It was stormy outside, but the palace was still peaceful. Concubine Zuo said she was ill and stayed in the Changle Palace. The emperor also said nothing about this matter.
When Qi Han's confession reached the palace, Concubine Zuo waved her hands in disgust, "I understand, you can go down."
She was lying on the chaise longue, looking tired and frowning slightly, "With such rumors out there, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to see him again in the future."
She had always understood his ruthlessness and ambition, but in the loneliness of the palace, her heart had long been lost.
The female official on the side said, "Now that things have come to this, I should have made plans for myself. Even if your Majesty has a gentle temper, he is still the king of a country."
Just because you remain silent now doesn't mean you'll let it go.
Concubine Zuo's thoughts became more and more disturbed, "I wish I could meet each other before we were married..."
A large table was set for lunch, but Concubine Zuo had no appetite.
The maid serving the dishes pointed at the bowl of delicious fish soup, "The fish just caught from the cold pond this morning is the most delicious. Please try it, my dear lady."
As soon as she finished speaking, Concubine Zuo turned aside, covered her mouth and began to retching.
"Mother, what's wrong with you?"
"Please call the doctor quickly..."
Grandma Zeng, who was standing behind her, changed her expression and scolded, "Don't make such a fuss. I haven't eaten well in the past two days. She probably has an upset stomach."
As he spoke, he ordered people to remove the fish, and quickly brought tea for Concubine Zuo to rinse her mouth.
"Is there really no need to ask the imperial doctor to take a look?" the eldest maid asked worriedly, looking at Concubine Zuo's pale face.
"In these troubled times, keep a low profile." Mammy scolded.
After all the fussing, Concubine Zuo no longer had the appetite to eat. Aunt Zeng immediately beat the people in the palace and signaled not to talk nonsense about what had just happened.
Grandma Zeng glanced at the sky, feeling very worried.
She turned around and went in, signaling to close the door.
There were only a few confidants in the room, and Concubine Zuo felt uncomfortable and felt tight in her chest.
The female officer was the first to realize that something was wrong, "What's wrong, mama?"
Grandma Zeng said softly, "Your period hasn't come yet?"
"My menstruation has always been inaccurate," said Concubine Zuo. This was all the sequelae of drinking too much Bizi Decoction.
Grandma Zeng stared at Concubine Zuo's belly with a dark expression, "I'm afraid the empress is pregnant..."
"What's up..." Concubine Zuo opened her eyes wide and covered her belly, "You mean I'm pregnant?"
Grandma Zeng nodded slowly...
This was not good news. Concubine Zuo took a breath of air and said, "This child came at the wrong time."
She has not slept with the emperor for a long time. The emperor has been living alone in the Yangxin Hall to cultivate his body.
This child can only be Qi Han's.
Concubine Zuo closed her eyes, "I have always cooperated in taking medicine, how could I get pregnant..."
Although her relationship with Qi Han is unclear, she is not so crazy that she deliberately became pregnant with his child.
Grandma Zeng sighed, "I can't keep this child. He will completely destroy you."
"I know..." Concubine Zuo agreed, but her eyes turned red.
She once dreamed back at midnight that she had given birth to a well-behaved daughter for him. But she knew better than anyone else that dreams could only be dreams.
A child born to a noble concubine and a powerful minister in a country will inevitably end up miserable.
Concubine Zuo quickly made a decision, "When the limelight passes, just abort the child. Don't act rashly for the time being."
Now there are countless pairs of eyes inside and outside the palace, secretly and openly staring at her, so that she cannot be found pregnant.
Grandma Zeng nodded, "We really can't take any action now. Once the news leaks out, the consequences will be disastrous."
Concubine Zuo was exhausted and soon fell asleep on the soft step.
Aunt Zuo used the excuse that the imperial concubine was ill, so she reorganized a light menu and handed it over to the imperial kitchen, excluding dishes that could cause morning sickness.
"Is this really okay?" The female officer felt very uneasy.
Grandma Zeng said calmly, "The month is still very light, and the empress claimed to be sick behind closed doors. As long as we are careful enough, nothing will happen."
Changle Palace was extremely quiet for a while, and the atmosphere was a bit depressing.
Concubine Zuo woke up from her sleep, with tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, stroking her stomach and feeling lost all by herself.
The female official opened the door in a panic and said, "Eunuch Zhang, who is beside Your Majesty, is here with the imperial edict. Please get up and greet him."
Concubine Zuo was startled and stood up barefoot, "Why are you here at this time..."
Eunuch Zhang was a eunuch who grew up with the emperor, and he had always been the most trusted by the emperor.
Concubine Zuo was uneasy and pretended to be calm. She packed up under the palace clothes and went out to receive the order.
When Eunuch Zhang saw her coming out, he glanced at her belly with a half-smile and said, "Your Majesty, take the order..."
Concubine Zuo held up the hem of her skirt, led all the palace attendants in Changle Palace to kneel down, and watched Eunuch Zhang unfold the imperial edict of Emperor Ming.
"By God's blessing, the emperor has issued an edict: Concubine Zuo is pregnant. My dragon's heart is overjoyed, and I will give you a branch of red apricot."
The little eunuch brought the emperor's reward. On the snow-white porcelain plate was a branch of red apricot, which was so red that it pierced the eyes.
Concubine Zuo's heart felt cold and her mind was so confused that she lost her ability to think.
Eunuch Zhang looked at her coldly, "The imperial concubine has not accepted the order yet."
Concubine Zuo lowered her head and almost bit her lip, "I accept the order."
She took the imperial edict with both hands, and she could hardly support herself. Aunt Zeng quickly supported her.
Eunuch Zhang waited and said, "His Majesty asked me to tell the empress to take good care of this red apricot and put it in the room to appreciate it every day, so that it will live up to his wishes."
"Yes, I know this," said Concubine Zuo, holding on.
As soon as Eunuch Zhang left, Concubine Zuo grabbed Nanny Zeng's hand and said, "How could your Majesty know about my pregnancy..."
She even found out about it only in the morning, and she couldn't help feeling chilly.
She glanced at the branch of red apricot and said, "How could he reward me with this thing..."
It was said outside that she had cheated on her, but the emperor immediately rewarded her with Hongxing...
"He is hating me and not giving me a way to survive..." Zuo Guinv said excitedly.
Grandma Zeng had no choice but to comfort her, "The Regent will not ignore you. My dear, you must be strong..."
Before the matter was over, the Ministry of Internal Affairs soon sent four nuns, saying they were people rewarded by the emperor.
The four of them knelt in front of Concubine Zuo. The leader of the group, the nanny, said, "We were ordered by His Majesty to take care of Concubine Zuo. Your Majesty said that we must do everything we can to protect Concubine Zuo from giving birth to the child..."
Concubine Zuo's eyes turned black and she couldn't say a word. What did the emperor mean? Why was he crazy? He actually wanted her to give birth to his child with Qi Han.
At this moment, she realized that she had never seemed to understand this frail emperor and could not understand his thoughts at all.
The emperor's flirtatious behavior quickly spread throughout the imperial city, and Concubine Zuo and Qi Han were really roasted on the fire this time.
Anyone with any brains would know that the emperor had an affair with the two of them, and that Concubine Zuo was pregnant with an evil child.
*A small plot bug in the previous plot has been fixed. The emperor should be the brother of the ninth princess.
