The empress dowager indeed wanted to deal with Su Jing, but based on her years of experience, she naturally wouldn't do something that would give others a handle to use against her. If she were to act, it would have to be done in such a way that no one would notice. Latest chapter full text

  "Is that so?" The Empress Dowager said faintly, "If that's the case, I can wait for the good news of Zhen Ronghua. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless when the time comes."

  When asked by a superior, don't deceive; when ordered by a superior, don't delay. Although it is said that way, after all, how to do it also depends on the person.

  Su Jing nodded and bowed her head and body, "Yes, concubine obeys your order."

  The empress dowager didn't bother with her, turning her head to one side. Fortunately, there were others who came forward to fawn over the empress dowager, so it wasn't awkward. Unfortunately, the empress dowager was not very cooperative and after a few words of small talk, she excused herself and let them leave.

  Su Jing stepped out of the Cining Palace gate, looked back and saw An Shu standing with a relaxed expression, quietly following the footsteps of the person in front, walking towards her.

  "An Miao," Su Jing said aloud.

  An Shu Wei was slightly stunned, then reacted and bowed, "Zhen Rong Hua."

  "An, if you don't mind, let's walk together for a bit," Su Jing said with a slight curve of her lips, revealing a polite smile.

  An Shu nodded, "If Sister Zhen doesn't mind, then let me accompany you for this part of the journey."

  "Just now in the palace, I also want to thank you, sister," Su Jing said with a sincere tone and attitude.

  An Shu Wei could hear her true heart, took a deep breath and said, "Jen sister doesn't have to be polite."

  She helped her, purely on a whim, perhaps because she thought of herself, or perhaps for other reasons, in short it was not entirely simple, if she wasn't able to ensure that she wouldn't suffer any substantial harm, then she wouldn't have helped her.

  But since the help has been given, compared to her sending some gifts to thank you, she obviously prefers this kind of verbal, sometimes a sincere thank you is better than many false gifts.

  She was a comfortable and elegant woman, the daughter of Auxiliary King, who had seen many things since childhood, so she wouldn't be so short-sighted as to be surprised by that little thing. With an attitude and sincere thanks, she actually looked up to Su Jingfan with both eyes.

  Su Jing did not say much, nor did she make any promises. After a moment's consideration, "The feelings you have shown today, I, Ben Niang, accept. If in the future you encounter difficulties and it is within my power to help, I will consider doing so."

  This sentence actually doesn't have much meaning, her admitting her feelings today can't explain anything, and if she really encounters difficulties in the future and comes to seek help, Su Jinglian can't guarantee that he will definitely help her. Latest chapter full text

  To be honest, people are selfish. If it comes to the point where her own interests are at stake, she will definitely think of herself first and not others. Moreover, she still remembers the story of the farmer and the snake and doesn't dare to let her guard down.

  An Shu Wei was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sister will remember."

  An Shuyi knew she was making a statement, and also making a non-committal commitment. Although it sounded a bit like Su Jingyi didn't understand human emotions, it was actually the most realistic thing to do. Besides, if An Shuyi didn't admit her feelings today, there was nothing Su Jingyi could do about it anyway, since she had never asked for anything from her.

  Su Jing nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries before they parted ways.

  Within these four red walls, many times even if two people are walking the same road, it doesn't mean they're really on the same road. Different paths don't converge, but even if the paths are the same, they still won't converge.

  Guan Yu Temple

  Su Jing had just stepped through the crimson gate when she saw Su Shun standing guard at the entrance of the hall. Seeing her arrive, he hurried over to her, "I'll go and pay my respects to Mistress Zhen, the Emperor is inside, he's been waiting for some time."

  Su Jing knew he was subtly reminding the emperor that His Majesty might be in a bad mood at this moment, so it's better to pay more attention.

  "The empress knows now, thanks to you, Eunuch Su."

  "Don't be shy, Master Jin, please come in quickly."

  Su Jing walked in and saw him lying on the wide couch placed by the window, eyes closed, resting. She approached, made a curtsy, "Concubine Su pays her respects to Your Majesty."

  After waiting for a few seconds without a response, Su Jing got up by herself and walked over to sit beside him. Seeing that he still had his eyes tightly shut, not giving her any attention at all.

  Su Jingxi let out a silent sigh in her heart, lay down and snuggled up beside him, her hands tightly wrapped around his waist, relying on his strength to lie down sideways on the couch, otherwise she would definitely fall to the ground.

  Zong Zhengjin was choked by her, moved slightly, and accidentally squeezed her down. He quickly grabbed her and let her hang in mid-air alone. With a slight effort, he easily lifted her up and placed her on his own body.

  "Your Majesty," Su Jing pouted and lay on his body, saying in a muffled voice.

  Zong Zhengjin coldly snorted, "You won't die even if you fall down, don't worry."

  Su Jing shifted her body up slightly, gazing into his eyes with a smile, "Your Majesty's body is so warm."

  "Hmm," Zong Zhengjin didn't say a word, his face showing disdain, but his hand naturally slid down to touch hers, and finding it still warm, he felt slightly relieved, yet he didn't let go of her hand again.

  "The empress dowager wants concubines to give birth," Su Jing said casually, leaning against his chest.

  Zong Zhengjin's expression didn't change, "Uh-huh, so what?"

  "Actually, I wanted to say that maybe I'm still young, so waiting for a year or two is no big deal," Su Jing said with a hint of tentativeness.

  Looking around the entire palace, there were only two princesses who could survive and grow up. Very few concubines became pregnant, and even if they did, it was not certain that they would give birth successfully, and even if they did, it was not certain that they would be able to raise them. If someone said that all of this was the result of the empress or some concubine taking action, she would never believe it.

  With his vigorous energy every time he was with her, and even some excessive energy, so he wouldn't have any problems. As for those concubines who entered the palace through selection, they all went through several strict procedures to verify them, so they also wouldn't have any problems.

  The place where the problem can arise is that after entering the palace, perhaps there are concubines secretly taking action behind his back. But if he really wants to have children, how is it possible that he hasn't detected anything in all these years? And even if he has detected something, why doesn't he take some measures or actions?

  All of this can be explained by the fact that he tacitly approved of these things, knowing full well what was happening to these concubines, yet turning a blind eye or even adding fuel to the fire and allowing these things to happen.

  In other words, whether or not the empress dowager sincerely wished for an imperial heir to be born, as long as he was unwilling, no one's child could be born, including hers.

  It's better to go along with his wishes rather than going against them, otherwise it will harm both oneself and others.

  Zong Zhengjin chuckled and said, "I didn't think you were small," as he glanced at that bulging part a few times, causing her to frown and blush.

  "But the concubine is only fifteen years old," Su Jing guessed that he couldn't see through what was in his heart, and could only follow his own words.

  Zong Zhengjin stroked her back up and down, his eyes gazing at the sandalwood beams above, with intricate carvings, "But I'm already twenty-seven, and it's time for me to have a child."

  Su Jing pursed her lips and pondered for a moment, wanting to respond, but then she heard him suddenly say, "So it seems that I still need to work harder."

  Su Jing's heart skipped a beat, and she stuttered, "Your Majesty is joking."

  If it weren't for her taking measures, she might have gotten pregnant long ago.

  At this thought, her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly raised her head to look at him. His deep eyes were like an abyss, unfathomable, "Your Majesty, are you..."

  Didn't you know it all along?

  Zong Zhengjin's hand moved from her thin shoulder to the nape of her neck, and in the light shining through the window, he could see the fine blood vessels inside, as if transparent. The palm of his hand lightly stroked her cheek, "Actually, you don't have to be so smart."

  He certainly knew what she had done, but at the time he didn't have much anger, at most just a little discomfort. However, after hearing that Ruan Youning and Du Anru were pregnant, that bit of discomfort disappeared.

  In the palace, having a child is not that easy, especially under the Empress's control, he has always known, but never stopped.

  Before, he thought that even if he got them pregnant, they wouldn't be able to give birth because they weren't strong enough as mothers. Later on, after experiencing more things, he came to believe from the bottom of his heart that those women didn't deserve to carry his children and that his child's bloodline shouldn't be connected with those vicious-hearted women.

  So he let the empress deal with those women, and at first, there was a hint of reluctance, but as time passed, he got used to it, especially after seeing how those women used their children to gain sympathy and pity in order to obtain favor and rewards. As a result, later on, he became completely accustomed to it, watching indifferently from the sidelines.

  "Do you want to have a child?"

  If that person were her, he thought he wouldn't mind, and even had some expectations. He also knew she wasn't perfect, certainly with some flaws, but at least in front of him, she was as clean as white paper, pure as a clear moon, so many times he didn't want to think too much.

  So be it, let things take their own course for once.

  Su Jing didn't know what he meant, whether it was a probe or genuine, and could only respond like this: "Of course, the greatest happiness for a woman is to marry a good husband, love each other till old age, have a child with their shared bloodline at the right time, raise him to grow up, watch him start his own family, and spend her whole life together with her husband."

  Su Jing's face was filled with longing, but soon became somewhat downcast. "However, I don't know if I can really be a good mother, or if I can truly bear the responsibility of being a mother, accompanying him as he grows up, teaching him about life, and reading books with him. These things may sound simple, but I often find myself unable to do them well, let alone raise a child."

  Zong Zhengjin hooked up the corner of his mouth, "Nothing, there's still me."

  Palace Concubine (Yi Shu)

  Gong Shu