An Lingrong Clearly Discovered Shen Meizhuang's Affair with Wen Taiyi, Why Didn't She Report It?
In this article, we will explore how Shen Meizhuang managed to clear any suspicion surrounding her child's paternity.
1. Shen Meizhuang's Comprehensive Plan
I recall reading a scene in the original novel "Empresses in the Palace" where a concubine tells the emperor she is pregnant. The emperor is initially delighted, but upon checking the archival records, he discovers that he had not been intimate with her during the months she claimed. Infuriated, he punishes the concubine.
This plot point disgusted me for a long time. Any author with a bit of intelligence wouldn't create a character who can't even calculate her pregnancy dates correctly, making it hard for me to continue reading the original novel.
Despite the low intelligence of that scene, it reveals a key point: how did Shen Meizhuang ensure that the timing of her pregnancy wasn't questioned?
In the TV series, a month after Shen Meizhuang and Wen Taiyi were intimate, she realizes her period is late and has Wen Taiyi check her pulse, confirming her pregnancy. The child was about a month old at this point.
Shen Meizhuang then swiftly makes arrangements. She stages a scene to find a bracelet on the route back to the palace, and the next day, she spends the night with the emperor.
Two months later, at a banquet, she announces she is two months pregnant and refrains from drinking, which aligns perfectly with the timeline.
At this point, Shen Meizhuang is three months pregnant, the fetus is stable, and the timing of her intimacy with the emperor matches up. There are no discrepancies on her end.
2. Why Didn't An Lingrong Report Her?
During the blood test to verify parentage, we learn that An Lingrong knew about the affair between Wen Taiyi and Shen Meizhuang.
Logically, An Lingrong should have reported Shen Meizhuang, but she didn't. Why?
Reason 1: Lack of Concrete Evidence
Shen Meizhuang and Wen Taiyi had been together only once, and the only outsiders who knew about it were Wei Lin and Cai Yue.
Wei Lin recorded Wen Taiyi's whereabouts that night, and Shen Meizhuang specifically called for Wen Taiyi during her delivery. Wei Lin likely knew about the affair.
The next morning, the emperor planned to visit Suiyu Xuan to apologize, but Cai Yue stopped him. Cai Yue, Shen Meizhuang's personal maid, was always present, even sleeping outside her door, so she must have known what happened that night.
With Wei Lin and Cai Yue being close confidants, it was difficult for An Lingrong to extract evidence from them.
Reason 2: No Opportunity to Find Evidence
An Lingrong had limited opportunities to visit Suiyu Xuan. A few days later, Shen Meizhuang complained of feeling unwell to the emperor, effectively isolating An Lingrong from her residence, eliminating any chance for her to gather evidence.
Reason 3: Protection by the Empress Dowager
Shen Meizhuang was the Empress Dowager's favorite concubine. Without solid proof, if An Lingrong's accusation failed to stick, the Empress Dowager would certainly trouble her.
Additionally, in the original novel, it was the Empress Dowager who initiated the downfall of An Lingrong.
An Lingrong wouldn't risk it. She knew about the affair but wasn't certain if the child was Wen Taiyi's. Moreover, without the baby being born, there was no way to conduct a blood test for parentage.
Thus, as the only potential threat, An Lingrong kept silent about the possibility of Shen Meizhuang's pregnancy being problematic.
3. Who Would Suspect Such a Dignified and Prudent Concubine?
Shen Meizhuang was always mature and steady, initially chosen by the emperor to manage the affairs of the Six Palaces.
Despite the awkward years following the incident with Consort Hua, the emperor felt more guilt than affection towards Shen Meizhuang, making it unlikely he would suspect her of any misconduct.
With both the emperor and the Empress Dowager vouching for her, who would dare question such a dignified and prudent concubine?
Therefore, Shen Meizhuang successfully protected her child, and no one ever doubted the child's parentage until the end.
Shen Meizhuang Was Faster Than Zhen Huan in Seducing the Emperor
Unlike Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang seduced the emperor much more quickly.
Once Wen Shichu confirmed Shen Meizhuang's pregnancy, it took no more than a month.
Seducing the emperor took only a day or two.
This means that Shen Meizhuang's timing discrepancy was less than a month, possibly even just half a month.
It's important to remember that human pregnancy isn't strictly 280 days; a variation of a week or two is quite normal.
In other words, even without any external stimulus, Shen Meizhuang could easily claim a premature birth to explain any discrepancies.
Wen Shichu was Shen Meizhuang's attending physician. As long as he added some fabricated notes to the medical records, it would be easy to cover things up.
Moreover, Shen Meizhuang experienced severe stress before giving birth.
Such intense stress could certainly lead to premature labor.
Even by the emperor's calculations, Shen Meizhuang was at least nine months pregnant.
Therefore, she didn't participate in the blood test to verify paternity.
In the emperor's eyes, she was either full-term or prematurely giving birth due to stress.
Under such circumstances, giving birth prematurely after experiencing severe stress was entirely plausible.
Now, let's consider the emperor's perspective.
There were many events happening that day, and the emperor was also under stress.
During the blood test, he was nervous and angry. Following that, he went through a series of emotions from happiness to sadness.
To top it off, a new distraction related to Chun Yuan added to his plate.
Most people would take at least half a month to recover from such an ordeal.
At that moment, he might have been too numb to think clearly about these issues.
Additionally, Shen Meizhuang's death during childbirth became a permanent scar in the emperor's heart.
He already felt somewhat guilty towards Shen Meizhuang.
Their relationship had just started to improve, and then she suddenly died.
Dying from childbirth made her the eternal white moonlight in the emperor's heart.
In "Empresses in the Palace," the emperor had strong feelings for those who had passed away.
Under such a halo, it was hard for him to think ill of Shen Meizhuang.
If Zhen Huan had died, her child wouldn't have faced as much suspicion either.
Lastly, let's recall why the emperor doubted Zhen Huan's child.
The first paternity test was due to the empress's instigation, and the second was because the sixth prince resembled Yunli's son.
However, after Shen Meizhuang's death, the empress's faction lost power.
Consort Qi was deposed, Consort An fell out of favor, and the empress herself came under suspicion.
The empress's faction shifted to a defensive stance and wouldn't target Shen Meizhuang.
Moreover, a paternity test was a one-time deal.
The empress wasn't foolish enough to use the same trick again, especially against Shen Meizhuang's child.
It would remind the emperor of past scandals and reopen his wounds.
That would be suicidal.
Once the empress's faction completely failed and Zhen Huan rose to power, no one would dare to attempt such things.
The emperor's second suspicion of Zhen Huan wasn't just due to the resemblance.
It also stemmed from the power struggle, making him more inclined to doubt Zhen Huan.
The emperor didn't want Zhen Huan to become too powerful, preferring a balance of power.
This principle was consistent.
When the empress was present, they could check each other.
With the empress gone, Zhen Huan's growing power displeased the emperor.
Hence, he was more likely to suspect Zhen Huan.
But with Shen Meizhuang, there was no such conflict of interest.
Wen Shichu had no children either.
Thus, Shen Meizhuang was safe.
In summary, Shen Meizhuang's premature birth wasn't a big issue.
Coupled with layers of support from the emperor, she didn't need to do anything to avoid suspicion from him.
