The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 190 Secretly Drugging

Jing Anle glanced at Emperor Jing without making a sound, only to find his face slightly stiff. She wondered what kind of past Princess Yongping had.

"What does Your Majesty think?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"As Anle just said, filial piety is the most important of all virtues. We must let Yongping return to offer incense to the late emperor."

With such a serious accusation leveled against him, if Emperor Jing refused, he would inevitably face criticism. He had no choice but to agree, saying, "Since that's the case, then let's do as Mother Empress wishes."

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, and soon the singing and dancing resumed.

Consort Li turned to Consort Lin and said casually, "Princess Yongping has just returned from the Southern Frontier, and it will probably be more than a month before she returns."

Lin Fei grew up in Lanzhou, a place that is arid and prone to sandstorms. It was considered a remote area, but it was much closer to the southern border regions.

"That's right." Although Consort Lin responded, another figure appeared in her mind: Southern Xinjiang, was he alright?

Consort Li didn't notice any of this either, and turned to ask Consort Chen, "Sister Chen, what do you think?"

At this moment, Consort Chen was in a daze when she suddenly heard someone call her. She seemed startled and asked, "What is it?"

Consort Li was somewhat puzzled. She looked in the direction Consort Chen had been looking, and saw that Princess Qing was talking intimately with Prince Qing.

"We were just talking about Princess Yongping returning to the capital soon, and I was discussing this with Consort Lin."

Actually, Consort Li wasn't just making conversation for the sake of it. With the position of Empress vacant and Consort Yu now gone, the affairs of the harem were basically handled by Consort Li and Consort Chen, which is why she asked Consort Chen.

Princess Yongping? Consort Chen overheard the Empress Dowager's words earlier. Although this princess was favored by the late Emperor, she was still married off to a foreign country.

Times have changed, and now it is His Majesty and the Empress Dowager who are in charge. The Southern Frontier is just a small border country, so what is the big deal? She thought disdainfully, and her face remained indifferent. "The Ministry of Rites will assist in handling the reception matters. If there are any questions at the time, please ask the Empress Dowager for a decision."

Perhaps because of her pregnancy, Consort Li felt a surge of anger rising within her upon hearing Consort Chen's words. However, she could not vent her anger and could only feign a smile, saying, "Sister is right. I'll go change my clothes first." With that, she stood up, knowing she needed to vent her frustrations.

"What's wrong with Consort Li? Is she feeling unwell?" Emperor Jing asked from the platform.

"I'm fine, I just need to change my clothes." After she stood up, her protruding belly became more and more obvious, and in the dim candlelight, she looked extremely gentle.

The Empress Dowager followed Emperor Jing's gaze and smiled, "Come to think of it, Consort Li and Princess Qing's birth dates are about the same."

Everyone turned to look at Princess Qing, who touched her belly and said, "Although I knew it long ago, I am still happy. These two children are destined to be together."

"Your Majesty is fine, but you must work hard to give Qing'er a prince." The Empress Dowager's face lit up with joy, and her smile became more genuine.

After sitting for a while, Jingrou finally found a topic to talk about and said coquettishly, "Grandmother is very blessed. Your words are golden. Mother will definitely give birth to a younger brother."

"This child only knows how to please me," the Empress Dowager said with a smile.

Prince Qing looked at Princess Qing tenderly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. I will love you whether it is a boy or a girl."

"Look at the affection between you two as a couple; it's truly enviable," the Empress Dowager said.

The four of them chatted away like a real family. Jing Anle thought to herself with a sneer, but when she looked up, she saw Jing Rou's provocative gaze, as if to say that she was just trying to win over the Empress Dowager.

Jing Anle looked straight at her, glanced at her indifferently, and then looked away from Jing Rou.

Jing Rou wasn't annoyed, thinking that Jing Anle was just pretending to be calm.

The one who was truly unhappy was someone else entirely, Consort Chen. She herself probably didn't even realize how unpleasant her expression was; it was just that no one else noticed her.

Her maid, Caixing, quietly reminded her, "Your Highness."

Why? Why is it that even though she is her aunt's own niece, she always sides with Princess Qing? This afternoon, the Empress Dowager praised Princess Qing for a long time, showing great affection. How can she tolerate this?

Consort Chen restrained herself somewhat, but her expression remained unpleasant. As she picked up her wine cup, she glanced at Princess Qing's belly, thinking to herself: "Hmph, whatever you're carrying, you'll be crying later."

Just then, Mu Ping quietly entered from behind. She hid behind Jing Anle, squatted down, and whispered something in Jing Anle's ear.

The singing and dancing were in full swing, and no one noticed the two of them except for Jing Rou, who kept staring at her.

But she was too far away and the music was too loud to hear anything, she only vaguely saw Jing Anle pause for a moment.

moment.

The singers withdrew, and Princess Qing also stood up. "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I will go and take my medicine first."

"Is the Princess Consort feeling unwell?" Consort Chen, who had been holding back for too long, stared at Princess Consort Qing and asked.

Princess Qing was annoyed to see that it was Consort Chen, but she remained elegant and composed on the surface. “To Consort Chen, it’s not for any other reason. It’s just that I am weak and need to drink some tonics every day.”

After speaking, Princess Qing bowed and was escorted away by her personal maid.

The Empress Dowager gave Consort Chen a disapproving look, but ultimately said nothing.

After the banquet.

In Consort Chen's palace, candlelight flickered, and Consort Chen's vicious face was reflected in the mirror.

"How is it?" Consort Chen asked.

The palace maid Cai Xing lowered her voice, a triumphant smile on her face, "Your Highness, rest assured, it was Bi Lian who personally saw Princess Qing drink the medicine."

"No one saw it, right?"

Cai Xing replied in a fawning tone, "Your Majesty, rest assured, everything is proceeding according to plan."

Consort Chen nodded in satisfaction. "Hmph, a mere princess dares to compete with me for the emperor's favor!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, our medicine will not take effect immediately. The sorcerer said that the longer it goes on, the more serious the condition will become, and by the time the child is born, it will be unrecognizable."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chen's lips curled up even higher.

Cai Xing glanced at Consort Chen's expression and cautiously probed, "Now that the matter is settled, would you like Bi Lian to return to serve Your Highness?"

Although Consort Chen was not very clever, this matter was extremely serious, and Bilian had already been punished by being sent to the Imperial Kitchen for making a mistake. If someone were to find fault with her, things would become very difficult.

"Bilian cannot be allowed to live." A cold glint flashed in Consort Chen's eyes.

Cai Xing's heart skipped a beat, and she could only lower her head, "This servant understands."