I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Qin Shun tensed up, muttering, "This...this..."

"Are you mute? Where did that woman come from? Why is she on the emperor's bed?"

Just as Qin Shun was speechless, the Emperor entered through the back door with Orchid in his arms. Seeing Qin Shun kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, he first frowned, then stepped forward to inquire.

"Mother, I merely favored a woman. Why make such a fuss and force Qin Shun to kneel here as punishment?"

Qin Shun had served the late emperor for many years, and after the late emperor passed away, the current emperor kept him by his side.

Because of his advanced age, the emperor usually did not allow him to kneel, as a sign of respect.

Seeing the Empress Dowager rebuking him for favoring a woman, the Emperor felt displeased.

Ling Lanhua stood behind him, head bowed, nervously twisting the handkerchief in her hands, her body seemingly trembling, but in her heart she was already overjoyed.

Judging from the Emperor's attitude towards her just now, he will definitely try to keep her here, and might even make her a Noble Consort.

"Snapped!"

The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the sandalwood table, giving a stern reminder.

"Your Majesty, I don't care if you favor women, but you shouldn't do it in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, nor should you neglect state affairs for so many days..."

At this point, she glanced at Ling Lanhua and snorted.

"You ignorant little wench, daring to stay overnight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, you're courting death! Guards, take her away and beat her to death with sticks."

Upon hearing this, Ling Lanhua turned deathly pale with fright, immediately kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I'm innocent! Your Majesty, spare me..."

"Be bold!"

The Empress raised a slight brow and gestured with her hand to remind her.

"How dare you refer to yourself as 'I' in front of the Empress Dowager? You are truly an ill-mannered and lowly servant, deserving of death."

Ling Lanhua paused for a moment, then hurriedly changed her words.

"I dare not do it again! I know I was wrong! Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

At this point, she looked up at the emperor beside her, gently tugged at his robe, and said softly:

"Your Majesty, please save this humble woman."

The Emperor, his face ashen, stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Lanhua, get up and speak."

The heartache in his eyes was palpable, but Lan Hua shook her head vigorously, too afraid to get up, looking terrified.

The Emperor rose, looked at the Empress Dowager, and said righteously:

"Mother, not only can you not execute this woman, but I also intend to make her a concubine..."

"No."

Without a second thought, the Empress Dowager refused outright, leaving the Empress stunned and unable to believe her ears.

This woman claims to be a commoner, so she must come from the common people. If the emperor were to directly bestow the title of concubine upon a commoner, it would not conform to the rules for bestowing titles upon concubines in the harem.

The Empress hurriedly reminded her,

"Your Majesty, this woman's origins are unknown. How can you arbitrarily bestow upon her the title of concubine?"

"The woman I like, I've already made her a concubine. Do you still need to interfere? I haven't directly made her a high-ranking consort; I'm already saving face for you."

The emperor dared not vent his anger on the Empress Dowager, so he could only take it out on the Empress.

The Empress Dowager straightened her back, her eyes cold as she rebuked him.

"Your Majesty, you have a house full of children and grandchildren, how can you be so willful? Putting aside the fact that this woman's origins are unknown, you brought this commoner into the palace without going through the selection process or the Imperial Household Department, and even placed her in the Hall of Mental Cultivation to favor her. This is already wrong of you. Now you want to disregard the rules and regulations of your ancestors and directly make her a concubine?"

The Emperor slightly bent over, clasped his hands in greeting, and replied:

"Mother, please calm down. As the ruler of a country, if I cannot even have a woman I desire, then I would be too pathetic as an emperor."

"You have three thousand beauties in your harem, and you hold a selection of women every three years. What kind of woman can't you have?"

At this point, she lowered her gaze and looked at Ling Lanhua.

"Who is your name? How did you sneak into the palace? And how did you climb onto the Emperor's bed? Tell me the truth now."

Ling Lanhua knelt on the ground, swallowing hard, not daring to answer.

Seeing this, the Emperor replied coldly:

"Mother, please don't make things difficult for her. It was I who brought her into the palace and settled her in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Now that Mother and Empress are both here, I'll make no more of a fuss. I've decided to take her, so I'll bestow upon her the title of Consort Lan."

Upon hearing this, Ling Lanhua was overjoyed, but since the Empress Dowager had not given her consent, she dared not show too much happiness. She could only look at the Emperor with grateful eyes, biting her lip as if to thank him for his favor.

The Emperor stepped forward and helped her up, ignoring the astonished looks of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and gently said to her:

"From today onwards, you will be my Consort Lan, in the Orchid Garden."

"emperor……"

The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with an overbearing coldness.

"Do you really not want to hear what I have to say?"

The Emperor showed no sign of backing down, raising his chin in reply:

"I can listen to you on other matters, but I will not listen to you on this matter. Please do not make things difficult for your son, Mother."

The Empress Dowager could usually use her status to put pressure on the Emperor, but when the Emperor truly disrespected her, there was nothing she could do.

At this moment, the Empress was so angry that her face turned ashen, and her angry eyes kept glancing at Ling Lanhua.

She had never seen the Emperor care so much about any woman, nor had she ever seen him fall out with the Empress Dowager because of any woman, including Consort Liang. She was immediately filled with jealousy.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't have kept this woman in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. You shouldn't have neglected state affairs because of her. I believe that she comes from a common background, and giving her the title of 'Daying' is already a sign of your favor. How could you directly promote her to 'Pin'?"

The Emperor's eyes were as cold as knives as he looked at the Empress, and he said through gritted teeth:

"I am the ruler of this country. I am going to make her a concubine. If you dare to say anything more, I will make her a royal consort."

"This……"

The Empress was speechless for a moment. She was really afraid that the Emperor would act impulsively and actually make this woman a concubine.

She looked at the Empress Dowager with pleading eyes, but at this moment, the Empress Dowager was also helpless against the Emperor.

After a moment of stillness, the Empress Dowager spoke:

"If His Majesty truly wishes to keep her in the palace, then her background must be explained: what is her name? Where does she come from? Does she have any health conditions? Are there any criminals in her family?"

When the Empress Dowager asked about her background, Ling Lanhua was a little nervous, but then she thought that since she and Lan Zhi were not born to the same mother, what was there to be afraid of?

She glanced at the Emperor immediately, and seeing his gaze gesturing for her to speak, she replied in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, I am Ling Lanhua from Yangshu Village, Binjiang Town. Both my parents are farmers. I have an older brother who once came to the capital to take the imperial examination, but he did not pass. He is in good health and has no bad habits. This time, I am a virgin and have accompanied Your Majesty to the imperial bed. Your Majesty can be my witness."

Ling Lanhua spoke with neither servility nor arrogance, prompting the Empress Dowager to raise an eyebrow in curiosity and press for further details.

"Binjiang Town, Yangshu Village? I remember Lan Zhi mentioned when she came to treat me that she also came from Yangshu Village. Do you recognize her?"

The Empress became interested at the mention of Lan Zhi's name, while Ling Lanhua was a little nervous.