Chapter 201 I'm Pregnant

After seeing the emperor off, Meng Yan sat idly in the room, telling some appropriate jokes with the two palace maids.

"Have all the things I ordered been delivered to the Duke's Mansion?"

Meng Yan picked up a black plum from the blue and white porcelain gold-painted fruit plate, put it in her mouth, and wiped her hands on the towel.

Yunxiang replied, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Since last night, this servant, Ruizhu, and I have personally fried red and green bean paste and made Ruyi cakes according to Your Majesty's instructions. We haven't asked the eunuchs in the kitchen to touch them at all. We also picked out some other palace delicacies, packed them into a jeweled box, and gave it to Eunuch Xiao Tang."

Meng Yan leaned against a soft, lake-green brocade pillow and smiled lazily, "My brother never liked sweets, but he loves to eat the Ruyi cakes I make during festivals. My method is different from the usual ones. I use vegetable oil instead of lard, and I use only high-quality amber sugar. I also carefully pick out the bean skins when making the bean filling. Only in this way can the cake be delicate, soft, and sweet without being greasy. My brother doesn't eat desserts on weekdays, but he always eats a whole plate of my Ruyi cakes."

She initially sounded quite proud, but then she sighed with regret, "It's a pity that since I was chosen to live in the Crown Prince's Mansion, it's been inconvenient for me to see my prince, and it's hard for me to make snacks for him anymore. In previous years, it was better. I could make them and give them away openly. But this year, even that is difficult."

The two palace maids heard this and thought to themselves, the Duke doesn't really like to eat Ruyi cakes, he likes to eat the cakes made by you.

Ruizhu consoled him, "Your Highness, your current situation is something the Duke will surely understand. Besides, we'll meet again in the future." As she spoke, Meng Yan took another sip of the black plum juice and couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, no matter how bad your morning sickness is, you should still avoid sour foods. I vaguely remember that these acidic foods are astringent, and I'm afraid they're not good for the fetus."

Meng Yan smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry, I know what's going on." As she spoke, she frowned, "Now, every day I want to eat, but after eating I feel nauseous. It's really uncomfortable."

At this point, she gently stroked her belly, laughing and sighing, "This blood bubble is only a month old, and it's already causing me so much trouble. I don't know how naughty it will be when it comes out."

Was it also this difficult when you were pregnant in your previous life?

She couldn't remember clearly, but she only remembered that she was worried about everything every day, sometimes ecstatic, sometimes panicky, and that in the end, the child was gone...

Now, she only felt that her heart was filled with warm happiness, and her limbs seemed to be full of strength. She was not afraid of anything.

Yunxiang brought over a plate of cream puffs and said playfully, "Your Majesty has been waiting for nearly eight years, and finally there's good news. When the Emperor finds out, he'll be overjoyed. And when the Empress Dowager is told, it'll be even more amazing. The Emperor has been childless for years, so this is a great joyous occasion in the palace! I heard someone the other day that someone in the court has proposed adopting the young son of Prince Shen as the crown prince. Once Your Majesty gives birth to a little prince, those people will have nothing to complain about."

Meng Yan was unaware of this and was slightly startled. She asked, "When did this happen? How come I didn't hear anything about it?"

Yunxiang knew she had said something wrong, so she covered her mouth and stepped aside awkwardly.

Ruizhu glanced at her and explained to Meng Yan, "That's not true. I think Yunxiang got it wrong. Your Majesty, don't take it to heart."

Meng Yan's face darkened slightly as she said, "How could you have misheard something so important? Yunxiang, tell me everything. What exactly is going on?"

Yunxiang had no choice but to step forward again, lowering her head and whispering, "Your Majesty, two days ago, Your Majesty sent me to the back to cut some plum branches to put in a vase. When I walked to the west side of the room, I suddenly saw the Emperor and Eunuch Rong'an standing there with their backs to each other, as if admiring the plum blossoms. Without thinking much, I walked forward and was about to pay my respects when I heard the Emperor angrily scold, 'They want to force Lu Su's child to be adopted by me?! What a pipe dream!'"

"When I heard this, I knew it was not something I could listen to carelessly. I was wondering whether to go over, but Eunuch Rong saw me and called me over. The Emperor didn't punish me, but only told me not to tell the Empress..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Meng Yan, observed the expression on her face, and whispered, "I was just happy, so I spoke out of turn. Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please punish me." As she spoke, she knelt down.

Meng Yan didn't comment, but asked again, "Since you were the only one who went there to prune the plum branches, how did Ruizhu know about it?"

Ruizhu knew she couldn't hide it from her, so she told the truth, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has instructed Yunxiang and sent us servants over as well. He said he was worried that Your Majesty would be upset by hearing these words, so he ordered the servants to stop them from talking."

Meng Yan listened, feeling relieved and distressed at the same time.

Ever since she entered Lu Haozhi's favor, she'd been the sole heir to his throne. Eight years had passed, and they had no children. Yet, Lu Haozhi ignored his advice and continued to favor her, a move that naturally gave the perpetrators cause for criticism.

Now, seeing that it was hopeless to get women into the palace, they came up with this idea again.

Haozhi, being alone in the court, must have been under tremendous pressure.

However, every time he came to Tishun Hall, he just laughed and talked with her, enjoying the pleasures of the boudoir, and never mentioned these things.

He was afraid that she would find out and feel sad.

Meng Yan held the white jade cup, her eyes flickering slightly as she softly said, "I'm sorry to trouble the emperor." Then she sneered, "Who is that Prince Shen? Why would he want to adopt his child to the emperor? His wolfish ambition is obvious! I'm already pregnant, so there's no need for these people to worry about me!"

After she finished speaking, she glanced at the two people who were silent as a cicada and said calmly, "Get up. This palace does not blame you. You are not trustworthy with your words, so remember this in the future. It's New Year's Day, so I won't punish you." After that, she relaxed her brows and smiled softly, "Go to the small kitchen and check the fire. What flavors does the emperor like? Don't let those eunuchs mess it up. This palace banquet is just for show. The emperor never eats well."

The master and his two servants were discussing the evening banquet when Rong An suddenly came in from outside, walked up to Meng Yan with a smile, and presented something to her with both hands.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor told me to bring this to you. He said he wanted to see you wearing it when he returned in the evening."

Meng Yan took it, only to see something wrapped in a brocade handkerchief.

When he opened the handkerchief, he saw a plum blossom hairpin inside.

Plum blossom hairpins are common, but the one before you is quite different from ordinary hair accessories. The hairpin body is carved from ebony into the shape of a vigorous and slanted plum branch, while the hairpin head is made of rubies carved into plum petals and made of gold wire into the shape of a plum blossom.

Looking at it, it really looks like a red plum blossom, luxurious, exquisite, gorgeous and eye-catching.

Meng Yan looked at it and really liked it. She said casually, "It's very novel. How did the emperor come up with this idea?"

Rong An replied, "When the Emperor saw His Majesty picking plum blossoms to make hairpins that day, he took it to heart. He also said that while red plum blossoms are beautiful, they are only suitable for this season, so he ordered the Imperial Household Department to select the most skilled craftsmen to make a red plum blossom hairpin. Everything else was fine, but finding the right rubies was difficult, so they weren't made until New Year's Eve. The Emperor was still thinking about this at the banquet and ordered his servants to deliver it to His Majesty to add to the joy of the New Year."

Meng Yan casually pinned the hairpin on her bun, and asked Ruizhu to take a diamond-shaped mirror to look at her face. Against the backdrop of the ruby ​​plum blossoms, her black hair looked even more like feathers and her skin looked whiter than snow.

She smiled and said, "Eunuch, go back and tell the Emperor that I like it very much." After that, she told Ruizhu to get a red envelope for Rong'an and said, "It's New Year's Eve, and you can't rest. Use this reward money to buy some wine."

Rong An hurriedly accepted it with many thanks and went out happily.

On New Year’s Eve, the palace family banquet was held in the Qianqing Palace.

There are longevity lanterns on both sides of the steps of the Qianqing Palace, and longevity couplets are hung behind the lanterns. The couplets are embroidered with gold thread. Although it is night, the bright lights make the scene more colorful and festive.

However, although the atmosphere outside looked lively and bustling, the banquet in the palace somehow had a sense of desolation and loneliness.

The palace's opera troupe played music according to the rules, and the celestial music filled the hall. Without anyone chatting or laughing, the hall seemed even more desolate.

Lu Haozhi sat at the top, his food tasteless and his mind absent-minded. He looked at the colorful flowers and willows, and the beautiful women in the hall. Since the one he liked was not there, he felt that everyone's words were boring and their faces were hateful.

Apart from a few polite words at the beginning of the banquet, the emperor ignored the concubines in the palace. He only toasted and chatted with the empress dowager, or held Princess He'an on his lap and fed her some dishes.

The concubines were used to the emperor's indifference, so they drank and ate, or chatted in low voices, and some even stood up to toast the empress dowager.

Princess Liang drank more than ten cups of Jinhua wine, her face flushed, and her eyes stared upwards.

On New Year's Eve, Lu Haozhi seemed to ignore the harem, and his heart was still thinking about that slutty vixen in Ti Shun Hall!

I just sent Rong'an out, and I don't know what kind of courtesy he went to offer.

Lin Yanrong didn't come today due to illness, and Han Xiaomei didn't come either because she was punished by the Empress Dowager to be under house arrest for making things difficult for Bai Yuxin last time.

With no one to dissuade her, Concubine Liang became increasingly drunk, and the more drunk she became, the angrier she became. She even staggered to her feet and shouted to Lu Haozhi, "Your Majesty, today is a festive occasion. Why don't you invite the young lady from Ti Shun Hall to come out and meet everyone? How long do you plan to keep this beautiful girl in your golden house?"

As soon as she said this, the hall suddenly became quiet.

Everyone's eyes were on the emperor. During this period of time, everyone knew that the emperor had found a new love, so he placed her in Ti Shun Hall, doted on her, and treated her like a treasure.

Sometimes, when the palace guards on night patrol walked near the Yangxin Palace, the eunuchs who heard the joyful sounds would blush, and all kinds of rumors would fill the palace.

However, the emperor forbade anyone to mention that a concubine had been instigated to advise the emperor to send the unknown woman into the harem. The emperor severely reprimanded her and demoted her to a noble lady.

From that time on, everyone knew that this was someone they could not afford to offend, but now that Concubine Liang suddenly brought up the matter again, they all waited for the emperor to deal with it.

Lu Haozhi put down his chopsticks, looked at Liang Chengbi, and said calmly, "Liang Fei, you are drunk. Someone, bring up the sobering soup."

Liang Chengbi was drunk and blurted out her words, "I am not drunk, it is Your Majesty who is drunk! Your Majesty, you have favored her for so long, and you don't allow everyone to see her? Or do you plan to announce it to the world after she gets pregnant?" As he spoke, he actually sneered.

Empress Dowager Jiang's expression turned cold and she scolded, "Liang, in this grand hall, at the imperial family banquet, you are acting like this, how can you behave like this!"

Liang Chengbi shouted loudly, "Is it me who is unruly, or is it His Majesty! I, I, what have I said wrong... Whom the Emperor favors, there is no record in the history books. In the future, even if he gives her a position and honors her, how can he convince the people?!" As she spoke, she suddenly thought of Meng Yan and took the opportunity to say, "Poor little sister, the Imperial Concubine, you were sick and no one cared about you, and yet the Emperor found a new love..."

Lu Haozhi's expression was originally stern, but after hearing her words, he suddenly smiled, "Don't worry about this." After that, he said seriously, "Princess Liang is drunk and has lost her manners in front of the emperor. Fork her out and let her sober up outside!"

As soon as the words were spoken, several eunuchs serving in the palace came forward and forcibly "invited" Concubine Liang to leave the palace.

Liang Chengbi was so drunk that she lost herself in the dance and even dropped one of her embroidered shoes in the hall. It was her maid who saw it and ran back with a red face to pick it up.

After this incident, the hall fell silent and everyone looked at the Empress Dowager and the Emperor above.

Empress Dowager Jiang looked tired and stood up, saying, "I am exhausted. I will return to Shoukang Palace to rest."

Lu Haozhi immediately went along with the situation and supported the Queen Mother. "Your son will take you back." He then said to the concubines in the palace, "Everyone, enjoy yourselves. Don't spoil the fun. There will be fireworks after the banquet."

Once the emperor left, the night banquet was no longer interesting at all. There was nothing they could do but kneel down to see the empress dowager off to the emperor.

Lu Haozhi accompanied Empress Dowager Jiang straight into the long street. The Empress Dowager turned around and smiled at him, "Alright, you can go back. Don't I know how petty you are? It's New Year's Eve, and she'll be lonely alone. You should go and keep her company."

Lu Haozhi chuckled and watched the empress dowager leave and disappear into the night. Then he turned around and ran towards the Yangxin Palace in two steps.

He should thank Liang Chengbi. If she hadn't caused such a commotion, this boring banquet would have had to be delayed for a while longer.

"Yan'er!"

As soon as he reached the door of Tishun Hall, Lu Haozhi couldn't wait to shout loudly.

Meng Yan emerged from inside, wearing the same red plum blossom hairpin Rong An had just given her. Her makeup was meticulously applied, with long eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, and pearly teeth. She wore a bright red, double-breasted jacket with a persimmon-shaped pattern and a floor-length orange skirt with gold thread. In the night, she approached him like a fairy.

When she walked in front of Lu Haozhi, she smiled at him but lowered her head.

Just when she didn't know how to start the conversation, Lu Haozhi put his arm around her waist, pulled her to the corridor, and said with a smile, "Yan'er, I want to show you something."

Seeing Lu Haozhi's empty hands, Meng Yan asked curiously, "What does Your Majesty want to show me?"

Lu Haozhi pointed to the eastern sky and smiled without saying a word.

Meng Yan was feeling confused when she suddenly heard a loud noise and a dazzling peony bloomed in the sky.

Before she could react, another goldenrod flower exploded in the sky, and its brilliant light reflected in her eyes.

Then, fireworks with various auspicious names such as "a bumper harvest" and "abundance every year" rose into the sky one after another. Following them came the romantic names of "harmony between the two immortals" and "a happy marriage for a hundred years", and finally there was "celebrating the birthday of equals".

Meng Yan was completely mesmerized. She had seen fireworks in previous years, but always from a distance. This year, she couldn't leave the Ti Shun Hall, which was behind the Yang Xin Palace, so she simply assumed she couldn't see them. But Lu Haozhi had actually adjusted the distance of the fireworks, which must have been another hassle. Moreover, the names of the fireworks later... it felt like they were set off just for her.

She seemed to have walked into a world of light and fire.

Meng Yan tilted her head slightly and looked at the man beside her.

The brilliant light illuminated his handsome face.

He looked up at the sky, his eyebrows were sharp and his eyes were bright, with a smile on his lips. He held her tightly in one hand, as if he was extremely happy.

Meng Yan couldn't help but smile, leaning her head on the man's chest and whispering in his ear, "Haozhi, I'm pregnant."

Bang!

The last golden willow flowers exploded in the sky.