Chapter 0234

Chapter 233: The Princess

He Jingxi tightens his hold around Yun Li's waist: "Are you happy now?"

"Hmph." Yun Li relaxes against him: "Your Majesty has such poor taste."

He Jingxi pinches her waist: "Am I spoiling you too much?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty hasn't spoiled me enough." Yun Li responds, not moving: "It wasn't I who asked you to come, so if you did, isn't it just my good luck? Why can't someone with good luck keep Your Majesty?"

"Is that what I said?" He Jingxi looks down at her.

Yun Li blinks: "That's exactly what Your Majesty said."

She states with certainty.

After watching her for a moment, He Jingxi laughs and pinches her nose: "Yes, that's what I said."

She refuses to bring up the He family, so let it be.

Now, He Jingxi is sure Yun Li dislikes the He family.

Though she deliberately marginalized the He family under the guise of her own status, she pretends not to admit it.

Of course, He Jingxi doesn't care about such trivial matters.

It wasn't a big deal to begin with.

Yet, He Jingxi is curious why Yun Li dislikes the He family.

Or rather... how could Yun Li not know about the He family's background? Knowing it, why would she act this way in front of him? What's the reason?

In the emperor's eyes, Yun Li is undoubtedly intelligent.

So why would such a smart person do this?

He Jingxi couldn't help but ponder more.

He has always known Yun Li to be a person with a temper.

No matter who it is, if they provoke her, she's always unapologetic.

Nowadays, she behaves the same towards the He family.

Being someone who never holds her tongue, He Jingxi finds such a Yun Li somewhat headache-inducing.

But he would never tell her not to target the He family.

Yun Li, leaning on him, looks over his shoulder at the lotus flowers, thinking if someone is prone to anger,

Is someone who won't suffer in silence or at a loss,

Then they should treat everyone the same.

Stand up to those you can, and even if you can't, you must still stand up.

If you can't stand up to them, worst case, you get pushed back, but you can't cower.

The He family shouldn't be an obstacle; they don't deserve it.

The Emperor should understand this by now.

"Have you fallen asleep?" He Jingxi, seeing Yun Li remaining silent, asks.

"Hmm? How could I? I was feeling Your Majesty's heartbeat." Yun Li gets up: "It's a pity that seeing me doesn't excite Your Majesty."

He Jingxi chuckles: "What's on your mind all day? I've stayed, aren't you satisfied?"

"Of course, I'm satisfied. Your Majesty, could you play a piece for me? Please." Yun Li shook his hand gently.

He Jingxi gave her another look and sat down.

He glanced at Meng Chang, who then withdrew.

Understanding the Emperor's wish for privacy, Meng Chang knew not to disturb the piano session.

As He Jingxi began to play, he thought about how, since becoming Emperor, the few times he played were all for this woman.

Yun Li sat, chin propped in her hands, listening to He Jingxi's piano, watching the bees in the flowers, her expression genuinely relaxed.

Being serenaded with such a view, how could one not be happy?

In this atmosphere, He Jingxi found himself playing more earnestly.

In fact, if Yun Li had focused solely on his piano, or just on him, he might have felt pressured.

It's only in moments like these, when she's enjoying everything, that he feels more at ease.

Clearing the area was the right choice.

Even though Zhao Xiaoyi and He Xiaoyi had left, there were always those who wished to come.

Zhou Baolin and Jiang Baolin both attempted to approach but were stopped.

It didn't take long for the news to spread that Yun Li had intercepted He Xiaoyi and even had the Emperor play the piano for her.

Regarding Zhao XiaoYi, she indeed lacked presence in front of the other two and was overlooked.

Yunli and her party returned to Yuqu Palace around noon.

The Empress Dowager learned of the incident after waking from her afternoon nap.

She took the bird's nest soup handed by Qinghu, stirred it lightly with a spoon, took a sip, and said: "Oh? Consort Qing seems quite interesting. Wasn't she always compliant with the Empress? What's changed now? Is she at odds with the Empress?"

"In my view, it's not necessarily that she's opposing the Empress," Fan Gugu said with a placating smile. "It seems more like a rivalry for favor. The Empress wholeheartedly supports He XiaoYi, who has now been promoted. Following this trajectory, He XiaoYi will eventually conceive. By then, with another promotion, how could Consort Qing not be anxious?"

"It's rare for the Emperor to indulge her whims," the Empress Dowager commented, having eaten half the bowl before handing it to Qinghu.

Qinghu passed it to a maid and then brought mouthwash.

Assisting the Empress Dowager with rinsing her mouth.

"In this humble servant's opinion, we should wait and see what becomes of Consort Lan's pregnancy," said Nanny Fan.

The Empress Dowager nodded, "Indeed, there's no rush. The due date is nearly upon us. Everyone wants to stand out, but it's not so easy to achieve prominence. Currently, none of the princes are of significant age. Once they grow a little older, there will be fierce competition."

"How is the Fourth Prince?" the Empress Dowager inquired further.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince... has not been very well. It's not safe to say he's completely recovered now. The child takes medicine every other day, and the Imperial Medical Bureau has prepared quite a few medicinal pills to ensure his entry," Qinghu reported.

The Empress Dowager nodded, "Hmm, I understand. When you have the chance, also remind Ning Xiu to take good care of the child."

Both of them acknowledged.

Throughout June, only four people served in the bedchamber.

If the one-time presence of the Empress is not counted, then it was only Yunli, He Xiaoyi, and Consort Xu.

By July, Consort Lan was almost due to give birth.

Sure enough, she went into labor early on the third day of the month.

It was her first child, and she was somewhat frail, making the birth quite difficult.

After enduring a whole day, she finally gave birth as night fell.

When the news was delivered, the Empress visibly sighed in relief.

A princess was born.

Yunli found it amusing, but Consort Lan was after all a clever woman. She had taken good care of the Third Prince early on. Now, although she had not given birth to a prince, she still had the Third Prince by her side.

It was a stable situation.

He Jinli nodded with a smile, "Consort Lan has worked hard. She is promoted to Virtuous Consort. Let her rest well."

All of Consort Lan's people bowed in gratitude for the Emperor's grace. Though they had anticipated it, actually receiving the promotion filled them with joy.

Everyone dispersed, and He Jinli returned to the Zhengyang Palace.

The Empress, tired from the day, felt her back stiffen as she sat down.

"Now, she is Virtuous Consort Lan."

"Had she borne a prince, perhaps His Majesty would not have promoted her so swiftly," Songlu massaged the Empress's lower back.

The Empress's back problems stemmed from a miscarriage.

One must avoid cold and overexertion, as they cause stiffness.

"In the Eastern Palace, she and Jin De Fei were both titled Liang Yuan. Entering the palace, because Jin De Fei had children, she was titled Jin De Fei. Lan Fei was one step lower, but now they are equal," the Empress said indifferently: "But who will be more powerful in the future?"

"Both are raising children that aren't their own, what's there to be powerful about? Your Majesty is the most formidable," Songlu said.

The Empress smiled, "This palace naturally intends to go all the way."