Noble Consort Xu of Jianjia Palace was pregnant. The news hit like thunder, shaking the once peaceful harem.
When Meng Guqing heard, she dropped her gardening plans at once, changed into formal clothes, and hurried to Shoucheng Hall. Fortunately, Noble Consort Xu was normally in good health, and the imperial fetus was stable. Though there had been some bleeding, the imperial physicians confirmed it was minor, she only needed rest. The Empress Dowager, in the side hall, finally let out a breath of relief.
She had never been close to her son; if Noble Consort Xu had truly miscarried because of her, the regret would have been unbearable. Yet she was also a little angry at the woman. Though seeing her pale and frail on the couch, she couldn’t scold her too harshly. Her tone softened: “You’re far too earnest, child. I only walked in the Imperial Garden yesterday and caught a chill, felt tired today, so I didn’t summon you for morning greetings. You should have gone back. Why wait outside my hall? Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Rest here for now, the empress will later see you back. I’ll have the kitchen remove anything cold or unfit for your condition.”
After giving her instructions, the Empress Dowager left first.
Noble Consort Xu, lying on the couch, answered weakly, eyes following her departing figure, her heart a tangle of fear and relief. Fear because the Empress Dowager had clearly intended to teach her a lesson today. Relief because her pregnancy had turned the situation around.
Her hand gently caressed her lower belly. Fortunately, he had come in time.
Just one favored Noble Consort Xu was someone no one could afford to offend; she could neither be treated too lightly nor too heavily, but had to be carefully upheld and indulged. Now the pregnant Noble Consort Xu was even more like a burning hot potato, Meng Guqing stood half a step away and asked a few questions about her condition. Xu Wan raised her head slightly, looking up at the empress; that faint sense of crisis that had always lingered in her heart finally eased a little with the arrival of the child. Fortunately, she was the first to conceive. Fortunately, His Majesty still showed no affection toward the empress.
After Meng Guqing saw that Noble Consort Xu was well enough to rest, she had her carried back to Jianjia Palace in a soft sedan chair. Not only did she personally summon the kitchen staff to give careful instructions, but also spoke to the attendants of Jianjia Palace and the physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau, anyone who could possibly be involved received her reminders. When she returned to Fengyi Palace, she called for Caiwei and Fusang. Before she could say anything, Fusang had already understood her intent and said solemnly, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. From today on, I’ll make sure that everyone in our palace keeps their distance from Jianjia Palace. As for their food, clothing, and daily supplies, I’ll see to it that none of our people handle them. It will be more troublesome, but everything will be managed by the Jianjia Palace staff. We’ll keep well out of their way. That way, if anything happens, no one can pin the blame on us.”
Things weren’t quite as dangerous as Fusang imagined, but Meng Guqing always preferred to prevent trouble before it happened. Since her chief attendant was so perceptive, it spared her the need to explain. She smiled and said, “It’s good that you understand. Later, go keep an eye on what gifts the Empress Dowager sends to Noble Consort Xu. Whatever she gives, we’ll send something a tier lower. Don’t send food, and don’t send anything a pregnant woman would use, just something decent and elegant will do.”
In history, there were countless tales of concubines using children to frame rivals. Even the legendary female emperor Wu Zetian, when she was still a Zhaoyi, was said to have strangled her own infant daughter to falsely accuse Empress Wang. Xu Wan was not such a cruel person but Meng Guqing did not dare gamble her safety on another’s character.
That day had been full of ups and downs. It was said that the young emperor went straight to Jianjia Palace after court. The child in Noble Consort Xu’s belly was the first in the imperial harem of the Wu dynasty; the young couple surely had endless things to talk about. Since nothing more was likely to arise that night, Meng Guqing ordered the palace doors locked and withdrew to her inner chambers to rest.
Truth be told, in her previous life she had been quite reclusive. Though she had gone to school for a few years, it was more for experience and friendships than study. Most of her time was spent nesting in her own small villa, tinkering with her hobbies and living the life of a pampered shut-in. Times when she had to work her mind and energy like this had been rare. These days, the effort she had expended was enough to rival several years of her past life. Sometimes she wondered if Heaven had thought her life was too easy and sent her to ancient times just to make her “experience life.”
Still, it was only for a few years, once she got through it, she could “retire.” Thinking so, Meng Guqing lazily turned over in the soft, comfortable bedding and soon drifted off to sleep.
When she woke, another new day had begun. Rain or shine, she never skipped her morning routine, half an hour of yoga she had practiced since her former life. Her joints and muscles loosened, she was fully awake by the time the maids entered in orderly fashion, holding wash basins and towels like a flock of birds. She didn’t need to lift a finger; they dressed and groomed her neatly. Meng Guqing had grown quite accustomed to this life.
There wasn’t much official business today. The Empress Dowager had asked about Noble Consort Xu. Apparently, it was customary for favored consorts who became pregnant to receive promotions. But Noble Consort Xu had entered the palace already as a “Noble Consort,” a rank equal to that of a marquis. The only title above that was “Imperial Noble Consort,” nearly on par with the empress herself. The young emperor might be infatuated, but surely he wouldn’t make such a conspicuous move before the child was safely born? Unable to figure it out, Meng Guqing set the matter aside. After a simple breakfast, Mingxia, the maid she had promoted on her first day, entered with a strange look on her face and said, “Your Majesty, there’s been an incident outside.”
Meng Guqing took a deep breath, resignedly waved everyone else away, and listened. Every consort’s time spent in the emperor’s bedchamber was recorded by the Tong Historian of the Huangji Hall, so that pregnancies could be traced. Noble Consort Xu had entered the palace half a month after the empress; in total, she had been here just over two months. But according to Physician Li’s pulse reading yesterday, she was already three months pregnant. The Imperial Medical Bureau’s records and the Historian’s records didn’t match. No one dared take responsibility, so they had come seeking the empress’s judgment.
Noble Consort Xu and the young emperor were clearly in love; there was no doubt the child was Zhao Donglin’s. But Meng Guqing, being from modern times, was open-minded about premarital relations; unfortunately, in this clan-bound, law-heavy ancient world, such things were grave offenses. If the dates couldn’t be reconciled, she too would be seen as negligent. Her head began to ache at dawn and hadn’t stopped since. After thinking for half a day and finding no good way to explain it, she decided to let the culprits handle their own mess. She called her attendant Li Tai and sent him to Huangji Hall to seek the emperor’s instructions.
It was, indeed, an awkward matter. Li Tai soon returned, head lowered, voice soft and cautious: “His Majesty said Noble Consort Xu is pure and chaste, and the child’s imperial bloodline is beyond doubt. The Imperial Medical Bureau is to record it as is.”
“As is”—meaning he intended to ignore the discrepancy between the records. As long as the young emperor acknowledged it and didn’t see it as a big deal, Meng Guqing knew what to do. Still, this would make things difficult for Noble Consort Xu. And sure enough, there were no secrets in the palace, especially not about matters of the bedchamber. The young emperor could be overlooked, but Noble Consort Xu’s favor drew envy and resentment in equal measure. Though she was always kind and gracious, faultless in conduct, one misstep and the palace was full of slanderous whispers.
Soon, rumors spread that the child wasn’t even the emperor’s. At first, Meng Guqing didn’t interfere. She wasn’t the one involved, and she thought suppressing gossip would only make it seem true. But these people must have grown tired of living. Did they forget that the supposed “other man” they were mocking was the one sitting on the dragon throne? She finally had to punish several of the worst offenders, giving them a harsh beating, docking their stipends, and sending them to the laundry bureau to reflect. That finally quieted things down.
Soon after, word came that Noble Consort Xu’s mother, Madam Yang, had sent a request to enter the palace. Thinking of how Noble Consort Xu had been keeping to herself these past few days, surely feeling miserable, Meng Guqing approved it without objection. Madam Yang had wanted to visit as soon as she’d heard her daughter was pregnant, but after hearing worrying rumors through her daughter’s maid Guyu, her anxiety only deepened. The moment the empress’s permission arrived, she rushed into the palace, first paying formal respects to the empress before hurrying to Jianjia Palace. There, she found her daughter looking well, dressed in soft home clothes, quietly cutting paper flowers by the window. Startled, Lady Yang hurried forward, exclaiming, “My dear Niangniang! At such a crucial time, how can you be handling scissors? This is no time to be doing that!”
Noble Consort Xu put down the scissors, and the grievance she had been holding in burst forth. “Mother hasn’t heard the gossip spreading through the palace? I’m sick of sitting in my chambers all day. If I don’t find something to pass the time, how am I supposed to live?”
Madam Yang was alarmed. “Has His Majesty grown cold toward you?”
Noble Consort Xu shook her head. “No. His Majesty has come to see me every night these past few days, he even stayed in Jianjia Palace last night.” Thinking of the emperor’s joy when he learned of her pregnancy, her expression softened. “He treats me well and is looking forward to the child.”
“Then that’s what matters. As long as you carry this child safely and give birth to a prince, your good days are still ahead. Why do you think those women hate you so much? It’s only because you have what they don’t. They mock you for being improper, but who among them is truly purer than you? Believe me, if they were in your place, they’d behave far worse.”
But that was exactly what troubled Noble Consort Xu. Back then, when the Empress Dowager’s family sent her niece to the capital, the Empress Dowager had opposed Xu Wan’s marriage from the start, unwilling to let her into the palace. Seeing that even the emperor couldn’t resist the pressure, Xu Wan had made a desperate choice, following her mother’s advice to act first and talk later. Who would have thought that one time would result in pregnancy? It was both vexing and joyous. “Mother, don’t speak of it anymore. His Majesty said long ago he would bring me into the palace, and though our family didn’t believe it then, hasn’t it been proven true? He won’t go back on his word.”
Madam Yang, once the emperor’s wet nurse, had seen decades of palace intrigues under the late emperor and was no longer naïve. “It’s not that we didn’t believe, it’s that we must guard against misfortune. You’ve been around the Empress Dowager long enough to know her attitude toward our family. If we fall out of favor, do you think she’ll spare us? Your brother and uncles have all paid heavy prices for this glory, our family’s share of this courtly splendor is not unearned.”
Thinking of her brilliant but lame elder brother, blocked from office, and her two uncles executed for treason by the regent, Noble Consort Xu’s heart sank. “I know. Don’t be angry, Mother. I didn’t mean you were wrong to help me. I’m just tired of the gossip here. You’ve come all this way, don’t argue with your daughter.”
Of course, Madam Yang couldn’t truly blame her. To be honest, the whole family’s prosperity depended on this daughter’s favor. Luckily, they already had a noble title, and several uncles and cousins held posts at court. House Xu’s fortunes were rising. Still, seeing her daughter’s still-slender waist, she couldn’t help but worry and asked quietly about her marital life. Xu Wan blushed. “I’m not a child, Mother. I’m careful, there’s been no recklessness. You can rest easy.”
Madam Yang grew anxious, finally speaking bluntly. “It’s a long pregnancy, ten full months. His Majesty cherishes you now, but men can’t easily do without such things. He’s young, passionate, and rules all under heaven, the entire harem belongs to him. When the time comes…” She trailed off, unable to say more. She had met the empress earlier that day, and the sight had taken her breath away. In all her years in the late emperor’s harem, she had never seen anyone more beautiful, more refined than even the famed Madam Li who monopolized the late emperor’s affections for a decade. The empress shone like the moon, aloof and untouchable.
The emperor might avoid her now out of lingering guilt toward the regent, but over time, husband and wife in name, under the same roof, affection would easily grow. When that day came, what fate would await her daughter, once the most beloved consort?
But Xu Wan only shook her head firmly. “No. His Majesty isn’t that kind of man. Our bond isn’t that fragile. I know what you mean, Mother, I was prepared from the day I entered the palace. He will have others beside me someday; I never thought I could have him forever. I’ve already made peace with that.” Though she said this, Xu Wan still couldn’t suppress the faint unease in her heart. She couldn’t explain it. His Majesty had always had other women around him, and she had never minded. But that one person… from the first moment she saw her, she could never feel at ease again.
Madam Yang had no way to deal with this daughter whose eyes were filled only with love and affection. Yet she could not stake the entire Xu family’s future on such a vague, uncertain emotion. After some thought, she said, “Your third uncle’s daughter, your cousin Xu Qiang is fifteen this year, and she’s grown into a fine, graceful young lady. In a few days, I’ll bring her into the palace for you to meet. In this harem, having a kinswoman at your side to support each other is always better than struggling on alone.”
