If a woman in the harem is pregnant with the heir of the dragon, everyone will flatter her, but if she unfortunately has a miscarriage, she will fall from heaven to hell in an instant.
Although Fu Yuheng tried to comfort Xiao Shushen after her miscarriage, anyone with a discerning eye could see his disappointment. The dragon heir he had been looking forward to for so long was gone just like that.
For a moment, those who had been trying to show their loyalty to Hsiao Shushen immediately changed their attitude. She had just lost her child, and according to the palace, it was a bit unlucky, so naturally no one dared to visit her.
"If you ask me, the Queen may not be reliable!"
"I heard that the Emperor was very sad when he learned that the Empress had lost her child, but he just said a few words of comfort, as if he was just being perfunctory." Several palace maids gathered together to discuss. The things going on between the Empress in the palace were even more exciting than the content of a storyteller.
One of the palace maids said with some regret: "I thought the Queen could rely on the dragon heir to maintain her prestige for a while, but who knew..."
The other one also nodded: "I think the virtuous concubine is more favored by the emperor."
"What is this Consort Xian?" A haughty maid sneered, "Consort Xian was only favored in the past, but now she has no children and no favorites. There are so many of them in the palace!"
The other maids looked at each other, thinking that what she said made sense. "Then tell me, which lady in the harem is favored?"
The maid raised her chin proudly and said confidently, "Of course it's Concubine Lin. Although she is now only a concubine, she has been promoted so quickly. The emperor favors Minister Lin, so he will naturally not neglect Concubine Lin."
She had recently been trying to curry favor with Lin Lianlian and had gained a lot of benefits from her. Now that Xiao Shushen had no children, Lin Lianlian's chances of winning naturally increased a bit.
"What's more, Concubine Lin is young and beautiful. She is the best among the new concubines in the palace in terms of both status and appearance!"
The palace maids were immediately brainwashed by her and all rushed to curry favor with Lin Lianlian, the potential new favorite.
In the yard not far away, Shen Qingwan had been reading a book all morning. Lianyun hurried in to persuade her to take a rest and not to hurt her eyes.
Shen Qingwan also felt a little tired, so she put down the book. Then she took a sip of the tea that Lianyun handed over and remembered something.
"How's the Queen?" She said in a steady voice. Xiao Shushen's body must have been recovering slowly after her miscarriage.
Lianyun sighed. She felt that the Queen's miscarriage was strange. "I heard that the Queen was very sad and her health was slow to recover."
No matter whether she lost the emperor's favor or lost her own flesh and blood, any woman would be sad and upset, not to mention that she was the queen. There were so many eyes in the harem eyeing her back seat, hoping to bring her down.
Shen Qingwan frowned, her eyes showing sorrow, and sighed helplessly, "Go to the imperial kitchen and order someone to boil the medicine. Remember, you have to watch it with your own eyes, and there must be no mistakes."
This is a critical moment and there can be no mistakes, otherwise the blame for murder will be put on her.
Lianyun understood what she meant, but she didn't understand why her own mother wanted to make medicine for Xiao Shushen. Did she forget how she had made things difficult for her
Shen Qingwan naturally knew what she was thinking, but she didn't explain much. She just felt a little sympathy for her from a woman's perspective. At this time, Fu Yuheng didn't show too much concern, and the snobbish people in the harem must have already tried to curry favor with others, so she couldn't help but feel pity for him.
I took Lianyun to visit Xiao Shushen in the palace. The place that was once so bustling was now very cold and desolate. The palace servants were very careful and spoke in low voices whether they were walking or talking.
"Your servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Concubine."
"Why didn't you inform the virtuous concubine that she is here?" Lianyun still felt a little repulsive to Xiao Shushen in her heart, and she even disliked the palace maids.
The maid hurried to inform Aunt Gui, and was surprised to learn that Shen Qingwan had come. Why did she come? She did not ask anyone to invite Shen Qingwan in, but walked out in person, and only bowed symbolically when she saw her. Her face was cold, and even had a hint of hatred, "What is the Empress Xianfei doing in the Queen's Palace with so much free time?"
These people are probably here to laugh at the joke. Shen Qingwan is the Queen's mortal enemy. How could Nanny Gui give her this opportunity
But Shen Qingwan didn't care about her sarcasm. She could understand their feelings after suffering a miscarriage. She just pointed at the lunch box in Lianyun's hand and said, "I came to visit the Queen and brought some tonics to nourish her body."
So simple, so intentional.
Nanny Gui snorted coldly, "The virtuous concubine should stop pretending to be merciful. The queen cannot bear your kindness!" She glared at Shen Qingwan fiercely, "I have to go back to serve the queen, so I won't send the virtuous concubine off!"
After saying this, he turned and walked towards the house, humming, leaving the master and servant alone.
"What kind of person is this! Our queen means well but is treated like a donkey's liver and lungs!" Lian Yun was so angry that she complained as she watched the figure walking away quickly.
Shen Qingwan just pursed her lips. It was normal for Xiao Shushen to be suspicious of her. The women in the harem were so pitiful that they couldn't even trust each other.
"Lianyun, let's go back to the palace." Shen Qingwan didn't care that she didn't trust herself. She didn't come here with complete confidence that she could step into the Queen's Palace. Whether others accept her or not is their business, and whether she does it or not is a matter of conscience.
Fu Yuheng would only visit Xiao Shushen occasionally. After all, he was busy with state affairs and couldn't find time to visit her on weekdays.
What's more, he was looking forward to their offspring, but he suddenly disappeared. It was difficult for him to accept it. Going to visit Xiao Shushen would definitely bring back sad memories.
Days passed one by one, and one day Shen Qingwan received a letter sent by General Shen, saying that her brother Shen Ji was rushing back from the military camp in Hangzhou, and would arrive in Kyoto in the next few days.
As soon as she finished reading it, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth and a smile appeared on her face. It was different from those shallow smiles, it was a kind of joy that came from the heart.
After hearing that Fu Yuheng was free in the evening, he went to the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, my father wrote to say that my brother will be returning to Kyoto soon. I want to go home to see him." As she spoke, her eyes seemed to be shining like stars, and the corners of her mouth were unconsciously raised. She was so charming that Fu Yuheng was distracted for a moment and couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Seeing that his dark eyes were fixed on her, Shen Qingwan's voice became clearer and clearer, reminding, "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to go home and be with my brother!"
He then turned around, covered his face with his hands and coughed a few times in embarrassment, then curled his lips and said, "Since Shen Ji is back, you should go back and take a look."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The smile in the corner of his eyes became even more intense, and he heard the man above him say in a deep voice.
"Be careful and don't get hurt."
"I will remember this." She smiled into his deep black eyes.