Chapter 328 Future Planning

Jiang Huan's soft laughter, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, finally brought Huo Lin back to his senses.

Looking at her radiant smile, he couldn't resist reaching out and gently pinching her cheek.

"You're still laughing? Do you know how scared I was when you fainted just now?"

His voice was hoarse from surviving a disaster, and there was also a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

Jiang Huan stopped laughing, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief: "This court robe is too heavy, I couldn't catch my breath for a moment, it's nothing serious, look at how nervous you are, like the sky is about to fall."

Huo Lin took a deep breath, trying to make his expression look serious, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

He held her hand to his heart and solemnly announced, "Jiang Huan, we have a child."

...

Now it was Jiang Huan's turn to be stunned.

Her smile froze, and her eyes widened little by little.

Is she pregnant? With a baby?

She subconsciously looked down at her still flat stomach, gently placing a hand on it, feeling both strange and magical.

Is there really a little life here?

No wonder I've been feeling tired easily lately, and my appetite has become a bit picky; now I know why...

Oh my god, is she going to be a mother?

She looked up at Huo Lin: "Are you a dog if you lie?"

Although she already believed it in her heart, Jiang Huan still wanted to confirm it one more time, as if only in this way could this immense joy become more real.

"Absolutely true!" Huo Lin nodded emphatically, his tone so gentle it could melt your heart. "The imperial physician's pulse indicates the pregnancy is very stable, but you've been overworked lately and need to rest properly."

[Rest quietly, yes, you must rest quietly! I have century-old ginseng in my private treasury; have someone fetch it for me later.]

The calming incense should be replaced with the mildest one, the cushions should be the softest, and the windows must be sealed tightly again, so that not a single breeze can get in.

[The Imperial Observatory must be consulted to calculate the most auspicious day to rearrange the feng shui of Weiyang Palace, warding off evil spirits and misfortune.]

[How exactly should I rest and recuperate? Should I summon the imperial physician back and ask him more carefully?]

He was frantically planning to bring the best things in the world to the country, but he tried his best to remain calm on the surface.

As Jiang Huan listened to his inner monologue and compared it with his composed expression, her initial nervousness about becoming a mother lessened, and she couldn't help but laugh.

Huo Lin was puzzled by her laughter, and a crack appeared in his forced composure, his ears turning slightly red.

"...What are you laughing at?"

Jiang Huan raised her other hand and gently poked his tense arm muscles, teasingly saying, "I'm laughing. The way you look so wary, anyone who didn't know better would think that it's not a little kid coming, but another Northern Di army pressing in."

"Judging from this, when this little one is born, he might just be the most reliable of the three of us."

Huo Lin was taken aback, but then realized that she was joking with him. However, he was also infected by her optimistic appearance, and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

He took her hand and chuckled softly, "Nonsense, how could he compare to his father?"

After saying that, Huo Lin seemed to suddenly remember something, stood up and called out, "Wang Degui."

Wang Degui immediately trotted in: "This servant is here."

"Issue my decree!" Huo Lin spoke rapidly, with a decisive and swift manner. "From this moment on, triple the number of people serving inside and outside Weiyang Palace. All utensils and food shall be inspected by special personnel from the Imperial Medical Bureau. The Director of the Imperial Observatory, the Minister of Rites, and the Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy are hereby ordered to enter the palace for an audience immediately."

Wang Degui was taken aback: "Your Majesty, what... is the purpose of summoning these officials?"

This scene doesn't seem like an urgent matter.

Huo Lin replied matter-of-factly, “Naturally, we’re discussing the matter of the imperial heir. My child is about to be born, and we need to prepare his name, nickname, birth ceremony, early education… all of these need to be prepared in advance. Have them immediately come up with ten or eight auspicious names for me to choose from. Also, have the Imperial Household Department start preparing all the necessary supplies for the prince immediately, the best of everything!”

Jiang Huan listened in stunned silence.

Seriously, man? It's only been a little over a month, and you've already started name-related education? That's way too much!

Is this what they mean by letting children win at the starting line?

She couldn't help but rub her forehead: "Huo Lin, calm down, it's still early."

Huo Lin turned his head, his face serious: "It's too early. This concerns the imperial heir, so we must plan ahead. I want to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

My children should naturally have the best of everything in the world.

We need to get those old men at the Hanlin Academy to thoroughly search through ancient texts and pick a name that's both cultured and imposing, something that can command respect.

[The tutor for my son's early education must be learned, good-tempered, and able to amuse me; I can't let a rigid old man turn him into a blockhead.]

Jiang Huan was both amused and exasperated to hear him already planning his child's career.

Meanwhile, inside the Cining Palace, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

The Empress Dowager leaned against the couch, her mind filled with mixed emotions.

Although Huo Ting had committed a heinous crime, he was still her nephew, and they were connected by blood. She couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow and lingering fear.

Furthermore, after Huo Lin returned, although he did not explicitly blame her, his distant attitude made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just then, a trusted palace maid rushed in and whispered her report.

"Your Majesty, news has come from Weiyang Palace that Consort Zhuang, or rather, Imperial Noble Consort, has been diagnosed with pregnancy."

"What?" The Empress Dowager sat up abruptly, her face turning deathly pale. She gripped the prayer beads tightly, her knuckles turning white.

A happy pulse? Jiang Huan is pregnant?

At this juncture, right after she cooperated with Huo Ting?

This news was like a bolt from the blue for her.

Jiang Huan was already enjoying the Emperor's favor, and now that she was pregnant with the Emperor's child, if she gave birth to a prince, her position would be even more secure and unshakeable.

And what about her future situation in the palace as the Empress Dowager, who was not the emperor's biological mother...?

A tremendous shock and panic struck. The Empress Dowager felt dizzy, her vision went black, and she swayed, nearly fainting.

The palace maid was so frightened that she rushed forward to support her: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

The Empress Dowager barely managed to compose herself, waved her hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine, you may leave."

After the palace maids left, she sat alone in the empty hall, gazing out the window with a complex and unreadable expression, her heart filled with coldness.

Meanwhile, Huo Lin, having swiftly and efficiently arranged various matters outside, felt somewhat at ease and prepared to return to the inner palace to accompany Jiang Huan.

He had just reached the entrance of the main hall of Weiyang Palace when his gaze swept across the room and he happened to catch a figure with his head down, walking hurriedly toward the entrance, seemingly wanting to enter the hall.

The person who came was dressed in simple cotton clothes, with skin tanned to a healthy wheat color, hair simply tied back, and covered in mud, looking like someone who had been working in the fields all year round.

Huo Lin's brows furrowed instantly. He was on edge, feeling unsafe around everyone.

[Huh? Where did this old peasant woman come from? What are the guards at the gate doing? How come they let a farmer into the inner palace?]

[What if there are insects or germs on her body, covered in mud and dirt?]

Judging from her hurried manner, could it be that someone stole Odenori's radishes and she's come to complain to the Emperor?

Without a second thought, he stepped forward and blocked the other person's path.

"Halt! Who are you? Which palace are you from? Do you know that trespassing into the Imperial Noble Consort's bedchamber is a capital offense!"

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's as he sized up the suspicious man before him.

He Ling, who was about to enter the hall to report on the crop planting situation, was startled by the sudden obstruction and a series of cold questions.

She stopped and subconsciously looked up. When she saw that the person blocking her way was actually the Emperor, who was staring at her with a terrifying look, He Ling was completely stunned.

"Your Majesty...?" she stammered, her face filled with astonishment. "I am He Ling! You...you...you haven't lost your memory, have you?!"