novelraw Chapter 1249 - 467: Palace Schemes or Rebellion? (Part 4)
Chapter 1249 - 467: Palace Schemes or Rebellion? (Part 4)
The identity of the little Prince is of great importance; Lady Hu is not the only wet nurse, but she is the one most valued by the little Prince.
Having interacted for so many years, Lady Hu has also come to understand Empress Dowager He.
This most esteemed woman of the harem has always been strong-willed.
She was not only strict with the little Emperor but never conceded even a bit before the late Emperor.
Sometimes, Lady Hu wonders, if the Empress Dowager had been softer back then, more gentle and considerate like Noble Consort Xie, perhaps the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor wouldn’t have ended up in such a hostile situation.
The late Emperor was more than ten years older than the Empress Dowager, so, for Empress Dowager He, she was definitely not some aging wife, or wife from his impoverished past.
She and the late Emperor were originally an older husband and a younger wife.
It is said that when they first married, they were deeply affectionate, full of passion and love.
In the first five years of marriage, the Empress Dowager gave birth to two children.
Unfortunately, both died in infancy.
During that time, the late Emperor had already secured his hold on Jiangshan, and he was past his thirties.
Not only the late Emperor himself but also the court officials, worried about the heir of this newly established Dynasty.
For the sake of offspring, the late Emperor began to expand his harem.
From daughters of noble families, to those from families of meritorious service, or even women from poor families.
With varied backgrounds, the court ladies each had unique appearances and talents.
At one point, the Taiji Palace was bustling with various beauties and lively conversations.
Among the many court ladies, the most favored and the one who advanced the fastest was Noble Consort Xie.
Upon hearing her surname, one would know that her family was the Prince Chen Xie Family, which rivaled the Langya Wang Family.
Though in recent years, the fame of the Wang and Xie families had diminished, the Xie family was still a well-known name.
The late Emperor claimed it was to appease the noble families, and the Wang and Xie families were leaders among the nobility.
The most esteemed in the harem was the Empress, who was not a wife from humble beginnings but married the late Emperor with half of the Jiangshan as her dowry.
The position of the Empress could not be shaken unless she herself committed a grave crime like treason.
Below the Empress was the Noble Consort, thus, Lady Xie became Noble Consort less than three months after entering the palace.
The late Emperor’s favor for Noble Consort Xie reached its peak after she gave birth to a Prince.
The late Emperor was not a first-time father; in fact, he had married other wives and concubines before Lady He.
These wives and concubines had given him children.
But during the war times, these wives, concubines, and children either died or went missing, so by the time he proposed to Lady He, he was alone again.
It wasn’t his first time being a father, nor having a son, yet the late Emperor was extremely excited.
Because the Prince born from Noble Consort Xie had a different significance, as he was the first Prince born after the late Emperor established the Dayong Dynasty.
In some sense, it meant "an heir for the future"!
The late Emperor practically spoiled the Eldest Prince to the heavens, and along with him, Noble Consort Xie became the most important person in the harem.
From the way he valued the Eldest Prince, it seemed as if he was grooming him as the heir.
Lady He: ...how intolerable!
Initially, she had an alliance with the late Emperor.
The Jiangshan of the Dayong Dynasty could only be inherited by their own flesh and blood.
However, Lady He did not make a fuss about it.
Because she had no son at the time, competing for it would have put her at a disadvantage.
Thus, Lady He tried various ways to nurture her body and finally succeeded in getting pregnant when the Eldest Prince was four years old.
But the pregnancy was extremely difficult.
She not only had to fend off all sorts of schemes from Noble Consort Xie, but also had to guard against the late Emperor.
Yes, you read that right, the late Emperor seemed not to want to see Lady He give birth to a son from the bottom of his heart.
It was unclear whether he truly loved Noble Consort Xie and was willing to harm his legitimate wife and son for them,
or whether he had calculated long ago that he could not tolerate the blood of the He Family flowing in the veins of a son inheriting the throne!
Lady He went through trials akin to the eighty-one tribulations of a legend from her pregnancy to delivery, each ordeal was life-threatening.
Fortunately, Lady He was astute enough, and on the Imperial court, she had the support of the noble and civil servant factions of the He Family as well as a mysterious Hidden Guard in her possession.
Only then did she safely give birth to a Prince.
However, having a son did not mean everything was resolved.
The late Emperor completely disregarded this legitimate son, often chastising him for being weak and incompetent.
Despite Lady He having evidence of Noble Consort Xie and the other concubines’ schemes against her and her son, the late Emperor simply executed a scapegoat and brushed the matters aside.
When the Eldest Prince turned fourteen and marriage discussions began, the late Emperor went so far as to adopt the attitude of choosing a Crown Princess Consort for the Eldest Prince, selecting several wives and concubines with strong family backing for him.