The commotion caused by Consort Lan quickly spread throughout the harem. Few were genuinely worried for her, but many were taking pleasure in her misfortune.

 

That evening, Xiao Sheng was dining with his newly favored concubine, Wen Ruyi. The meal had not yet been served, and the two were chatting. Suddenly, Wen Meiren(Concubine) thought of something and smiled.

 

Her smile was as radiant as a blooming flower. Xiao Sheng enjoyed seeing beautiful women smile; it lifted his spirits. Moreover, he was in the mood to converse with Lady Wen, so he asked, "What has made you so happy?"

 

Wen Meiren's beautiful eyes sparkled like rippling water. "It's just some trivial matters in the palace. I'm afraid the Emperor would find it bothersome."

 

Xiao Sheng scoffed lightly, his expression indifferent. "If that's the case, then don't say it. Zhen has never liked listening to the trivial matters of the harem."

 

Lady Wen's smile froze on her face; she hadn't expected this outcome at all.

 

Sensing that things were not going well, she quickly restrained her smile and said softly, "Yes, then I won't say it."

 

Xiao Sheng responded with a hum, his interest in staying the night completely gone, and he no longer felt like dining there.

 

As the Emperor, Xiao Sheng would not compromise his own comfort in such matters. He stood up and said, "Zhen is leaving."

 

Wen Meiren was a bit panicked. "Your Majesty..."

 

Wen Meiren didn't have any particularly notable family background; she relied entirely on her beauty to gain favor. She was originally the adopted daughter of the wife of Zhang Ruozhi, the Prefect of Yangzhou. A few days ago, when Zhang Ruozhi brought his family to the capital to report on his duties, he brought her along.

 

Her beauty was exceptional, truly dazzling, and she was an excellent dancer.

 

After seeing her, Xiao Sheng decided to keep her in the palace.

 

In Xiao Sheng's eyes, Zhang Ruozhi had always been a loyal official, but now he feared that this loyal official might not be so pure anymore.

 

Feeling a surge of anger, Xiao Sheng flicked his sleeves and left. After exiting Wen Meiren's residence, he got into his imperial sedan and said to Chang Le, "Investigate what has happened in the harem." As soon as he finished speaking, he frowned and added, "Start with Consort Lan. In this palace, only she can cause such a commotion that everyone knows about it."

 

Speaking of Consort Lan, just thinking about her temperament gave Xiao Sheng a headache.

 

Chang Le smiled obsequiously but didn't dare to speak.

 

Xiao Sheng's imperial sedan made a circuit through the night and returned to Ganming Hall.

 

Still fuming, he immediately summoned An Jiu. "Go investigate who Zhang Ruozhi has been associating with recently."

 

An Jiu accepted the order and left.

 

Xiao Sheng felt somewhat troubled. It was always unsettling when people in the harem had connections with officials in the court. Yangzhou was a prosperous place, and he had always placed trusted officials in that position, as it was a lucrative post.

 

In recent years, Zhang Ruozhi had done well in Yangzhou, and Xiao Sheng knew that Zhang wanted to continue his tenure there. Xiao Sheng had also been inclined to let him stay. But now, it seemed this matter would need to be reconsidered.

 

The harem was always the fastest place for news to spread.

 

The fact that the Emperor had left Wen Meiren's place without dining quickly reached the ears of those keeping an eye on her.

 

The harem was the place with the most intrigue, where power, status, and favor were always contested. Wen Meiren's entry into the palace had already taken away some people's favor, and the Emperor's open preference for her made others envious.

 

Now that she had angered the Emperor, few felt sorry for her. Even the Empress, who was known for her magnanimity and dignity, remarked that Wen Meiren should curb her petulance.

 

However, while the Empress could ignore Wen Meiren's issues, she couldn't turn a blind eye to Consort Lan's matters. The Emperor had always disliked too much commotion in the harem. Consort Lan, being somewhat naive, sometimes provoked the Emperor's anger without even realizing it.

 

They were sisters, inherently connected, and Xiao Jin and Xiao Shan had a good relationship, mutually supporting each other. If Consort Lan lost her dignity, it would be difficult for her as the Empress as well.

 

In any case, such matters couldn't be hidden. The Empress thought for a moment, sighed deeply, and went to see the Emperor.

 

By the time the Empress arrived, Chang Le had already recounted the events at Jinglan Hall.

 

Xiao Sheng was somewhat speechless and didn't look very pleased when facing the Empress.

 

The Empress smiled and said, "Is Your Majesty in a bad mood?"

 

Xiao Sheng glanced at her and said, "The Empress manages the six palaces. Do you know why Zhen is displeased?"

 

He valued the Crown Prince, Xiao Jin, so even though the Empress was not as youthful as the newly entered concubines, Xiao Sheng held her in higher regard than others.

 

The Empress stood there, pleading for Consort Lan. She looked helpless and said, "Your Majesty knows Consort Lan's temperament. She means no harm; she is just straightforward and doesn't always think things through. This is also my fault; I am guilty of neglecting my duties."

 

Xiao Sheng couldn't unjustly vent his anger on the Empress, so he said, "What does this have to do with you? If we must speak of it, Xiao Shan's temperament is just like Consort Lan's. He speaks without consideration and acts without thinking of the consequences. Zhen believes it's Consort Lan who has influenced him to be this way."

 

The Empress thought, "..." Why bring up Xiao Shan when discussing Consort Lan?

 

Hasn't Xiao Shan been quite well-behaved these past few days?

 

She could only think this to herself, but outwardly she said, "Your Majesty is right. This humble servant will remind the Crown Prince to keep a closer eye on Prince Li."

 

Xiao Sheng thought of Xiao Jin and sighed, "The Crown Prince and Xiao Shan were born only an hour apart, yet their personalities are vastly different." Xiao Jin was steady and reliable, making Xiao Shan seem like an immature child in comparison.

 

Anyone who didn't know better might think they were ten years apart.

 

At this point, the Empress couldn't hide her smile. "Speaking of the Crown Prince, this humble servant has some good news to report."

 

Xiao Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What good news?"

 

The Empress couldn't help but smile, her eyes filled with joy. She said, "The Crown Princess, Lady Liu, is expecting."

 

"Really?" Xiao Sheng stood up and asked.

 

The Empress nodded with a smile. "The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess originally wanted to tell Your Majesty in person, but they thought it wasn't a major matter and didn't want to interrupt Your Majesty's affairs, so they reported it to this humble servant instead."

 

This news was actually told to her by Xiao Jin after she had summoned Consort Lan. According to Xiao Jin, they had planned to mention it in a couple of days.

 

Now, with the incident involving Consort Lan, Xiao Jin intended to use this news to divert Xiao Sheng's attention, so he wouldn't dwell on Consort Lan's matter. The Empress had given the Crown Prince a stern reprimand for this; such a significant matter, and Xiao Jin and Lady Liu had dared to keep it from her.

 

Xiao Jin repeatedly admitted his mistake, but the Empress was still displeased. The Emperor had always hoped for Xiao Jin to have children, as this would mean legitimate heirs. Now that Lady Liu was expecting, it was supposed to be a momentous occasion, yet it was being used as a shield to cover up Consort Lan's mess.

 

The Empress's displeasure was understandable.

 

Xiao Jin tried to comfort her, saying, "Empress Mother, a matter used at the right moment is truly a joyous event."

 

What could the Empress do? She could only convince herself in this way.

 

"That's wonderful," Xiao Sheng said with joy, clapping his hands. "Have they consulted the imperial physician?"

 

The Empress nodded solemnly. "This humble servant has already ordered the imperial physician to check her pulse. He confirmed that she is over a month pregnant. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are young and didn't think in that direction when she felt unwell, assuming it was just a cold stomach. Fortunately, they consulted the imperial physician, and when they were still unsure, they reported it to this humble servant."

 

"They are just young children; what do they know?" Xiao Sheng took the Empress's hand and patted it, smiling. "You need to pay extra attention to this matter and guide them well."

 

The Empress understood the underlying meaning of his words and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble servant knows what to do." She had longed for a grandson for a long time, and if anyone dared to interfere, they would face her wrath.

 

Xiao Sheng was genuinely pleased. Now that Xiao Jin had a child on the way, it would silence some of the critics, and his position as Crown Prince would be even more secure.

 

With this joyous news, the Emperor graciously forgot about the commotion caused by Consort Lan.

 

***

 

After one night, the news of the Crown Princess, Lady Liu, being pregnant quickly spread throughout the capital.

 

This news brought joy to some and sorrow to others.

 

The First Prince, Xiao Rong, directly smashed a fine set of Langya porcelain at home.

 

Xiao Sheng valued legitimate sons. His two daughters were born to Princess Rui, Gu Linglong, while his son was born to a concubine. In Xiao Rong's view, it was as if he were cursed. He was the eldest but not legitimate, and his son was also the eldest but not legitimate, destined not to be valued by Xiao Sheng.

 

Seeing the situation, Xiao Rong's wife, Gu Linglong, said, "We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet. Why is Your Highness so angry?"

 

Gu Linglong also bore the surname Gu, but her family had no real connection to the Empress's or Consort Lan's maternal families. Tracing back to her grandfather's generation, they were commoners. Only Gu Guang had the audacity to claim that they shared the same ancestor many generations ago.

 

At the same time, it indicated that even though someone from the Gu family married the First Prince as a consort, it was a marriage granted by the Emperor. Compared to the prominent Gu family in the capital, they were insignificant and maintained a very humble posture.

 

Xiao Rong glared at Gu Linglong and said, "I don't want to be angry, but you should give me a legitimate son."

 

Gu Linglong was displeased upon hearing this and said, "I want to as well, but if someone else gets ahead of me, there's nothing I can do."

 

Xiao Rong felt stifled and couldn't find the words to respond.

 

Xiao Rong's inner gloom and depression couldn't overshadow the joy of others.

 

Concubines in the harem, whether they had children or not, all sent gifts to the Crown Princess to express their congratulations.

 

Consort Lan, in particular, carefully selected many fine items to send over. Her enthusiasm and sincerity were far greater than her attitude towards Xie Zhui.

 

Others saw this and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

 

However, they had nothing to say. Consort Lan was like this—her feelings, whether good or bad, were always openly displayed, and she was very generous and straightforward.

 

Xiao Shan was genuinely happy for Xiao Jin. Xiao Jin and Lady Liu had been under considerable pressure regarding having children over the past two years.

 

Now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

 

As for Consort Lan's actions, Xiao Shan didn't care at all. He was more concerned about whether Xie Zhui was upset and even took the time to observe him.

 

Xie Zhui had no particular thoughts on the matter; whether Consort Lan liked him or not was irrelevant to him.

 

It was Xiao Shan who married him, so some matters ultimately depended on Xiao Shan. If Xiao Shan wanted to humiliate him, it wouldn't matter how much Consort Lan liked him. Conversely, if Xiao Shan cared for him, it wouldn't matter how much Consort Lan disliked him. With Xiao Shan's assurance that he didn't need to cater to Consort Lan, he wouldn't suffer any grievances.

 

Moreover, he didn't care about material wealth at all.

 

Seeing his carefree attitude, Xiao Shan couldn't help but laugh.

 

People's attention shifted to the Eastern Palace, and the focus on Prince Li's residence diminished significantly.

 

Xiao Shan was indifferent to this.

 

He and Xie Zhui lived their lives behind closed doors, unaffected by others.

 

Time flew by, and according to tradition, three days after the wedding, he was supposed to take Xie Zhui back to the Xie family to pay respects.

 

However, with no head of the Xie family currently, they didn't go on the day of the return visit.

 

Xie Zhui showed no particular reaction to this, but Xiao Shan kept it in mind. Eventually, Xiao Shan took Xie Zhui to the Gu family.

 

The Gu residence had a Peach Blossom Garden, where the peach blossoms bloomed most brilliantly at this time of year. The Gu family would send out invitations to everyone, inviting them to come and admire the peach blossoms, an event known as the Peach Blossom Banquet.

 

Xiao Shan didn't particularly enjoy these gatherings, which were ostensibly for flower viewing but often served as matchmaking events for young men and women. He usually attended out of obligation and left as soon as he could. This time, however, he genuinely wanted to take Xie Zhui to see the flowers and relax.

 

Additionally, the Gu family was his maternal family, and he needed to introduce Xie Zhui to them.

 

What he didn't expect was that someone in the Gu family, feeling overly self-important, would go out of their way to embarrass themselves in front of him.