Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Zhen Huan Chronicles, An Ling Rong

“Rise.” The Empress Dowager looked at Noble Consort Hua and said, “Why are you holding the child? Your body is still weak. Hand the child to the wet nurse.”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern.” Noble Consort Hua smiled brightly and hugged Wen Ning tighter as she replied happily, “This consort likes the Sixth Prince and Wen Ning very much. Consort Xin agreed that she would raise the two children together with this consort.”

“Really?” The Empress Dowager’s smile did not fade, but the look she gave Li Si Qi turned cold. “I thought it was enough for the Noble Consort to raise Wen Yi. I didn’t expect Consort Xin would also hand a child over to you.”

“Your Majesty misunderstands.” Noble Consort Hua said with a smile. “This consort only likes Wen Ning too much. I want to see Wen Ning every day, so I thought of raising her together with Consort Xin.”

“So that’s how it is. That’s a good thing.” The Empress Dowager nodded and waved to the two wet nurses standing in the distance.

The two wet nurses carried the children forward and bowed.

“The Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.”

“Rise.” The Empress Dowager looked at the children in their arms. “The Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess look all right. They aren’t small, either.”

“Your Majesty, the Fourth Princess is very well-behaved and doesn’t like to cry!”

“Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess weighed about six jin when she was born. She has a quiet temperament.” The two wet nurses replied one after the other.

“Good.” The Empress Dowager was not truly concerned with the two little princesses. She gave a casual instruction, “The children should have their Three-Day Bath Ceremony. Don’t miss the auspicious hour.”

“Yes!”

The two wet nurses carried the children away. With the two princesses’ Three-Day Bath Ceremony and the dragon-and-phoenix twins’ full-month banquet held together, the scene was lively, but it also made people feel that there was no clear main or secondary focus. After the Three-Day Bath Ceremony ended and the full-month banquet had only just begun, the Empress Dowager left. Everyone assumed that because she had only recently recovered from a long illness, she could not hold on and had to leave in a hurry.

Only Li Si Qi understood what was really going on. For all the bustle of the day, some people still felt it should not have been held together, and that the children had all been treated unfairly. Of course, the princes and ministers still sent quite a few gifts. After all, the protagonists today were four babies.

Naturally, they had to prepare four sets of gifts. Li Si Qi carried her child, along with the full-month gifts for the two babies. A whole crowd set out for Yong Shou Palace. From today onward, she officially moved into Yong Shou Palace and became the mistress of a palace….

In Kang Shou Palace, the Empress Dowager’s face looked awful.

“Have you investigated it clearly?” Flames of anger flickered in her eyes as she asked in a low voice. “Was it Consort Xin’s scheme, or did the Nian clan want to seize the imperial dragon-and-phoenix twins as leverage?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, it wasn’t Consort Xin’s intent.” Zhu Xi answered. “It’s said that Princess Wen Ning looks exactly like the little princess Noble Consort Hua lost. Noble Consort Hua dotes on her out of that love and treats her like her own child.”

“Is that true? You aren’t deceiving me?” The Empress Dowager froze for a moment. In her heart, she still did not quite believe it.

“Replying to Your Majesty, this servant specifically went to verify it.” Zhu Xi continued. “The Emperor personally admitted that Princess Wen Ning looks exactly like the little princess Noble Consort Hua lost.”

“The Emperor said that as well?” The Empress Dowager frowned. Deep down, she still did not want to believe it.

“Yes.” Zhu Xi explained again. “This servant personally went to see the midwives. One of the midwives happened to be the one who delivered the dragon-and-phoenix twins for Consort Xin. She said that in the womb, Princess Wen Ning did not absorb as much nourishment as the Sixth Prince. When she was born, she was very small, and her constitution was slightly weaker. Noble Consort Hua’s little princess had been just as frail, and she died the moment she was born. Both princesses were small at birth, and both looked somewhat like the Emperor. So when Noble Consort Hua saw Princess Wen Ning, she treated her as her own child.”

“So it really was a coincidence.” With the facts laid out, the Empress Dowager could not refuse to believe it.

She also had no choice but to accept the situation.

“Forget it. Things have come to this, and no matter how angry I am, it’s useless.” As she spoke, the Empress Dowager could not help blaming the Empress. “We can only blame the Empress for being so useless. I planned everything for her. If she had agreed to raise the dragon-and-phoenix twins, then whether or not Consort Xin survived, the twins would already be in Jing Ren Palace. How could Noble Consort Hua have taken them to raise? It makes me furious!”

The more the Empress Dowager spoke, the angrier she became. “An Ling Rong is useless too. She actually let the dragon-and-phoenix twins be raised by someone like Noble Consort Hua, who has no brains. Isn’t she afraid the Nian clan will snatch her children away?”

In the end, the Empress Dowager, out of pure habit, blamed everything on Li Si Qi. So when Li Si Qi saw the rewards the Empress Dowager bestowed, she laughed in anger. She really had no shame at all. How dare she send over junk from eight hundred years ago.

“Your Highness!” He Xiang was dumbfounded.

Seeing those items, she could not believe they were the Empress Dowager’s rewards.

“Put them away.” Li Si Qi flicked her hand. “Register them clearly as gifts bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Later, when it’s time to send congratulations to the Empress, remember to send these out.”

“Yes, this servant understands.” He Xiang could only call people in and have them carry everything to the storeroom.

… In Jing Ren Palace, the Empress still lay on the bed. Even though she had not stepped outside, she still learned whatever news she needed to.

“Noble Consort Hua!” the Empress muttered to herself. “That useless An Ling Rong chose to side with that wretch. How could she bear to hand all the children over? She really is useless. Even after giving birth, she still can’t keep her children.”

“Your Majesty, please rest.” Jian Qiu looked full of pain for her. “Even if you won’t think of yourself, you must think of Prince Hong Hui. Didn’t Your Majesty say Prince Hong Hui would come back? Your Majesty must first nurture your body. Only then can you take good care of Prince Hong Hui, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Hong Hui will come back. He will definitely come back.” Thinking of how her son had vanished because he could not bear too many blessings, the Empress was filled with regret. Her whole body trembled. “My Hong Hui was the best. He couldn’t bear to leave me. He was always waiting for me. How could he bear to vanish? No, he definitely won’t vanish. I saw it with my own eyes – he left behind a bit of starlight. That starlight fell into my belly. He must have been unwilling to leave me. He still wants to be my child. Hong Hui, my Hong Hui will definitely come back…”

As she spoke, tears slid down the corners of her eyes.

“Your Majesty, you can’t be sad anymore.” Jian Qiu used a handkerchief to wipe away her tear tracks and coaxed softly, “Prince Hong Hui can’t bear to leave Your Majesty. Your Majesty must fight even harder. As long as Your Majesty recovers, Prince Hong Hui will come to Your Majesty’s side.”

“Yes, I must take care of my health.” The Empress gradually calmed down.

She brought up the earlier topic again. “Jian Qiu, do we still have people in Yi Kun Palace?” Jian Qiu froze for a moment. “Your Majesty, what do you mean?”

“Of course I mean making Noble Consort Hua and Consort Xin turn against each other.” A sinister smile spread across the Empress’s face. “If something happens to the dragon-and-phoenix twins in Noble Consort Hua’s Yi Kun Palace, do you think Consort Xin will turn on her?”

“She definitely will.” Jian Qiu nodded. “Consort Xin definitely isn’t handing the dragon-and-phoenix twins over to Noble Consort Hua willingly. If something happens to the twins in Yi Kun Palace, Consort Xin would have to be a fool to let Noble Consort Hua keep raising them. In the end, she will certainly fight Noble Consort Hua for custody. Once they start making a scene, even the Emperor won’t be able to take Noble Consort Hua’s side.”

“Good. That’s exactly right.” The Empress’s smile deepened. “I can’t make a move against Noble Consort Hua for now, so letting her and Consort Xin bite each other isn’t bad either. Best of all, something happens to the twins – dead dragon, dead phoenix, or it would be even better if they all died. I refuse to believe they won’t fight. Jian Qiu, arrange this.”

“Your Majesty, not yet.” Jian Qiu looked helpless. “After Noble Consort Hua’s little princess died, all the spies in Yi Kun Palace were pulled out. It won’t be easy to plant new ones now. We can only wait for a suitable opportunity to bury one inside.”