I fulfilled the female supporting role's wish and I succeeded

The empress dowager's coffin was placed in the main hall of Shoukang Palace, with incense curling and prayer flags fluttering.

The mournful music echoes softly, like weeping and complaining, striking at everyone's heart.

All the officials knelt in plain clothes, and the cries like thunder and sea rose one after another, but it could not cover up the thoughts in everyone's heart.

Queen Yixiu knelt in the front, tears streaming down her face and her body trembling slightly.

She clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

"Empress Dowager, why did you leave..." Yixiu choked and her voice trembled.

She seemed to have lost her backbone and was confused.

The funeral ceremony was complicated and lengthy, and every step was carried out meticulously.

From early morning to dusk, Empress Yixiu did not drink a drop of water and cried until she almost fainted.

Concubine Nian glanced at Yixiu with a sneer on her lips.

"The Empress is truly filial," Nianpin said sarcastically, "If you didn't know, you would think the Empress Dowager was her real mother."

Concubine Qi echoed, "That's right. Look at how she's crying. If you didn't know, you'd think she was going to follow the Queen Mother."

Empress Yixiu turned a deaf ear and continued to cry bitterly.

She needed this performance to consolidate her position and intimidate the harem.

Inside the hall, the smell of sandalwood was so strong that it was suffocating.

Mixed with crying and chanting, it created a strange atmosphere.

An Lingrong knelt in the crowd, feeling dizzy and her stomach churning.

She suppressed her discomfort and kowtowed again and again.

"Sister Shu Guifei, are you okay?" Shen Meizhuang supported An Lingrong worriedly.

An Lingrong shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just a little bored."

"This sandalwood is too strong," Mei Zhuang frowned, "It's really uncomfortable to smell it for too long."

"Yes," Concubine Jing whispered, "This smell is really disgusting."

The mourning lasted for three days and three nights, and all the concubines in the harem looked haggard.

Queen Yixiu's eyes were red and swollen, and her voice was hoarse.

She held on to her wits and presided over every aspect of the funeral.

"The Emperor has arrived—" the eunuch's shrill voice broke the silence.

Everyone quickly stood up and saluted.

The emperor was wearing a dragon robe and his face was solemn.

He looked around and his eyes fell on An Lingrong.

"Rong'er, please don't be so polite," the emperor said gently, "You are in a heavy body, so there is no need to work so hard."

An Lingrong bowed slightly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."

"I consider you are pregnant, so please don't cry at the funeral," the emperor looked at An Lingrong with concern, "it is important that you take good care of yourself."

An Lingrong felt warm in her heart and looked at the emperor with gratitude.

"Your Majesty," Empress Yixiu stepped forward, "How can the funeral of the Empress Dowager be treated lightly? Even though Concubine Shu is pregnant, she must still fulfill her filial duties."

"Empress," the Emperor said in a slightly depressed tone, "Rong'er is carrying my own child. How can I allow her to suffer?"

"I dare not," Yixiu lowered her eyes, "but this is the rule, I dare not change it without permission."

"My mind is made up," the emperor said firmly, "no need to say more."

"Your Majesty is wise," An Lingrong said softly.

The emperor looked at Concubine Hui and Concubine Jing who were kneeling on the ground.

"Hui Fei, Jing Fei," the emperor pondered for a moment, "you are also pregnant, so please don't cry for the funeral."

Concubine Hui and Concubine Jing hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Empress Yixiu looked unhappy, but she didn't dare to say anything else.

Empress Yixiu returned to Jingren Palace and swept the teacups off the table.

The sound of porcelain breaking was sharp and piercing, and tea splashed everywhere, leaving a dark mark on the ground.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Yixiu gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently.

Jianqiu hurried forward and patted Yixiu's back gently, "Your Majesty, please calm down and be careful not to hurt yourself."

Yixiu pushed Jianqiu away and roared, "Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down?"

She pointed at the debris on the ground and said sternly, "I have been planning this for so long, and it was about to succeed, but the Emperor disrupted it!"

Yixiu paced back and forth, the hem of her phoenix robe fluttering like a burning flame.

"The Emperor's favoritism towards An Lingrong is becoming increasingly apparent!" Yixiu's voice was so sharp it nearly pierced her eardrums. "I absolutely cannot allow her to give birth to this child!"

Jianqiu lowered her head, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is now taking great care of Concubine Shu, so we must be even more cautious and not act hastily."

Yixiu took a deep breath and tried to suppress the anger in her heart, "You are right, I can't lose my composure."

She walked to the dressing table, looked at her hideous face in the mirror, and slowly closed her eyes.

"I will never lose!"

Yixiu originally planned to use the empress dowager's funeral to get rid of An Lingrong, Concubine Jing and Concubine Hui's unborn child in one fell swoop.

She ordered people to add special spices to the incense burner in Shoukang Palace. The smell emitted by this spice after burning is colorless and tasteless, but it is extremely harmful to pregnant women.

If you smell it for seven consecutive days, it will cause a pregnant woman to have a miscarriage.

She originally thought that no matter how much the emperor doted on An Lingrong, he would not violate the rules of the empress dowager's funeral at this time.

But she never expected that the emperor would directly exempt them from crying.

This completely ruined her carefully prepared plan.

When An Lingrong returned to Yongshou Palace, a faint scent of sandalwood lingered at her nose.

This smell seems to be somewhat different from the sandalwood burning in Shoukang Palace.

She rubbed her temples, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.

"Chunhua," An Lingrong called out, "Go check what kind of spices are burning in Shoukang Palace today."

After taking the fitness pill, her physical fitness was much better than before. Even when she was pregnant, she was not so sensitive to ordinary sandalwood.

Today in Shoukang Palace, she felt dizzy and her stomach was churning. This feeling was definitely not something that ordinary sandalwood could cause.

An uneasy premonition spread in her heart.

"Your Majesty," Chunhua looked at An Lingrong worriedly, "are you feeling unwell?"

An Lingrong shook her head, "I just think the fragrance smells a bit strange."

She stroked her slightly bulging belly, her heart filled with worry.

If there was something wrong with the spice, then her child...

"Your Majesty," Chunhua hurried into the palace, "I have obtained some leftover spices."

She opened the package in her hand, revealing a small piece of black spice inside.

An Lingrong took the spices and examined them carefully.

This spice looks just like regular sandalwood and has a light woody aroma.

She brought the spice close to her nose and sniffed it gently.

In addition to the scent of sandalwood, there seems to be a subtle and strange fragrance.

This strange fragrance was the source of her discomfort in Shoukang Palace.

An Lingrong's heart sank.

She had studied medicine for so long, but she couldn't even tell what was wrong with the spice.

"Chunhua," An Lingrong ordered, "go and get Doctor Xu over."

She had to find out the ingredients of the spice to determine whether it was harmful to her child.