The Rebirth of Li Fei: The Strongest Palace Fighting System

In this way, I can maintain my friendship with Concubine Duan and avoid conflict with Concubine Hua, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

What's more, the one I wanted to raise was not the Fifth Prince, but the Fourth Prince. After all, I knew that the Fourth Prince was the future Emperor Qianlong.

As I finished speaking, the atmosphere in the palace subtly shifted. A flicker of gratitude flashed across the eyes of both Noble Consort Hua and Noble Consort Duan.

Concubine Duan opened her red lips slightly, her voice carrying a hint of tenderness and determination:

"I've long heard that the Fifth Prince is frail and needs careful care. If he could come to my Yanqing Palace and recuperate with me, I believe that with my experience and the imperial physician's meticulous care, the Fifth Prince will surely recover, and we, mother and son, will surely recover together."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Hua sneered, and her voice was a bit provocative:

"Sister Duan Guifei is wrong. You yourself have been suffering from a long-term illness, how can you take good care of a young child? Why not let the Fifth Prince come to my Yikun Palace? I will definitely be able to give him the best care."

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned slightly, his expression revealing a bit of nervousness and worry.

Because of Nian Gengyao's power, the Emperor obviously did not want Concubine Hua to raise the Fifth Prince, so after pondering for a moment, he slowly spoke:

"Noble Consort Duan is right. Yanqing Palace is quiet and elegant, and it's close to the Imperial Medical Bureau. He and the Fifth Prince can rest there together, and it will be convenient for the Imperial Physician to go there. This matter is settled."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Duan's eyes flashed with surprise and gratitude, and she quickly knelt on the ground:

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing this, the Emperor quickly extended his hand to support him:

"Get up now. You're not feeling well. There's no need to kneel."

Seeing this, all the concubines came forward to congratulate:

"Congratulations to Her Majesty the Consort Duan on the birth of her prince. May the Fifth Prince grow up healthy and well under Her Majesty's protection."

The atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly became warm and festive.

Xiao Tao leaned close to my ear, her voice filled with a hint of mischief and joy:

"Everyone is congratulating Concubine Duan. Xiaotao can't be left behind, so she's here to congratulate Empress An as well! Congratulations to the Empress for successfully completing an Oleander mission. This time, she's been rewarded with a 5% Favor Index! Also, Concubine Duan and Concubine Hua's indexes have quietly risen because of this fight!"

When I heard that, a faint smile appeared on the corner of my mouth.

"The Fifth Prince's matter has finally been settled. Then... there's the Fourth Prince."

When the Queen Mother mentioned the Fourth Prince with a smile and grace, the scene, which was lively and full of congratulations just now, suddenly became silent.

The concubines' faces showed expressions of astonishment and hesitation, as if they were suddenly frightened by an invisible force.

Just now, the concubines were still vying for the opportunity to raise the Fifth Prince. However, at this moment, when the topic shifted to the Fourth Prince, everyone seemed to see a hot potato and tried to avoid it.

This is because, in this palace, there is a well-known secret - the emperor does not like the fourth prince.

If a concubine kept the Fourth Prince by her side, it would mean she would lose the Emperor's favor and attention. The Emperor would visit her bedroom less often, as if the Fourth Prince had become an ominous symbol, something people feared.

Seeing that Concubine Hua remained silent, the emperor went along with it and did not mention the matter to her any further.

Then, the emperor's eyes fell on Concubine Jing, with a hint of inquiry and expectation:

"Jingfei, what do you think?"

When Concubine Jing heard this, a complex expression flashed across her face. She bowed slightly and said in a gentle but firm voice:

"I am grateful for the trust and regard Your Majesty and Your Majesty have shown me. However... I have never given birth to a child, and the Fourth Prince is already grown, no longer a babe. I don't know how to teach him. Your Majesty should choose a queen who has given birth before."

Concubine Jing has always been cautious and used to protecting herself. She probably has no intention of raising the Fourth Prince.

I still remember that when Zhen Huan had just a brief conversation with the Fourth Prince in the Old Summer Palace, Concubine Jing kindly reminded her not to get too close to him. From this, it can be seen that Concubine Jing was evasive about the matter of raising the Fourth Prince.

"Having given birth..."

The emperor glanced around the hall and his gaze lingered for a moment on Concubine Qi and Concubine Cao.

Concubine Qi is not a smart and steady person, while Concubine Cao is too smart. Both of them are not the best candidates.

The Emperor turned to look at the Empress, with a questioning look in his eyes, and said slowly:

"The Queen has given birth to and raised the Second Prince, Honghui, and has considerable experience. I wonder what the Queen thinks of raising the Fourth Prince herself?"

The Queen bowed slightly, with a gentle smile on her face, but she found a very appropriate reason to refuse:

"Although I wish to raise the Fourth Prince, I have recently been suffering from frequent bouts of migraine, and I am not feeling well. Furthermore, with the numerous harem affairs, I fear that I will be unable to cope and hinder the Fourth Prince's growth."

The Queen then changed the subject and said with a hint of worry:

"But these are not the issues. I will do my best to overcome them. However... the Fourth Prince has been raised in the Old Summer Palace for a long time. If he were to be fostered under my name upon returning to the palace, even if he became the legitimate son, this change in status would probably be detrimental to his growth. After all, suddenly having too much is sometimes not a good thing."

After hearing this, the emperor fell into deep thought. He had experienced the tragic struggle for the throne among the nine princes and was well aware of the interests involved. Naturally, he understood that what the queen said was true.

After a moment, the emperor nodded slightly, seeming to appreciate the queen's consideration.

"The Queen is absolutely right. I had never considered this."

The Emperor looked towards the concubines again, and saw that apart from Concubine Li and I, who were each raising a princess, there was no one else.

Concubine Li appears to be strong but is actually weak. Although she is sitting there, her face cannot hide her inner restlessness and anxiety. It is obvious that she is not the right person to take on such an important task as raising the Fourth Prince.

The emperor's gaze finally settled on me, and he slowly said:

"Concubine An, you have always been gentle and virtuous, and you treat Princess Zhiqiu with great care. I am very pleased to see this. You have also suffered a lot of grievances in this matter..." The emperor paused slightly when he said this, as if he was choosing his words.

I lowered my head, secretly guessing the emperor's intentions in my heart, and dared not speak easily.

The Emperor continued:

"I think it would be better to let the Fourth Prince go to the Yanxi Palace to keep you and Princess Zhiqiu company. What do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall had different expressions. Some were surprised, some were confused, and some even had a gloating glint in their eyes, as if they were all waiting to see how I would respond.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Just as I was about to speak, I heard Xiaotao's low cheer:

"Your Majesty, congratulations! You have the Fourth Prince!"