Sparking a Rivalry for Favor

Hua Meng had considered that, once her pregnancy was discovered, the other consorts in the harem might ignore it or grow jealous, but she had never expected them to ask her about such a thing.

She believed she had conceived so quickly entirely because of the Spirit Spring the immortal lady had given her, but she could not say so.

At that thought, Hua Meng lowered her eyes and smiled. Then she looked up and said, "My mother gave birth to four sons and two daughters. I have ten nephews and nieces in all through my brothers, and my elder sister has given birth to two sons and a daughter." A trace of pride flashed across Hua Meng's face as she spoke. "I suppose it must be a constitution that runs in the family."

When Hua Meng said that, no one knew how to respond.

Leaving her parents aside, her brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as her sister and brother-in-law, were all still young enough to have children. In a few years, the number of her nephews and nieces through her brothers and sister would surely grow.

At that thought, every consort who still wanted children felt as though she had been doused with cold water, except for the four young women who had entered the palace in the same year as Hua Meng and whose own families were also blessed with abundant offspring.

"It's getting late, Your Highness. You should go back and rest." Seeing that the others were no longer crowding around Hua Meng, Nanny Ming hurried forward to speak. "Your condition is precious now. You mustn't tire yourself out."

Once Nanny Ming had spoken, the consorts who still wanted to talk to Hua Meng could only stop.

As they left, however, nearly all of them told Hua Meng they would visit her at Sparrow Plume Palace another day.

Although Hua Meng did not like a bustle, she could hardly tell them they were unwelcome at a time like this.

Fortunately, Nanny Ming was right beside her. As soon as the others finished speaking, she followed up by saying, "Consort Jing needs plenty of rest now."

With Nanny Ming having said that, Hua Meng supposed she would not offend them even if she did not wish to see them in the future.

Hua Meng and Consort Wan had only just returned to Sparrow Plume Palace together when Consort Ying, who lived next door at Three Green Palace, arrived right behind them.

When Hua Meng saw Consort Ying, she assumed she had come to ask for some good way to conceive quickly. To her surprise, as soon as Consort Ying entered, she looked at Consort Wan and said, "Before, you said little sister Consort Jing had only just arrived and wouldn't let me come bother you. Now that little sister Consort Jing is pregnant, I suppose it's time things livened up around here."

Consort Ying chatted on, and when she finished and saw Hua Meng staring fixedly at her, she quickly raised her brows and gave her a carefree smile. "Little sister Consort Jing, my name is Yang Ying. I entered the palace in the same year as your sister Consort Wan, and I live next door to you at Three Green Palace."

It was the first time Hua Meng had seen such a carefree woman. She seemed very different from the women of the capital.

Seemingly noticing Hua Meng's curiosity, Consort Wan raised a hand and tapped Consort Ying on the forehead, her manner seemingly reproachful but actually indulgent. "You!"

With that, Consort Wan turned to Hua Meng and said, "Your sister Consort Ying grew up on the border."

"No wonder sister Consort Ying seemed different from everyone else to me." Hua Meng's almond-shaped eyes were full of smiles. Looking more closely, she noticed that much of Consort Ying's clothing was in a foreign style.

As soon as Consort Ying saw Hua Meng smile, she liked her a little more.

Though she had grown up on the border, she had a perceptive heart. She could clearly sense who genuinely liked her and who was merely putting on an act.

At that moment, she could clearly sense that Hua Meng genuinely liked her.

"Do you like my clothes?" Yang Ying stepped forward as though they were old friends. After looking Hua Meng over, she continued, "I have a maid who grew up with me. She's excellent with a needle. When I get back, I'll have her sew you a foreign-style outfit."

Yang Ying's utterly familiar manner left Hua Meng at a loss for words.

It was Consort Wan who noticed Hua Meng's awkwardness and hurriedly said, "That's just how your sister Consort Ying is." She gestured for the two of them to come sit at her place, then continued, "I have two outfits sewn by Hua Ying as well, and a few pieces of jewelry from that region. If you like them, when your sister Consort Ying's family sends her New Year gifts at the end of the year, you can pick out a few more pieces."

Hearing that, Hua Meng understood that this was how Consort Wan and Yang Ying had always gotten along.

Hua Meng nodded to them both. "Then I'll pick out a few things at the end of the year too." Only after saying that did she ask about the New Year gifts.

When she had been at home, her family had indeed sent New Year gifts to her master's family and her maternal uncles' families. Her uncles' families and her master's family had also sent gifts in return, but she had not expected the same thing to happen in the palace.

"It's because there are no children in the palace. The emperor and the empress dowager were worried that no one would look after us when we grew old, so they allowed us to keep in touch with our birth families." Consort Wan spoke indifferently, but when she recalled that her sister-in-law wanted to send a niece into the palace to keep her company, a chill appeared between her brows.

Then Consort Wan remembered that Hua Meng was now pregnant. Given her sister-in-law's lofty ambitions, she probably would not be thinking of sending her niece into the palace anymore.

With that thought, Consort Wan continued, "I suppose that even though you're pregnant now, the emperor won't stop your family from sending things into the palace for the New Year."

Hua Meng's attention had been completely captured the moment Consort Wan said they could keep in touch with their birth families.

She had thought the palace rules were extremely strict, and had not expected there to be such a good thing.

"I really didn't know about that. In a few days, I'll have to let my family know too, so that when the New Year comes, you won't all have gifts from home while I have none."

Hua Meng made this little joke, then felt reassured when she remembered that most of the dowry her mother had prepared for her since childhood was still at home because she had entered the palace.

There were so many things that, even if they sent a little each year, they would have enough to last several years.

While Hua Meng and the other two were chatting and eating pastries in Sparrow Plume Palace, discussions were also taking place among the other consorts in the palace.

The consorts indeed did not dare make a move against the child in Hua Meng's belly at present, but they were unwilling to sit quietly and wait for Hua Meng to give birth and take the empress's seat.

If they could not make a move against the child, could they not put their minds to conceiving a child of their own quickly?

If they had children too, given their family backgrounds, how would Consort Jing still have a chance?

This was especially true of the former crown prince's secondary consort, now Consort Qi, Jiang Ke.

Consort Qi was unwilling to accept it because she believed that not only was her birth better than Hua Meng's, but she had also originally been the person Emperor Jing'an valued most.

Yet now, because Hua Meng was pregnant, she could clearly feel Emperor Jing'an giving Hua Meng more and more attention.

"Your Highness, I've made thorough inquiries. Consort Jing's mother gave birth to her when she was twenty-nine." Consort Qi's head palace maid, Chunlan, watched her as she finished speaking. Seeing that she said nothing, Chunlan continued, "Your Highness, you've always taken excellent care of your health. There's no harm in trying for another year."

Chunlan had served Consort Qi for many years, so she naturally understood that Consort Qi wanted to choose a few palace maids to bear children for her.

But she was a palace maid herself. How could she fail to understand what those maids were thinking?

If one of them were truly lucky enough to conceive a child, her mistress surely would not be able to keep her in check.

After all, the current empress dowager had been a palace maid.

Consort Qi understood what Chunlan meant. Thinking of the way Emperor Jing'an had looked at Hua Meng that day, she spoke with displeasure but also resignation. "There's some truth in what you say." Then her heart skipped a beat. Remembering the letter her family had sent a few days earlier, she hurriedly looked at Chunlan. "Didn't the last letter from home mention my fifth younger cousin?"

The last letter from her birth family had mentioned that the youngest girl in the family was charming and pretty. It had happened to arrive on the day Hua Meng and the others entered the palace, and Consort Qi had been in a bad mood, so she had held the letter to a candle and burned it.

Now, recalling what Chunlan had just said to comfort her, Consort Qi suddenly felt she seemed to have overlooked something.

Chunlan was Consort Qi's trusted confidante, so she naturally knew what the letter had said too.

Thinking of what she had just said to comfort her mistress, she too felt that the Jiang Family's mention of the thirteen-year-old fifth young lady was definitely not so simple.

Mistress and servant exchanged a glance, and each understood the look in the other's eyes.

Consort Qi gave a cold snort. "Uncle has certainly made fine calculations. When Grandfather died, the Jiang Family relied on me, Consort Qi, to secure its position. Now that I'm older, he's actually thinking of sending Little Fifth into the palace to compete for favor."

And her father!

He must have been taken in by Uncle.

"Chunlan, send a letter out of the palace. Tell my mother to submit a request to enter."

Once Consort Qi gave the order, Chunlan and the other trusted attendants under her took care of it.

Meanwhile, someone had deliberately spread word outside the palace that a consort was pregnant.

Hua Meng's father, Hua Teng, did not hold a high enough rank to attend court, and he should have been working in his office at that moment, but his teacher, Lin Ming, was the minister of revenue.

After court, Lin Ming told Hua Teng the good news of Hua Meng's pregnancy and told him to send word home immediately.

It would be best to make preparations at once. From what he knew of Emperor Jing'an, the Hua Family might soon have a chance to enter the palace and visit Hua Meng.

Hua Teng had just returned home in a daze. Before he could enter the house, he saw Hua Meng's eldest cousin from her eldest maternal uncle's family hurrying toward him from the street corner.

"Uncle!"