The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Consort Rong, what's wrong? Quickly, summon the imperial physician." Emperor Mingde frowned, a hint of concern appearing on his face as he saw her face turn deathly pale.

"Your Majesty, I am fine, it's just that..." Consort Rong tugged at the corners of her mouth, a smile blooming on her face. She paused, then continued, "Perhaps the little one in my belly also likes Miss Yunxiu's beauty and is expressing his feelings."

The sentence, though seemingly a joke, contained a message that was easily grasped by those present.

What did Consort Rong say? The little one in her belly? Everyone looked at Consort Rong's belly, which was covered by her beautiful clothes. Was Consort Rong pregnant with the emperor's child?

"My beloved consort, you mean..." Emperor Mingde was overjoyed and stood up abruptly, walking to Consort Rong's side and gently supporting her. "You are pregnant? Why didn't you tell me sooner? How are you now? Are you feeling unwell? Someone, have the imperial physician come here quickly."

At Emperor Mingde's age, none of the concubines in the harem had borne him a child for many years. It is conceivable how much Emperor Mingde would care about this child when Consort Rong became pregnant at this time.

At this moment, Emperor Mingde, whose face had been somewhat reserved just moments before, could no longer hide his joy. He even changed his address for Consort Rong to "my beloved consort."

"Your Majesty, I only recently learned of this myself. I originally intended to tell you as soon as possible, but then I thought that the Ghost Festival is approaching, and telling you at this time would make you happy, which would be of great significance. So, I... I beg Your Majesty to forgive me for delaying this long, for the sake of the child in my womb."

"Haha... What did you do wrong? You are carrying the dragon's child, which makes you a meritorious official of our Great Jin Dynasty." Emperor Mingde laughed heartily.

"Your Majesty, this is the gift I have for you. Do you like it?" Consort Rong raised the corners of her mouth, and her eyebrows showed even more pride. The Emperor's reaction was exactly as she had expected.

"Of course I like it, my dear consort. Your health is not what it used to be, so you must be careful at all times and take good care of the child in your womb," Emperor Mingde instructed, without any regard for the presence of so many people. He placed his hand on Consort Rong's lower abdomen, looking as if he had just had his first child.

This scene caught Empress Feng's eye, and her eyes were already filled with a turbulent atmosphere.

When she heard that Consort Rong was pregnant, she was stunned. Pregnant? How could Consort Rong be pregnant? Thinking of the tricks she had done, even if Consort Rong had a chance to get pregnant, she wouldn't have been able to keep this child until now. What's even more hateful is that, judging from her appearance, it seems that she has been pregnant for some time. However, she only found out now.

No wonder Consort Rong was so smug just now; it turns out she had a trump card up her sleeve.

Empress Feng's gaze swept over An Mi, noticing that the sachet was still hanging on her body. The color in her eyes deepened. At this moment, she had no time to investigate why the sachet had not worked.

At this moment, seeing the smile on Consort Rong's face, Empress Feng felt extremely annoyed, while Yunxiu, who had been neglected, could only stand there silently. Empress Feng thought that her plan had been ruined by Consort Rong, and she felt even worse.

"If Your Majesty is pleased, then I am happy, and the child in my womb will surely be happy too," Consort Rong said softly, her whole demeanor becoming much gentler, but in her heart she was pleased with herself.

Looking at the smile on the Emperor's face and listening to the constant congratulations from the officials in the hall, Consort Rong felt that she had won this battle against the Empress with the most beautiful victory. Hmph, Empress Feng, if you want to fight with her, you'd better take Consort Rong seriously.

He glanced discreetly at the woman named Yunxiu. So what if she's beautiful? The Emperor hasn't even given her a second glance!

An Mi watched this scene with a faint smile on her lips. It was not a bad move for Consort Rong to announce that she was pregnant at this time. However, would the Empress so easily watch her carry the Emperor's child and give birth to the Emperor's son?

She felt that Empress Feng didn't have that much magnanimity.

As for Yunxiu... Anmi felt that some things had not developed according to the trajectory of her previous life. In her previous life, Yunxiu was made a concubine at this banquet and from then on, she was favored by the emperor and rose to prominence. However, in this life, after Consort Rong's commotion, the emperor's mind was no longer on Yunxiu.

As Anmi was pondering this, Empress Feng's voice rang out...

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Consort Rong! It's just as well. Consort Rong is pregnant, and it might be inconvenient for her to serve Your Majesty in the future. Yunxiu is a considerate and lovely girl. So, Your Majesty..." Empress Feng naturally couldn't let her goal fall through halfway. The matter between Consort Rong and her wasn't over yet. Yunxiu had to stay by the Emperor's side. If Consort Rong's child were to be lost, then Yunxiu would never be able to regain her status as the Emperor's favored concubine.

However, before Empress Feng could finish speaking, Consort Rong frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I am currently pregnant. If Your Majesty really intends to take a concubine, then I have nothing to say."

Normally, even if Consort Rong was arrogant, she wouldn't dare to say such treasonous and threatening words to the Emperor in front of so many people. However, now that she is carrying a big trump card and the Emperor is overjoyed, he wouldn't hold it against her even if she said it.

As expected, Emperor Mingde not only did not hold it against her, but also gave her great face, reaching out to pull Consort Rong into his arms, saying, "I am happy today, and I appreciate the Empress's kindness."

Simply acknowledging the sentiment means disagreeing.

Upon hearing this, Consort Rong slightly lowered her brows, her eyes shining even brighter. Empress Feng's face stiffened, she gritted her teeth, but could not say anything more. She could only suppress her hatred for Consort Rong, vowing that one day she would make Consort Rong have no reason to be proud.

Throughout, Yunxiu stood there, unmoved by praise or criticism, like a mindless doll. This only made Anmi more curious about this woman named Yunxiu.

Her intuition told her that this woman was not simple.

"As for this Miss Yunxiu..."

Suddenly, Emperor Mingde spoke again. Consort Rong frowned, thinking that the emperor was going to change his mind again, while Empress Feng felt a glimmer of hope. Did the emperor change his mind by mentioning Yunxiu again at this time?

If that's the case, then that would be perfect.

Empress Feng was filled with anticipation, and everyone was also speculating about how the Emperor would arrange things for this Miss Yunxiu. In their opinion, it would be a great waste to give up on such a beautiful woman!