Chapter 82 – Something Happens

Zhao Hai had gone off to handle his matters, while on Shen Qing’s side, she was eating and drinking well, playing small rounds of mahjong, reading light storybooks, and living ever more comfortably. Just as Shen Qing was enjoying her comfort, the Empress was busy, and the concubines of the harem were all either observing the situation or hoping to be remembered by the Emperor during the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration — the long-awaited birthday banquet finally arrived.

From the moment the matter of the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet was brought up to the day it was held, nearly a month had passed, and the Empress had spared no effort in making preparations. It was all because of one word from the Emperor — “make it grand.” And so, the banquet was indeed extravagant.

Of course, whether it was grand or not, Shen Qing’s attitude remained unchanged.

That day, all the beauties of the harem made their appearance. Shen Qing dressed in a way that was neither plain nor overly extravagant — not ostentatious, but not too modest either. Amidst the crowd, her outfit was rather ordinary, but her looks were naturally outstanding. She could no longer stay low-profile at the bottom of the rankings. Today, she sat beside Noble Lady Fang.

Noble Lady Fang’s belly was already very large; it would only be a month or two before she gave birth. Upon seeing Shen Qing, she said, “I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you before, younger sister.”

“You flatter me, elder sister. You’re pregnant with a dragon child — that’s the most important thing. If anyone should be offering congratulations, it should be me to you,” Shen Qing replied casually and politely.

Noble Lady Fang looked at Shen Qing’s glowing complexion, raised a hand to gently touch her own large belly, and said with a smile, “You are favored by His Majesty; you’ll have children in the future too. With your good looks, any child you bear will surely be beautiful.”

The fact that Shen Qing couldn’t get pregnant was actually well known within Zhongyu Palace. Given Consort Yu’s personality, she had naturally spread the news in secret. So while no one mentioned it openly, everyone in the palace already knew.

Because of this, Shen Qing’s “hatred value” had diminished somewhat. After all, if she couldn’t bear children, then her double promotion in rank was clearly just the Emperor’s compensation, wasn’t it?

But now, Noble Lady Fang was saying such things to her face.

And Consort Yu, the one responsible for Shen Qing’s infertility, was sitting not far away.

Of course, this Noble Lady Fang also bore a grudge against Consort Yu.

Shen Qing sneered in her heart but kept her expression dim and subdued, pretending as though she couldn’t find the words to respond.

Noble Lady Fang, having gotten the reaction she wanted, said no more.

She sat beside Shen Qing, while the higher-ranking consorts were naturally seated apart. Across from them sat Consort Yu. With a baby in her belly, Noble Lady Fang couldn’t easily go against Consort Yu. But Shen Qing, now favored and yet rendered infertile by Consort Yu, was a useful card. If the Empress could use Shen Qing well, why couldn’t she? As long as it made Shen Qing hold a grudge against Consort Yu, it would benefit her.

Though she wouldn’t act herself for the sake of her child, she didn’t mind using Shen Qing’s hand to deal a blow.

She hadn’t forgotten how Consort Yu once made her kneel for two hours. Now, with her pregnancy progressing, she was increasingly afraid in hindsight. She hadn’t even realized it that day, just knelt for two full hours — what if she had miscarried back then? Would she, like Shen Qing, have never been able to bear children again?

Not long after, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress arrived.

The moment Xuanyuan Ling entered, he looked toward Shen Qing’s attire. Sure enough, her hair was adorned with a set of jade hairpins — nothing flashy, but elegant and beautiful. They were the very ones Zhao Hai had selected, gotten the Emperor’s approval for, and delivered to her.

His heart was satisfied. Something he had gifted, and she wore it on such an important occasion — Xuanyuan Ling was already thinking about what he could gift her next.

The Empress Dowager’s outfit today was utterly dazzling. One glance from Shen Qing and she thought it even overshadowed Xuanyuan Ling’s presence. She found it rather amusing.

Really, the Empress Dowager was ridiculous. If she had simply behaved herself, even if the Emperor was just putting on a show, he wouldn’t dare treat her poorly. After all, filial piety was paramount, and the Emperor had his public image to maintain. But instead, she had stirred up such a fuss. Now she had dressed so extravagantly that even on such a grand occasion, she had outshined the Emperor himself. Did she truly believe she was the true master of the empire?

Xuanyuan Ling had made peace with it. Though he wasn’t unaffected by the Empress Dowager’s flamboyant display, he carried on with what needed to be done. A birthday celebration was a birthday celebration.

Since he had that mindset — and he was good at putting on a performance — the Empress Dowager, basking in his flattery, looked truly pleased. To outsiders, it really seemed like a display of mutual affection between mother and son.

Shen Qing didn’t care about any of that. The banquet followed the usual proceedings — nothing noteworthy. She selectively picked the dishes she liked and, because she was seated directly across, she occasionally caught sight of Consort Yu’s two children.

The Third Princess and the Second Prince were both good-looking and seemed well-behaved under their mother’s watch.

But children, after all, didn’t have the stamina of adults. The Empress had strived to make the celebration grand, with many performances scheduled. Before long, the First Prince, Second Prince, and Third Princess were all yawning. Xuanyuan Ling eventually ordered them to be taken back.

The Second Prince and Third Princess were carried out by their respective nannies. Consort Yu remained behind.

It was getting late, with palace maids holding lanterns in the front, and the two nannies carrying the children walking behind. They were passing by the lakeside when suddenly, someone came running in a hurry from ahead.

The two palace maids shouted sternly, “Who goes there?!”

The person looked like a eunuch but didn’t respond, charging straight toward the two nannies at the rear. The maids holding the lanterns were caught off guard.

The nannies carrying the children couldn’t defend themselves — one was shoved hard and fell into the lake, while the other was knocked over, causing the Third Princess to fall hard onto the ground.

The two lantern-bearing maids were stunned. In the blink of an eye, the man who had caused the commotion and thrown the nanny and Second Prince into the water had vanished without a trace.

Something serious had happened!

Back at the banquet, someone rushed before Xuanyuan Ling and fell to their knees in panic: “Your Majesty, the Second Prince has fallen into the water!”

Consort Yu shot to her feet. She forgot all decorum, not even waiting for the Emperor to speak, and cried out in panic, her voice breaking: “What?!”

Xuanyuan Ling’s expression darkened instantly. The music and rituals halted in that moment — silence fell over the entire hall.

“How is he?”

The servant’s forehead was pressed against the ground. After knocking his head on the floor, he choked out, “When he was pulled out… the Second Prince was already… already…”

Consort Yu’s face turned deathly pale. Her entire body trembled. “Your Majesty!”

Xuanyuan Ling’s expression was grim. “Prepare the carriage!”

Consort Yu could barely stand. Servants had to support her as they rushed out. They moved quickly. There was no way the Empress Dowager could continue celebrating. She immediately said, “Cuiyun, go with them and see what’s happening.”

The Empress also had to take her leave. As the Empress of the Central Palace, she couldn’t stay behind in such a situation. “This consort takes her leave.”

The Empress Dowager’s face darkened as she gave a hum of acknowledgment. As the Empress passed by Noble Consort Shen, she cast her a meaningful glance.

That glance was subtle, and amidst the growing chaos around the announcement of the Second Prince’s fall into the water, no one noticed.