manynovel Chapter 83 Family Dinner, Miscarriage
Chapter 83 Family Dinner, Miscarriage
This is forcing a conversation!
Since she had received food, Shen Shixi had no choice but to get up and express her gratitude.
With so many people in front of her, she couldn't afford to be impolite.
Those who saw it were incredibly jealous.
Shen Shixi rose to express her gratitude, "Thank you for the Emperor's gift, I am very pleased!"
I couldn't help but glance at him.
[You bastard, are you doing this on purpose? Why are you dressed so nicely? Who are you trying to seduce? Humph! Stop laughing, I don't want to talk to you! You two are ganging up on me, shameless!]
Li Yuanke laughed and said, "No need for formalities! Consort Yuan looks beautiful today! Li Fude, I remember there is a set of sapphire jewelry in the treasury. Remember to reward Consort Yuan with it later."
Yuan Zhaoyue said, "The Emperor is truly biased. Consort Yuan already has such beautiful headdresses, which were clearly bestowed upon her by the Emperor. When the Emperor has something good, he doesn't think of his other sisters and only thinks of giving it to Consort Yuan."
The emperor smiled but said nothing.
Shen Shixi was too lazy to pay attention to her; she didn't want to talk today, as talking was too much of a hassle.
Also, the other party is pregnant.
She dared not touch pregnant women or children.
Wang Yuehuai, who was usually taciturn, laughed today and said, "Isn't the Emperor's favorite sister? The Emperor has already bestowed upon you a royal heir, so why should you care about other rewards?"
Su Fuying couldn't stand Yuan Zhaoyue's smugness, so she glared at her and said, "Some people are just never satisfied!"
"Who says I'm ungrateful? I was just saying that." Yuan Zhaoyue touched her belly. "Consort Yuan must be heartbroken that she can't conceive, which is why His Majesty bestowed more gifts upon her. I'm not an unreasonable person; I was just trying to amuse Consort Yuan. How could I be truly calculative?"
"Yes, I can't get pregnant. You're so capable, you can get pregnant a few more times," Shen Shixi said.
The Empress laughed, "Alright, enough said. It's a festival today, let's not get angry. Your Majesty, please order the banquet to begin!"
The emperor grunted in acknowledgment, and the empress then ordered the dishes to be served and the banquet to begin.
Nowadays, meals are served separately. Firstly, kneeling makes it inappropriate to eat at the same table, and secondly, it clearly distinguishes social ranks.
Today's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet doesn't have the same dishes on everyone's table. With so many people, some dishes have been steamed several times, so they look nice but don't taste the same at all.
Shen Shixi couldn't eat anymore.
Fortunately, the song and dance performances were good.
Shen Shixi drank tea, listened to music, watched dances, and kept commenting on them, never having a moment of peace.
[He couldn't even concentrate on playing the pipa, secretly glancing at the emperor, and probably played a wrong key! Oh, it was intentional. I was too naive. "If the music is wrong, Li Lang will notice." Tsk, was Li Yuanke's face misleading people, or was it his status that misled them?]
Li Yuanke looked over and saw that she was staring intently at the pipa player. He also glanced at the pipa player a couple more times, only to find that she had played two wrong notes again.
[Tsk, girl, "To win Li Lang's favor, one must constantly misplay the strings," how can anyone listen to her if she keeps making mistakes?]
She couldn't be bothered to listen anymore, so she started watching the dancing woman. Her waist was slender and graceful, her body was as supple as a seaweed, and she twisted her whole body like a snake.
[Her figure is truly remarkable; it must have taken countless days and nights of practice to achieve that, right? And her face is beautiful too. Alas, the three greatest regrets in my life are: that crabapple blossoms have no fragrance, and that eating fish requires spitting out bones. I'm not a man, otherwise… tsk, how wonderful it would be to have two beauties on either side of me!]
Li Yuanke's face was ashen. The Empress noticed and quickly asked, "Does Your Majesty find the song and dance unsatisfactory?"
"Let's change it!" he said.
I won't let this bastard see it. Look at him, he's practically drooling.
[Hey, what's wrong with Li Yuanke? I haven't finished watching yet! You don't want to watch, but I do!]
It's like watching an 8 PM drama series, getting really into the plot, when suddenly your family changes the channel and says they want to watch a football game. How annoying!
But if the emperor wants to be replaced, who dares to say no?
When Shen Shixi saw the next person coming up, she was speechless. The lead dancer was Song Zhihuan, whom she had never seen before, but Bai Ping had and had told her about it.
[Song Zhihuan, the illegitimate daughter of the Song family? Has the Empress accepted bribes and is now sending a beauty to her bedchamber? Damn, if I'd known it would be like this, I would have offered 10,000 taels for one night with Li Yuanke—fixed price, no bargaining!]
Li Yuanke was so angry he felt like he was going to vomit blood, so he took a sip of wine in silence.
The emperor wanted to give Song Piyang an important position. Consort Song had already been deposed. The Song family wanted to send a daughter into the palace, which was equivalent to providing insurance for the Song family's future. The emperor could not disappoint his capable minister, so he had to grant the request no matter what and could not treat her unfairly!
The Empress was fully aware of the situation, which is why she dared to accept Madam Song's generous gift and agree to the matter.
But what will outsiders think? What will the Emperor think? Will they think the Song family has sided with the Pei family?
Thus, if Song Piyang performs his duties well in the future, the emperor may not reward him; if he performs his duties poorly and offends all the officials, the emperor may simply stand by and watch him die.
Song Piyang must have been incredibly unlucky to marry such a "clever" wife!
Shen Shixi smiled. The Empress's elaborate arrangement of Song Zhihuan's entry into the palace was indeed skillful, full of open schemes that left no room for criticism.
If Song Piyang wants to sever ties with the Pei family, he will have to abandon another daughter.
Song Zhihuan was an excellent dancer, and she was also more beautiful than her sister. Her skin was fair and flawless, and she was young, just reaching the age of marriage. She was like a budding flower, and her pair of watery almond eyes looked at the emperor with affection, which could soften even the strongest man.
"What does Your Majesty think of this woman?" the Empress asked, deliberately keeping the question a secret.
The Empress Dowager smiled. "If the Empress likes it, it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to stay in the palace and keep you company. She's a girl from the Song family, isn't she? I think I've met her once before."
"After her miscarriage, Consort Song's health is not good. The Song family specially sent her half-sister to the palace to take care of her. This girl is gentle and kind. I think she is loving towards her elder sister and is a sensible person. Consort Song's health will not recover in a short time. I think it would be better to keep her in the palace. She can serve the Emperor and get along with her sister. It would be the best of both worlds."
The Empress Dowager nodded. "It's excellent that you always think of the Emperor and care for the concubines!"
After the dance, he knelt down to express his gratitude.
Song Zhihuan dared to look up at the emperor, his expression unreadable.
But she was overjoyed. The emperor was young, handsome and extraordinary, the best man in the world. If she could win the emperor's favor and love, she could fight for her aunt's title in the future.
One day, she will be able to help her aunt seize the position of matriarch of the Song family and trample that foolish woman underfoot.
"Mother, what do you think?" the Empress asked.
"Since she is a concubine's daughter and her status is not prominent, and her elder sister is only a Jieyu, let's make her a Cainu!"
The Empress Dowager didn't care, but she insisted that her son shouldn't be the one to arrange the concubine selection, as it would damage his reputation if word got out.
Song Zhihuan felt a chill in her heart upon hearing this. Her father was the Minister of Personnel, and if she were born of the principal wife, she should never have been a ninth-rank concubine.
But now, let's go to the palace!
"Thank you, Empress Dowager! Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress!" Song Zhihuan said, seemingly overjoyed.
Halfway through the banquet, it was time to toast the Emperor. Since it was a family banquet, everyone was a member of the imperial clan, so they were all very relaxed in this setting. The Emperor drank quite a bit. When it was the concubines' turn, it was the Empress first, and then the concubines in order of rank.
Shen Shixi remained seated, too lazy to engage in social interaction. When Li Yuanke looked at her, she pretended to be dead. Yuan Zhaoyue, seeing the emperor looking over, quickly stood up. "Your Majesty, I offer you tea in place of wine, wishing you many happy returns of the day..."
Before she could even utter the word "court," a maid behind her cried out, "Ah! Consort Yuan has miscarried! She's bleeding so much!"
[Some of you have been asking for an extra chapter, so here's another one! Are you trying to empty my stockpile of chapters?]
Please, please let me off the hook! Three big chapters a day is already a lot, this is too much! If you judge me as an AI writer and ban me, I'll cry my eyes out! Let's take it slow and steady, okay? (๑′ᴗ‵๑)Ⅰ Lᵒᵛᵉᵧₒᵤ❤】