Chapter 38: Imperial Consort Su is Pregnant

Chapter 38: Imperial Consort Su is Pregnant

Imperial Consort Su is pregnant.

Before the Crown Prince had even left the Qianning Palace, the news had already spread.

She had been exposed to the sun outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation for more than half an hour. Her body was injured, and she nearly miscarried. Emperor Chengyuan, deeply distressed, punished all the palace servants tasked with taking care of her.

Empress Zhang was so angry upon hearing the news that she shattered her teacup. "This child really comes at just the right moment!"

The Crown Prince hadn’t expected the Su family’s countermeasure to come so quickly either. Since Imperial Consort Su was pregnant, Emperor Chengyuan could not deal harshly with Prince Jing, but he also couldn’t simply let the matter go.

"Mother, don’t be angry. Even if Father can protect Prince Jing, it doesn’t mean he will let the Su family off. Don’t forget, Su Wenxuan was involved as well."

Especially now that public resentment in the capital had grown deep, what needed to be done was to offer up a scapegoat to calm the people's anger. And Prime Minister Su had only Su Wenxuan as his son; this move by the Emperor would only drive a wedge between the Su family and Prince Jing.

Empress Zhang didn’t understand all this, but seeing her son remain calm and composed helped her heart settle.

"We’ll just have to see what your father decides to do this time."

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Imperial Consort Su slowly woke on the dragon bed. Her beautiful eyes moved, and upon seeing the man sitting by her bedside, tears of grievance fell.

"I thought I would never see Your Majesty again..."

Emperor Chengyuan’s expression turned grave as he reached out and took her hand. "Nonsense! You're about to become a mother again. Don't scare my little princess."

"My little princess?"

Imperial Consort Su’s gaze was stunned. Emperor Chengyuan placed her hand on her belly.

"My beloved consort is pregnant."

Emperor Chengyuan was over ten years older than Imperial Consort Su and was now in his fifties. He had always been diligent in his rule, spending only half the month in the harem. Imperial Consort Su’s sudden pregnancy not only affirmed Emperor Chengyuan’s capabilities but also made him feel young and vigorous.

"Is it really true?"

Imperial Consort Su was overjoyed, the teardrops on her eyelashes trembling before falling into Emperor Chengyuan's palm. He wiped away her tears, the cold and stern look on his face finally showing signs of melting.

"Of course it's true. The imperial physician said your body is frail, and this pregnancy will be a difficult one. The servants in your palace have been negligent and deserve to be beaten to death!"

"Your Majesty, it’s not their fault..." Imperial Consort Su struggled to sit up, her hand over Emperor Chengyuan’s mouth.

"These days, because of Jing’er’s situation, I’ve been unable to sleep at night. I didn’t even notice that my monthly cycle had stopped. The palace maids wanted to call the imperial physician, but I didn’t let them. You didn’t want to see me; how dare I cause you any more trouble?"

She spoke with sorrow and resentment, her charming eyes turning. Emperor Chengyuan had been angry with her, but now his anger dissipated.

"Not paying attention to your own body and still daring to blame me—you should be beaten!"

Emperor Chengyuan hooked her nose, his tone softening. "Jing’er did go too far this time. So many innocent women were harmed. If I don’t give an explanation to the people, it won’t be enough to calm their anger."

"But Jing’er was framed! How could it be such a coincidence that the earthquake exposed it? Someone must have deliberately harmed him!"

Imperial Consort Su almost said that the Crown Prince had designed it. Emperor Chengyuan’s face turned cold, and he withdrew his hand.

"If he hadn’t done it, no one would have harmed him. I’ve already made a decision on this matter. You don’t need to worry about it anymore; just take care of your body. I’m waiting for my little princess to come out."

"Your Majesty!"

Consort Su still wanted to continue pleading for mercy, yet Emperor Chengyuan had already stood up and left.

Watching him disappear outside the door, Consort Su angrily threw down her pillow.

She had deliberately fainted that day; otherwise, Emperor Chengyuan would not have seen her.

As for the pregnancy, Consort Su was already aware of it.

She had originally planned to use this child to overthrow the Empress, yet she hadn't expected Prince Jing's affairs to be exposed first.

Now that Emperor Chengyuan was furious, she was unsure about what would happen to Prince Jing.

......

The news of Consort Su's pregnancy reached the court, and even the ministers were watching closely.

Given Emperor Chengyuan's favoritism towards Prince Jing, it was likely that Prince Jing would emerge unharmed this time, and the throne would undoubtedly be his in the future.

Even though the Crown Prince and Wei Xun were somewhat unsettled, had they lost to Prince Jing this time?

However, at the end of July, an imperial decree was issued.

Su Wenxuan, as the instigator of the kidnapping and abuse of women, was stripped of his official position and exiled to Lingnan, while Prince Jing, having been implicated by others and nearly causing a grave error, was fined a year's salary and confined to his palace for three months.

As soon as the decree was issued, the court erupted in uproar once more.

The first to be taken aback was Prime Minister Su. He had only one son, Su Wenxuan, who had been spoiled since birth.

The hardships of the exile journey and the harsh environment of Lingnan would be too much for him to bear.

But the Emperor's edict was irrevocable, and the matter was already settled.

He had to choose between protecting his son or protecting Prince Jing, and there was no choice at all.

Prime Minister Su's once confident face now bore a look of defeat, while Consort Su, knowing that Prince Jing was safe, finally relaxed.

Looking at her brother's dejected face, she offered him a cup of hot tea.

"On the exile journey, Wenxuan will be looked after by our people. Brother, you don't need to worry. The most important thing now is the situation with Prince Jing. The Emperor has not lost his favor towards us, and with the child in my womb, the Su family will continue to enjoy boundless prosperity in the future."

"Your Highness is right. I've been worrying too much."

Prime Minister Su stood up to reply, his expression unreadable, his head bowed.

Consort Su, now content with her child, was indifferent to her nephew from her maternal family and did not pay attention to Prime Minister Su's expression.

"This matter is to blame on the Crown Prince. A sickly man on the verge of death should be resting peacefully, yet he dares to bite. Brother, we must retaliate!"

......

Prime Minister Su's eyes showed malice. "I understand."

Su Wenxuan's exile and Prince Jing's confinement brought the case of the abuse of women to a close.

Everyone knew that the main culprit was Prince Jing, but as long as the Emperor did not punish him, he would be safe.

However, the Emperor had exiled Su Wenxuan, showing a subtle attitude towards the Su family, clearly displeased with their excessive interference in court politics.

This balancing act also left the court ministers in doubt, and no one could guess who would ultimately ascend the throne.

For now, maintaining neutrality and offending no one was the wise choice.

In the Jing Garden. The Crown Prince held a wine cup and toasted the two men before him. "Although the Emperor did not severely punish Prince Jing, he dealt with Su Wenxuan. The Su family has lost its heir, and Prime Minister Su will surely harbor resentment. While he may have to support Prince Jing on the surface, his heart has already been divided."

The Su family, being too prominent, is now merely being pruned.

Wei Xun pondered, "Su Kun is a man who holds a grudge and will surely guess that Your Highness is behind this. It would be wise for Your Highness to keep a low profile these days."

Even he himself had to stay under the radar for a while.

The Crown Prince picked up his wine cup, drank it in one gulp, and a smile curled at the corner of his lips, "I have relapsed into my old illness and need to recuperate. His Majesty has already approved it."

Their obvious scheme against Prince Jing was seen by Emperor Chengyuan. When the Crown Prince reported his illness, Emperor Chengyuan merely followed the usual procedure by bestowing some medicinal herbs.

"As for Hanlin Zhou, I'm afraid he won't be able to stay in the capital any longer."