Chapter 82: Your Concubine Is Not in a Hurry

“Your concubine greets Your Majesty. Your concubine has been reflecting on her mistakes these past few days. Your concubine thanks Your Majesty for your forgiveness!” Wen Baolin bowed.

Although she had been impulsive at the time, after careful analysis, she understood the emperor’s leniency towards her.

Helian Qi nodded slightly, “Rise.”

Wen Baolin rose, her gaze sweeping over Ning Wanyin, who was beside the emperor.

Today, Helian Qi had summoned Ning Wanyin to serve him with ink and brush (practice painting).

Now that a concubine had come to pay her respects, the emperor didn’t ask her to leave, so she stopped her work and sat quietly to the side.

“Your Majesty, your concubine has something to report. Your concubine’s monthly cycle has been delayed for half a month… Please, Your Majesty, summon the imperial physician for your concubine.” Wen Baolin said with a shy expression.

Helian Qi immediately put down the brush he was using to review memorials and said, “Wang Degui, summon the imperial physician!”

He only had one prince, and he was the son of Concubine Shu.

To avoid the power of the maternal family becoming too great, he needed more princes.

Whether it was Shun Bin, Wen Mei Ren, or other concubines with suitable status, the offspring they bore could all become candidates for the crown prince.

Soon, Zhao Yuanpan rushed over, took Wen Baolin’s pulse, and bowed to the emperor, “Congratulations, Your Majesty! Wen Baolin is one month pregnant.”

Helian Qi was overjoyed, “Excellent. Wen Baolin has the merit of conceiving a royal heir, she is promoted to Mei Ren!”

Wen Baolin was overjoyed, she bowed, “Your concubine thanks Your Majesty for your grace!”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the arrival of a royal heir!” Wang Degui hurriedly said auspicious words.

Ning Wanyin also rose to congratulate, “Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Wen Mei Ren!”

Wen Mei Ren was very proud to be pregnant before Ning Wanyin, and she was about to show off a bit…

When she heard the emperor on the dragon throne say:

“Ning, you have a lot of experience taking care of Shun Bin, you will also take care of Wen Mei Ren.”

Wen Mei Ren was immediately anxious.

Ning Wanyin, relying on her merit of taking care of Shun Bin, had been given the authority to assist in managing the six palaces, and the emperor had given her many rewards.

Now she was going to rely on her own child to secure her ten months of glory and wealth?

She wouldn’t even think about it!

As for those methods of preserving the pregnancy, the rules of Changchun Palace, everyone in the palace knew them by now. She could just follow them, she didn’t need Ning Wanyin at all.

“Your Majesty, your concubine thinks that Ning Jiejue is already very busy taking care of Shun Bin. If she takes care of me too, she might neglect one for the other, affecting Shun Bin’s pregnancy.” Wen Mei Ren hurriedly objected:

“Your concubine can take care of herself, there’s no need to trouble Ning Jiejue.”

Ning Wanyin didn’t have the slightest intention of taking care of another person.

Did the emperor think she was a master of preserving pregnancies?

“Wen Mei Ren is right. Taking care of Shun Bin, your concubine has already exhausted herself, it’s difficult to take care of Wen Mei Ren as well.” Ning Wanyin bowed and politely refused, her words were just right:

“Your concubine can copy a copy of the rules of Changchun Palace and send it to Wen Mei Ren. Wen Mei Ren can choose whatever she needs… If you have any questions, your concubine will definitely tell you everything.”

Seeing this, Helian Qi also felt that he was asking too much of Ning Wanyin, asking her to do the work of several people, so he nodded, “If that’s the case, then Wen Mei Ren, you take good care of your pregnancy. I will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to assign you a few experienced mamas to take good care of you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Wen Mei Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day, August 1st, everyone gathered in Jingxi Palace…

Zhuang Fei had been feeling unwell lately and had taken a sick leave, so she didn’t come. Xuan Shi Song was under confinement, Shun Bin was staying indoors, and Wen Mei Ren sent her personal maid to ask for leave:

“Please inform the Empress Dowager on behalf of my mistress. She is pregnant and feeling unwell, so she is resting in the palace. His Majesty has ordered that she can be excused from paying her respects.”

A cold light flashed in Shu Fei’s eyes.

Wen Mei Ren had been confined for half a month, and she hadn’t discovered her pregnancy in time.

Now that Wen Mei Ren had informed the emperor, and the emperor had sent people to take care of her, she was also following Shun Bin’s example of staying indoors to nurture her pregnancy. She was quite clever.

Shu Fei, with the air of a legitimate wife, smiled and said:

“Wen Mei Ren is pregnant, it’s a great joy for our royal family. Let her rest assured and nurture her pregnancy, I will inform the Empress Dowager on her behalf.”

“Thank you, Shu Fei!” The maid bowed and retreated.

Shu Fei immediately looked at Ning Wanyin with concern:

“Ning Jiejue, Wen Mei Ren and Xuan Shi Song are both pregnant, you are the most favored by His Majesty, but you haven’t had any news yet. Are you feeling unwell? Have you consulted the imperial physician?”

Ning Wanyin calmly rose and said, “Your Highness, your concubine has always been healthy and has no discomfort. Perhaps it’s just not meant to be.”

“Are you sure you’re not sick, Ning Jiejue? Don’t hide your illness.” Mei Ren Xue interjected.

Cen Jiejue chimed in:

“With Ning Jiejue’s great favor, she hasn’t been able to conceive yet, and it’s not because of poor health, then it must be that she has a shallow destiny for children and is not blessed.”

This was quite vicious.

The main duty of concubines was to produce offspring for the royal family…

A woman who is not blessed and has no destiny for children is useless, the emperor shouldn’t favor her so much.

Cen Jiejue was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, usually silent, but suddenly striking when she had the chance.

Ning Wanyin looked at her and calmly retorted:

“Your concubine is blessed with His Majesty’s favor, such great fortune, how can she be considered a person without blessings? Does Cen Jiejue think that His Majesty’s favor is not a blessing?”

Cen Jiejue’s face stiffened, “His Majesty’s favor is indeed a blessing. Perhaps you are unlucky and cannot bear such a blessing, so you have no destiny for children.”

“Your concubine has heard that the Empress Dowager became pregnant in her third year in the palace, and the Noble Consort became pregnant in her fourth year. If you, Cen Jiejue, had been born twenty years earlier, wouldn’t you be gossiping about the Empress Dowager and the Noble Consort behind their backs?” Ning Wanyin said each word clearly.

Cen Jiejue’s face turned completely dark.

Ning Wanyin’s counterattack was clean and beautiful, leaving her speechless.

The Jingxi Palace fell silent.

Shu Fei smiled and smoothed things over, “It’s getting late, everyone is here, we should go and pay our respects to the Empress Dowager.”

The concubines arrived at Cining Palace and paid their respects to the Empress Dowager.

Shu Fei informed Empress Dowager Xue about Wen Mei Ren’s pregnancy.

Empress Dowager Xue said with a look of relief, “Wen Mei Ren is conceiving a child for the royal family, she is a hero of our Great Yan. Come, bring the prayer beads that I had the master bless with a blessing a few days ago, and give them to Wen Mei Ren.”

The mama accepted the order and held the prayer beads to deliver them to Yanfeng Pavilion.

“I remember that Ning Jiejue entered the palace with Wen Mei Ren.” Empress Dowager Xue’s gaze fell on Ning Wanyin, with the appearance of a benevolent elder:

“Don’t be in a hurry, with His Majesty’s favor for you, you will eventually be able to produce offspring for His Majesty like Wen Mei Ren.”

Empress Dowager Xue’s methods were several levels higher than those of her juniors.

Her seemingly kind words of comfort actually implied that Ning Wanyin was anxious to see Wen Mei Ren pregnant.

If something happened to Wen Mei Ren’s child, everyone would naturally think of Ning Wanyin.

“Your concubine is currently responsible for taking care of Shun Bin, so she is too busy to be in a hurry. It’s a happy event for our Great Yan whenever any sister in the harem is pregnant, your concubine is equally happy.” Ning Wanyin smiled and responded.

Empress Dowager Xue’s eyes flashed, she was quite quick-witted.