"What? The Emperor actually bestowed those lychees upon you too? How come I didn't know about it?" Qin Mingzhu, angered to the point of disregarding decorum, immediately stood up and questioned, causing the various hairpins on her head to jingle and sway.
Leng Yuanxiang had not intended to steal the spotlight and cast a displeased glance at Chun Yue. Upon noticing that the maid was still looking proud, emboldening her mistress, she shook her head helplessly before replying, "Perhaps I misremembered. The Emperor did indeed bestow a few lychees upon me this morning."
Chu Yu Lan (Xiao Wen Qiang) widened her eyes in feigned surprise, but then said with disappointment, "This Empress had thought the Emperor had only bestowed them upon me. I was originally planning to invite all the sisters to taste this novelty together. It seems my effort was in vain."
"Your Majesty the Empress, that's not true. I... your humble concubine merely mentioned in passing that I enjoy sweet things. Perhaps the Emperor suddenly remembered and thus bestowed a few upon me!" Leng Yuanxiang, seeing the other concubines looking at her meaningfully, quickly explained.
"Consort Leng, there's no need to be nervous. This Empress does not blame you. It is a good thing that the Emperor remembers you!" Xiao Wen Qiang then said to the other imperial consorts, "It makes this Empress so happy that all of you can get along well with the Emperor! We are all the Emperor's women, and we should naturally care for the Emperor more and bear more heirs for the imperial harem of our Great Ding Dynasty!"
This statement, except for Leng Yuanxiang, made the other consorts quite happy. As women of the imperial harem, who wouldn't wish to receive the Emperor's favor?
Even Qin Mingzhu, who was the most difficult to appease, had to admire Chu Yu Lan's magnanimity. If the Empress were as selfless and generous as her, Qin Mingzhu admitted she herself could not achieve that at present.
"Your Majesty the Empress is indeed the head of the imperial harem. Her breadth of mind and demeanor are beyond our reach," the most skilled flatterer, Zhu Xiurong, began her praise again.
After speaking, she turned to Leng Yuanxiang and said, "Consort Leng, you are truly blessed. The Emperor deeply remembers your occasional preference for sweets. It makes us sisters very envious!"
"Yes, yes. In the past, we sisters only thought the Emperor favored Your Majesty the Empress. Looking at it now, Consort Leng is the one most favored by the Emperor!" Shen Zhaoyi, unhappy herself, cast subtle barbs at others. "Look, even Consort Gui is not among them. Only Your Majesty the Empress and Consort Leng received lychee as a reward."
Hearing these veiled insinuations, Qin Mingzhu became even more enraged. She turned her attention to Leng Yuanxiang, who was stealing the limelight today, saying, "Consort Leng, is your memory truly that poor, or are you pretending? You forgot the Emperor's bestowal from this morning in the blink of an eye?"
Leng Yuanxiang could no longer stand Qin Mingzhu's attitude and replied somewhat irritably, "It's not anything particularly special, so it's normal to forget. Does Noble Consort Qin perhaps think everyone else is as unsophisticated as you are?"
"Leng Yuanxiang, you are insolent!" Qin Mingzhu truly lost control this time. Her seat was originally next to Leng Yuanxiang's, so she flashed over and slapped her.
This action stunned everyone present, who covered their mouths in surprise.
Only Xiao Wen Qiang, who had been observing the whole spectacle with enjoyment, felt a secret surge of delight. She had been keeping track of Situ Chuan Qiong's location and, seeing this, decided to add fuel to the fire. So, she exclaimed loudly, "Noble Consort Qin, how could you suddenly strike someone?"
Leng Yuanxiang, having been slapped hard, finally came to her senses, clutching her burning cheek and saying incredulously, "Qin Mingzhu, you dare to hit me? We are both of the first rank. Who gave you the audacity to treat me like this!"
"You provoked me first!" Qin Mingzhu, regretting her action slightly after striking, retorted with a show of bravado.
"Damn it!" Leng Yuanxiang couldn't help but utter a modern curse and then lunged at Qin Mingzhu.
The two immediately began to brawl, and the scene descended into chaos. Palace maids and servants rushed forward but didn't know how to intervene, only shouting, "Your Majesties, please stop fighting!"
Finally, Leng Yuanxiang was pushed to the ground by Qin Mingzhu. She suddenly gasped in fear, clutching her stomach, her face pale. "My stomach hurts so much. The baby, my baby..."
Qin Mingzhu was stunned. At first, she thought Leng Yuanxiang was faking it, but as her complexion worsened and her lips turned pale, a very bad premonition arose within her.
Just then, Situ Chuan Qiong, who had heard that the Empress was hosting a lychee tasting and intended to join the festivities, appeared. Seeing the situation, he rushed forward, his steps quickening, and embraced Leng Yuanxiang. He then shouted to Wang You beside him, "Quickly send for the imperial physician!"
Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Wang You acknowledged the order and sped away.
Upon seeing Situ Chuan Qiong's arrival, the consorts present were also startled and quickly rose to bow, "Long live the Emperor!"
However, Situ Chuan Qiong had no time for them. He first checked Leng Yuanxiang's condition. Her left cheek was slightly red and swollen, and her hair and clothes were disheveled.
At this moment, Leng Yuanxiang, clutching her stomach with tears in her eyes, looked at him. "Your Majesty, Qin Mingzhu hit me! And my stomach hurts so much. Will our child be alright?"
"It will be! I've already sent for the imperial physician. Little Xiang'er, don't worry!" Situ Chuan Qiong said, hugging Leng Yuanxiang affectionately and patting her back to comfort her.
He then turned his gaze, filled with murderous intent, towards Qin Mingzhu and said, "Noble Consort Qin, what audacious gall! You strike my concubine without cause. Are you planning rebellion? If anything happens to the child in Consort Leng's womb, what will you offer as compensation?"
Seeing the Emperor's gentle attitude towards Leng Yuanxiang and his harsh demeanor towards her, Qin Mingzhu's initial grievance transformed into anger. "Why doesn't Your Majesty ask what your Consort Leng said! She clearly mocked me first, and she also hit me just now. I didn't know she was pregnant, so why are you only blaming me?"
"You still dare to be defiant! You struck first, and that is your fault!" Situ Chuan Qiong was angry and worried, but the influence of Prime Minister Qin Feng behind Qin Mingzhu meant he couldn't completely fall out with her yet.
Therefore, the Emperor shifted his target to Empress Chu Yu Lan (Xiao Wen Qiang), who no longer had the support of her maternal clan. "As the ruler of the imperial harem, this lychee tasting banquet should not have been held at all! I bestowed lychees upon you, and you should have enjoyed them yourself. Why did you ostentatiously hold this banquet? With the current incident, Empress, you bear unavoidable responsibility."
Xiao Wen Qiang inwardly wished to flay this scoundrel Emperor alive, knowing he would shift blame onto the Empress at such a moment. However, outwardly, she had to appear wronged and say, "This humble consort did not intend to show off. This humble consort originally wished to share such delicious lychees with all the sisters of the imperial harem, which is why this banquet was held."