Chapter 1259: Chapter 319: A Woman’s Schemes

Lan Chuchu threw a tantrum, making Xi Jiuye even more irritated.

It wasn’t until evening that he finished his work and remembered Lan Chuchu and her condition, deciding to check on her.

When he arrived at Lan Chuchu’s palace, a maid quickly came forward to greet him.

"How is the Divine Consort? Is she still sulking?"

Xi Jiuye hadn’t been to the Divine Palace for quite some time.

"Since the Divine Consort returned, she’s been sitting there wiping tears. She’ll be very happy to see Your Majesty."

The maid hurriedly ushered Xi Jiuye into the palace. When Lan Chuchu saw Xi Jiuye, she wiped the redness from her eyes and turned her head away in feigned anger.

"Lan’er, don’t be mad anymore. If you want to admire the plum blossoms, I’ll accompany you."

Xi Jiuye rubbed his temples, stepped forward, and comforted Lan Chuchu.

These days, his mind was unsettled for some reason, and memories from the past frequently surfaced.

When Xi Jiuye mentioned the Plum Garden, a trace of panic flashed across Lan Chuchu’s face.

"Brother Jiu Ye, I don’t want to go to that Plum Garden. It’s eerie there, and I’ve already ordered it to be shut down."

"Weren’t you very fond of plum blossoms? Well, if you don’t like it, closed it will be." Xi Jiuye thought to himself, the thoughts of women are indeed hard to fathom.

"Brother Jiu Ye, would you like to stay tonight? Lan’er hasn’t served you for some days."

Lan Chuchu bit her lip and nestled against Xi Jiuye.

"Your condition is inconvenient. I shouldn’t stay overnight." Xi Jiuye patted Lan Chuchu’s hand.

"The Alchemist checked. I’m already four months pregnant, and the fetus is stable. I can serve you."

Lan Chuchu said eagerly.

"No need. Your body is weak. Take care and rest for a bit longer. I still have petitions to review, so I’ll stay in the imperial study tonight."

With that, Xi Jiuye accompanied Lan Chuchu for dinner before leaving.

Once Xi Jiuye left, Lan Chuchu went to bed.

That night, she slept uneasily.

In her dreams, she often saw the scene of Ye Lingyue’s death and Qiao Yu’s tragic demise.

Then, Lan Chuchu found herself back in her childhood.

She recalled the first time she saw Xi Jiuye, and dreamt again of Ye Lingyue’s dying, vengeful curse.

At dawn, Lan Chuchu arose, weary, and walked outside.

"Goddess, the weather is so cold and icy. Where are you going? Your Majesty advised that the snowy paths are slippery in these days, and it’s best if you stay indoors."

The maid saw her and quickly followed.

"Mind your own business! Don’t follow me, or I’ll send you to the prisoner camp, like Qiao Yu."

Lan Chuchu glared at the maid.

The maid backed away fearfully, realizing that when Xi Jiuye entered, he hadn’t noticed that Lan Chuchu’s personal maids had changed.

The Divine Consort had said Qiao Yu poorly attended her and had her sent to be ravaged by prisoners in exile—those sent there met tragic fates.

Lan Chuchu left her chamber, heading straight for the Plum Garden, her thoughts a chaotic swirl.

She touched her belly, noting that it was a Disguise. After some thought, she decided to keep the child’s matter from Xi Jiuye.

She sensed something amiss with Xi Jiuye lately—his attitude was lukewarm. If he found out about the child now, their relationship would be further complicated.

She recalled the scene earlier in the Plum Garden. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

She discovered the Divine Demon Fetus’ astounding self-healing power. Moreover, it obeyed her commands. As hideous as it was, it was still her and Xi Jiuye’s child.

Because of the earlier consumption of the Divine Elixir, the creature seemed to possess innate Divine Power.

Lan Chuchu decided to nurture it for her own purposes, so she confined it in an abandoned dry well in the Plum Garden.

Reaching the well, Lan Chuchu disdainfully glanced down.

From below, a rustling sound emerged, the heavy stench of blood causing Lan Chuchu to cover her mouth.

By the reflection off the snow, Lan Chuchu could see the creature below.

It was gnawing on Qiao Yu’s corpse. Earlier, Lan Chuchu had killed Qiao Yu and birthed the creature, throwing both into the well in her turmoil.

The creature starved for a day, lacking enough milk to feed, with Lan Chuchu refusing to nurture it further.

Famished and unable to digest human food, it ate only flesh like a demon beast.

Perhaps due to its raw meat diet, the creature grew faster than an average infant.

In just one day, it was already the size of a one-year-old child.

When it saw Lan Chuchu, it cracked a hideous grin, its laughter jarring.

Lan Chuchu felt disgusted at the sight.

"You ugly thing, don’t smile at me. Listen carefully, stay here obediently, and every other day, I’ll bring a prisoner for you to feed on. Behave, and I might let you live."

Lan Chuchu shot the creature a vicious look.

The creature remarkably understood her words and nodded earnestly.

Despite everything, the creature was quite attached to Lan Chuchu as its mother.

Only then did Lan Chuchu close the well cover.

Her eyes sparkled with calculation—the child was gone. Now, she needed a way to conceive a Divine Heir again soon.

But since Xi Jiuye refused to touch her due to her pregnancy, how could she possibly conceive a Divine Heir?

Lan Chuchu pondered for a moment, then sought the palace’s Alchemist.

"Divine Consort, you want a Tiger Wolf Pill, but given your current condition..."

The Alchemist was taken aback at Lan Chuchu’s request.

The Tiger Wolf Pill is essentially an aphrodisiac, a lowly kind of Elixir that Alchemists in the Divine Realm typically wouldn’t refine.

"Just give me the Elixir Pills, I don’t need any of your nonsense."

Lan Chuchu, showing displeasure, knew all too well she had long since lost the child, with nothing left to fear.

With Xi Jiuye unwilling to touch her, she had to find a way herself.

Using drugs wasn’t unfamiliar to her.

In the past, she had used a small amount of Tiger Wolf Pill in Xi Jiuye’s drink during Father God’s banquet, leading to their first intimacy.

Xi Jiuye mistook her for Ye Lingyue, leading to their consummation and her eventual position as Divine Consort.

To this day, Xi Jiuye believed it was his drunken mistake.

The Alchemist dared not ask further, handing Lan Chuchu a bottle of Elixir Pills.

Having obtained the Elixir Pills, Lan Chuchu immediately ordered a pot of tea prepared and set off for Xi Jiuye’s imperial study under cover of night.

First, she lit some incense with aphrodisiac effects.

Xi Jiuye was not in the study. Lan Chuchu had just set down the tea when she heard the study door open and faint conversation. Hiding behind a screen, she whispered to herself, already feeling the effects of the incense, that she must conceive a Divine Heir again.