Chapter 23: Legend of Zhen Huan, An Lingrong
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“You are with child, and your health is what matters most.”
“This concubine thanks Her Majesty the Empress.”
Zhen Huan hurriedly expressed her gratitude and rose, her heart filled with appreciation for the kindhearted Empress.
“Sit.” The Empress smiled. “Since His Majesty has allowed you to move into the main palace hall, he must intend to raise your rank once you have given birth. There is no harm in moving in ahead of time.”
“Urgh… urgh…”
Two sudden retching sounds rang out.
Everyone turned toward the noise.
Xia Dongchun was bent over, dry-heaving without pause.
A look of disgust immediately appeared on everyone’s faces.
Consort Hua gave a mocking laugh and could not resist teasing her. “Lady Jing, is there something unclean in Palace of Earthly Tranquility? Did you eat something that made you want to vomit?”
“No, I have not eaten anything.”
Xia Dongchun lifted her pale face and explained aggrievedly, “I have been vomiting these past few days. The imperial physicians have already said it is because I am pregnant. It has nothing to do with anything in Her Majesty’s palace.”
At those words, the consorts were at a loss for words.
The Empress’s expression was hardly any better.
“Urgh… urgh…”
Before anyone could say anything, Xia Dongchun began dry-heaving again.
“Oh, stop it!” Li Siqi, seated beside her, covered her mouth with a twisted expression. “You’re making me want to vomit too…”
“Urgh… urgh…”
Xia Dongchun answered her with yet another bout of retching.
Unable to hold out any longer, Li Siqi began dry-heaving as well. “Urgh… urgh…”
The sounds continued one after another.
They seemed almost contagious. The pregnant consorts began to feel nauseated in turn.
The third to follow her was Noble Lady Yu, followed by Noble Lady Tian.
In an instant, the main hall of Palace of Earthly Tranquility was filled with unceasing sounds of vomiting.
The Empress’s face turned green.
Consort Hua was stunned for a moment, then burst into delighted laughter.
Consort Qi, Consort Duan, Consort Li, Noble Lady Cao, Noble Lady Xin, and several of the more senior consorts all knitted their brows tightly.
The sound was truly unbearable.
Yet no one could really be blamed.
Now even Noble Lady Hui and Noble Lady Wan had begun dry-heaving.
Of all the pregnant women present, apart from Consort Hua, who was occupied with her amusement, every one of them held a handkerchief to her mouth and retched without end.
“Disgusting! You are all utterly disgusting!” Consort Qi could endure it no longer and scolded them with open disdain. “If you are unwell, then do not come to pay your respects. Just look at yourselves—what sort of appearance is this? If paying respects is going to be like this from now on, I will not come again.”
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Her words earned looks of agreement from several of the senior consorts.
“Jianqiu, send someone to summon the imperial physicians at once.”
The Empress suppressed her anger, wishing she could simply drive these discourteous consorts out.
But she was the Empress. If she truly did such a thing, not only would her reputation suffer, she would also incur His Majesty’s and the Empress Dowager’s displeasure and blame.
Fortunately, the attendants of Palace of Earthly Tranquility were not fools.
As soon as the retching began, they had already sent a young eunuch running to the Imperial Medical Bureau to summon the physicians.
Thus, the imperial physicians arrived very quickly.
The moment they entered, they heard the dry-heaving and could not help frowning.
After prolonged dry-heaving, actual vomiting would soon follow.
By then, the smell in the main hall had become almost unbearable.
Seeing that the imperial physicians had arrived, the Empress hurriedly ordered, “All of you, quickly examine the pulses of the ladies. I do not know what is happening.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Physician Zhang led the other imperial physicians in bowing to the Empress.
At that moment, the Empress Dowager sent Sun Zhuxi, while Su Peisheng arrived bearing an imperial edict.
The matter was too serious.
No one dared conceal it from either of their masters.
Under the imperial physicians’ examination, the pregnant consorts were found to be unharmed. They were merely suffering from morning sickness.
It was the sort of condition that was not truly an illness, yet could only be endured by the individual herself.
The physicians discovered that the fetal heartbeats of several noble ladies were somewhat weak.
Though they had their suspicions, they were accustomed to protecting themselves.
There were too many entanglements in the imperial harem, and they had no intention of inviting trouble.
In the end, they gave a uniform answer: the fetuses of the noble ladies were healthy, and all they needed was proper rest.
Since none of the consorts were seriously ill, Sun Zhuxi and Su Peisheng departed one after the other.
The Empress hurriedly ordered the eunuchs to bring sedan chairs and escort the pregnant consorts away.
“Your Majesty, I must rest for several days.”
By the end, even Consort Hua, who had been affected the least, had dry-heaved several times.
Without the slightest hesitation, she requested leave. “I am afraid that if I remain here and feel unwell again, I may start vomiting without end. I shall come to pay my respects when I have recovered. This concubine takes her leave!”
Without waiting to see whether the Empress agreed, she left with her attendants.
Fearing that the Empress might vent her anger upon them, the other consorts hurried after her.
Once they had all departed, the Empress could no longer maintain her composure.
She seized the teacup in her hand and smashed it violently onto the floor, snarling, “They have thoroughly sickened me!”
“Your Majesty, there is nothing even the imperial physicians can do about such a matter.”
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Jianqiu stepped forward and began picking up the broken pieces of the teacup. “In this servant’s opinion, Lady Xia is far too inconsiderate. She felt unwell yet did not request leave, deliberately coming here to disgust Your Majesty.”
“That fool, Xia Dongchun.”
At the mention of the culprit, the Empress wished she could have her executed at once. “She cannot even carry a child properly. No wonder she is such a witless, ill-fated thing.”
“Would that not put Your Majesty even more at ease?”
Jianqiu smiled and quickly walked out.
She handed the broken porcelain to the palace maid waiting outside, then sent another maid in to clean up the tea spilled across the floor.
After the two young palace maids had left, Jianqiu returned to her mistress and continued to soothe her.
“Your Majesty, if Lady Jing keeps tormenting herself like this, her health will surely deteriorate. She cannot eat or drink properly all day, and the child in her womb will not be nourished. Besides, there are two other pregnant consorts in the Palace of Prolonged Happiness. Who knows what may happen?”
“Quite right. Now that you mention it, that fool Xia Dongchun’s reckless behavior may actually be a good thing.”
The anger in the Empress’s heart finally subsided. “Whatever they do in the Palace of Prolonged Happiness, they must not come to Palace of Earthly Tranquility and make me sick. Jianqiu, send someone to the Palace of Prolonged Happiness and tell Xia Dongchun that she is excused from paying her respects. I do not wish to see her these days.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
…
Unfortunately, the Empress had been too consumed by anger.
While the consorts were still in Palace of Earthly Tranquility, she had not spoken up to excuse Xia Dongchun from paying her respects.
Even after everyone had left, she still did not immediately send anyone to deliver the order.
When His Majesty heard of this, he was deeply displeased.
He issued an edict directly: all pregnant consorts were excused from paying their respects. Once the pregnancy had stabilized for three months, they were to resume attending.
Any consort suffering from morning sickness was to remain excused until she had fully recovered.
Once the imperial edict was announced, the pregnant consorts were overjoyed.
The consorts who were not pregnant were filled with envy.
No one wished to rise early and brave the cold wind to go to Palace of Earthly Tranquility and pay their respects.
When the Empress heard His Majesty’s decree, she trembled with rage.
Twice.
His Majesty had now issued two decrees that had publicly humiliated her.
He had made the Empress lose all face.
Before long, news spread from Palace of Earthly Tranquility that the Empress had suffered another attack of head pain.
…
Palace of Longevity and Peace.
“The Empress is far too petty.”
The Empress Dowager could not help shaking her head. “As expected of a woman born to a secondary wife—she thinks only of herself and never considers His Majesty.”
Sun Zhuxi habitually spoke in the Empress’s defense. “Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Her Majesty the Empress was also preparing to send someone to excuse Lady Jing from paying her respects.”