Chapter 30: The Fate of a Favored Concubine Used as a Shield in a Harem Intrigue Story……

While having dinner, Shen Yijing coughed twice again. The servants attending him tensed up at his cough, and a young eunuch had already run to the door, intending to summon the imperial physician.

Shen Yijing took a sip of water and felt much better. He then saw Jiujiu secretly pulling meat from his bowl while he was drinking, and reached out to rub his head.

“Oh, Jiujiu didn’t steal food, Jiujiu isn’t that kind of ‘jiu’.”

Jiujiu was pressed directly to the ground by his daddy, but didn’t forget to explain and clarify to his daddy that he was clearly not the kind of naughty bird who would steal food when daddy was busy.

“When did I say you stole food? You’re just greedy, that’s all.”

“Mhm, mhm, yes, that’s exactly it.”

Jiujiu perfunctorily agreed with his daddy while making sure to swallow the food he had just put in his mouth.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The late autumn wind blew the leaves down, and Shen Yijing enjoyed admiring the scenery. A thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated in the courtyard.

Before, it was because he felt his life was like these falling leaves, as if he would soon depart. But now, with a little chubby bird, it had become Jiujiu’s best playground.

Every day, Jiujiu liked to pick what he thought was the best leaf, hide under it, and make daddy look for him. If Shen Yijing didn’t find him, he would even angrily say he wouldn’t sleep with daddy at night.

Previously, Consort Jing had approached this matter with the mindset of a desperate attempt, but she hadn’t expected her son to truly get better day by day.

When the autumn weather was clear, Shen Yijing was in high spirits and even took Jiujiu with him for a horse ride.

The imperial physician, whom Consort Jing’s father and brother had painstakingly found among the common people, also said that although the Eighth Prince was still weak, he was no longer like before. As long as he was well cared for, living to fifty or sixty years old should not be a problem.

“Really?”

Consort Jing, who had been sitting there waiting for the results, suddenly sat up sharply when she heard this, staring intently at the physician.

The physician was quite capable, having been respectfully invited by Consort Jing’s father and brother. He sat there, stroked his beard, and nodded.

“Initially, this old man heard that the Eighth Prince had Congenital Deficiency, and thought it would be a tricky matter. Now it seems, the imperial physicians in the palace are nothing special; they diagnosed mere weakness as Congenital Deficiency.”

Jiujiu, sitting in daddy’s palm helping him crack melon seeds, proudly turned his head away. This old man had no idea that it was all his credit!

“Physician, how should my son’s body be cared for now?”

Consort Jing glanced at the little bird cracking melon seeds in her son’s palm. After much thought, she still decided not to tell the physician anything related to him.

Firstly, because too many people knowing this news would not be good for Jiujiu himself. Secondly, she felt that the fewer people who knew this news, the better.

“I will prescribe a few remedies.”

As the physician lowered his head to write prescriptions, Shen Yijing suddenly asked:

“Physician, I wonder if you could take my mother consort’s pulse and see how her health is?”

Shen Yijing had long distrusted the imperial physicians in the palace, and even less trusted his imperial father. Even if he and his mother consort were careful in everything, they still had to guard against someone stabbing them in the back.

When Consort Jing first heard her son say this, she initially wanted to say that her health was fine and that his health was the most important thing. But then she thought that in this deep palace, there seemed to be nothing trustworthy.

“Physician, thank you for your trouble.”

The physician had originally been invited by the Prime Minister’s family, so he didn’t refuse when he heard this. A maid placed a handkerchief on Consort Jing’s wrist, and the physician placed his hand over it.

“This…”

The physician was momentarily startled by the pulse he felt. He frowned and continued to take the pulse.

“Consort, you… seem to be pregnant. It’s less than two months, so it’s not yet obvious.”

Not only Consort Jing and Shen Yijing, but even Jiujiu, who was sitting there cracking melon seeds, froze when he heard this. In the original plot, Consort Jing only had his daddy as a child.

That’s why she later committed suicide in the cold palace out of despair when Shen Yijing died.

But now, it seemed there was a slight deviation; there was actually an additional child.

“Physician, is this true?”

Consort Jing covered her lower abdomen, unable to recover for a long time. She thought about how the imperial physicians had never mentioned this when taking her pulse before, and then recalled how she had been exhausted recently due to Shen Yijing’s illness.

“Physician, is this child well?”

“Your Ladyship’s body is good, but you have been overly fatigued recently. Now you need to rest and recuperate well.”

“Good, good.”

For Consort Jing, this was a complete surprise. She often thought how wonderful it would have been if she had given birth to more than just Shen Yijing. Even if something happened to her in the future, they would still have each other to look after.

Although this child came a bit late, it was still a joyous event for her.

Jiujiu rubbed his head against his daddy, suddenly not liking this grandma as much. Perhaps it was because he was too selfish, and only his own daddy mattered to him.

So when he saw grandma putting his daddy aside for another child, Jiujiu felt it wasn’t fair to his daddy.

Unexpectedly, after leaving Consort Jing’s palace, Shen Yijing lowered his head and kissed his head.

Jiujiu covered his head with his wings, vigilantly watching his daddy. Don’t think that just because he kissed his head, he would be obedient; even a few more kisses wouldn’t work.

“Jiujiu, I’m very happy, do you know?”

“Jiu jiu jiu?”

Jiujiu’s eyes widened. How would he know this? He had thought his daddy was upset because of Consort Jing’s neglect just now.

“Look at my body, I don’t know how long I can live. If… if something unexpected really happens one day, Mother Consort definitely won’t be able to bear the blow.”

Shen Yijing kept all of his mother consort’s meticulous care for him in mind, and was even more afraid that his mother consort would be sad if something happened to him.

If possible, he would naturally be reluctant to leave, but there are many things in the world beyond one’s control.

“If there’s another younger brother or sister, Mother Consort will have something to care about and won’t do anything foolish.”

“And… now that my body is getting better, then…”

Shen Yijing couldn’t say too much outside, but now, besides Jiujiu, there was nothing that could make him relax his guard.

The little bird, sitting there waiting for his daddy to continue, pecked his daddy lightly in dissatisfaction. What was this, talking halfway? Go on!

“I’ll tell you when we get back.”

Once inside the hall and the door was closed, Shen Yijing sat cross-legged on the soft couch. The attendant had just noticed that Little Highness liked melon seeds, so he brought another plate.

Jiujiu sat there cracking melon seeds, pushing his daddy’s arm with his claw, urging him to quickly tell him the matter.

“Now that my body is well, I naturally want to contend for that position. But since I am destined to have no children, I can’t possibly hand the country over to your little claws in the future.”

Shen Yijing held Jiujiu’s slender claw, gently pulling it towards himself. Jiujiu wrinkled his face and pulled his claw back. What was wrong with this daddy? Didn’t he have his own claws? Why did he have to pull his?

Besides, he was just an ordinary little chubby bird. How could he be involved with the country? The things the Emperor wore to court could crush him to death.

“Since I plan to do it, I must be fully prepared for everything. If I succeed, no matter if the child in Mother Consort’s belly is a boy or a girl, they can be named Crown Prince or Crown Princess in the future.”

Shen Yijing didn’t feel that what he said was treasonous at all. The reason why his imperial father had always been wary of his and his mother consort’s existence was precisely because of his maternal grandfather’s influence in the court.

At that time, Emperor Grandfather had chosen three regents for Imperial Father, and his maternal grandfather was one of them. Another was his maternal grandfather’s brother-in-law, and the third, while seemingly at odds with his maternal grandfather, actually had frequent interactions with him and was considered a close friend.

Before, Shen Yijing would certainly not have had this idea, but Imperial Father’s actions were simply too much!

Since Imperial Father thought he would rebel, if he didn’t solidify this crime, wouldn’t it be a waste of Imperial Father’s many suspicions?

“Daddy, Jiujiu sits on the dragon throne, lies on the dragon throne, sleeps on it.”

Although Jiujiu didn’t want to be Emperor, he was quite envious of the Emperor’s dragon robe. It was dazzling and cool. And that thing the Emperor wore on his head, whatever it was called, a small one on his head would also be absolutely cool.

“You’re such a small bird, and you want to sit on the dragon throne?”

Shen Yijing reached out and pinched his wing. Jiujiu nodded earnestly.

“And lie on it to sleep?”

“Mhm!”

“Good, wait for that day.”

Shen Yijing gently stroked Jiujiu’s feathers, looking forward to that day with him.

From childhood, he knew that his arrival was not welcomed. If there had been a choice back then, Imperial Father would have surely wished to strangle him in his swaddling clothes.

Now, the child in Mother Consort’s belly, though unknown whether male or female, would only face a more difficult situation than he did back then.

He needed to secure the throne before the child in Mother Consort’s womb was born.

Shen Yijing had thought about these things before, but at that time, his body was not well, and his spirit was low. Thinking even a little too much would give him a splitting headache.

“Jiujiu.”

“Jiu jiu jiu.”

Jiujiu pushed away his daddy’s hand with his wing, trying to prevent him from pulling him again. Didn’t he see that he was busy with important business right now? He would talk after he finished cracking these melon seeds.

“Jiujiu, thank you.”

“Jiu jiu~”

Without turning his head, he chirped twice to acknowledge his daddy, then peeled all the melon seeds and handed them to his daddy, sitting there with his head held high, ready to receive his daddy’s praise.

Before the words of praise could be heard, someone burst into Shen Yijing’s sleeping quarters. The leading grand eunuch had a very arrogant expression and commanded:

“Quickly, search carefully. Don’t let anything be stolen by some careless person.”