20demayo Chapter 293 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 7
Chapter 293 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 7
Little Dengzi ran to the Funing Palace in a panic, but was stopped by a young eunuch outside the door.
"Where did you come from? How dare you trespass into the Funing Palace?"
"Gentlemen, our Lady Lin has a joyous occasion. I have come to inform the Emperor. Would you please do me a favor?" With that, Xiao Dengzi discreetly handed a purse to each of the two eunuchs.
The eunuch on the right touched his purse, which contained at least five taels of silver, and his face immediately lit up with joy: "We are just following orders. You wait here, I'll go and report to the Emperor right away."
The two eunuchs knew when to stop. Little Deng seemed to be in a hurry, and the Emperor doted on Lady Lin. It wouldn't be good if something happened to Lady Lin.
The young eunuch respectfully entered the Funing Palace, quietly approached Zhang Maoze, and told him that Xiao Dengzi, who served Lady Lin in the Wutong Pavilion, was outside requesting an audience with the Emperor. Zhang Maoze waved him away.
Upon hearing the voice, the emperor looked up from the table piled high with memorials and asked, "Zhang Maoze, what is it?"
"Your Majesty, it is a eunuch from Lady Lin's side who has something to report. He is already waiting outside. Does Your Majesty wish to see him?"
The Emperor put down the memorial in his hand, which was another large batch of memorials urging him to make a son of the imperial clan the crown prince. His father was fortunate to have him in his later years, and he was only thirty-three years old, yet these old fools were clamoring for him to be made crown prince.
"Let him in."
When Xiao Dengzi first entered the Funing Palace, he was cautious and kept his head down, not daring to look around. When he arrived in front of the Emperor, Xiao Dengzi knelt down and bowed: "Your Majesty, I am Lady Lin's servant. I did not mean to offend Your Majesty. Lady Lin is more than a month pregnant."
(To add here, in the Song Dynasty, both palace maids and eunuchs referred to themselves as "nubi" when addressing the emperor and his concubines. The term "nucai" did not exist in the Song Dynasty.)
"Really?" The Emperor was just getting restless over choosing a Crown Prince, and now Lin Yitang is pregnant.
“It’s absolutely true. Physician Wang has also come to Funing Palace. Your Majesty can summon him for questioning,” Xiao Dengzi asked respectfully.
The Emperor summoned Imperial Physician Wang and, upon receiving the absolutely true news, immediately led his men to the Wutong Pavilion. The Wutong Pavilion was not too far from the Funing Palace, and the Emperor arrived at the Wutong Pavilion in less than a quarter of an hour.
Lin Yitang's eyes were full of joy. She stood up and bowed, saying, "Why has Your Majesty come? I was planning to tell Your Majesty after you finished your work, but since this is my first pregnancy, I wanted to tell Your Majesty as soon as possible, so I asked Xiao Dengzi to come and disturb Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities. Your health is of utmost importance. Now that you are pregnant, I have decided to bestow upon you the title of Jieyu." The Emperor said joyfully, holding Lin Yitang's hand.
He had always been fond of Lin Yitang, but since Lin Yitang had only been in the palace for a short time, it was not appropriate to promote her to a higher rank. Now that she was pregnant, he could openly and legitimately promote Lin Yitang to a higher rank.
Lin Yitang immediately bowed. She had thought she was just a beauty, but she never expected to be granted the title of Jieyu.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
Not long after the Emperor arrived at Wutong Pavilion, Empress Cao arrived with her entourage. The Emperor's smile faded. Although Kunning Palace and Funing Palace were about the same distance from Wutong Pavilion, the Empress arrived so late, which showed that the previous rumors were true and that the Empress did not care about his offspring.
"The Empress is late?" The Emperor looked at Cao with displeasure.
Cao was bitter. She had indeed received the news, but she was too surprised and dissatisfied that a mere concubine could have such good fortune. She was delayed for a while, and she did not expect that the Emperor would be at Wutong Pavilion.
"I was taking care of Fukang, so I'm late."
Upon hearing Cao's words, the Emperor refrained from further sarcasm and stated directly, "I have already decided to promote Lady Lin to the rank of Jieyu."
Cao glanced at Lin Yitang, her face turning somewhat ashen. This person had actually been promoted faster than Consort Zhang, making her a formidable enemy. She then gave a bitter smile, for the Emperor would never consult her before promoting a concubine.
"Lady Lin's pregnancy and promotion is an honor bestowed by the Emperor. Lady Lin is now more than a month pregnant, so she no longer needs to come to pay her respects. She can do so after giving birth to the prince."
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Lin Yitang immediately stood up to express her gratitude. The Emperor, impatient with Cao Shi, waved her away.