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  "Seventh sister wants to help me!"

  Ming Xuan was even more shocked, such a straightforward and direct approach made her vaguely understand that this time the Empress Dowager suddenly declared her entry into the palace, perhaps it was for the sake of Shu Fei. However, since Shu Fei was pregnant with the dragon heir, if there were any difficulties, the Emperor would take charge, and in the worst case, she was still the daughter of Yongning Hou, and this child in her womb, whether it was a prince or not, would be an honor to the Yongning Hou Mansion.

  And she was just a daughter-in-law of the Prince's mansion who was not well-received, what could she possibly help the Empress with?

  Shu Fei pulled Ming Xuan into the seat, complaining with a resentful face, "I was born from my aunt's belly, although I was raised in front of my mother, but I knew early on that she wouldn't treat me sincerely. Others see her treating me like her own child, but in reality, I know clearly in my heart that my mother is good to me for two reasons: one is to show off her kindness to outsiders, and the other is to suppress Ninth Sister and Father's concubine."

  She snorted, "I was raised by her, and over the years I've become a good reputation for her. As long as it doesn't conflict with her interests, she's naturally obedient to me, but once it hinders her way, I'll become a stumbling block!"

  It turned out to be complaining about Auntie.

  But Ming Xuan didn't know how to respond, so she could only smile awkwardly and comfort the Empress Shu, "Your Majesty is newly pregnant, it's best to keep a calm mind and not get too excited, lest you startle the baby in your womb, that wouldn't be good."

  The Empress patted her chest and stroked her abdomen, looking even more pitiful. "Seventh sister doesn't know how bitter my heart is."

  I'm pregnant with a dragon heir. This is supposed to be a great joy, regardless of whether the child in my belly is male or female, they will be a member of the imperial family and I will finally have someone to rely on. But who knew this would displease Third Sister? We're sisters from the same father, sharing the same blood. Haven't I been treating her well all these years, making her life better than before? Who could have predicted that she...

  She was both angry and indignant, "Who would have thought that the third sister would actually allow her palace maid to spread rumors about me everywhere, saying that I had an affair with the emperor a long time ago, saying that I am promiscuous. These are just minor things, but what's even more outrageous is that she said I became pregnant within a month of entering the palace, and it's unclear whether this child is even the emperor's."

  Ming Xuan was slightly stunned, she vaguely remembered that every time the Zhou Dynasty emperor visited his concubines, it had to be recorded in the archives, and only then could the legitimacy of the imperial heir be determined.

  In the time of the previous emperor, there was a low-ranking palace maid who used a side door to seduce the emperor and they had an affair. However, it happened to be the first day of the month, which was supposed to be the empress's turn. The emperor favored the empress and feared her displeasure, so he didn't order the eunuchs to record it in the imperial diary. Who would have thought that the palace maid became pregnant? But since there was no proof, the emperor didn't dare acknowledge it, and later the palace maid was given a poisonous drink and demoted, disappearing without a trace.

  The Empress entered the palace for only a month and was diagnosed with a joyful pulse. It's indeed suspicious, but if she really had a guilty conscience, she wouldn't have told herself about it so loudly.

  Ming Xuan thought to herself. These unpleasant rumors shouldn't be the Empress's doing, just as Shu Fei said, both the Empress and Shu Fei are daughters of Duke Yongning Gu Changqi, sharing honor and shame together, cutting off the bone and tendon that connects them, slandering Shu Fei doesn't bring any benefit to the Empress.

  Not to mention sullying the virtuous consort, pinning that reputation of promiscuity and infidelity on her would harm the entire Gu family. Even if the noble consort could ignore Mingyu and those illegitimate sisters who had yet to marry, she couldn't ignore the daughter of the eldest son, Gu Yuhan - her own niece by blood.

  This stupid thing of killing one hundred enemies but losing one thousand of our own is impossible for the imperial concubine to have done.

  Ming Xuan opened his mouth slightly, wanting to slowly express his own inference, but when the words reached his lips, he hesitated again.

  I thought that the virtuous imperial concubine would have a plan to imitate Ming Rong in order to gain the emperor's favor, and should also have the ability to discern right from wrong. But now seeing her so angry and resentful, it doesn't seem like she's pretending, it seems like she really hates the noble consort to the bone. If that's the case, then speaking out my own opinion at this time will only have the opposite effect.

  Let's take another look.

  She thought for a moment and said cautiously, "A family of sisters, it's not that serious, Your Majesty, are you mistaken?"

  Shu Fei said with a scowl, "Jade has personally admitted it herself. She was the personal maid that Third Sister brought from the Marquis's residence. Since she has already confessed, can Third Sister still deny it? As the legitimate daughter, her mother constantly sends silver to her, and even if she only gave birth to a princess, causing a huge joke for Father, isn't she still living a stable life?"

  "What about me? I have nothing but the emperor's favor, and yet she has the great fortune of having a child by her side. Can't she just let me be? And to make matters worse, when the emperor asks about it, I can only speak well of her..."

  She actually felt a bit suffocated, although she was now the first person in the imperial harem and the emperor doted on her so much that he feared she would melt away. However, she was currently emulating the gentle and kind Empress Yuan, and absolutely could not do anything arrogant due to being favored. She was so stifled that she wanted to let loose a bit but had no way to do so; even if she suffered injustice, she could only pretend to be magnanimous with tears in her eyes and say it didn't matter, and still think of ways to speak up for others.

  Two people with different personalities, it's not hard to pretend for a while, but it's too hard to pretend for a lifetime!

  Ming Xuan didn't know whether to sympathize with Shu Fei or laugh at her, wearing someone else's skin and living a life that was originally her own choice. She had enjoyed the glory and wealth brought by playing the role of Yuan Fei, so it was only natural for those feelings of suffocation and annoyance to be buried in her heart and accepted as well.

  As for what Jiuxiao personally admitted to, in this day and age, even one's own sisters by blood cannot be trusted. Being betrayed by a maid who was brought along as part of the dowry is nothing out of the ordinary. This matter clearly involves someone trying to frame the Noble Consort, but the method used is so obvious that even she can see through it clearly. Yet, the Virtuous Consort is being kept in the dark and led around by the nose.

  With such a temperament, such means, and such intelligence, it's really not easy to survive in the inner palace struggle... Consort Shu, it seems you won't go far...

  Ming Xuan is not a kind-hearted person, she actually doesn't care about Shu Fei's future, but her brother Yuan Jing has not yet married, and the Yongning Marquis Manor has not yet been divided, so if something happens to Shu Fei, it will inevitably affect her brother, so she thinks it's still necessary to remind Shu Fei.

  She thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "The fragrance on your body is indeed pleasant, somewhat similar to the scent of Lingling. I remember my sister liked this scent when she was at home, but after she got married, she changed it. Although the fragrance of Lingling is pleasant and has the effect of activating blood and calming sleep, women who smell it often may easily affect their fertility, and pregnant women who smell it are more likely to have a miscarriage."

  But I must have thought too much, the princess with a tight belly won't use this fragrant thing.

  The Empress's face changed greatly, and she hastily threw the handkerchief in her arms far away. She stood up with a tense expression, tightly grasping Ming Xuan's arm, "Seventh sister, this handkerchief contains the Zero Ridge fragrant slices. It is said that this fragrance can cause miscarriage. Is this true?"

  She hastily covered her abdomen with her hands, "Seventh sister, has the child in my belly been killed?"

  She hadn't waited for Ming Xuan to respond before she regained her cold demeanor, "This is also a good deed done by the Third Sister! A few days ago, I was diagnosed with pregnancy, and she sent Huixiang to deliver things to me. Huixiang told me that although it's a good thing to give birth to a dragon son, but after ten months of pregnancy, it's inevitable that you will lose the Emperor's heart. If only the Emperor could stay in my palace often."

  She also told me that the emperor's favorite is this Zero Ling Xiang fragrance, because in the past, the Yuanyi Palace was always filled with this scent. I even sent someone to ask the old servants of the former Yuanyi Empress, and they all said the same thing, so I felt at ease using it. Who knew that Third Sister had such intentions!

  Ming Xuan furrowed her brow, "Your Ladyship need not worry, this incense has only been used for a few days and has not harmed the child yet. It's just that from now on, you should be more mindful of what you eat and drink, lest someone takes advantage of you."

  She paused slightly, "To say something presumptuous, Your Majesty is pregnant and has the emperor's favor, there are countless eyes watching in this palace. You must have a discerning mind, you can't just listen to one side of the story, whoever tells you something, you believe it all, you need to think about other people's intentions, think about why things happen."

  Ming Xuan felt that the Empress's temperament was unpredictable, and she didn't dare to speak too heavily. Since they were in the Kun Ning Palace, there were some things she couldn't say here either. She could only vaguely advise a few words, hoping that the Empress would listen and ignore the misleading words of others, and think clearly about the matter of Ju Xiang.

  When someone is being stubborn, there are some things that others' advice can't get through to them, only when they themselves understand it will do. She didn't want to interfere with the affairs of the imperial concubine, but she was also afraid that Gu Yuanchao would be implicated, and also a bit worried about her elderly grandmother still having to worry about these things, so she thought of ways to give some advice to the imperial concubine.

  But in fact, she didn't have much hope for the outcome anyway.

  She just hoped to go back and pass on a message to her grandmother and brother, and then she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

  Who would have thought that after hearing these words, the Empress suddenly burst into tears. "Seventh sister, don't be offended, I'm just excited. To be honest with you, from childhood to adulthood, no matter what I said or did, my mother always only praised me, and others also flattered me. This is the first time someone has been able to speak frankly and reasonably with me."

  She wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, "Seventh sister was right, I just suffered a loss due to my impulsiveness. Over the years, I haven't been used as a gun by others for nothing. Last time, Mingwu tricked me badly, but that's not what I want to talk about now. This time, if it wasn't for my soft ears, listening to whatever people say and believing them, I almost harmed my own child."

  Ming Xuan saw that she had relaxed a bit, and then said, "I often help my grandmother copy Buddhist scriptures, and accompanied her to listen to the high monks explain the scriptures. When you see a mountain as a mountain, when you see water as water, when you don't see a mountain as a mountain, when you don't see water as water, when you see a mountain again as a mountain, when you see water again as water, this sentence is for Your Majesty. If you have time to think about the Zen machine in it, I guarantee that you will benefit greatly."

  She softly sighed, "The princess is pregnant, it's not good for her to stay in a place with such heavy cold air for too long."

  The Empress gazed at her with a thoughtful expression, seemingly still immersed in the Zen phrase. After a long while, she nodded and said, "I think I understand what Seventh Sister means... yet I don't. If you have time, please come visit often."

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