Chapter 51: Disfigured Palace Maid vs. Cold-blooded Emperor
Palace power is a symbol of the queen's status. Naturally, the queen cannot bear it if palace power is taken away.

But even if the Queen was unwilling, she had no way to refuse the Emperor's order.

She could only reluctantly divide some of the palace affairs between Concubine Mei and Concubine Wan.

It is still the least important palace affairs.

Concubine Mei was responsible for the management of flowers and plants in the harem, and Concubine Wan was responsible for the distribution of cloth in the harem.

Despite this, the two were still very happy.

Being able to interfere in palace affairs not only represents the emperor's trust, but also means that one can place spies in the harem.

What a rare opportunity this is.

Concubine Rou was demoted to a concubine and her title was stripped away. From then on she was Concubine Lin.

In particular, he was banned from walking for three months.

Naturally, Concubine Lin couldn't bear such a blow.

I heard that he hid in Yongfu Palace and cried his heart out, and his eyes were swollen.

But this was not the end yet. The Empress Dowager issued another imperial decree to go to Yongfu Palace.

Concubine Lin was punished to copy Buddhist scriptures three hundred times, while kneeling.

Even a nanny was sent over to keep an eye on it.

Concubine Lin no longer had the emperor's favor and she didn't dare to go against the empress dowager. She could only kneel down and copy Buddhist scriptures obediently.

Those days were so miserable.

The Queen's situation wasn't much better.

Although the Empress Dowager did not punish her by making her copy Buddhist scriptures, she summoned her to the Cining Palace.

I heard that the Queen was severely reprimanded by the Queen Mother, and the scolding was very unpleasant.

It is said that when the queen left the Cining Palace, her eyes were red.

It can be seen that she has cried.

Yu Yao had naturally heard that the more unstable the queen's position was, the more beneficial it would be to her.

Perhaps because the palace power was divided up and she was scolded by the empress dowager, the empress became obedient.

I'm not doing any more small things.

Yu Yao stays in Yuexian Palace every day, eating and drinking, or sleeping, just like raising pigs.

My belly is like a balloon, getting bigger day by day.

No matter how loose the clothes she wears, her belly looks much bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman.

Nanny Qian quickly noticed that something was wrong with her belly and suspected that she was carrying twins.

So he went to the Queen Mother and told her about this in private.

When the Queen Mother learned about this, her expression became serious.

First, he summoned Imperial Physician Zhou to the Cining Palace and began to inquire about the specific situation of Concubine Yao's pregnancy.

"Doctor Zhou, I remember that Concubine Yao's belly was only five and a half months, why is her belly so much bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman?"

The Queen Mother was no longer lying on the bed, but half leaning on the couch. She looked at Doctor Zhou who was kneeling below and asked in a cold voice.

"Replying to the Queen Mother, pregnant women's bellies are of different sizes. There is nothing wrong with Concubine Yao's fetus, and the dragon fetus is also very stable."

Doctor Zhou knelt on the ground, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, and spoke nervously.

Of course he knew what the Queen Mother was asking. She simply suspected that Concubine Yao was pregnant with twins.

But since the emperor had given the order, he didn't dare to tell anyone about it.

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm wondering if Imperial Concubine Yao is pregnant with twins?"

The Queen Mother asked again.

The tone was obviously more impatient.

"this…"

Doctor Zhou was speechless when asked.

Of course Imperial Concubine Yao was pregnant with twins, but since he had the Emperor's order, he didn't dare to say anything.

For a moment I didn't know how to answer.

As soon as the Queen Mother saw Doctor Zhou’s expression, she knew what was going on.

He became more and more certain in his heart that Concubine Yao was pregnant with twins.

The Queen Mother was naturally very happy to learn that she would soon have two grandchildren.

But this is the royal family, especially the emperor has no heir yet.

If it was twins, it would be fine, but if it was two princes...

As for the two princesses, the Queen Mother never thought about them at all.

The prince is the most important, what’s the use of the princess?

So the Queen Mother instinctively thought that Yu Yao was pregnant with two princes.

Thinking of this, his face became more serious and he kept turning the Buddhist beads in his hand.

As a result, the atmosphere in the Cining Palace also changed.

Doctor Zhou knelt on the ground and dared not speak.

After a while.

The Queen Mother waved to Doctor Zhou and let him go without making things difficult for him.

"Qiuyun, go call the emperor over!" said the empress dowager to Qiuyun who was waiting on the side.

"Yes, Queen Mother!"

Qiu Yun responded respectfully and quickly turned around and walked away.

Soon, Ye Beichen appeared in the Cining Palace.

I don’t know what the mother and son said.

In short, since then, the Queen Mother never mentioned this matter again, as if she didn't know about it.

Mid-Autumn Festival is coming.

On the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rewards from the Emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager all came down.

They are all based on rank, and are similar to previous years.

Of course, Yu Yao’s was the most generous.

According to convention, there is a state banquet at noon, where the emperor and empress entertain princes, ministers and court ladies.

It was not until the evening that there was a family dinner in the palace.

The family banquet is held in the Imperial Garden, which is a spacious place where one can enjoy the flowers, the scenery and the moon.

It couldn't be a better place.

In the afternoon, Qingtan put the clothes he had prepared on Yu Yao one by one.

She was wearing a pink and blue dress, and Qingyu had combed her hair into a simple flying style.

There was a wisp of hair left at the back of her head hanging down to her shoulders, which made her look even more otherworldly.

Of course, we have to ignore her big belly.

After combing the hair, fix the prepared headpiece on the hair.

A set of Dongzhu headdress, matched with a crystal tassel hairpin, makes the whole person look light and ethereal, as beautiful as an elf who has strayed into the mortal world.

Of course, we have to ignore her big belly.

Although Yu Yao was pregnant with twins, her body shape did not change.

Her belly looks round, much bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Yu Yao noticed that Qingtan and Qingyu looked a little strange, and was puzzled, so she couldn't help asking.

"My queen, people always say that a mother with an ugly son will have a beautiful daughter. Your queen is still so beautiful even when she is pregnant. Could it be that she is pregnant with..."

Qingyu wanted to ask if the queen was pregnant with a princess, but she was afraid that the queen would be angry, so she didn't dare to continue.

In this harem, although the princess is noble, she is still not as good as the prince.

Yu Yao was stunned for a moment. She really didn't expect Qingyu to say this suddenly, but she was not worried.

She is pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl.

"Whether it's the prince or the princess, they are all my treasures."

Yu Yao smiled and rubbed her belly, her eyes full of tenderness.

"It's getting late, let's go."

She said something to the two of them, then left Yuexian Palace holding her belly.

Qingtan and Qingyu looked at each other, said nothing, and quickly followed.

The Imperial Garden is not far from Yuexian Palace.

Turn left when you go out, go straight south, then turn right and you will arrive.

However, it took Yu Yao nearly half an hour to walk this distance.

Pregnant woman?

When she arrived at the Imperial Garden, she saw a large group of people sitting in front of her.

Mei Fei, Wan Fei, Yu Zhaoyi, Ning Xiuyuan, Chun Guipin, Jin Fei, Shun Ronghua, Yan Xiaoyi...

There are also noble people.

What are Concubine Li, Concubine Zhou, Concubine Zheng...

There are seven or eight in total.

There are also beauties, talented women, maids, maids, Baolin, colorful girls and so on.

There were so many people that she couldn't tell who was who, and she didn't recognize many of them.

In addition to the emperor, the queen, and the queen mother, the three giants did not come, and Concubine Lin was also under house arrest (the former Concubine Rou)
The rest that was supposed to come has come.

However, she found that many concubines were not dressed very well.

The material of her body was obviously very old, and her headdress was also very simple. Not only were there two pieces of clothing, but you could tell at a glance that they were not valuable.

What she wore was not even as good as the Qingtan Qingyu beside her.

Yu Yao didn't say anything, but held Qingtan's hand and slowly walked forward.

"Greetings to Her Majesty Imperial Concubine Yao. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health!"

When everyone saw her, they stood up and saluted her.

Yu Yao smiled and said, "Everyone, please get up quickly. No need to be polite!"

After saying that, he sat down in his seat.

He doesn't put on airs.

(End of this chapter)