Fengqi Palace.
The queen specially ordered someone to prepare a large table of Ning Chen's favorite dishes.
Although the news of Ye Jun's pregnancy was a great shock to her, at least the emperor still protected her face.
The young eunuch guarding the gate saw the emperor from afar and came in to deliver the message.
The queen went out to greet them with a group of servants.
"It's cold, why are you waiting outside? Be careful not to catch a cold."
Ning Chen personally helped the man up and spoke gently.
"I'm not cold, but Your Majesty, why don't you wear a cloak?" The Queen's face was gentle and there was a smile in her eyes.
"Yi Shunrong got me a hand warmer. I won't feel cold if I hold it. Let's not stand outside and talk. Let's go in."
As he spoke, Ning Chen took the lead.
The queen was stunned for a moment, and when she saw the hand warmer covered with a bag with a purple cloud pattern in his hand, she suddenly felt a dull pain in her heart.
But in the end, he suppressed the discomfort in his heart and went in with a smile.
After sitting down, he took the initiative to serve Ning Chen the food.
"Your Majesty, please try this glutinous rice chicken. It tastes delicious."
"Well, Queen, thank you for your trouble. I'll have a bowl of soup first."
Ning Chen said, and then signaled Yuan Jiu to serve him a bowl of bamboo fungus soup.
The Queen's hand paused for a moment before she put the glutinous rice and chicken on Ning Chen's plate with her chopsticks, her face a little stiff.
"I remember that Your Majesty doesn't like to drink soup, why do you want to drink soup before dinner today?"
Ning Chen didn't say anything. He drank a bowl first, wiped his mouth, and then spoke.
"It's nice to drink a bowl of it to warm up your body in winter. Ming Xiurong loves it. I've drunk it with her a few times. I haven't had it for a long time. I saw it here with you, and I miss the taste."
"Ming Xiurong is intelligent and has always been the best at serving the emperor." The queen's face faded.
The smile was also very forced.
But Ning Chen was really a little hungry at this moment, so he didn't pay attention to her expression. He drank the soup and ate the glutinous rice chicken on the plate.
This made the Queen look a little better.
Then he continued to serve him food.
The Queen put a lot of effort into understanding the Emperor's preferences, and she served Ning Chen his favorite dishes.
Ning Chen ate all of it just to give him face.
The smile on the queen's face grew wider and wider.
"Don't just focus on serving me food. The Queen should also eat more. There are many things to do at the end of the year. The Queen is tired and thin because of all the work she does every day."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The queen who had the dish picked up quickly stood up to express her gratitude.
After sitting down, Ning Chen spoke again.
"I didn't hide Ming Xiurong's pregnancy from you on purpose. With her personality, I was worried that she would get into a fight with others before the baby was firmly established, and that she would make a fuss and get upset. So I ordered her to pretend to be sick and take care of the baby. Please don't blame me, Queen."
Therefore, Ye’s illness was also fake, the emperor just wanted her to take good care of her pregnancy.
For a moment, the Queen felt very complicated about the truth that Ning Chen told.
On the one hand, she felt uncomfortable that the emperor doted on Ye Jun so much that he was willing to let her have a baby without telling anyone in the palace, but on the other hand, she felt somewhat relieved that the emperor was willing to tell her the truth afterwards.
At least this proves that the emperor still respects her.
But what's the use of being respected? What she always desires is favor.
But no matter what she thought in her heart, the queen still held back her emotions and tried hard to appear magnanimous and tolerant.
"How could I blame the emperor? Everything should be based on the heir to the throne. As the legitimate mother of all the princes and princesses, I hope that all of them are well."
Ning Chen glanced at her and took the initiative to pat the queen's hand.
"You are still young, we will definitely have a legitimate son."
The queen's eyes were slightly red, and she nodded quickly to wipe away her tears.
"I have one more thing to discuss with the Queen."
"What's the matter, Your Majesty, just tell me."
Ning Chen nodded, "Ming Xiurong is also a concubine. Now that she is pregnant and has given birth to a child, she needs to live in a more spacious place. I think Zhao Chunxuan is good, so let her move there after the new year. That place has not been lived in for a long time, so let someone clean it up during this time."
It's not a big deal.
The Queen will not be stingy with this accommodation.
Besides, Ye Jun should have moved a long time ago, but he has only decided now and is moving after the New Year, which means it has been delayed for a long time.
So he nodded.
But Ning Chen’s next words made it difficult for her to accept them.
"The Ye family guards the frontier. Ye's elder brother is very capable. With more experience, he will definitely be as capable as his father. The general who guards the country left behind this pair of children to help me share my worries. Now that Ye is pregnant, I will give her a promotion during the New Year."
The queen became a little restless as she was promoted to a higher position right after she became pregnant and was so favored.
An unnatural smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The emperor loves Ming Xiurong, but she has just become pregnant. It would be better to wait until she gives birth and then promote her to a higher position together with Concubine Fang. This will prevent others from thinking that the emperor is partial to one over the other."
"Don't worry about this. There are some unclear connections between Yao and Concubine Su's lost child. Even though I don't favor Concubine Su, I have to give an explanation to Zasak." Ning Chen frowned.
Finally he continued.
"It is enough for Yao to have her title restored. We can wait until she gives birth before we talk about promotion. Ming Xiurong should be promoted first. Her mother's family will need her. I also have to take the previous dynasty into consideration. After all, there is Yi Shunrong ahead of me."
Having said that, the queen had no room for rebuttal.
When Yi Shunrong was pregnant with the third prince, wasn't it she who promoted her to the throne even before giving birth
With such a precedent and the emperor's favor towards Ye, her promotion could not be stopped.
Things had come to this point, and the queen had no choice but to nod and agree.
That night, although Ning Chen stayed overnight, the couple hardly spoke a word all night.
Ning Chen lay down and fell asleep, but the queen didn't sleep a wink all night.
When I woke up the next day, the bruises under my eyes were very severe.
The concubines came to pay their respects.
Almost the same as the Queen.
It seems that Ye Yun's pregnancy is much more shocking than Yao Xiang's pregnancy.
Of course, there were also some who slept well, such as Concubine Shu and Concubine De.
Both of them are in high positions with sons and daughters, but they are not favored. The fights among the concubines below cannot affect them.
So when Concubine Shu came in the morning, she was particularly enthusiastic about picking on people.
The first to be affected was naturally Yi Shunrong, who was on par with Ye Jun.
"Oh, wait for Ming Xiurong's life. The Third Prince will have another playmate. If it's a prince, the palace will be lively in the future. Don't you think so, Yi Shunrong?"
"Boys are always more naughty. If there are more of them, it will be lively and noisy. Your Majesty gave birth to a daughter, and the princess is well-behaved. Your Majesty has no idea of the troubles that I, a concubine, have to endure when raising a prince."
Yi Shunrong responded indifferently.
Although she didn't miss Ye Junsheng, she could still sit still.
After all, she already has a son, and her family background and love are also good, but Ye Jun has not given birth yet.
It is unknown whether it is a man or a woman.
Concubine Shu snorted.
She knew that Yi Shunrong was bullying her for not being able to give birth to a son, but it was the fact and she had no way to refute it.
After these two men stopped making trouble, no one in their charge dared to speak.
Seeing that the palace had become quiet, the Queen passed down Ning Chen's oral instructions from yesterday.