Forcing a stiff smile, she said to Xiao Chengjing, "In reply to Your Majesty, when summoned to the palace, this subject was packing her luggage at home. I am to take my younger brother and sister back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors in a few days. Many imperial physicians in the palace specialize in women's and children's ailments. They are surely more skilled in stabilizing a pregnancy than this subject. It would be more appropriate to entrust the care of Attendant Hai's imperial fetus to the Imperial Academy of Medicine."
Xiao Chengjing's lips turned downward, and he frowned in dissatisfaction.
"In a few days, your brother will take up his post at the Hanlin Academy. As the third-ranking scholar of the imperial examination, how could he not return to pay respects to his ancestors? Once Attendant Hai gives birth to the imperial child, I will grant Song Qiming four months of leave. You can all return together then."
Song Jinzhao looked troubled. "In that case, this subject thanks Your Majesty for your profound grace. However, my youngest brother is truly young and lacks an elder's care. If I were to reside in the palace constantly, I would be deeply worried. Why not let the imperial physicians care for Attendant Hai's imperial fetus? I can enter the palace every few days to check her pulse and ensure the fetus is safe. This would also prevent outsiders from thinking that the imperial physicians are nothing but useless fools, with medical skills so poor they cannot even stabilize a pregnancy, which is why Your Majesty does not trust them."
Hearing this, Gu Jupu, the head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, had no choice but to step forward and speak. Otherwise, the imperial physicians would truly become the useless fools Song Jinzhao described. How could they show their faces in the future?
"Your Majesty, many physicians in the Imperial Academy of Medicine excel in gynecology. Imperial Physician Hong and Imperial Physician Cheng have practiced medicine for many years. They were the ones who cared for Noble Consort Jin and Noble Consort Rong when they safely gave birth to the two princes. If they are entrusted with the care of Attendant Hai's imperial fetus, the pregnancy will undoubtedly be secure."
Xiao Chengjing rhythmically tapped his hand on the dragon desk. After a long moment, he spoke, "Since that is the case, Imperial Physician Hong will be responsible for Attendant Hai's imperial fetus. County Princess Linghui will only need to enter the palace daily to check the pulses of the two pregnant concubines, just to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Sitting in the carriage leaving the palace, Song Jinzhao looked at the dragon-shaped jade tablet in her hand, engraved with the words 'Unrestricted Palace Access,' and felt nothing but exhaustion.
Upon returning to the County Princess's estate and seeing that Song Shixue had already packed their trunks, Song Jinzhao sighed helplessly and sat down.
Noticing her elder sister's gloomy expression, Song Shixue could not help but ask, "Sister, what is wrong? Has the Empress's headache flared up again?"
Just as Song Jinzhao was about to speak, Song Qiming and Song Gaoli walked in, looking travel-worn and carrying quite a few things in their arms.
Seeing them packing, Song Qiming said, "Sister, today my teacher introduced Gaoli to the Minister of War. Lord Wu said that many new scholars are fighting for the only vacant official position in the Ministry of War. If he wants it, he has to take up the post as soon as possible. He cannot go back."
Song Gaoli handed a prepared letter to Song Jinzhao.
"Sister Jinzhao, could you help me take this letter back, along with these things?"
Song Jinzhao pressed her lips into a thin line, helplessly took the letter, and placed it on the table.
"Shixue and I cannot go back either. There are pregnant concubines in the palace, and the Emperor has ordered me to enter the palace daily until they safely give birth. For the next eight months, I cannot leave the capital. I will have someone take the letter and the things back to the village."
Song Qiming was stunned at first, then lowered his eyes with a complex expression.
Song Shixue unhappily slumped her shoulders and complained.
"Are there not imperial physicians in the palace? You just cured the Empress's headache, and now there are other concubines. The Emperor is too demanding."
Song Qiming furrowed his brows, looked up, and said in a hoarse voice, "Shixue, watch your words. Some things cannot be spoken aloud."
Song Shixue closed her mouth, feeling wronged.
Song Qiming turned his head to Song Gaoli and said, "You head back first. I will not accompany you to look for a house this afternoon."
After having someone escort Song Gaoli out of the courtyard, Song Qiming closed the door, walked up to Song Jinzhao, and asked in a deep voice, "Sister, who exactly were you treating when you went to the palace before?"
Seeing his deliberate action of closing the door, Song Jinzhao knew he already had suspicions, so she simply stopped hiding it.
"It was the Emperor. He wants another prince."
His guess confirmed, Song Qiming sat down, resting his forehead in his hand. "No wonder my teacher said that. It turns out to be true."
Song Jinzhao raised her eyebrows. "Lord Ye already knew?"
Song Qiming nodded. "When news of the pregnant concubines came out of the palace a few days ago, my teacher suspected it. He asked me in passing, saying that no one in the palace had been pregnant for so many years, and since you had been entering the palace frequently recently, whether it had something to do with you. I did not pay attention to it at the time, but I did not expect it to be true."
Hearing this, Song Shixue suddenly understood.
"I was wondering why Sister took so long to treat Her Majesty the Empress's headache. It turns out she was not treating her at all."
Song Jinzhao lowered her voice and explained to them, "The Emperor did not want anyone to know about his impotence, so he used the Empress's headache as a cover. Although concubines in the inner palace are now pregnant, you two must keep this a secret. You cannot reveal a single word."
Song Qiming and Song Shixue nodded heavily in agreement.
When Prince Qi and Prince Ying learned that there was another pregnant concubine in the palace, they remained speechless for a long time.
Not only that, but the subsequent development of events far exceeded their imaginations. Even the civil and military officials found it unbelievable when they heard the news.
The concubines whom Xiao Chengjing had favored over the past two months were successively diagnosed as pregnant. The number of pregnant concubines in the palace went from two to fourteen.
With so many people, Gu Jupu and Song Jinzhao simply could not take care of them all. The Emperor stopped being picky about which imperial physicians to use and simply issued an edict ordering Gu Jupu, as the Head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, to assign personnel. If anything went wrong, the Imperial Academy of Medicine would be held accountable.
Song Jinzhao still had to enter the palace daily to act as a gatekeeper and oversee things.
The concubines in the inner palace went from being jealous of Low-Rank Concubine Yan's pregnancy at the very beginning, to becoming almost numb as news of pregnancies was announced every few days.
The clever ones ran to the Emperor to show their attentiveness, hoping to serve him in bed, but Xiao Chengjing completely ignored them.
In the Palace of Eternal Harmony, Noble Consort Rong had given up investigating who Low-Rank Concubine Yan's secret lover was.
It was impossible for so many concubines to be having affairs at the same time. The only explanation was that the Emperor was capable of getting women pregnant again.
Prince Ying sat on a soft cushion with a gloomy face, his hands resting on his knees tightly clenched into fists.
"It must be Song Jinzhao. She must have cured Imperial Father."
"Treating the Empress was a cover, and Gu Jupu caring for the low-ranking concubines was also premeditated. Imperial Father is hiding this from us."
Noble Consort Rong anxiously clutched her silk handkerchief. "By doing this, is the Emperor dissatisfied with you and Prince Qi? If a prince is truly born, the position of the Crown Prince might be in jeopardy."
Xiao Rongyan raised his fist and slammed it hard on the table, splashing all the water out of the teacup.
"It is all because of this Song Jinzhao. Ever since she entered the capital, nothing has gone right for me. If I do not eliminate her, it will be hard to relieve the hatred in my heart."
In the Palace of Eternal Longevity, Prince Qi, Xiao Rongche, said to Noble Consort Jin, "Mother, someone among these fourteen concubines will definitely give birth to a prince. Can we get rid of the children in their bellies first?"
Noble Consort Jin's gaze suddenly darkened, and she refused without hesitation.
"No. One or two miscarriages could be called an accident, but if all fourteen miscarry, the Emperor will definitely order a thorough investigation. When that brings disaster upon us, neither you nor I will be able to save ourselves."
