This April is an extraordinary April after all.
The emperor was assassinated during his northern tour, the harem lost an unborn heir, and it was also the first imperial examination since the emperor ascended the throne. The atmosphere in the entire palace was extremely tense.
The real culprit who poisoned Xia Wanrong was never found out. In a rage, Ning Chen killed a group of servants in the kitchen, as well as the imperial physician who was helping Xia Wanrong with her pregnancy.
These are nothing. The biggest thing is that Yan Xiuyi was stripped of her title, which is very shameful.
Ning Chen, out of consideration for their years of friendship, did not make public the fact that she had intentionally given Xia too much nourishment, causing the fetus to be too large. He only said that she had not taken good care of Xia Wanrong's belly, which indirectly caused the death of the royal heir, and therefore stripped her of her title as a punishment.
When the emperor is angry, blood will flow for thousands of miles.
Although Ning Chen did not cause bloodshed in the palace, this was the first time he killed so many servants since he ascended the throne. With this move, the servants in the harem did become much more obedient.
The Queen took the opportunity to bring Yang Baolin to Fengqi Palace to recuperate, saying that it would be more thorough to keep him by her side for care.
The Queen Mother wanted to say that the Queen was partial to her cousin, but Ning Chen nodded, so she had no choice but to stop talking.
However, he was still very angry and called Chen Wanrong to the Cining Palace.
"Look at you. Yao was awarded the title of Fourth Rank Xiuyi for her meritorious service in protecting the emperor. Ye was also promoted to Concubine. Even Yang is pregnant. Why are you so disappointing?"
"I am incompetent and have disappointed the Empress Dowager." Chen Wanrong knelt down with her head down.
She has now given up on being favored, and the more she gives up, the more disappointed she is with the Queen Mother and the Chen family.
These people only wanted to gain benefits from her but never cared about her. It is said that blood is thicker than water, but she really didn't feel anything at all now.
Fu Zhi hurried to smooth things over, "Empress Dowager, calm down. This opportunity to protect the emperor is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Wanrong can't just get it if she wants it. Ming Jieyu's brother is now in the hands of the emperor, and being nice to her is a sign of love for her family. Besides, she's pregnant, and there are many women in the harem who have served the emperor for many years but haven't gotten pregnant yet. We can't rush this. The relationship between the Empress Dowager and the emperor has eased a little, and we have to work on this slowly."
The Queen Mother sighed, feeling very annoyed, and waved her hand to signal the girl to get up.
Fuzhi personally helped Chen Wanrong to get up and sit down beside her.
"Su Yu, I'm old, and I don't know how long I can live. The glory of our Chen family depends on you. Don't blame me for being angry with you today. I'm also anxious." The Queen Mother finally softened.
Hearing these words, Chen Suyu felt very sad, but she could only pretend.
"I know all about my aunt's good intentions. Now that the emperor has few children, I will definitely try my best to make the emperor like me and give birth to an heir to continue the prosperity of the Chen family."
The Empress Dowager was now somewhat satisfied and motioned to Fuzhi to get a porcelain vase from the cabinet.
"This is a pill I found outside. It is very effective in helping pregnancy. Take one pill after you sleep with me. It will help you conceive an heir sooner."
Chen Wanrong took it and put it in her arms, feeling very complicated, but she didn't say anything.
The atmosphere in the harem was tense now, and the empress dowager did not dare to keep her any longer. After saying these words, she asked her to leave.
After returning to her residence, Chen put the porcelain bottle deep in the cabinet, as if she had no intention of using it.
The maid Qiao Yuling who was serving her was puzzled, "Wanrong doesn't want to eat?"
"Now that the Queen has no legitimate child, there is no way for me to take the lead with my status." Chen Wanrong said calmly.
Chunyu was smarter and just sighed, feeling sorry for his master.
Compared to the frustration of their aunt and niece from the Chen family, Concubine Yao and Yao Xiang were much more proud.
Yesterday, the Imperial Concubine went to see Yao Xiang in person.
She is now Fang Xiuyi, and has finally moved from the back hall of Weiruixuan to the main hall. Although she is injured, she is full of energy.
"You have encountered such a rare opportunity. God has really blessed you. Although the emperor seems to have a bad temper, he is a man who values friendship. Just look at the servants in the palace who have not suffered any hardship when they entered the palace. I know that the emperor is sentimental. With your life-saving grace, your future will be much easier."
The Grand Concubine smiled and held her niece's hand, becoming more and more satisfied with Yao Xiang.
But she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. If her son lived up to his expectations and ascended the throne, it would be such a great thing to have Yao Xiang be the queen.
It's a pity that Prince Ping Ning Hao was just like his title, a man who liked a simple life and did not inherit any of the ambition of his mother, Consort Yao.
It is also for this reason that, despite the presence of Concubine Yao, the relationship between Ning Hao and Ning Chen is still good.
"Don't worry, aunt. Since even God favors me, I will definitely take back everything that belongs to the Yao family. Xiuyi is just the beginning."
Yao Xiang smiled faintly, but the fierceness in her eyes was very inconsistent with her current age.
The Imperial Concubine Tai did not pay attention to these things and was only satisfied with her fighting spirit and ambition.
Since she didn't get the throne, let her niece take it.
Once you enter this deep palace, how many people would not fight for favors? Even Ye Jun is vying for favor in his own way. Isn't it also for the sake of making his life easier
The turmoil in the harem always changes with the emperor's pace, and until the new top scholar was announced this year, Ning Chen had not set foot in the harem.
After a month of recuperation, Ye Jun's wound has finally healed, but there are still scabs on it that have not fallen off completely.
The imperial physician specifically advised not to touch water and not to tear the scab on the wound, otherwise it would leave a scar. However, the wound would become itchy while healing, which was very torturous.
Huiyue and Nanzhi, and Luzhi, Luhe and Lumei, had no one to take turns guarding, so Ye Jun's hand didn't touch the wound.
If she felt itchy, she would touch her with her hand, for fear that this delicate master would do something rash and break the wound and leave a scar.
Fortunately, the efforts of the girls were effective. At least now, where the scabs had fallen off, there was only a faint mark that was slightly whiter than the original skin. If you didn't compare it carefully, it wouldn't be very noticeable.
Huiyue was so heartbroken. When she came back to serve, she saw Ye Jun like this, but she cried secretly several times behind his back.
However, Ye Jun's attention was not on this matter at all. She asked someone to pass a message outside the palace to inquire about the grades of her two cousins, which had just been delivered today.
"My eldest cousin was ranked 37th in the second class, and my second cousin was ranked 95th in the third class. They both passed." Ye Jun was in a good mood as he looked at the letter.
This time, three people were selected from the first class, forty-seven people were selected from the second class, and seventy people were selected from the third class, totaling one hundred and twenty people. Compared with previous spring examinations in Nanqi, this number is considered medium.
"I think the emperor will enter the harem in some time. Now that he has gained a group of new talents, he must be in a good mood." Ye Jun smiled and stood up to stretch his body.
Although I am enjoying these days of recuperation without having to pay respects to the emperor, the gloom in the harem should also be dissipated.