boyutpedia Chapter 296 Which court official hadn't she dealt with?
Chapter 296 Which court official hadn't she dealt with?
In this era, medicine was not very advanced. Even in the royal family, the survival rate of children was very low. The lower the survival rate, the more pampered the children were, and the more pampered they were, the higher the mortality rate became.
Getting more sunshine and exercise is actually beneficial to your health.
On the Dragon Boat Festival in the ninth year of Yongxi, except for the youngest seventh, eighth, and ninth princes, all the other princes and princesses were taken to Jinming Pond to watch the willow shooting game. Such an opportunity was rare for the imperial heirs.
If the Empress hadn't explicitly forbidden the concubines from scheming against the imperial heirs, Consort De would have suspected that Shen Shixi was deliberately trying to get the princes out so they would all suffer from heatstroke!
But the Empress didn't say that everyone had to go. She said that those who wanted to go could go. Consort De didn't want to take the Fourth Prince out, but the Fourth Prince cried and made a fuss, insisting on going out.
Even the sixth prince, who is not even two years old, is going. He is over three years old. Why shouldn't he go?
Originally, the Empress and her concubines were on one platform, with the imperial platform right next to them. But Li Yuanke had a phoenix chair added to the imperial platform so that the Empress could be with him. He also had court officials on his side. But what did that matter to Shen Shixi? Which court official hadn't she dealt with?
Lu Shixun, the Minister of Rites, kindly asked the Empress, "Is Your Majesty unwell this year, or is there some other reason? Why did you go to Qingyi Garden to escape the summer heat in only April?"
With Prince Guo's wedding approaching, why didn't we wait until after the wedding to move our entourage?
Many high-ranking officials and nobles are listening. The rumors circulating outside are very unpleasant: the emperor is at odds with his own brother, and the empress dowager and empress have conflicts. In short, it is detrimental to the reputation of the royal family.
Shen Shixi knew that Lu Shixun was giving her a chance to defend herself. She smiled and said, "To be honest, ever since I became pregnant, I have been very afraid of the heat. Although the weather in April is not hot, I still feel hot."
Qingyi Garden has plenty of water; it's much more comfortable here! The Emperor has been worrying about Prince Guo's wedding, and besides, there's the Empress Dowager. He's a grown man, not inexperienced; which official from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department hasn't done their utmost? Surely they haven't neglected me, a pregnant woman!"
The officials knelt down in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, we congratulate the Empress! The Empress has given birth to a legitimate heir; this is truly a blessing for our Great Zhou!"
The emperor was overjoyed. He had long wanted to announce this news to the world, but he had also heard that pregnant women's pregnancies were generally unstable in the third month, and he was afraid of disturbing the fetus, so it was best not to let anyone know. He truly held back.
"Rise, my beloved ministers!" Li Yuanke said smugly. "This is indeed a joyous occasion. It's not that I'm tight-lipped and unwilling to tell you all, but the palace maids said that the Empress is less than three months pregnant, and they were afraid that if they told you, my son would be frightened. They insisted that I not say anything!"
That's something to be envied!
Lu Shixun laughed and said, "There is such a saying among the people, but the imperial heir is the son of the dragon, so this kind of thing should be no problem for him."
The Grand Chancellor Cui Fangli and the Chamberlain Liang Ji exchanged a glance. Cui Fangli then spoke, "We are truly delighted that Her Majesty the Empress is pregnant! However, it is inconvenient for Her Majesty to receive the Emperor's favor at this time. We urge Your Majesty to prioritize the imperial heir and ensure that the Emperor's favor is distributed evenly throughout the harem, for only then can there be a harmonious atmosphere!"
The Chamberlain hurriedly added, "Your Majesty, I wonder if my granddaughter is well-behaved and courteous in the palace, and whether she serves Your Majesty adequately?"
[This is clearly saying that you have someone in your family in the Emperor's harem, and you still need to check on them from time to time. So, that old bastard Lu Shixun deliberately forced me to admit I was pregnant just now?]
However, Lu Shixun put in a lot of effort for the Emperor and Empress's wedding, including helping Shen Shixi to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship. Shen Shixi did not want to assume any ill will towards him.
Lu Shixun, being an old and shrewd man, was afraid of being labeled by the Empress, so he quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Excellencies, the Empress is the principal wife and the Empress. Now that she is pregnant with the legitimate heir, the Emperor should spend more time with her so that she can give birth to a legitimate son smoothly. This would be a blessing for our Great Zhou."
Cui Fangli said, "Her Majesty the Empress is already pregnant with a legitimate heir. Your Majesty should take this opportunity to have more concubines in the harem so that the royal family can have many offspring!"
Shen Shixi said, "According to Prime Minister Cui, how many imperial offspring would be considered a sufficient number? Give me a figure, and the Emperor will have his concubines impregnate according to your quota!"
That's too crude!
Shen Shixi said with dissatisfaction, "I have only ever heard of ministers advising the emperor not to favor concubines over wives, but I have never heard of any minister advising the emperor to neglect his wife and favor his concubines! I am sitting here, I am the Empress of the Great Zhou, and I have only been pregnant for a few days. Is your granddaughter already so impatient?"
"And Lord Liang, what's wrong? Is Consort Liang complaining to her family? Has the Emperor and I wronged her? The four of them entered the palace together, and the Emperor treats them all equally. How come everyone else is pregnant, but she's not? Does the Emperor need to get her pregnant before he can finally rest?"
The two knelt on the ground, utterly ashamed.
The Empress's words were truly unbearable to hear.
Li Yuanke grabbed Shen Shixi's hand and squeezed it, saying, "Not counting the Empress's unborn child, I now have eight princes and four princesses, which is not much different from the late Emperor."
I had no intention of wanting so many. During the reign of the late emperor, the struggle for the throne among the princes was incredibly fierce! I do not wish for my princes to suffer the same fate in the future.
But I do not wish for my court officials or future generations to speak ill of the Empress, accusing her of jealousy and causing my imperial offspring to be insufficient. I never expected that even so, you would still attack the Empress!
"Was it I who ordered the selection of concubines? Was it I who ordered you to send your daughters into the palace? What, just because you sent them in, does that mean I should favor them? Are you all celestial beauties? Do you think I'll be moved just by looking at you?"
Seeing that Li Yuanke was getting angrier and angrier, Shen Shixi grabbed his hand and squeezed it, which calmed him down.
Liang Ji was covered in sweat. "Your Majesty, we had no such intention! We were thinking of the imperial heirs. Since ancient times, many children have been considered a blessing, and it is never too much to have many imperial offspring. We only sent our granddaughter to the palace because Your Majesty does not have many children, so as to continue the imperial line. This is truly out of our loyalty to the emperor!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Cui Fangli said. "Your Majesty and Empress have come to Qingyi Garden to escape the summer heat. The concubines accompanying you are all women who have borne imperial heirs. Raising imperial heirs is already hard work, and they may not have the energy to serve Your Majesty. We request that Your Majesty summon the concubines who are currently staying in the palace but do not yet have imperial heirs to the garden to serve you, so as to ensure the continuation of the imperial line!"
[These guys are just as shameless as I am, they've all become tough as nails. Compared to them, Prime Minister Pei has a lot more shame! A bunch of stubborn, self-righteous old bastards. If I didn't care about my reputation, I'd have plenty of ways to annoy you to death! You idiots!]
Lu Shixun also felt that this was going too far, but there was nothing he could do. Everyone in the family had a granddaughter who was a concubine. If the emperor neglected her, who wouldn't be anxious?
Since they were sent to the palace, they were naturally aiming for wealth and honor. If they couldn't even have a son or daughter, they would indeed be anxious.
Once born, the child cannot accompany the emperor, promotion is difficult, the child is not the ruler of the first palace, and the child cannot be raised by one's side.
"I am not a lecherous man. I am busy with court affairs, and the Empress is no longer of any help to me. My energy is limited, so let's put the matter of the imperial heir on hold for now! But Prime Minister Liang, your first wife has been gone for three years. Shouldn't you remarry? Do you have a wife you fancy? I can bestow a marriage upon you!"