Chapter 160

Consort Shu was indeed crying injustice with her mouth,

but who would listen?

Even if Xiao Jingheng knew the musk incident might have nothing to do with her,

this matter involved the Empress, so she had to admit to this injustice.

Xiao Jingheng held Song Zhao's hand and gently comforted:

"Your Majesty will definitely give you an explanation for this. Whoever intended harm upon our child, I will severely punish without mercy, to thoroughly cleanse the improper practices in the rear palace!"

When he said this, Consort Chen, who was on the side, couldn't hide the loss and sadness that slipped out in her eyes.

In contrast, the Empress also blamed herself:

"Recently, so many things have happened in the rear palace, and they were all directed at the crown prince. It really shows my incompetence and inability..."

"How could the Empress be incompetent?" Consort Chen's eyes were suddenly filled with unrestrained ridicule instead of loss:

"If I may say, you must have great abilities. You, Yi Concubine and Noble Consort Xiao were all pregnant at the same time, and the latter two experienced several dangers, yet your dragon fetus is still protected well by you. If this is still considered incompetent, I really have to find a seam to crawl into."

Consort Chen's words were obviously mocking, and the Empress' face also turned ugly,

"Consort Chen, what do you mean?"

"What could it mean? Empress, you..."

"Consort Chen." Xiao Jingheng called her name, interrupting Consort Chen's rampancy, "You must not be disrespectful to the Empress."

Although Consort Chen was angry, she could not provoke the Empress since Xiao Jingheng had spoken.

Later Xiao Jingheng also said to the Empress:

"The Empress is almost seven months pregnant this time, it is inconvenient to move around during late pregnancy, which is the most unsuitable time to work hard. These days you should rest well. Don't let the concubines bother you before you give birth.

From now on, when the consorts come to greet you, let them go to Consort Chen's palace temporarily. The trivial matters in the palace will also be fully entrusted to Consort Chen to handle. You just focus on nurturing the fetus."

These words sounded like Xiao Jingheng's care for the Empress, but in fact, it was completely sidelining the Empress.

At this time, the Empress did not realize that Xiao Jingheng was suspicious of her. She thought it was because she was incompetent in managing the consorts and incurred Xiao Jingheng's dissatisfaction.

The Empress naturally did not want to,

she was still the master of the six palaces, how could she let Consort Chen receive greetings from the concubines?

So she immediately said, "Your Majesty, I think..."

"This concubine obeys the decree." Consort Chen interrupted her words and directly accepted Xiao Jingheng's will. Then she smiled at the Empress,

"The Empress should rest well. His Majesty is caring and considering for you to do this. This pregnancy of yours is His Majesty's legitimate son. It absolutely cannot have any mishaps."

Things had come to this point, if the Empress said more, it would be unappreciative. At this moment, she was like a mute eating huanglian [a bitter Chinese medicine], she could only swallow the grievance. She had no choice but to reluctantly agree,

"This concubine...thanks His Majesty for his care."

*

Today's farce ended here.

In the next few days, the Empress' palace was completely quiet.

Xiao Jingheng ordered her to nurture the fetus well and not to move around casually. He also didn't allow the concubines to bother her.

What's the difference between this and indirectly confining her?

It was just for the sake of the Empress' prestige as the master of the central palace. He didn't say it explicitly.

After two days, Song Zhao went to greet Consort Chen and then visited Noble Consort Xiao in the side hall.

She had caught a cold after falling into the water that day. Today she looked much better. Song Zhao sat by her bed and held her hand, "Sister, is your health fully recovered?"

Noble Consort Xiao nodded listlessly. After a moment, she said very helplessly, "I'll be honest with you, I'm really scared. Consort Chen used my child to threaten me, saying that if I don't listen to her in the future, she will never let me see my child. What else can I do?"

She pounded the bed in frustration, choking back tears and said, "This time she made me wrongly accuse Consort Shu. Next time, will she still use my child to threaten me to wrongly accuse Consort Yun, Consort Yin, or even...the Empress?"

Noble Consort Xiao's falling into the water was originally arranged by Consort Chen.

She deliberately let Song Zhao and Noble Consort Xiao talk in the pavilion, timed it with Consort Shu's arrival, and made Noble Consort Xiao speak recklessly.

Consort Chen herself had never been pregnant, of course she knew what words could touch the fragile nerves of a mother who had lost her child, and make her reckless.

Once Consort Shu became reckless, as long as there was any physical contact between her and Noble Consort Xiao,

even without Consort Shu pushing her, Noble Consort Xiao would jump into the Imperial Lake herself, in order to frame Consort Shu.

What Consort Chen originally said was, "Anyway, you bathe in the palace every day. The water in the pavilion is also shallow. Just treat it as taking a refreshing bath in the Imperial Lake."

And Noble Consort Xiao, relying on Consort Chen's power, could only do whatever Consort Chen said.

Song Zhao also didn't know how to comfort Noble Consort Xiao. She could only say, "Sister, focus on nurturing the fetus and don't overthink other things." Noble Consort Xiao smiled bitterly. "Be at ease? How could I be at ease?"

Song Zhao didn't know if she could be at ease,

but after this incident, Song Zhao felt completely reassured to give birth now.

Because the people in the rear palace who could harm her unborn prince were now trapped.

In fact, ever since the incident with the bridal sedan chair, Song Zhao had already begun planning this double kill:

The bridal sedan chair fell, making Xiao Jingheng suspect someone in the rear palace wanted to harm the child, this was the first step;

After that, Song Zhao was worried and paranoid, hiding in the palace and refusing to see anyone except letting only the Empress enter her bedroom. This was the second step;

Using an attack on the mind, letting Xiao Jingheng neglect Consort Chen to visit Consort Shu, leading to Consort Chen's jealousy of the cooperation between Consort Shu and Song Zhao again. This was the third step;

After Consort Shu was entangled by Noble Consort Xiao's incident, Song Zhao took the opportunity to have the imperial physician also treat her, revealing that she had used musk, thus letting Xiao Jingheng discover the musk sachet hidden in her palace. This was the fourth step;

As for this last step, which was also the most critical step in this scheme,

it was to use Xiao Jingheng's suspicion to make him feel that the whole thing was actually the Empress's plot, and even shift the blame onto Consort Shu!

Song Zhao won this double kill scheme cleanly and beautifully.

Whether Consort Shu pushed Noble Consort Xiao into the water or not, Song Zhao said she didn't see it.

As for the sachet in her palace, it was found by Xiao Jingheng's own search, what did it have to do with her?

This way, even if the Empress and Consort Shu could turn the tables in the future, they would not suspect Song Zhao at all.

At most they would only suspect each other and continue fighting like dogs.

The Empress was the master of the central palace, and her maternal family was also powerful. Now pregnant,

so this scheme could only temporarily trap her for the time being, and could not overthrow her.

What about Consort Shu?

Did Consort Shu still have the possibility of turning the tables this time?

Song Zhao also wanted to know,

could Consort Shu's personal maid Qingyue be loyal enough?

After suffering the punishment of flowing water by the Shenxing Si [Imperial Censorate], could she still grit her teeth and not confess a single evil thing Consort Shu had done?

And on this night, Song Zhao got the answer to this question.

Xiaofuzi reported to her late at night:

"Reporting to Mistress! Qingyue was tortured by the Shenxing Si until only half her life remained. She couldn't withstand the punishment and confessed everything!"