The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Be a Kept Woman (GL) - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Public Pressure to Have Children

Consort Lian suddenly interrupted the Emperor, gently pulling his sleeve and saying sweetly, “Your Majesty, simply bestowing wine won’t do. Today is to celebrate the marriage of the Seventh Princess and the Consort. Look how perfectly matched they are! Your humble concubine suggests Your Majesty grant them the Jade Birth Fruit Tree from the palace.”

This pronouncement caused a commotion. The Jade Birth Fruit trees in the palace bloomed only once every hundred years and bore fruit once every another hundred years. They were exclusively reserved for the Emperor and his consorts.

Princes and Princesses typically used the fruit from trees that flowered and fruited every fifty years. However, the century-old Jade Birth Fruit could result in a fetus possessing a Star Chart with more powerful attributes.

The Emperor laughed uproariously, taking a sip of the fine wine fed to him by Consort Lian. “Why not? Tomorrow, a tree shall be transplanted to the Seventh Princess’s residence.”

The hall fell silent. The Empress’s face subtly changed color, but she ultimately stopped short of speaking. Everyone present had different thoughts, all surprised by the extent of Consort Lian’s influence over the Emperor and the importance given to Gao Jingxi.

Although reluctant in her heart, Gao Jingxi still pulled Lian Liejin forward, and the two bowed together to express their gratitude.

Consort Lian smiled brightly from the high seat. Gao Jingxi felt as though she was being roasted over a fire, and that fire was lit by Consort Lian. But what was the point of Consort Lian “elevating” her in this manner?

The atmosphere of the banquet became more convivial with the singing and dancing. Gao Jingxi drank a fair amount of wine after sitting down. Lian Liejin’s eyes casually flickered to her—the woman’s usually deep, calm eyes now sparkled with a captivating brilliance, just like that day…

She quickly stopped her mental high-speed train of thought, turned her body to block the view of others, and taking advantage of the drinking fervor, blew a breath into the woman’s ear and whispered:

“Consort Lian is a woman of taste. This method of pressuring us to conceive is clever.” Lian Liejin chuckled. “When the time comes, if the two of us fail to produce a child, rumors will fly. Either you’re sick or I’m impotent.”

“What nonsense are you spouting! How can you talk about such things?”

“Your Highness, providing entertaining gossip for the masses is the solemn duty of every member of the Imperial Family.”

Lian Liejin noticed Gao Jingxi’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenching tightly again—Gao Jingxi always did this when her mood was foul.

She leaned into Gao Jingxi’s ear, gently stroking the woman’s hair, her voice slightly tipsy and seductive. “In ancient times, all sages were lonely; only drinkers left their names.”

Gao Jingxi was startled, instantly pondering the meaning of the word “sage” in the poem. Was he talking about the wine or… the person.

“Your Highness, don’t overthink it. Your humble servant merely meant that the fine wines stored by His Majesty, if they don’t meet a kindred spirit, would be lonely for a thousand years.”

“Did you write that poem?” Gao Jingxi’s heart gave a slight tremor.

“How could I? I’m just a consort.”

Gao Jingxi: “…” Oh really? Are you feeling wronged now?

Lian Liejin was oblivious, winking at Gao Jingxi: “Your Highness, let us share in dispelling ten thousand ancient sorrows together.”

In that moment, Gao Jingxi saw light in the peach-blossom eyes of the person before her.

After three rounds of wine, the Empress complained of a headache and asked Gao Jingxi to escort her back to the Eternal Spring Palace.

“Xier, your Mother knows you did not want to marry Jiner, but your First Imperial Brother has the support of General Wuwei in the military and the Minister of the Grand Court in civil affairs. Once you have the support of an old, powerful noble like the Duke of Yan, these officials will not dare to act rashly.”

“Mother has always told me not to compete, to merely observe, and that the more mediocre, even spoiled and willful, I appear, the more wary Imperial Mother will be of First Imperial Brother.”

The Empress smiled kindly. “Xier, exceptional intelligence is only valuable when it is hidden in the heart. If you expose it for everyone to see, it is worthless. Your First Imperial Brother is merely a rash brute, not to be feared.” She paused before continuing. “Although you cannot attend court until one month after the wedding, you still need to go to the study.”

Seeing the worry in the Empress’s brow, Gao Jingxi could not bear to contradict her and quietly replied, “Your daughter understands. Mother, that Consort Lian…”

“Xier, you must not speak ill of your Imperial Mother’s concubine. Go back now.”

After dismissing Gao Jingxi, the Empress sighed deeply to Mama Zhao beside her. “Xier still doesn’t understand my painstaking efforts. I met Jiner when she was a child. She is a good child and worthy of my daughter’s lifelong trust. Changyong City cannot find a second Lian Liejin to match my Xier.”

Mama Zhao massaged the Empress’s head. “You must take care of your health. Her Highness the Princess will understand your intentions eventually.”

“The court is full of wolves. Although Xier is brilliant, she is young and spirited. Her capacity for love, hate, and obsession is too great; her capacity for tolerance and detachment is insufficient. Who knows how much she will suffer in the future.”

“Your Ladyship, the Princess’s temper and nature are all inherited from you.”

Mama Zhao’s words instantly struck the Empress. She murmured to herself, “Then how stubborn that child must be…”

Outside the Eternal Spring Palace, A You held a bright lantern. Lian Liejin stood next to her, looking up at the sky, her profile illuminated by the candlelight, which caught Gao Jingxi’s eye.

The moonlight was made even brighter by the snow. Gao Jingxi’s eyes moved slightly, and a familiar feeling arose in her heart. She shook her head, inwardly cursing herself. How could she think Lian Liejin had any similarity to Guan Xie? One was a noble daughter of the Duke’s estate; the other was an immortal who seemed untouched by the world.

“Lian Liejin, why are you here when the banquet is over instead of returning to the Consort’s residence?”

The night was bitterly cold. Lian Liejin had just exhaled a puff of white air when she suddenly heard Gao Jingxi’s clearly displeased voice. She gently brushed the snow off her shoulder, opened the umbrella in her hand, and said gravely, “Princess, it is snowing. I came to take you home.”

Caught off guard by Lian Liejin’s heartwarming words, Gao Jingxi looked into the other person’s eyes. However, those eyes, full of the world’s hardships, flowed with a coldness even chillier than the snow.

This person had just made a big scene at the banquet. How could she change into someone so unfathomable now?

While Gao Jingxi was momentarily stunned, Lian Liejin stepped up beside her and whispered, “Princess, we are still in the Imperial Palace. You certainly don’t want rumors of discord with the Consort to spread, do you?”

A You also quietly added, “Your Highness, the Empress ordered the Consort to accompany you back to the Princess’s residence.”

The wind and snow intensified. A You walked ahead with the lantern. Gao Jingxi felt a dull pain in her abdomen, which gradually grew sharp. Combined with the bone-chilling wind, it made her break out in a cold sweat.

Lian Liejin, who was holding the umbrella for the Princess, was the first to notice Gao Jingxi’s distress. She quickly scooped up the weakened Gao Jingxi in her arms. Fortunately, the three of them had already left the palace gates, and the carriage was just a few steps away.

A charcoal brazier was already lit inside the carriage for warmth. Lian Liejin asked A You to bring a small copper stove for Gao Jingxi to hold.

The wind and snow grew heavier, and the carriage moved with difficulty through the snow. Gao Jingxi was now covered in a thin layer of sweat from the pain, and her petal-like lips had lost all color. Lian Liejin secretly checked her pulse and was shocked. She asked:

“A You, is the Princess taking any medicine lately?”

A You, whose hand was wiping the sweat from Gao Jingxi’s brow, paused upon hearing the question before quietly replying, “Consort, the Princess was severely injured some time ago. To recover, she has been drinking tonic prescribed by the Imperial Physician. A few days ago, someone also sent a pill medicine.”

“Did the Imperial Physician examine the pill medicine?”

“Imperial Physician Wang checked it.”

“Is that so?” Lian Liejin’s voice deepened, her face, hidden in the shadows, looked somewhat gloomy. “Bring the pills for me to see.”

The carriage slowly stopped. The driver respectfully announced from outside that they had arrived at the residence. Lian Liejin, without a second thought, carried Gao Jingxi out of the carriage and walked straight into the bridal chamber from that one night.

After settling Gao Jingxi on the bed, Lian Liejin loudly instructed A You to fetch the pill medicine. Once A You left, she took out a silver needle from her sleeve. The needle entered an acupuncture point, and Gao Jingxi finally felt less pain and slowly calmed down.

“Consort, I have the pill medicine.”

Lian Liejin took the medicine bottle, poured a pill onto her hand, and sniffed it carefully. If her judgment was correct, this was not a sacred wound-healing medicine, but an addictive drug.

She was, after all, a doctor and alchemist of the Star Medicine Sect, and she owned the largest pharmacy on the continent. The fact that someone was abusing a banned, already destroyed drug meant she had to investigate to protect the reputation of her profession.

She turned to look at Gao Jingxi. Her sweat-damp hair clung to her forehead, and in the dim candlelight, the woman’s face reflected a delicate, fragile beauty.

“What kind of injury did your Princess sustain to require this kind of medicine?”

Before A You could answer, Gao Jingxi’s cold voice, mixed with a hint of indescribable vulnerability, cut in, “That has nothing to do with the Consort.”

“That might not be true,” Lian Liejin curled her lip, smiling somewhat frivolously. “What if the Princess passes away a few days after marrying your humble servant? His Majesty might shift his anger to me, or even make me be buried alive with you.”

“Consort! How can you say such a thing!” A You stamped her foot, nearly rushing over to cover Lian Liejin’s mouth.

“If you want to save your Princess’s life, this bottle of medicine,” Lian Liejin inverted the bottle, spilling the pills onto the floor, which she then ground up with her foot. “Use the prescription I give you and take it for three days. The medicine will cure the illness.”

“Hmph, I didn’t know the Consort understood medicine,” Gao Jingxi scoffed, clutching the brocade quilt. When she saw Lian Liejin crush all the pills, anger suddenly flared in her heart. “How dare you! How dare you touch my medicine!”

“Your Highness,” Lian Liejin raised her voice. “It is merely a pill that does no good for a person, wrapped in Stellar Energy to hide its toxicity. You don’t need to be so angry. If you don’t want to live, treat this medicine like candy and eat it. We certainly won’t stop you.”

Before she could finish, Gao Jingxi suddenly summoned strength from nowhere, rushed over to Lian Liejin, and snatched the medicine bottle back.

The force was so great that her fingernail unknowingly scratched Lian Liejin’s little finger.

A You stood frozen on the side. That medicine seemed to have been given to the Princess by Doctor Guan Xie. She never expected the Consort to destroy it immediately.

One must know that there were precedents in this dynasty where a consort angered a princess and was punished, with the most severe cases resulting in banishment and death.

However, while A You was trembling with fear, the two in front of her were silent, like a suddenly extinguished fire.

The cold wind sliced through the window paper. Lian Liejin got up, retrieved paper and a brush from a nearby desk, quickly wrote out a long prescription, and gently blew on it until the ink was completely dry. “A You, go get the herbs. Three times a day, brewed into a soup for internal use. The consultation fee is three gold coins. Cash payment, no silver notes accepted.”