Chapter 33: The Fate of a Favored Concubine Used as a Shield in a Harem Intrigue Story……

Jiujiu felt he had many advantages, but he couldn’t tell his daddy everything.

“Jiujiu can also send cubs, lots and lots of cubs, just by rubbing!”

In modern times, some people might be afraid of being stuck with him, but in the imperial harem, if people knew about Jiujiu’s special ability, they would definitely want to pluck him bald.

“Send cubs?”

“Mm!”

Back then, almost the entire divine beast Phoenix clan died protecting all living beings, and the only bloodline left in their clan was Jiujiu’s egg. All the merits of the entire clan also fell upon him.

Similarly, some Star Lords were secretly speculating that if the divine beast Phoenix clan were to be revived in the future, all hope would be placed on Jiujiu.

He couldn’t “send cubs” in the literal sense; rather, the aura of the divine beast could greatly improve a person’s constitution and satisfy those with ulterior motives, fulfilling their wishes.

But Jiujiu didn’t know how to describe this strange ability to his daddy, so he could only generalize it by saying he could be a “cub-sending fat bird.”

“Jiujiu, then will you spend more time with Mother? She hasn’t been well because she was worried about me.”

“Okay, got it, got it.”

Jiujiu flapped his wings perfunctorily. As long as Grandma was good to his daddy, he was also very willing to be good to Grandma. It was just a small matter for him to visit Grandma’s palace now and then.

Moreover, he remembered that Grandma was also good to him. Because she remembered that he had cured his daddy, every time he went there, he would receive a lot of delicious food.

For a greedy fat bird, it wasn’t a bad thing.

Shen Yijing could read and write at the age of three, and ministers even said he was a heaven-sent genius, a rarity that might not appear for hundreds of years.

It was precisely because of this praise that the Emperor became increasingly wary of him, using clumsy methods to make him fall ill in the imperial harem.

Now that his health had improved, he had more energy to think about things. Coupled with his maternal grandfather’s help, he quickly arranged everything.

Every morning, Jiujiu was picked up by people from Consort Jing’s palace. In the morning, he shelled melon seeds, and in the afternoon, he cracked walnuts. At dusk, his daddy would come to pick him up to go home and sleep.

His little days were very comfortable, and he seemed to have gotten a bit rounder.

Consort Jing had chosen to conceal her pregnancy when she first found out. She was not a foolish person and knew very well that His Majesty did not wish for her to be pregnant.

For the safety of her child, she could only temporarily pretend to be praying for Yi Jing, closing her palace doors and devoutly practicing Buddhism.

Fortunately, this pregnancy was worry-free, with no major reactions in her belly. She loved resting on the soft couch, her hand on her belly, feeling the child’s presence.

Occasionally, Jiujiu also liked to fly over and lie on it, listening to see if there was a child moving inside.

Feeling the child in Grandma’s belly moving more and more, sometimes when it kicked, it would even scare Jiujiu into lying down, sitting there with an innocent face, rubbing his head with his wings.

Consort Jing chuckled when she saw Jiujiu’s seemingly bewildered expression. She reached out and rubbed his head, whispering:

“Jiujiu, when this child is born, I’ll beat them for you, for bullying you in the belly.”

In late autumn, a thick layer of maple leaves fell in Consort Jing’s courtyard. Her belly was also getting harder to conceal, and many rumors had already appeared in the palace.

One day, a guard even found a poisonous snake in the courtyard, which greatly frightened Consort Jing.

On an ordinary night, the Emperor was still doting on a newly acquired exotic concubine. He vaguely heard the commotion outside, frowned, and got up, wanting to ask what was happening.

Before he could even put on his shoes, an arrow shot directly through the door, striking him straight in the chest. The Emperor died on the spot.

The concubine lying on the bed turned pale with fright at the sight and fainted the next second.

Shen Yijing sat on his horse, put away his bow and arrow, dismounted, and walked in to check. Only after confirming that his father was truly lifeless did he walk out.

The moonlight fell on his still somewhat youthful profile, revealing only a chilling coldness.

“Grandfather, let’s go.”

Shen Yijing completely disregarded the chief eunuch who served the Emperor. He found a blank imperial edict himself, and the Prime Minister personally ground the ink for him.

Although the Prime Minister was old and his hair was completely white, his eyes were very sharp. After grinding the ink, he looked at His Highness’s still slender body and gently reminded him:

“Your Highness, once you put this stroke down, there will be no turning back.”

Shen Yijing heard this and his stroke became even more decisive. He never intended to take any so-called “回头路” (road of no return); he was determined to ascend to the dragon throne.

“Grandfather, why should I turn back?”

Although that person was his biological father, Shen Yijing felt no affection or closeness towards him, only extreme resentment.

If it weren’t for him, he should have had a healthy body, able to climb trees and ride horses with Jiujiu, instead of spending every day drinking medicine since he could remember.

Even reading two more pages of a book would give him a splitting headache.

The memories in his mind that were associated with good things were very few; how could he not harbor even a trace of resentment?

“It’s good that Your Highness has this resolve.”

The Emperor who had died there had ascended the throne at the age of six, held little power, and was completely unprepared. Who would have thought that the Eighth Prince, so young, would actually have the courage to rebel?

Shen Yijing found the Imperial Seal and stamped it at the end of the imperial edict.

The dragon robe, prepared in advance, was put on during the night. When dawn broke, the officials entered the palace for court, only to see that it was not His Majesty sitting on the dragon throne. A commotion instantly broke out in the hall.

The Prime Minister was the first to step forward, bowing to the Eighth Prince and proclaiming loudly:

“Greetings to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long long live.”

The other two assisting ministers, seeing their good friend do this, were stunned for a moment before quickly reacting. The person sitting on the dragon throne now was this person’s grandson. What happened last night needed no direct mention.

Following their friend, they knelt and called him “Your Majesty.” Even the three most powerful people in the court had already knelt. Although the other ministers were still confused, they instinctively followed suit and knelt down.

Jiujiu, who was sleeping in the dragon robe, was unhappy. Although he had indeed said before that he wanted to lie on the dragon throne and sleep when his daddy became emperor,

He felt that this shouldn’t be an excuse for his daddy to dig him out of bed and carry him around before dawn.

Fortunately, Shen Yijing was very thoughtful and had his attendant bring Jiujiu’s usual nap mat.

After they finished kneeling, Jiujiu self-importantly moved over and lay down to sleep. Before he fell asleep, he felt the wind blowing from outside was a bit chilly and sneezed with a “chuu” sound.

He eyed his daddy’s dragon robe, which looked quite nice, and with a few flaps of his wings, he pulled a bit of it over to cover his belly.

Shen Yijing noticed his small action and gently pulled it down further for him, so he wouldn’t get suffocated inside after falling asleep.

This current Emperor was not very old, but sitting on the dragon throne, he looked more like an Emperor than the previous one.

In the court, even the three most powerful individuals had already compromised. The more adaptable ministers knew to accept the facts, and even the more rigid ones would at most inquire about the former Emperor’s current situation.

The Eighth Prince was also of the Emperor’s bloodline, and the Prime Minister had always conducted himself well. Even those who disagreed with his political views couldn’t find fault with him.

After court, arrangements were immediately made for the former Emperor’s funeral. According to the rules of their dynasty, all concubines who had served the former Emperor were required to be buried with him after his death.

Shen Yijing hadn’t had time to deal with this matter when Consort Jing, with her bulging belly, came before him.

“Mother, why have you come now? If there’s anything, you could have just sent someone to call me over.”

“You probably haven’t had time to arrange the affairs of the imperial concubines. You know what kind of person the former Emperor was. It’s truly not worth it for them to be buried with him at such a young age.”

Consort Jing was very close to this child, for whom she had poured all her heart and soul to keep by her side. She spoke her mind without needing to beat around the bush.

“Mother means to have them live in separate residences or imperial villas?”

“Mm, as long as they don’t stay in the palace and become an eyesore, there’s no need to take their lives.”

Shen Yijing also thought it was indeed as his Mother said. The concubines in the harem who had harmed their mother and son had already been dealt with by Mother. The remaining ones now had little to no previous interaction.

There was no deep affection, but indeed no hatred either.

“Mother, there’s one, I…”

“The one you mentioned?”

“Mother, you…”

Shen Yijing had never known how to tell his Mother. If not for the many things he saw in the former Emperor’s bedchamber, he would never have known that his father also had a favored concubine hidden in his heart.

Although she didn’t seem very favored in the eyes of outsiders, almost everything she used was of the best quality.

“I knew it all along. Some things, once they exist, cannot be perfectly concealed.”

At first, she just noticed that His Majesty’s gaze towards that concubine was different from that towards other concubines. Later, she discovered His Majesty’s favoritism towards her and the child she bore.

If it were just that, Consort Jing wouldn’t have thought much of it. But His Majesty actually harmed Yi Jing for that child, which crossed Consort Jing’s bottom line.

“Since she and His Majesty have such deep affection, how can she not go down to accompany him?”

Shen Yijing had also thought the same, including the child born to that favored concubine. With such deep affection in this life, they should naturally continue to be a family reunion in the afterlife.

“Is Jiujiu awake? Aren’t you coming to see this child today?”

Vaguely hearing someone call his name, the little fat bird, who was cracking melon seeds, quickly flew out. When he saw Consort Jing’s rather large belly, his claws instinctively moved back.

It was his fault for rubbing too many times, causing this child to be unexpectedly strong and fierce even before coming out. Every time he went to rub, she would kick him without hesitation.