Leaving the palace, Mingxi’s steps felt heavy. She thought back to when Bai Shixi and Bai Zhiwei had confronted each other—at that time, Bai Shixi had been a little girl at a disadvantage. Who would have thought that after marrying into the Eastern Palace, she would change so drastically?
Yet, she had clearly warned Mingxi to protect herself last time, so why would she act this way toward Jin Wangfei?
Could it be that the Crown Prince had forced her?
That explanation made sense. In Mingxi’s view, the Crown Prince was neither an upright gentleman nor a kind-hearted man. Bai Shixi, even as the Crown Princess, had to live under the watchful eyes of the Empress and the Crown Prince, struggling to survive.
Hopefully, it was just as she had thought.
At that moment, inside the Eastern Palace, Bai Shixi’s maid, Suying, had just sent away the imperial physician. The room was still filled with the lingering scent of medicine. She lifted the curtain and looked at the pale-faced Crown Princess, unable to hold back her words. She gently consoled her, “Crown Princess, such things are not always within one’s control. Please don’t worry too much. The imperial physician said you are in good health, so good news will surely come soon.”
Bai Shixi, however, seemed not to hear her. At this moment, she felt so suffocated that she could hardly breathe.
She had been married for several months, and the Empress had been keeping a close eye on her womb. She herself had been hoping to conceive as soon as possible, preferably giving birth to a son. That way, she wouldn’t have to deal with the Crown Prince anymore—he could go and find whomever he pleased.
But things had not gone as she wished. She still hadn’t conceived. Her womb was empty.
Suying, unable to bear seeing her mistress like this, knelt beside her and said softly, “Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. Yu Wangfei was married for years before she conceived for the first time last year. Jin Wangfei only recently became pregnant, but unfortunately, she wasn’t lucky enough to keep the child. As for Your Highness, neither the Empress nor His Highness the Crown Prince is pressuring you. Please take care of yourself, for only with good health can you conceive.”
Bai Shixi’s lips trembled as she looked at Suying and murmured, “Do you think this is karma? Because Jin Wangfei lost her child, I am unable to conceive?”
“Your Highness, how can you say such things?” Suying was startled. “That day, Jin Wangfei spoke to you rather rudely, didn’t she? Just because she’s the Eldest Prince’s Consort! Besides, what happened to her child has nothing to do with you. You only sent a message to the palace, but you weren’t the only one who knew about her pregnancy. Jin Wangfei thought she was being clever, hiding her pregnancy, but she never considered that she had already been targeted by Side Consort Qian.”
Bai Shixi already knew that the miscarriage of Side Consort Qian’s previous child had something to do with Jin Wangfei.
Now, hearing Suying’s words, she slowly asked, “You mean to say Jin Wangfei kept her pregnancy a secret to guard against Side Consort Qian?”
Suying snorted coldly. “She had a guilty conscience, so of course, she feared retribution. I heard that when Side Consort Qian lost her child, she suffered greatly. It would be difficult for her to conceive again.”
Bai Shixi frowned deeply. “Are you suggesting that Side Consort Qian was responsible for this?”
“No matter who did it, it has nothing to do with Your Highness. Jin Wangfei puts on a good act in front of others, but in front of you, she deliberately reveals her superiority, just to suppress you.” Suying was still indignant.
The daughters of the Xingan Marquis’ family were all the same—none of them were decent.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn’t hold back from adding, “Why didn’t Jin Wangfei go flaunt in front of Yu Wangfei? Because Yu Wang was sent out of the capital and no one knows when he’ll return. He poses no threat to Jin Wang.”
Bai Shixi was amused by Suying’s words. She let out a small laugh and said, “She would have to be able to step foot into Yu Wang’s residence first.”
Suying: …
That’s true!
Ever since Yu Wang had been sent away, Yu Wangfei had shut her doors to visitors and focused on her pregnancy. It was indeed difficult for outsiders to see her.
Changing the topic, Suying added, “That just shows Yu Wangfei is a wise woman. She was already guarding against Jin Wangfei.”
Listening to Suying vent her frustrations on her behalf, Bai Shixi finally felt a little better. Almost unconsciously, she placed her hand on her stomach.
To outsiders, being the Crown Princess seemed glorious, but only she knew how difficult it truly was.
Fu Hongxiao had brought this upon herself when she failed to enter the Eastern Palace as a liangdi. But that didn’t mean there were no other women in the Eastern Palace—just that those women were not officially acknowledged.
The women kept in the Western Garden of the Eastern Palace were all those whom the Crown Prince had favored. Unfortunately, their status was too low for him to want them to bear children. Otherwise, the Eastern Palace would be filled with his offspring by now.
Thinking of this, she looked at Suying and asked, “How do you know so much about Jin Wang’s residence?”
“I made inquiries. I noticed a long time ago that Jin Wangfei looks at you differently than she does others, so I was always on guard.” Suying had grown up with Bai Shixi for over ten years. They were like sisters, so she spoke without reservation.
Bai Shixi had never paid much attention to Jin Wangfei before, so she was surprised to hear that her hostility had been so obvious—even Suying had noticed.
“I reported the matter to the Empress, but I doubt she would go out of her way to protect me.” Bai Shixi sighed. “Jin Wangfei will probably dislike me even more now.”
“Then let her deal with Side Consort Qian first. You are the Crown Princess. If she dares to be disrespectful, just catch her in the act and punish her severely.”
Suying’s attitude had completely changed from when they had first entered the Eastern Palace. She had seen and learned much, and her heart had hardened.
If the Crown Princess didn’t toughen up, she would only be bullied.
Bai Shixi smirked. That made sense—Jin Wangfei wouldn’t be foolish enough to act recklessly.
Besides, how exactly had she lost this child? Whether Bai Shixi had informed the Empress or not, it hardly mattered. She owed Side Consort Qian a life, and debts like these always had to be repaid.
Since that was the case, Bai Shixi decided to stir things up and make sure Jin Wangfei was too busy to worry about her.
Meanwhile, Jin Wangfei, who had spent years praying and making offerings, had finally conceived a child—only to lose it so soon.
First, she discovered that Side Consort Qian had a hand in it. Then, she learned of Bai Shixi’s involvement.
Compared to Bai Shixi merely reporting to the Empress, Side Consort Qian had taken her child’s life.
She had someone press Side Consort Qian to the ground and beat her with a plank, yet Jin Wang still protected her. The couple had a huge argument, and he showed no concern for the fact that she had just suffered a miscarriage—he simply carried Side Consort Qian away.
Thinking of what Jin Wang had said, her anger burned even hotter.
What did he mean by saying it was to “repay a life for Side Consort Qian’s child”?
Could someone as lowly born as Side Consort Qian even compare to her?
If it weren’t for Side Consort Qian putting on two faces in front of her and Jin Wang, always trying to steal the limelight, would she have needed to deal with her?
But no matter what she said, it was useless. Jin Wang wouldn’t listen—his eyes were filled only with that seductress.
Fine! If he wanted a life in return, then Side Consort Qian better make sure she never gives birth to another child. Otherwise…
Jin Wangfei’s heart hardened, her eyes turned red, and she thought of the Crown Princess as well—this grudge, she would remember. There would come a day to settle it.
What chilled Jin Wangfei even more was that she had just suffered a miscarriage, yet Consort Gui in the palace had not said a single word.
She knew that Consort Gui was still holding a grudge because her maiden family was dedicated to supporting the Crown Prince. But how was that something she could control?
Thinking of her family, she couldn’t help but recall Duan Mingxi, who had recently been making a name for herself. Not only did she have a powerful maiden family, but even her foster family was throwing silver at her like water.
Hah! She’d like to see—once the Duan family ran out of money, would Duan Mingxi still be so filial to them?
In this world, who wasn’t driven by profit? Who didn’t come and go for the sake of benefit?
