Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Jiang Qingyan rolled her eyes at Ling Feng speechlessly and said unhappily, "Did I call you out to ship couples? Send the Empress back to Chaoyang Palace!"

Ling Feng pursed his lips in grievance after being inexplicably reprimanded by the Emperor. He carried Mo Ting and quickly returned to Chaoyang Palace with his light-footed skills. He gently placed him on the bed and carefully covered him with a quilt.

Jiang Qingyan washed her face in the courtyard and suddenly regretted her harsh attitude towards Ling Feng earlier. After all, Mo Ting had seriously injured Ling Feng before, but Ling Feng didn't hold a grudge at all...

Thinking that the two of them were so drunk that they wouldn't need lunch, Jiang Qingyan went to Ning Ruyu's place and instructed Eunuch Wang to tell Liang Cheng to send lunch to Qingliang Palace.

Although Ning Ruyu was promoted to the rank of Consort, she did not have the airs of a consort at all and still maintained her simple and plain attire.

Jiang Qingyan put her arm around Ning Ruyu's waist and said softly, "Yu'er, now that you are Consort Wen, it's time to have the Imperial Household Department make you some nice clothes."

Ning Ruyu chuckled and shook her head: "Yu'er has never cared about material possessions. Yu'er only wishes to see the Emperor often..."

Jiang Qingyan patted Ning Ruyu's head and said softly, "Yu'er is so good. Come and eat. Try the food from my little kitchen."

After presenting the last dish, Liang Cheng slowly withdrew from the hall. Suddenly, he paused, turned back to look at Jiang Qingyan, who was feeding Ning Ruyu soup inside the hall, and was filled with confusion.

The Emperor clearly favors the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, so why is he secretly sending food to Consort Shun? And today he came to Consort Wen's palace again. Could it be... that he's bisexual?

However... no matter who the emperor likes or favors, it wouldn't be his turn as a commoner...

Thinking of this, a pang of sorrow welled up in his heart. He sighed and returned to his small kitchen, perhaps the only useful thing he had left by the Emperor's side...

After lunch, Jiang Qingyan coaxed Ning Ruyu to sleep and then quietly left.

It's still early, and Mo Ting and Lu Nian are probably still asleep. Why not take a walk in the Imperial Garden to relax?

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Jiang Qingyan was possessed; every time she went to the Imperial Garden, she would inevitably run into Xia Meier...

This time, her belly looked a little bigger; judging by the timeline, she must be about five months along.

Xia Meier's complexion was not good. She had lost her previous charming and domineering demeanor and looked rather haggard.

Upon seeing Jiang Qingyan, Xia Meier's bloodless lips curved slightly upward, and she quickly stepped forward to bow respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Jiang Qingyan waved her hand, gesturing for her to stand up, and casually asked, "Have you been feeling unwell lately? Why do you look so pale?"

Faced with the Emperor's sudden concern, Xia Meier was somewhat surprised, her eyes slightly reddening as she said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and the imperial physician advised me to go out for walks more often..."

Thinking back to the two times I encountered Xia Meier in the Imperial Garden, I suppose Xia Meier's health started to deteriorate from that point on.

Although this child was conceived because Xia Meier cheated on her with someone else, it is still a life. Jiang Qingyan took a deep breath and said to Eunuch Wang beside her, "Old Wang, go to the side hall and call Green Medicine here."

After saying that, he took Xia Meier's arm and walked to the pavilion to sit down.

Soon, Lvyao arrived with Eunuch Wang. Jiang Qingyan pointed to Xia Meier beside her and said, "Lvyao, take her pulse and see how the baby in her belly is."

Green Medicine glanced at Xia Meier's belly, frowning slightly. She had long heard that a beauty in the harem was pregnant, and the Emperor didn't seem to favor her much. So this was the one before her... She was certainly beautiful...

A moment later, Green Medicine removed her fingers from Xia Meier's wrist and whispered in Jiang Qingyan's ear, "The beauty has been poisoned. Judging from her pulse, she has been poisoned for almost two months."

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. Two months? Doesn't that mean that as soon as news of Xia Meier's pregnancy spread, someone started trying to harm her? And...did the imperial physician really fail to detect it, or was he intentionally concealing it?

Seeing Jiang Qingyan's solemn expression, Xia Meier felt uneasy and quickly asked, "Your Majesty... is our child alright?"

Jiang Qingyan glanced at Xia Meier and asked softly, "Have you been in frequent contact with anyone in the past two months?"

Xia Meier pondered for a moment and said, "I have only met Consort Shun a few times, and have not had any contact with anyone else..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingyan's heart trembled. Gulimi? Could it be that Gulimi poisoned Xia Meier? Why would she want to harm Xia Meier?

Xia Meier asked with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, is there something wrong with our child?"

Jiang Qingyan coughed lightly and reassured her, "It's alright, you should go back to the palace and rest. Your pregnancy is getting bigger, so it's best not to wander around."

Then he looked at Lvyao: "Lvyao, you go back with Xia Meiren and check on her diet to see if it's suitable for a pregnant woman."

Green Medicine immediately understood, bowed to Jiang Qingyan, and then helped Xia Meier to her bedroom.

At this moment, Eunuch Wang spoke up: "Your Majesty, Consort Shun is too unruly. Why not find a nanny to teach her a lesson?"

Recalling Gulimi's unruly demeanor, Jiang Qingyan chuckled and said, "It's no wonder that the old nanny can't teach her well. I'll personally go and discipline this little wildcat."

Anyway, Xia Meier's child isn't hers, and it's been discovered in time. Even if Gulimi really did poison her, she won't punish her.

Upon arriving at Chunhua Palace, Jiang Qingyan did not have Eunuch Wang announce her arrival, but instead entered the bedchamber alone. At that moment, Gulimi was sitting on the couch, fiddling with a purse embroidered with koi fish.

Seeing Jiang Qingyan suddenly enter, a hint of surprise flashed in Gulimi's eyes, and she said coldly, "Why are you here again?"

But a surge of joy welled up inside her; the Emperor had been visiting her palace very frequently lately...

Jiang Qingyan sat down next to Gulimi and teased, "Is there a problem with me coming to see my own Consort?"

Gulimi rolled her eyes at her. "Whatever."

Jiang Qingyan poured herself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and casually said, "I heard you recently went to see Xia Meiren."

Gulimi's heart skipped a beat. Did the Emperor find out? It seemed he had come to interrogate her...

She said sarcastically, "I heard you dislike Xia Meier a lot. What's wrong with you today? Have you suddenly had a change of heart? Are you starting to care about your woman?"

Jiang Qingyan peeled a grape and stuffed it into Gulimi's mouth, a half-smile on her face. "So you admit that you poisoned her?"

Gulimi swallowed the grape in her mouth and sneered, "So what? Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

Seeing Gulimi's nonchalant attitude towards the poisoning, Jiang Qingyan felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

She grabbed Gulimi's shoulders, pressed her down on the couch, straddled her, stared into her eyes and said coldly, "I can indulge your tantrums and let you break the rules, but I don't want you to become a vicious woman who treats human life like dirt!"