The crowd was astonished.
"Gu Qianying, what's wrong with you?"
Nangong Xuanning looked at Gu Qianying, who seemed unwell, and was very worried.
"Ugh!"
Another wave of dry heaving.
Gu Qianying covered her mouth with a handkerchief, still saying nothing.
But the other concubines present, apart from Nangong Xuanning, all had grim expressions when they saw Gu Qianying like this, especially Nangong Zhen'er, who stood beside the Empress Dowager.
She was so tightly twisting the embroidered handkerchief in her hand that it was almost broken.
As a married woman, how could she not see the changes in Gu Qianying's body?
"Imperial Consort is unwell, quickly summon the imperial physician!"
These words were spoken by Nan Rongqi.
He sat in the main seat, looking at Gu Qianying like this, and commanded.
Du Chun, dressed in a white robe, stepped forward.
Nan Rongqi coldly stopped him: "Let Imperial Physician Hu examine the Imperial Consort!"
Imperial Physician Hu was from the Imperial Hospital and was also his confidant.
Du Chun, carrying the medicine box, paused and retreated: "Yes, Your Majesty."
Gu Qianying's guess was correct.
Nan Rongqi had never trusted her.
Imperial Physician Hu was an old man with a white beard. He knelt at Gu Qianying's feet and took out a white handkerchief. Gu Qianying extended her hand.
A moment later.
Imperial Physician Hu prostrated himself on the ground and exclaimed excitedly: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Imperial Consort is with child."
"Really?"
Nan Rongqi stood up from his seat in surprise.
The expressions of the concubines present were all very interesting.
"Wonderful! Come, quickly fetch two lucky pouches from my place for the Imperial Consort. Today, I am very pleased with the Imperial Consort's birthday gift."
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, but no one noticed that the nail on her finger, protected by a sheath, had already broken halfway under the brocade handkerchief.
The so-called lucky pouches were sachets sewn and then consecrated by a master, representing "good fortune."
A few days ago, the Empress Dowager had gone to a temple to pray for blessings and brought back a few.
And now, there were very few people who could receive a lucky pouch from the Empress Dowager. Moreover, this Imperial Consort was the first person in the palace to be pregnant.
Soon, Gu Qianying became the object of jealousy among the palace concubines.
Nangong Zhen'er, standing beside the Empress Dowager, the moment she definitively heard that Gu Qianying was pregnant, she tightly clenched the handkerchief in her hand, wishing she could twist it into pieces.
She was actually pregnant!
Damn it! How hateful!
How could that bitch Gu Qianying be carrying the Emperor's child!
She was the one least qualified to carry the Emperor's child in the entire harem! No! It was everyone, all the women in the harem were not qualified to carry the imperial heir.
If anyone were to be pregnant, it should be her, not others!
Nangong Zhen'er stared fixedly at Gu Qianying. After staring for a while, she suddenly smiled again.
Her smile was eerie and silent.
"It's just carrying an imperial heir, isn't it?
Didn't those women who were pregnant with imperial heirs before also fail to give birth?"
Gu Qianying would naturally not give birth to the child either.
Yes, she couldn't!
A vicious plan slowly fermented in her heart.
Her mood calmed down a lot, and the smile on her face returned to normal.
"Congratulations, Imperial Consort, congratulations, Imperial Consort. Your child has come at such a timely moment. Look, you've easily saved the birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, and you've even received a gift from the Empress Dowager. Imperial Consort, your calculations are indeed quite clever!"
Nangong Zhen'er's words deepened the hostility of the concubines present towards Gu Qianying, and also made the Empress Dowager, who was about to give Gu Qianying a gift,
show a hint of displeasure on her face.
"Originally, I just wanted to take advantage of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet today to make the Emperor and the Empress Dowager happy. After all, this child in my belly is the Emperor's first child. The imperial heir is more precious than any birthday gift present here."
Speaking of this, Gu Qianying smiled and added, "Indeed, a princess cannot understand this feeling, nor can she possess this 'precious gift.' After all, what crawls out of a princess's belly is only a foreign county princess or prince."
She could say words that were not vulgar but could infuriate people, and she said them as soon as they came to mind.
"You!"
Nangong Zhen'er was choked with anger, but she had no retort.
Because what Gu Qianying said was the truth.
She was a princess, but her husband was merely a loyal dog in front of the Emperor.
No matter how noble her child was, it could not compare to an imperial heir!
Never before had she felt such a strong urge to have Hu Biao die immediately.
If Hu Biao died, she would have no husband.
There were instances in the previous dynasty of princesses marrying their imperial brothers.
And at this moment, she also suddenly conceived this idea.
This thought took root and sprouted in her heart.
The more she thought about it, the more Nangong Zhen'er felt that the little thing in Gu Qianying's belly absolutely could not be kept! It had to be dealt with quickly!
With the Imperial Consort's pregnancy and the Empress Dowager's birthday, it was a double celebration.
The Emperor was in a great mood and publicly bestowed many precious items upon Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying did not act humble. All the items bestowed publicly were taken back by her and, after several turns, sold to pawn shops.
Imperial tribute items were extremely valuable, and it would be foolish not to accept them.
At this moment, the bowl of longan and red date porridge in front of Gu Qianying was replaced with white fungus and red date porridge, and the food on the table was replaced with some nourishing medicinal meals.
Even the items Gu Qianying was currently using were all inspected by Imperial Physician Hu by her side before they could be used.
At the birthday banquet.
Songs and dances filled the air, with fine wine and delicacies, and a joyous atmosphere.
Because of the Imperial Consort's pregnancy, the Emperor was overjoyed and, in front of everyone, bestowed another great favor upon Gu Qianying.
"From today onwards, the Imperial Consort shall reside in Jiaofang Hall. This place is very close to my Yangxin Hall, making it convenient for me to visit her regularly."
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled.
Jiaofang Hall?
That was the palace where the Empress, the principal consort, resided.
Ever since the former Empress moved to Yuyin Temple to pray and chant scriptures for the former Emperor, Jiaofang Hall had been vacant.
Even Meng Shi, the former Crown Princess, who was promoted to Empress, had never lived in Jiaofang Hall.
Yet, the Emperor was allowing an Imperial Consort to reside in Jiaofang Hall. Was this not a great favor?
Now, the Imperial Consort was so favored even before giving birth to an heir. If she gave birth to an heir later, could Meng Shi's position as Empress remain stable?
Many concubines looked towards Empress Meng Shi.
The mockery and ridicule were all written on everyone's faces.
However, when they looked at Gu Qianying, they all had expressions of jealousy.
Meng Shi fiercely dug her fingers into her flesh. Facing everyone's strange glances, she completely ignored them.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."
Gu Qianying remained seated, not rising, and merely uttered these few words in a nonchalant tone.
Because she was pregnant, she did not need to bow or kneel. Nan Rongqi did not say anything and even exempted her from the ritual of paying respects to the Empress.
"Your Majesty, this servant wishes to ask for a favor for my lady while you are happy today. I wonder if Your Majesty would agree?"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Zhu, who had used her internal energy to peel a small bowl of walnuts for Nangong Xuanning, boldly stepped forward and knelt in the center of the hall.
Everyone present was stunned.
Only Ouyang Qinglin and Gu Qianying maintained their expressions.
Nan Rongqi, sitting on the high seat, frowned: "What favor?"
"This servant implores Your Majesty to restore the honor of the Gu clan and reinstate the positions of my lady's elder brother, Gu Yefeng, and Old General Gu in the army. This way, our lady will not forever bear the reputation of a criminal's daughter."
"Furthermore, this servant has heard that in our Dong Sheng Kingdom, there is a custom that for the first three months of a woman's pregnancy, she must reside at her maiden home for a few days to ward off evil spirits and ensure the healthy growth of the fetus. Currently, the Gu mansion is not as it once was. If our lady were to return for a short stay, she would likely be ridiculed by others. This servant is bold enough to implore Your Majesty to restore the Gu mansion to its former glory."
After Lu Zhu finished speaking, it was as if she was directly asking for a promotion and ennoblement.
And her words made everyone gasp.
On one hand, they were mocking this presumptuous little maid beside Gu Qianying, who dared to ask for rewards from the Emperor.
On the other hand, everyone felt that what was the use of restoring the reputation and positions of two dead people?
As soon as Lu Zhu finished speaking, Ouyang Qinglin, who had been silent, spoke at this moment: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Consort is now pregnant, which is a great joy for our dynasty. This favor should indeed be granted. Moreover, the wrongful cases of Old General Gu and Gu Yefeng have long since been clarified, and restoring their reputations is only right."
Ouyang Qinglin's words, which fanned the flames, made Nan Rongqi narrow his eyes.
At this point, he finally understood that Gu Qianying's pregnancy being revealed today was not an accident but a deliberate arrangement.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager also looked at Gu Qianying.
Looking at the woman sitting on the chair, she had not spoken a single word, nor had she even raised her eyes. Yet, with her demeanor alone, she had seized the initiative, pressing the Emperor, and even her, step by step.
"This favor, I grant it!"
Nan Rongqi agreed. If he refused, it would make him appear petty as the Emperor.
"However, it is indeed a pity. Old General Gu and the eldest son of the Gu family were both talented generals. It is a shame that they passed away. Otherwise, I would very much like to see these two generals leading troops into battle."
Nan Rongqi smiled insincerely.
What if he agreed?
They were just two dead people, what was there to fear from them?
"Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."
This time, Gu Qianying finally stood up. She walked around the desk and came out: "Oh, Your Majesty need not be too disheartened. The demeanor you wish to see will be realized."
Her words made Nan Rongqi's expression change: "Imperial Consort, what do you mean by that?"
As Gu Qianying stood up, Ouyang Qinglin also stood up. Before Gu Qianying could speak, Ouyang Qinglin snapped his fingers.
Then, from outside the hall, the voice of the chief eunuch rang out: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Old General Gu requests an audience, General Gu Yefeng requests an audience..."