Chapter 3600: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (19)
Chapter 3600: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (19)
Consort Xuan prepared a jar of tonic soup as an excuse to see the emperor, for she had not laid eyes on Ao Tianze in a long time.
The soup was taken into the hall, but only an empty bowl came back out. She did not see Ao Tianze at all. An attendant simply gave her a perfunctory excuse and asked her to leave.
As soon as she returned, she burst into tears, crying so hard that Ning Shu felt a dull ache in her own chest.
Consort Xuan simply wanted a shred of care from her husband, but her husband’s heart was as cold as iron.
While Consort Xuan was asleep, Ning Shu performed acupuncture on her. Xuan was currently suffering from a severe stagnation of her qi and blood.
Even in her dreams, Consort Xuan did not sleep soundly. Strands of hair littered her pillow.
Ning Shu picked up the hair, noting the significant amount. If Consort Xuan did not take care of herself, she was likely to suffer from postpartum hair loss. If it started falling out in clumps, she would surely go mad.
Ning Shu finished stimulating the pressure points and put away her silver needles.
She had done everything she could. If Consort Xuan could not overcome this hurdle, no amount of self-pity would help her.
The hardships of childbirth drained a woman’s vitality and ravaged her body. The physical and psychological pain was something men could hardly comprehend.
Consort Xuan settled into Ning Shu’s Jiaofang Palace. The official reason was to care for the children, but even as they improved, she showed no intention of taking them back to her own palace.
It seemed she had other plans in mind.
After all, Ning Shu was the empress and the emperor’s principal wife. If the children were raised by her, they would have much higher status.
Ning Shu returned to her inner chambers. The two children were sleeping. Their faces still painfully thin. It would not be easy to nurse them back to a healthy, chubby state.
Xi’er was rocking the crib. Seeing Ning Shu, she stood up. “Your Highness, the little prince and princess have both fallen asleep. You should also rest early. Caring for the children is exhausting.”
Ning Shu looked at the infants in the crib and gave a quiet hum of agreement.
Early the next morning, Consort Xuan came to pay her respects. Her complexion was poor and she seemed dazed, as if she had not fully woken up.
Ning Shu took a sip of tea. “Did you not sleep well?”
“It is nothing serious, Your Highness. I simply feel a bit lightheaded.” Consort Xuan rubbed her temples.
“Have the physician prescribe some blood-tonics. Your body hasn’t recovered since giving birth. You must take proper care of yourself,” Ning Shu said.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness…” Consort Xuan bit her lip and hesitated, her expression full of internal struggle.
“If something is on your mind, speak plainly.” Ning Shu set down her teacup.
“Your Highness… I… I wish for the children to be raised at your side.” As Consort Xuan spoke, her eyes began to shimmer with tears.
Ning Shu raised an eyebrow slightly. She wanted the children to have the status of legitimate heirs.
Ning Shu smiled. “I am the children’s legal mother. All children in this inner palace are my children. Since that is your wish, let them be raised by my side. You are their birth mother, so you may see them whenever you like. You are also welcome to stay here in Jiaofang Palace. I cannot look after two children all by myself, so you should remain with them.”
“Thank you for your immense grace, Your Highness!” Consort Xuan immediately knelt. She felt she had no other choice. Only the empress could save them now. Furthermore, the empress had no children of her own. If her children were raised under the empress’ name, they would have the title of legitimate heirs, and might even inherit the throne one day.
Because she had been kneeling for too long, Consort Xuan grew dizzy and began to sway. Ning Shu spoke up. “Get up. Stop kneeling. Your body needs rest. Look at you. Your face is white just from kneeling for a moment.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Supported by her maids, Consort Xuan stood up. She sounded a bit winded.
Ning Shu frowned. “What exactly are you bottling up inside? You are wasting away your own body, and no one is going to feel sorry for you.”
“There is nothing specific, Your Highness. I simply feel flustered and short of breath. My body feels weak and heavy.” Consort Xuan sighed. “It is a sickness of the heart.”
Ning Shu just looked at her.
Ao Tianze was the only ‘miracle cure’ for that.
She didn’t bother saying anything more.
After finishing her breakfast, Ning Shu watched as the wet nurses fed the two children.
Consort Xuan watched the infants with a tender gaze. Only when she was with them could her heart find any peace.
Ning Shu was perfectly content staying in with the children. She rarely left the palace and did not require the other concubines to come pay their respects. Everyone was left to their own devices.
Ao Tianze rarely visited the inner palace. When he did, he went to Fu Min’s palace, and even then, he would only stay for a short while before leaving.
He even skipped the traditional visits on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, which by rule should have been spent at Ning Shu’s palace. The fact that two small babies were living there made it even less likely for him to visit.
Ao Tianze would only be looking for trouble if he came to Ning Shu’s palace now.
As a result, the rules in the palace had become quite lax and the atmosphere was strange. Everyone stayed within their own courtyards, occasionally visiting one another.
Some concubines even sent gifts to Fu Min’s palace. Ning Shu rubbed her forehead. If something happened to Fu Min, those concubines would likely be the first to face the consequences. If any of them actually harbored ill intentions, their end would be miserable.
The hearts of those in the inner palace were too unpredictable, but Ning Shu didn’t feel it was her place to say much.
What surprised Ning Shu was that this recent period had been unexpectedly peaceful. There were no assassination attempts or plots. Had Ao Tianze given up on trying to kill the two children?
Or was he simply trying to distract everyone?
Regardless of what was on Ao Tianze’s mind, it gave Ning Shu a chance to breathe and the children a chance to grow.
“How is Lady Min doing?” Ning Shu asked Xi’er.
“Your Highness, a physician goes to check her pulse regularly,” Xi’er replied. “I do not know her current condition.”
Lady Min stayed in her palace every day to focus on her pregnancy. She saw no one and had no contact with the other women of the inner palace.
Fu Min might not have been a troublemaker, but she was certainly no fool.
“What do the physicians say?” Ning Shu asked.
“I do not know. The one who checks on Lady Min is not an ordinary palace physician, but rather the emperor’s personal imperial physician,” Xi’er whispered. “I haven’t been able to gather any useful information.”
Ao Tianze was truly being meticulous. An imperial physician was the emperor’s private physician. Having one attend to a mere concubine showed how much he feared the regular palace staff might do something to Fu Min.
He was protecting her with an airtight defense.
Ning Shu smoothed her hair at the temples and gave a faint smile, saying nothing.
Consort Xuan didn’t even want to speak. Comparisons only led to jealousy and anger. She rubbed her forehead, her body still feeling unwell.
Ning Shu stopped worrying about Fu Min’s affairs and funneled some spiritual energy into the two children. They had finally regained some of their vitality. They were now babbling and reaching out for things.
The children were nearly three months old. They were fair and tender, looking adorable when their little eyes darted around. However, they were quite a handful when they started making a fuss.
When one cried, the other would begin to wail as if they were in a competition. One voice would rise above the other, and their screams could be heard from far away. It was a brain-rattling sound.
It was enough to drive anyone to distraction.
Ning Shu felt like she was losing her mind.
Children truly were maddening creatures, yet she seemed to have some inescapable karmic bond with them.
When they cried, no amount of people could soothe them.
Ning Shu could only silently recite the heart-clearing chant to get them to quiet down.