Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 298: Young and Manipulative

Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Young and Manipulative

Murong Jiu put down her hand; Consort Qin’s pulse did not seem like one affected by fright.

She quietly watched the other party, "Consort Qin, Your Majesty’s child is healthy, without any serious issues. I’m not sure where Your Majesty needs help?"

Consort Qin smiled gracefully, "Princess Consort, you are a smart person. I enjoy dealing with smart people. Wasn’t it you who meddled in my brother’s marriage affair?"

"Oh? Is Consort Qin here to accuse me of wrongdoing? Also, the term ’meddling’ is not quite appropriate. Nobody was stopping your brother from marrying Wang Baozhu. He just didn’t think highly of Wang Baozhu, who had become a commoner, did he?"

"Princess Consort, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not to accuse you of anything that I have invited you here. I aim to seek your favor and request your assistance."

Consort Qin slowly got up from the couch, revealing her prominently pregnant belly. She wore only a white undergarment, making her belly look extremely large, probably due to her being too slender.

Murong Jiu knew she had been pregnant for over seven months, rather than the widely believed six months, but she did not expose this.

She merely stepped back a few steps with her medicine chest, just in case Consort Qin wanted to induce a miscarriage and blame it on her.

However, it seemed that Consort Qin was not the kind of person who would harm her own body like this. Otherwise, she wouldn’t pretend to be sick when she was perfectly healthy.

Other consorts, even if they were pretending to be ill, would actually make themselves "sick."

Over seven months, not just over two months, a mere fall could potentially mean death for both mother and child.

Consort Qin smiled and stopped a few steps in front of her. She clapped her hands, and a palace maid came over with a wooden box.

"Princess Consort, this is a token of my sincerity. Would you like to open it and see?"

The wooden box was not large, nor did it emit any particular scent, but Murong Jiu still stepped back two steps.

"Princess Consort, do not worry. I have no intention of harming you. I barely have enough time to admire you. In all of Great Yan, there are only two people I admire: one is Prince Ling, and the other is you, Princess Consort Ling."

As she spoke, she personally opened the lid of the wooden box, revealing the contents inside.

There were two dried wild herbs.

No, they were not mere wild herbs, as Murong Jiu recognized at a glance, they were Star Snow Grass, noted in her medicinal master’s book!

This was a crucial ingredient for making scar removal ointment!

Her master had mentioned Star Snow Grass before, saying that only with Star Snow Grass was it possible to completely fade the scars on Jun Yuyan’s face to the point of invisibility.

However, in reality, neither she nor Jun Yuyan needed the Star Snow Grass anymore, as the scars on Jun Yuyan’s face were no longer fierce or noticeable, leaving only a tiny mark that could almost be ignored, and it wasn’t necessary for it to be perfect.

Nevertheless, Murong Jiu still put on a shocked expression, "Is this... Star Snow Grass?"

Consort Qin smiled faintly, "Your Majesty has good eyesight. This is indeed Star Snow Grass. My family worries that I might get hurt in Great Yan. With Star Snow Grass, even if my face gets disfigured, I wouldn’t be afraid."

Murong Jiu deliberately stared at the Star Snow Grass for a while before asking, "What does this mean, Consort Qin?"

"As I said, this is my token of sincerity to the Princess Consort. I want you to see that I truly wish to receive your help."

Saying this, she personally closed the small wooden box and placed it in Murong Jiu’s hands.

While holding it, Murong Jiu said, "I don’t know what kind of help Your Majesty needs, but given father’s fondness for Consort Jing, if Your Majesty presented him with Star Snow Grass, father would surely fulfill all Your Majesty’s demands."

"Yes, but unfortunately, I do not like Consort Jing. Seeing her face hurt only makes me feel relieved."

Murong Jiu thought to herself that it was possible to rule out any collaboration between Consort Qin and the Third Prince now. The disfigurement of Consort Jing was no small matter, pertaining to the Emperor’s favor towards her, and the Third Prince would not simply watch as the Star Snow Grass fell into his hands.

Of course, it was also possible that Consort Qin had plenty of Star Snow Grass.

However, this possibility was slim because Star Snow Grass was extremely rare, grew in highland marshes, and was not a clustered plant. Finding even two plants was like striking a huge fortune.

Murong Jiu lowered her head and looked at the wooden box in her hands for a while before raising her head to ask, "I wonder what Your Majesty Consort Qin needs me to do?"

At these words, Consort Qin’s smile became even more radiant.

"This palace has been waiting for these words from the Princess Consort. I hope that on the day of delivery, you can personally deliver for me. I do not trust anyone else. The Princess Consort knows best that childbirth is a woman’s gate of ghosts, and I have always been very fearful and afraid."

Murong Jiu felt that Consort Qin’s true intentions were definitely not so simple.

She nodded and said, "That’s right, when I was giving birth to Zhijin and Zhiyu, I almost died on the birthing bed. But Your Majesty has a sturdy frame, you needn’t worry too much."

"Is that so? Then this palace is much relieved. With the Princess Consort’s assistance at that time, I believe I will successfully give birth to a dragon son."

Murong Jiu narrowed her eyes, realizing something.

"Your Majesty desires a dragon son, but what if it’s a dragon daughter?"

Consort Qin smiled, "The Imperial Physicians have seen and said that based on my fetal appearance, it is definitely a Young Prince."

Murong Jiu was silent for a while before saying to Consort Qin, "Your Majesty, this is a serious offense of deceiving the monarch. I cannot accept this Star Snow Grass."

"What are you talking about? I can’t understand at all, how did this become an offense of deceiving the emperor?"

The Palace Maid then brought over another exquisitely made wooden box.

Consort Qin opened it, revealing a piece of letter inside.

"This is a letter my royal brother sent specifically for the Princess Consort."

The letter was in Chinese, signed with the name and seal of Na Kesi, the Western Region Prince.

It said if she was willing to lend a hand to Consort Qin, her merchant convoy would become the Imperial Merchant of the Western Regions, and her missing merchant convoy in the Western Regions would be sent back to her intact.

Murong Jiu sneered internally. The Star Snow Grass up front was the lure; now this letter was the threat, using the lives of her merchant convoy members to coerce her into boarding Consort Qin’s doomed ship.

Beneath the letter, there lay a Jade Pendant.

"Look, this is my royal brother’s personal Jade Pendant, which can represent his identity. With it, the Princess Consort’s merchant convoy can move freely in the Western Regions and will also be the honored guests. Our merchants of the Western Regions will also prioritize cooperating with the Princess Consort’s convoy. I’ve heard the Princess Consort wants to plant White Fleeceflower Root in the Central Plains? My royal brother has already sent many seeds over, just waiting for the Princess Consort’s approval, and those seeds can be delivered to Prince Ling’s Mansion. Not only that, there are also seeds for Cold Melon, Fragrant Melon, Shanshan Melon, and many other species."

Another sweet date.

It must be said, despite her young age, Consort Qin was quite adept at manipulating people’s hearts.

The two Palace Maids beside her were no ordinary characters either.

Murong Jiu hung her head, feigning thought, her brows slightly furrowed, while Consort Qin did not urge her, instead caressing her belly and waiting beside her.

After a long time, Murong Jiu finally said, "It seems that what Your Majesty truly needs is the help of my husband, so please allow me to discuss it with the Prince before making my decision."

Consort Qin smiled and nodded, "Then this palace will wait for the good news from the Princess Consort. Oh, by the way, take care of these two plants of Star Snow Grass first."

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