The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

Unlike Consort Xu's quarters, the palace servants in Qinyu Palace all wore smiles.

Their master gave birth to a prince and was promoted to the rank of concubine. In addition, they were favored by the emperor, so everyone stood up straight.

Furthermore, the palace servants also knew that their master had risked giving birth to choose an auspicious day and had ultimately achieved his wish.

Knowing the danger of this production, everyone moved with extreme caution.

When the little prince cried, there were wet nurses to take care of him and comfort him.

Consort Rui should have been happy at this moment, but she was actually quite apprehensive.

This day was the sixteenth of August, and autumn had arrived.

The weather in the capital is just right right now, neither too hot nor too cold.

Ruifei had a light yellow cloth wrapped around her head and was lying on the bed with a pale face.

"Does the young prince resemble the Emperor? Did the Emperor say anything last night?"

She was filled with anxiety, unable to discern her son's appearance, and tried to get confirmation from the palace servants around her.

The palace maid smiled and said, "The little prince has just been born and hasn't fully grown yet. It will take some time before we can see his true appearance. Your Highness, please don't be impatient. Our little prince is growing up strong and healthy, no less so than a full-term baby. He will surely be outstanding in the future."

Upon hearing that her youngest son had grown strong and healthy, Consort Rui felt uneasy and could only change the subject, "I fell into a deep sleep last night. There was a commotion outside. What happened?"

That person said he would find an opportunity to be there for her during childbirth, but please, it can't be him.

It's a pity that I'm afraid of whatever comes next.

"Last night, the eldest prince got drunk and went crazy in the inner palace. He was caught red-handed by the emperor in that pavilion near our Qinyu Palace. It is said that he was imprisoned in Taiwu Lane for spying on the emperor's whereabouts and is not allowed to leave without an imperial edict."

The palace maid's words made Consort Rui shudder.

"The Emperor dotes on the eldest prince, so why has he suddenly become disliked?"

Consort Rui asked casually, but she already had a guess in her mind; something must have happened that she didn't know about.

The eldest prince was previously favored by Emperor Chu Yuan, partly because he shielded the emperor from harm, and more importantly, because he had no maternal clan behind him.

Both his and the Second Prince's mothers were of humble origins and died young due to illness.

The two had similar experiences, one was favored by Emperor Chu Yuan while the other was practically invisible.

If Princess Shengmian hadn't suddenly disappeared on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and the Second Prince hadn't gone mad, she probably still wouldn't have caught Emperor Chuyuan's eye.

As the ruler of a country, Emperor Chuyuan disliked weak people.

That was the impression the Second Prince had given before, while the First Prince was tall and strong, and excelled in riding and archery.

The palace maid, unaware of Consort Rui's worries, simply said:

"The things the eldest prince and his future wife did at the Imperial Estate a few days ago were reported to the Emperor and Empress by Princess Wenmin, which is why the eldest prince was not included in this conferment of the title of prince."

"The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family reunion, which is why the eldest prince was released from the imperial estate. Last night, for some reason, the Emperor saw him and offended him..."

The palace servants recounted everything they knew.

After hearing this, Consort Rui was stunned for a moment. "Princess Wenmin is not very favored, so why is she treating Father like this?"

The palace servants, assuming Consort Rui was gloating, and curious about the matter, quickly offered their explanation:

“The maids and servants around Princess Wenmin did not serve her well. Even though the eldest prince knew that Princess Wenmin had been wronged in the incident at the royal estate, he did not punish those people.”

"In addition, Lord Qi, in order to avenge Miss Qi, complained to the Emperor."

"In the end, the eldest prince changed his wife, and Princess Wenmin was taken to the empress's palace to be raised."

These days, Consort Rui has been focusing on her pregnancy and knows little about the outside world. None of the palace servants have come to her to talk about these things, and she has only just learned about this matter.

"The current Crown Prince's wife is Princess Jialuo's daughter? Doesn't that mean she'll have the Empress Dowager's support in the future? Remember this, and be sure to report to me promptly about the affairs of the other princes. There are princes in Qinyu Palace now as well."

The palace servants didn't think anything of it, assuming that their master also coveted that position, and hurriedly agreed.

Consort Rui had just given birth and her lochia had not yet cleared up. Upon hearing the bad news, she felt a surge of lochia and could no longer hold on, so she fainted.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Quickly summon the imperial physician! Her Majesty has fainted..."

The palace servants panicked and quickly sent someone to inform the Emperor and Empress.

Qinyu Palace is now a thorn in the side of all the other palaces, and no matter what happens, it cannot be kept secret from the outside world.

Moreover, with Consort Rui unconscious, they couldn't possibly keep such a commotion a secret.

When the news reached Consort Xu's ears, her gloom vanished instantly.

Consort Xu sat up from the couch and said viciously, "She deserves it! This is retribution! Over the years, she has been trying to sow discord between me and the Emperor. If she has a postpartum hemorrhage this time, I will celebrate for three days."

Among these favored concubines, Consort Rui was the youngest.

No matter how well Consort Xu maintained her appearance, it was all in vain once she lost her youth.

Her face and body were fine, but that part of her body couldn't compare to that of a young concubine.

If it weren't for her face, Emperor Chu Yuan might not have come to her palace, and even if he did, it would have been a hasty affair.

She appears glamorous on the surface, but she knows perfectly well what's really going on inside.

The trusted nanny naturally knew all this and advised, "Your Highness, you should try to think more positively! You have the Third Prince and the Princess, as well as the Imperial Advisor and the Xu family. The Xu Prince's Mansion is also behind you. Some things cannot be forced."

Having served Consort Xu for decades, she naturally knew her mistress's feelings for the Emperor.

Back then, both their mistress and the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family were popular candidates for empress, but their mistress was superior to Empress Yang in every aspect.

Unfortunately, at that time Princess Jinghe was still involved in politics, and she supported the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family to become empress.

This explains why Consort Xu, after becoming a favored concubine, repeatedly caused trouble for Princess Jinghe's faction.

I simply can't swallow this insult.

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince has arrived," someone outside reported, without entering the room.

Consort Xu stood up from the couch. "Quickly, let Cun'er in."

The third prince, Zhao Changcun, wore a brocade robe and a jade crown, and bore a striking resemblance to Consort Xu.

"Mother, why did you summon me here in such a hurry? I have made an appointment with my second brother. He is going to be on an inspection tour in a couple of days, and I want to give him a farewell party!"

The Third Prince was getting impatient. "If you're bored, call your sister over to talk to you. Your son is grown up now, so it's not appropriate for him to be going in and out of the inner palace all the time."

The brothers found out about what happened to their eldest brother last night.

I just went to the Imperial Study to plead for him, but his father rejected my request.

My second brother got himself involved in the flood; there was a major flood in Changyong County, and the imperial court allocated relief grain for him to inspect the area.

The responsibility of overseeing the construction of both princely residences fell entirely on him; he had to supervise the work on behalf of his second brother.

"You didn't get a single task? Just send someone capable to supervise you, there's no need for you to watch over it personally! If you have nothing to do, go to Changxing County and find some medicinal herbs for Mother Consort."

Consort Xu was disappointed in her son, who was an orphan who had secured a position, while her own son was idle and aimless.

The Third Prince's eyes lit up. Changxing County was right next to Changyong County, so he could go there with his Second Brother.

Thinking of this, he readily agreed, "Mother, don't worry, I'll go in the next couple of days. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now; my second brother and fourth brother are waiting for me!"

“This child is so naive. Everyone else has gotten jobs, but he acts like nothing’s wrong.” Consort Xu said with a worried look. “He may not be as well-off as the Fourth Prince, but if he does his job well and catches the Emperor’s eye, he will surely have a bright future.”

She fought the Empress in secret, but did not stop her son from associating with his other brothers.

The trusted nanny quickly offered a suggestion, "Your Highness, please don't worry. Why don't we take a trip to Qinyu Palace?"

"Never mind, once the imperial decree granting him the title comes down, I'll go to the Emperor and ask for it." Consort Xu finished speaking, a smile appearing on her face. "Let's go to Qinyu Palace and see what's going on."