Tianliangyuan

Chapter 165 Useless thing!

Xu Zhaozhao learned of the palace's decision and knew that the matter was essentially over.

However, she believed that the Empress must have found something else, but it was not appropriate to reveal it directly at the moment.

Compared to Consort Jiang, Empress Qu's presence in the palace seemed less prominent, especially among the many women in the capital, who seemed to mention Consort Jiang more often.

Or perhaps, it was the fact that Consort Jiang's favor with the emperor remained undiminished that resonated deeply with the noble ladies of the capital.

However, Xu Zhaozhao did not underestimate Empress Qu.

Empress Qu also came from a prominent family; otherwise, she would not have been chosen by the late emperor and empress dowager to be the crown princess at that time.

Moreover, Empress Qu was able to give birth to three princes in succession, which alone makes her a force to be reckoned with.

What good is it if Consort Jiang is favored again?

She had given birth to two princesses, but one of them died young, reportedly before she was even a hundred days old. As a result, Consort Jiang was ill for more than half a year.

Even Emperor Yong'an ordered that the little princess be buried with the rites due to a princess of the state, and even ordered people to chant sutras to pray for her soul. In short, he overstepped the bounds of propriety many times, and was even impeached by the censor. But in the end, no one could persuade the emperor to retract his order.

Consort Jiang currently only has one princess, which may be why the Jiang family is anxious.

The Jiang family was not of commoner origin. However, compared to the Qu family, the Jiang family was far inferior in terms of social standing. Otherwise, they would not have made Consort Jiang a concubine back then.

When Consort Jiang entered the Eastern Palace as a concubine, Grand Tutor Jiang was not yet Grand Tutor. He only gradually began to make a name for himself in the court later on.

Although Grand Tutor Jiang now holds power and has many disciples, the Jiang family's foundation is ultimately insufficient, so he dares not openly and blatantly oppose the Qu family.

If Empress Qu had no legitimate son, the Jiang family would naturally dare to compete for the position of Empress.

However, when Empress Qu was still the Crown Princess, she was able to give birth to a legitimate son. Based on this alone, no one could shake her position as the principal wife.

Since they couldn't seize the empress's position, the Jiang family set their sights on seizing the throne from the next emperor.

If there were an emperor with the bloodline of the Jiang family, that would be the true opportunity for the Jiang family to rise to power.

Unfortunately, Consort Jiang was disappointing, and so was Jiang Yu, who was sent to the palace.

Upon learning the news, Jiang Yanping was so angry that he smashed the entire house.

"Useless thing! Now that we've lost that piece of flesh, and we can't reproduce anymore, hasn't the Jiang family's years of planning gone to waste!"

One Jiang woman has already been sent to the palace; it's impossible to send another one.

Otherwise, the Jiang family will be impeached by the censors as treacherous and wicked.

Consort Jiang felt extremely complicated when she looked at Jiang Yu lying on the bed, who looked like she had lost half her life.

When her brother approached her and suggested using a surrogate mother, she was actually unwilling.

Consort Jiang could compete with any woman in the harem and belittle any woman, but she couldn't compete with her own younger relatives.

This feeling is awful!

Later, she learned that Jiang Yu's baby had not survived. For some reason, she felt happy. She had been somewhat resistant to the child, but now that it was gone, she felt at ease.

Consort Jiang sighed and stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort.

"Don't think too much about it. Just take good care of yourself, and you'll have another chance in the future."

Jiang Yu's eyes were vacant, and her voice was weak and listless.

"There won't be any more!"

Consort Jiang's eyes lit up slightly: "What?"

“I said there would be no more. I know everything. No need to hide it from me anymore, Consort. I know I can no longer conceive a royal heir. I failed to fulfill the mission entrusted to me by the head of the family. I am ashamed of the head of the family’s cultivation.”

Consort Jiang's face turned cold. Fortunately, only her maid was present at the moment, but she still waved her hand to signal everyone to leave.

"Don't say such things again, lest you bring trouble upon yourself!"

Jiang Yu's tears streamed down her cheeks, then down her temples, and finally onto the pillow, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

"I can't get pregnant anymore, will I even survive?"

Consort Jiang rebuked, "What nonsense are you talking about! With me here in the palace, who would dare to bully you! Focus on recovering your health. The imperial physician's words may not be true. As long as you take good care of yourself, you will still have a chance in the future."

Seeing Jiang Yu's appearance now, Consort Jiang felt somewhat annoyed.

Jiang Yu was chosen because her appearance was about 50-60% similar to hers.

That's why His Majesty mistook her for someone else that night.

Looking back now, Consort Jiang only felt a bit upset.

"Alright, you should get some rest. If you need anything, just have someone come find me. Don't worry about it; your health is the most important thing."

Consort Jiang walked out of the side hall and took several deep breaths, as if only in this way could she expel the unpleasant feeling in her heart.

Upon returning to her own palace, Consort Jiang raised her hand, leaving only her personal maid by her side.

"What did the doctor say?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Jiang's condition is not good. The possibility of her conceiving a royal heir again is almost nonexistent. Moreover, as you instructed, you deliberately had the palace servants overhear something, and Consort Jiang overheard it by accident."

"Yes, you did a good job. Take two strings of cash and give them to the palace maids over there, and tell them to take good care of Consort Jiang."

"Yes, ma'am."

"This matter still needs to be investigated. The Empress must have already found the real culprit, but she just doesn't want to make a big fuss about it. In the end, she probably thinks that Jiang Yu's rank is too low and she's not a proper young lady from a noble family, so she doesn't want to offend anyone because she doesn't have anyone backing her up!"

The palace maid whispered, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say. I've heard that His Majesty also intends to suppress this matter, as it is not a respectable affair."

Consort Jiang understood His Majesty's thoughts; it was Jiang Yu's own fault for not being able to restrain herself and for disobeying orders.

Moreover, if this matter really blows up and is investigated thoroughly, it's uncertain who might be implicated.

Consort Jiang sneered, "His Majesty knows everything, doesn't he? He's just afraid of implicating his precious sons again, which would be a real disgrace for him."

The palace maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please be careful what you say!"

Consort Jiang sneered again, clearly unconcerned.

However, they didn't say anything else in the end.

"Have our people keep an eye on this too, and investigate thoroughly. Whoever's hand is reaching out, I need to let them know that the Jiang family is not to be trifled with!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Before Consort Jiang could wait long, news began to pour in from both inside and outside the palace.

"Wang Jing? Who is that?"

"Your Majesty, Wang Jing is a staff member of the Prince Zhong's residence and holds no official position. I just received news that one of Wang Jing's closest guards, named Ahu, fell into the water last night while drunk and was found drowned this morning."

"What's the background of this Ah Hu?"

The palace maid looked unwell and spoke without confidence.

"Your Majesty, he is an orphan, originally a beggar, who was later brought into the Prince's mansion by the steward because of his brute strength."