for quite a while then he said, “Send Concubine Wang to the temple as well.”

Then he left my Xing Sheng Palace and didn’t show up for days.

Lv Li scolded me again after she knew about this, “His Majesty meant to get rid of the concubines in the palace for you. Not only didn’t you thank him, you pleaded for Concubine Huang. How silly you are! Now His Majesty must mistake it that you feel sympathetic for Concubine Huang because you resonate with her!”

“He doesn’t mistake it. Actually I do resonate with her.” I looked at Lv Li and said calmly, “To be honest, I am the same as Concubine Huang and the others. The only difference lies between us is that Qi Sheng loves me now so he spoils me. Because he doesn’t love Concubine Huang and the others, so he is merciless to them. But who have thought about them? They were legitimately taken into this palace and how innocent they are?”

Lv Li was shocked and shouted, “Concubine Huang has gone against the women’s virtue!”

“Women’s virtue?” I couldn’t help but laugh, “Has Qi Sheng ever abided by the men’s virtue for them? So they should live like a widow for all their life? If it were me, I’m not sure I could do it as well.”

Lv Li gaped and was unable to mutter anything for a long while. Finally she said, “I couldn’t convince Your Majesty, but His Majesty has made no mistake here. Your Majesty are overwhelmed by petty kindness.

I was reluctant to carry on the conversation and I only smiled.

Lv Li rolled her eyes and whispered to me, “Your Majesty, do you know what happened to Jiang shi?”

I was at a loss. Jiang shi was stripped under the Pingning City in front of the army. Then Qi Sheng got shot so I had no time to care for her destiny. I didn’t ask about it after that. In a battlefield like that, a general with proficient skills would die, let alone a weak woman like her.

Lv Li sneered, “Your Majesty, you must’ve underestimated Jiang shi. She didn’t die and was saved by my husband.”

I was shocked, “Zhao wang saved her?”

Lv Li nodded, her mouth twitched, and she continued, “Your Majesty, how did those tartars get to her? His Majesty sent her away last year. I heard that he had arranged a place for her to live. If she was willing to have a life, she would never need to worry about food or cloths. But that bitch wouldn’t settle. She heard that His Majesty was leading the army and she ran there as well. Who would expect that the tartars would have caught her? She was despicable and claimed to be the Empress to save her own life, and asked the tartars to send her to His Majesty and she had a way to convince His Majesty to retreat from the Northern Desert.”

I turned from the initial shock to calmness, and in the end, I was indulged in the story.

This was more than just a colloquial novel. It was indeed a legend.

“Jiang shi was so lucky that she didn’t die. When Zhao wang returned to Pingning to offer some help, he saved her in the chaotic mess.

My eyes gleamed and I wanted to have some melon seeds. I asked without hesitation, “Hell! They couldn’t have rekindled their past love, could they? He couldn’t possibly make Jiang shi a princess, could he?”

Lv Li slapped on her lap and shouted arrogantly, “How dare he? If he has anything to do with Jiang shi, I’ll jump into the well with his son!”

I immediately pressed Lv Li down and comforted her, “Calm down, calm down! Everything can be negotiated. It is not good to threaten to suicide whenever something happens!”

A trace of slyness flashed through Lv Li’s eyes and she asked, “Your Majesty, you also think this is not a good idea?”

I didn’t overthink it and answered, “It’s not a good idea. It is better that you choose a more pacified way.”

When we were talking, Qi Sheng walked in and his unhappy face turned even gloomier when he saw Lv Li was here.

Lv Li glanced with the corner of her eyes, then she threw her handkerchief and knelt down next to me. She cried as she grabbed my thigh, “Your Majesty, you have to help me. If Zhao wang married Jiang shi again, there is no way I can live. Everyone knows Jiang shi would never serve her husband with someone else. I have no other place to go. Your Majesty, please take me in. I will certainly be grateful and serve you loyally for all my life.”

“Don’t be silly!” Qi Sheng fumed and interrupted Lv Li’s cry. “What does he think the imperial family is? How can Jiang shi ever return to the imperial family. Get rid of her. Get rid of her!”

Lv Li immediately turned around and kowtowed towards Qi Sheng. She hastily answered, “Yes, I know.”

Then she wiped her tears with the handkerchief and left.

I looked up at Qi Sheng, perplexed, and asked, “Are we being manipulated by her?”

Qi Sheng’s face froze and he was ashamed into anger, flapped his sleeves and then left.

Lv Li was very agile with Qi Sheng’s imperial edict. She immediately sent Jiang shi out of Sheng City. There was no reaction from Zhao wang. He looked neither sad nor delighted. He just bid farewell to Jiang shi outside the city, then returned to his mansion to have fun with his son.

I just felt Qi Sheng and I were manipulated by both of the couple.

Several days later, Bathroom Lord set off as well. He was banished to Lingnan, which was far away from Sheng City. So he would be kept away from the center of the power and communication was inconvenient. Qi Sheng was finally reassured a bit.

Lingnan was poor. The Empress Dowager feared that her son would suffer. Not only did she give Bathroom Lord her pocket money, but she wanted to move half of the treasures in the Imperial Palace to Lingnan.

Before he left, Bathroom Lord went into the palace to visit the Empress Dowager, then he came to my palace, asking to meet me. Initially I didn’t want to see him, but after some thought, I invited him in, and returned the golden triangle to him.

Bathroom Lord looked down at the golden triangle and smiled faintly, “Your Majesty, are you going to abandon our alliance?”

I thought for a while and shook my head, “I just feel that Lingnan is faraway so I want to offer you some transportation fee. At least it is a gold.”

Bathroom Lord froze for a short while. He lowered his eyes and whispered, “It was a desperate move in Pingning. I had no other way.”

“I know, so I don’t blame you.”

Bathroom Lord looked up at me and watched me in trance for a while. Then out of nowhere, he asked, “If I were the one that married you, would everything be different now?”

I was shocked and immediately said, “This is something you cannot joke about!”

Bathroom Lord restored himself and pushed the golden triangle back to me. He said in a low voice, “I will not take back anything I’ve given to you, not the triangle, not the promise.”

Then he stood up and cupped his hands to salute to me, then he turned around, walking outside.

I watched his back and felt it was better to leave some leeway. So I stopped him and said, “You can send me a message if you’ve encountered any difficulty.

Bathroom Lord turned around and looked at me. He smiled and left.

Autumn had left and winter arrived. Without anyone noticing, the first year of the Datong arrived. Qi Sheng made Qi Hao the crown prince. I was pregnant again at fall. In the next summer, the second prince, Qi Xiang was born. In the same summer, Concubine Li requested to leave the palace to recuperate because she felt ill. Qi Sheng approved.

In the spring of the third Datong year, some imperial officials requested Qi Sheng to choose some girls to fill the harem. Qi Sheng only replied, “This is my family business. You needn’t worry.”

I realized it was not possible for a nationwide beauty contest, so I figured to select someone in the palace. You could choose a general from a bunch of soldiers, and there were more than a thousand maids in the palace.

I kept it a secret from Qi Sheng and went out of my way to choose ten young and beautiful girls from the maids. Then I gathered them together for a training.

However, somehow the secret was leaked. I was not having enough admiring those beauties, but Qi Sheng gave them away to the meritorious statesmen returning from the north.

He was really generous on someone that didn’t belong to him!

I was so angry that I almost spat blood. I bit Qi Sheng’s clothes several times in private, then headed to Da Ming Palace gracefully. I urged Qi Sheng, “The harem is here for the imperial children. Your Majesty shouldn’t be stubborn.”

Qi Sheng smiled and replied, “I feel there are not enough kids in the palace as well. So we should work harder on it.”

Then, not three months later, the Empress was sadly pregnant again.