The princess regretted it.

Chapter 270 Mingyue's chapter awakens Concubine Cen

Seeing this, Mingyue hurried forward and placed her hands on both sides of Concubine Cen's head with practiced yet extremely gentle movements, slowly massaging and pressing. With just the right amount of pressure, Concubine Cen's brows, which had been furrowed in pain, gradually relaxed, and the pain on her face eased slightly.

Seeing this, Mingyue whispered with concern, "Your Majesty, are you having this headache again? From what I can see, it's probably those two ignorant little rascals who are making up stories and deliberately stirring up trouble. They've even brought up Nanny Su, who once took care of the Queen. This sounds quite outrageous and obviously unlikely."

Mingyue's words were like a flash of inspiration, instantly awakening Concubine Cen. Her eyes suddenly opened, a look of sudden enlightenment flashed across them, and then two self-deprecating laughs involuntarily escaped the corners of her lips.

She thought to herself, "That's right, Madam Su! Who in this palace has the power and means to mobilize Madam Su to take such careful care of someone? That person once served the Empress, so his status and position are naturally extraordinary. So, the identity of that person is obvious. Based on this inference, I'm afraid a concubine is indeed pregnant. And someone deliberately leaked this news to me, probably hoping to use me to achieve the goal of getting rid of the unborn child."

The more Concubine Cen thought about it, the clearer it became. She couldn't help but shake her head slightly, "No, the other party's intentions may be far deeper and more sinister than I imagined. If I heard about this and acted impulsively, rashly went to investigate, or even caused a commotion, causing the unborn prince to meet with an unexpected disaster, how could I escape unscathed?"

By then, not only would she not be able to preserve her wealth and glory, she would probably be sentenced to death or banished to the cold palace, with no chance of recovery. Thinking of this, the person behind this really had a vicious plan that killed two birds with one stone.

So it’s no coincidence that I happened to hear these words today!”

Concubine Cen understood the other party's intentions, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around why the concubine had concealed her pregnancy. She knew the most important thing right now wasn't to dwell on it, but to find out who had deliberately leaked this information to her. She whispered a few words into Mingyue's ear, telling her to go down and make arrangements. Mingyue bowed and left.

Concubine Cen sat there, gently rubbing her forehead. She'd initially suspected Concubine Zhang. After all, within the harem, the conflicts and struggles were well-known. But Concubine Zhang was currently under house arrest. Logically, she was cut off from all outside information. How could she have known such a confidential matter? If it was her, who was passing the information on? Jiaoyu? Or the Second Prince?

Concubine Cen's brow furrowed, lost in deep thought. Could it be someone else? After all, the Emperor's heavy favor in the harem this time was undoubtedly a silent war. Whoever could be the first to conceive a prince would surely rise to the pinnacle of status within the harem. The allure of a mother's status through a son was enough to spark jealousy, giving rise to evil thoughts and the potential for unscrupulous means.

Perhaps they believed they could no longer bear children, and therefore could not tolerate other women having them. Their calculations were ultimately dashed. While they were indeed sad that they could no longer have children of their own, they knew who their enemies were. They could also better understand the pain of losing a child, so how could they possibly harm another child?

Familiar faces raced through Concubine Cen's mind, those concubines who usually seemed gentle and kind, or reserved and reserved. Who could it be? The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. Finally, she forced herself to get into bed, lie down, close her eyes, and let herself stop thinking and rest.

The next day, at the first light of dawn, the city gate was already crowded with people, noisy and bustling, and extremely lively.

The entire capital was abuzz with activity today, thanks to a government notice two days earlier that had, like a pebble dropped into a tranquil lake, stirred up ripples. The notice announced the Zhenbei Army's triumphant return to the capital today. Ever since news of the Zhenbei Army's resounding victory on the northern frontier battlefield, forcing the State of Yu into a forced surrender, spread like wildfire back to the capital, the event quickly became a legendary story.

Early this morning, numerous citizens, young and old, spontaneously gathered along the streets. Some stood on tiptoe, others craned their necks, their eyes filled with fervent anticipation and admiration, their gazes seemingly piercing the vast distance, welcoming the heroes' return in advance. At this moment, golden sunlight, like fine threads of silk, gently filtered through the city gate, illuminating the excited and expectant faces of the people, casting a dazzling glow.

Atop the city gate tower, the current emperor's eldest grandson, Hongze, stood solemnly. He wore a bright yellow dragon robe, draped over a vibrant cloak embroidered with golden dragons. The delicate dragon embroidery on the robe shifted with light and shadow, seemingly poised to soar into the heavens. His usually stern expression now held a hint of urgency. His deep eyes gazed into the distance, their gazes serenely focused on the end of the official road ahead. Eunuch Fuquan, hands clasped in front of him, also gazed eagerly into the distance.

On his left and right stood the Second and Third Princes, followed by Prime Minister Mu, the Duke of Protectorate, and other officials. The Emperor remained silent, and they, like him, could only wait quietly for the Zhenbei Army's triumphant return.

The wind was strong on the city gate tower, stinging their faces. The officials quietly tightened their clothing slightly, trying to resist the biting cold, but they didn't dare to make any obvious movements.

Changsun Hongze still stood tall and straight in front, his dragon robe fluttering in the strong wind, but he seemed unaware of it, just staring firmly into the distance.

Soon, a cloud of yellow dust rose from the seemingly narrowing official road, like a galloping yellow dragon, shattering the solemn silence. The flying dust, caught in the sunlight, shimmered with golden light and gradually spread. At the same time, everyone could vaguely hear a muffled sound that gradually grew clearer and closer, moving from afar.

Eunuch Fuquan could no longer contain his excitement. His shrill voice trembled slightly with emotion as he shouted repeatedly, "Here they come! Here they come! Your Majesty, here they come!"

Following Eunuch Fuquan's loud shouts, the crowd on the city gate tower couldn't help but get excited. The emperor couldn't help but straighten his body. Prime Minister Mu's heart beat faster. He hadn't seen his son for nearly ten years. How could he not be excited? Zhang Chengde was equally excited. He was eagerly waiting to see if his eldest grandson was inside.