manynovel Chapter 289 The First Morning Meeting
Chapter 289 The First Morning Meeting
Consort Jing was immediately alarmed. What was it like when she was made empress?
She insisted on seeing the emperor, even though she was so ill that she couldn't get out of bed, she still wanted to get up and go to see him.
Granny Qu had no choice but to send someone to announce that the emperor would not see her.
Li Yuanke didn't even bother to pay attention.
Granny Qu had no choice but to persuade and coax her, and it took a lot of effort to calm her down.
By the end of the month, Shen Shixi's period was late, and Li Yuanke kept a close eye on her belly every day. After the marriage, although it wasn't as intense as on their wedding night, they still made love every night, with the goal of getting pregnant.
Now that there is hope, he dares not act recklessly again.
But they didn't say anything, keeping it to themselves.
Shen Shixi took a pulse, and Jiang Lingyou also sensed something was amiss. However, they were still young, and if they made a mistake and caused a blunder, not only would Shen Shixi lose face, but he might also lose his head in the Emperor's anger. So he kept it to himself for the time being.
Jiang Lingyou took his leave, saying, "Your Majesty is well; I will return in ten days."
This means that in about ten days, we should be able to see some clues.
Shen Shixi knew that her period was delayed. Neither she nor Li Yuanke had any health problems, so getting pregnant was a natural thing if they didn't use contraception, unless she was infertile.
Li Yuanke, however, was less composed and persistently asked, "Besides good health, what else do you have?"
The way this question is phrased makes it sound like Shen Shixi needs to have some kind of illness.
Jiang Lingyou pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Her Majesty is in good health; there is nothing else wrong. I shall take my leave!"
I didn't dare stay a second longer.
Li Yuanke tried to stop her, but Shen Shixi held his hand and said to Jiang Lingyou, "Go ahead!"
Jiang Lingyou fled as if he were escaping, but when he went out, he tripped over the threshold and almost fell flat on his face.
Oh dear, he regretted it again. He shouldn't have gone to the capital with Shen Shixi in the first place. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been tricked into becoming a royal physician. Wouldn't it have been better to just find a clinic to practice medicine?
Every day, his head is on the line.
Li Yuanke was very dissatisfied. "Is this Jiangling tour not up to par? Can't they find anything? Why don't we summon Imperial Physician Zhang to take a look?"
Shen Shixi said, "Li Yuanke, if you summon Zhang Yuanjian again, do you believe that by noon, rumors will be spreading throughout the capital that I am terminally ill and don't have much time left..."
Li Yuanke covered her mouth and pulled her into his arms. "Shen Shixi, you really can't keep this mouth of yours, is that what I mean?"
He glanced at Shen Shixi's stomach, hesitated, and finally swallowed the question he was about to ask. What if she didn't have it? Wouldn't that just add more pressure to her?
Consort Qiong arrived, requesting an audience with the Empress, but Li Yuanke went about his own business.
Consort Qiong didn't visit Qian Yuan Palace often, but she felt that the palace had changed a lot. Everywhere, there were traces of women, subtle yet ubiquitous, warm and comfortable.
She realized that it was no wonder the Emperor liked to spend time with the Empress; the Empress was truly a woman who knew how to manage a household well.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Consort Qiong bowed respectfully.
Shen Shixi said, "Please sit down. It's rare for you to come. What brings you here?"
Consort Qiong said, "It's been almost half a month since Your Majesty's wedding, and tomorrow is the first day of the month. I wonder if Your Majesty has any plans? None of the ladies-in-waiting have performed the grand ceremony for Your Majesty, which is against ancestral rules, and we are extremely uneasy about it. Please understand, Your Majesty!"
Shen Shixi said, "I had completely forgotten about this until you mentioned it. Since you brought it up, let's do it this way. Have the Imperial Household Department tidy up Fengyi Palace. Tomorrow, I will take my seat at Fengyi Palace. You should all come, let's all meet and exchange all the proper greetings!"
The ladies of the outer court have already paid their respects to her, but the ladies of the inner court are being neglected, which is indeed not good.
Consort Qiong said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! As for the palace authority, Your Majesty was busy before and entrusted it to us. Now, I wonder what Your Majesty's plans are? In my opinion, Your Majesty should take the palace authority back!"
Consort De has too many thoughts on her mind; neither she nor Consort Jin can keep track of them all.
Shen Shixi nodded, "That's what I'm planning too. You all have imperial offspring to raise, and the affairs of the six palaces are so busy that you really can't manage it all."
Shen Shixi did not plan to move to Fengyi Palace. Instead, she renovated the main hall of Fengyi Palace for the time being. The next day, she took her seat in Fengyi Palace, and almost everyone came except for the concubines who were under house arrest.
She herself dressed up in her finest attire, donned a phoenix robe, and received the homage of the concubines in the harem!
After the three kowtows and nine bows, Shen Shixi called out "Rise." Once all the concubines were seated, Shen Shixi set the rules anew.
"I dislike formalities. Although the rules of our ancestors were strict, they should be adapted to the times. In the harem, the rules are important, but the Emperor's offspring are even more important. From now on, you should focus on having offspring and do not need to worry about paying your respects to me every day."
On the first and fifteenth of each month, the sisters can gather here to talk about anything, or just chat over tea and reconnect. I have no objection; the time will be the first quarter of the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
That is, 9:15 in the morning, which is really quite late.
Consort De said, "Your Majesty, isn't it a bit too late? It is proper for us concubines to pay our respects to Your Majesty. If it is too late, it may not be respectful enough, and if it may lead to impeachment by the censors, it would be even more damaging to the royal dignity."
It's like he's using his seniority to lecture the empress.
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "Does the time of day matter whether there is respect or not? Does it mean I am not the Empress if you don't pay your respects to me? I don't care, so why do you have to think so much?"
My power as Empress was not given to me by you.
Consort De smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have the utmost respect for Your Majesty the Empress!"
Shen Shixi said, "That's good. I also hope for a peaceful and harmonious harem, but I won't force it!"
Consort De said, "Of course! Your Majesty the Empress spoke of a peaceful and harmonious scene. I would like to offer a word of advice. Your Majesty the Empress and the Emperor are newly married. Although my words may not be pleasant to hear, they are indeed from the bottom of my heart."
"Your Majesty, I am already carrying the Emperor's child and am getting on in years. There are many young ladies in the harem; if the Emperor's favor could be bestowed upon them all equally, that would truly bring peace and harmony!"
Shen Shixi smiled, raised her sleeves domineeringly, and leaned back on the phoenix throne. "Consort De is indeed virtuous and has not failed the Emperor's favor! In this respect, she is better than me!"
However, I also want to make it clear to you all that in the harem, I will not stop anyone from having the ability to win the Emperor's favor. But if any of you want me to arrange for you to serve the Emperor in bed, you are dreaming. Do you expect me to deliver the Emperor to your bed when you lack the ability to win his favor yourself?
The next sentence was spoken sharply and forcefully. Her captivating peach blossom eyes suddenly became imposing, so much so that the new concubines couldn't even lift their heads.
All the concubines knelt down, saying, "We dare not!"
Shen Shixi didn't urge them to rise. She raised her chin and said, "His Majesty already has four princesses and eight princes. If you have the ability to have more, I welcome you. If you don't, this number of princes and princesses is enough to give an account to our ancestors and the country!"
"Your Majesty, we will obey Your Majesty's decree!"
Shen Shixi curled her lips and said, "Speaking of imperial decrees, I will only say this once: I don't care who you want to target, who you want to fight over, or how you plot against each other, as long as you have the life and the ability."
However, anyone who dares to lay a hand on an underage imperial heir will regret ever being born. I won't hesitate to exterminate their entire family, including three generations and nine generations of their relatives. Remember this well!
Li Yuanke went to great lengths to cultivate these few seedlings. If she were to lose them, it would not only make her appear incompetent as the empress, but it would also be difficult to explain to her subjects.
The imperial family values the prosperity of its offspring, believing that strength lies in numbers. This principle holds true in any era. When the imperial family enjoys popularity, those below dare not underestimate them.
"You all know my temper and methods. I hope you can all be sensible and not cross my bottom line!"
"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered!" all the concubines said in unison.