Chapter 208: Teasing the Emperor

"No matter how good the needlework is, it's just for show. How can it compare to the thoughtful work done by my mother herself?"

Meng Yan looked up, glanced at Lu Haozhi, and smiled faintly, "Your Majesty, you dislike my needlework, don't you?"

"How could this happen!"

Seeing the half-smile on his beloved wife's face, Lu Haozhi denied it hastily. He quickly took off the Baoxianghua purse from his waist and handed it to Meng Yan. "I wear the purse you embroidered for me every day. I never take it off. I'm not afraid that you'll damage your eyes."

Meng Yan glanced at the purse, then averted her gaze for a moment, returning to her needlework. "Your Majesty is only trying to cheer me up," she said, "but I know exactly what he's thinking. Today is the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. You could go out and about, just showing up would cheer everyone up. Why must you stay with me like a prisoner in Tishun Hall?"

This is, angry.

I don’t know if it’s because she’s pregnant, but Yan’er’s temper is getting worse day by day. If you say something wrong, she’ll get angry.

She was angry, but she didn't argue with him. They were at peace during the day, and at bedtime at night, she would come close to him and tease him as she pleased. When he was so aroused that sparks flew all over his body, she would let him go.

Lu Hao was so perplexed that he wanted to kill her right there and then, but she was pregnant and they had a prior agreement, so he couldn't move. He wanted to fend for himself, but he couldn't afford to lose face in front of her. He wanted to leave the room to sober up, but she was clinging to his arms, preventing him from moving. Lu Hao endured half the night without a wink, while the culprit beside him was already dreaming.

At first, he didn't know why Yan'er treated him like this, but later he gradually figured it out.

But he often says the wrong thing...

These days, the Emperor of Zhou felt both sweet and hard-working, as if he was carrying a huge tripod every night. Even the busy state affairs were no more stressful than this.

Lu Haozhi gritted his teeth in his heart and kept track of her accounts one by one, waiting for the baby in her belly to come out so that he could settle the accounts with her.

However, at the moment, he still didn't dare to provoke her.

Maybe, if I followed her advice and went out for a walk, her anger would subside and she would forget about it...

After figuring this out, Lu Haozhi stood up, cleared his throat and said, "Okay, then as you said, I'll go to Shoukang Palace for a walk, pay my respects to the Queen Mother, and also visit Xiao Doukou."

When Meng Yan heard that he was going to Shoukang Palace, she asked Yunxiang to pack a plate of rose bean paste dumplings that she had asked the kitchen to make early in the morning, and asked Rong An to take it to Empress Dowager Jiang and Princess He'an.

As Lu Haozhi let the palace maids help him dress, he said, "You are really careful. Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Every palace is celebrating the Lantern Festival. How could Shoukang Palace be short of this?"

Meng Yan was just explaining this to Rong An when she heard this. She couldn't help but turn around and say angrily, "It's in Shoukang Palace. It belongs to Shoukang Palace. This is a gift from me. Your Majesty is really... what can I say?"

Lu Haozhi was scolded by her, touched his nose, smiled and said nothing.

After the ceremonial procession was complete, Lu Haozhi went out.

After leaving Yangxin Gate, he looked back and said to Rong An, "This imperial concubine used to be difficult to deal with. What's wrong now? She even kicked me out for such a small matter."

That's not the case, it's your fault for not being able to speak!

You keep talking about the skilled embroiderer from the Needlework Bureau and the best clothes. Your Majesty is such a smart person, how could she not understand what you mean?

Rong An complained in his heart, but with a smile on his face, "Your Majesty, the Queen is just in high spirits. She just got pregnant, so it's inevitable that she's itching to do something. Just let her do it. The more you forbid her, the more she wants to do it."

Lu Haozhi listened and thought it made sense. He nodded and said, "You are right. Let her be happy. Otherwise, she will get angry and I will suffer again."

Suffering? I see you are quite happy.

Rong An said this in his heart, still nodding and smiling.

Lu Haozhi touched the purse hanging around his waist and couldn't help but sigh.

My son, you have suffered a lot. Since you were born, you have to wear clothes made by your mother. Your father has done his best.

The master and servant chatted for a while, and then Lu Haozhi got on the sedan chair and went to Shoukang Palace with the ceremonial procession.

Rong An's apprentice Xiao Tang suddenly came hurriedly from behind and whispered something to Rong An.

After hearing this, Rong An waved his hand and quickly walked to the side of the sedan chair. He whispered, "Your Majesty, my little disciple just caught a spy." As he spoke, he looked at the emperor's expression. Seeing that Lu Haozhi remained silent, he continued, "Xiao Tang followed my instructions and pretended to accept the man's money and leaked some information to him."

"Which palace sent you?"

Lu Haozhi suppressed his gentle smile and asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, it's the Yikun Palace."

The corners of Lu Haozhi's lips twitched slightly, revealing a sneer.

Liang Chengbi really couldn't control his temper. He jumped up immediately after being provoked by his mother and Yan'er.

That's not bad, she must be feeling very uncomfortable right now.

Seeing that she was getting closer and closer to the throne, a Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. How could she bear it?

The more you can't help yourself, the more crazy and impatient you become, and the more perverse you become.

Outside, secret agents reported that Liang Benwu's involvement in accepting bribes and illegally selling salt in the Huaibei and Huainan regions was gradually being investigated. Publicly, Song Siwen and his colleagues had also laid out evidence of Liang's involvement in forming a clique and engaging in other activities. Now, the only thing left was this person in the palace.

This time, he made sure to clean it up.

Lu Haozhi raised his head, took a deep breath of the cool air, and slowly exhaled, feeling a burst of relief in his heart.

His Yan'er will soon no longer have to live in that cramped Ti Shun Hall.

He looked forward to the day when she would wear a phoenix crown and a bridal robe, stand side by side with him, and overlook the mountains and rivers.

After sending Lu Haozhi away, Meng Yan lowered her head and started sewing again.

Ruizhu brought over a bowl of bird's nest with rock sugar. Meng Yan waved at her, and she put the bowl on the kang table and stood aside watching.

The way the Empress sews... well, even if I try to flatter her, I can't say a few words of praise.

The little prince in the future will wear clothes and hats like this...

Ruizhu imagined the scene in her mind and couldn't help but laugh. She whispered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor actually cares about you. Why are you doing this?"

"Care? He clearly despises me. Do you think I can't see that?"

Meng Yan snorted softly, but a smile appeared on her lips.

In fact, she was just really fed up with staying in this Ti Shun Hall. With nothing to do, all she had left was to tease men!

Humph, the child will not be like his father, picky and looking down on the things she makes.

She sewed a few more stitches, her brows and eyes feeling sore, so she put the needle and thread into the basket and looked up, "I want to ask you..."

Before she could finish her words, Ruizhu came back from outside, holding a bowl of medicine in her hand, "Your Majesty, the pregnancy-maintaining medicine from the Imperial Hospital has arrived."

Meng Yan asked her to come forward, picked up the bowl of medicine herself, sniffed it gently, and relaxed her brows. "This medicine is still clean. Put it outside."

Ruizhu did as she was told and took the medicine out again.

Yunxiang was puzzled and asked, "Your Majesty, the Emperor ordered the Imperial Hospital to send pregnancy-maintaining medicine every day, and you said it was clean, so why don't you take it?"

Meng Yan smiled and said, "This is just for show. Apart from what Shoukang Palace sends, I will not eat anything else."

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the moon is full in the sky and there are lantern festivals on earth.

Colorful lanterns and riddles were hung in various palaces and imperial gardens to suit the occasion, creating a dazzling and brilliant scene.

Another family banquet was held in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and the sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras reached the sky.

Everywhere was filled with festive and lively scenes, except for the Yiku Palace which was deserted and desolate.

Liang Chengbi did not attend the banquet due to illness. She sat alone on the Luohan bed, holding a bowl of Pu'er tea in her hand, but the heat had long gone out.

Chunqing came over and said softly, "My Lady."

Liang Chengbi raised his eyes, and his dull eyes finally brightened up. "Any news?"

Chun Qing shook her head and said, "The tea is cold. I will change it for you, Your Majesty."

Liang Chengbi lowered his eyes again, "No need."

As she was speaking, the chief eunuch in her palace came in from outside and knelt down first.

Just as he was about to greet her, Liang Chengbi said hurriedly, "No need to worry, just speak!"

The eunuch wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, "Your Majesty, today I sent someone to the Yangxin Palace and happened to run into Eunuch Tang. We spent some money, and Eunuch Tang vaguely hinted that the woman in Tishun Hall seemed to be pregnant. The person was about to return when he happened to see the Emperor leaving. He vaguely heard Eunuch Rong say something like, 'She's just pregnant.' I've been working on the Imperial Hospital for days and finally got word—the Emperor has personally ordered them to brew a pregnancy-preserving medicine twice a day and secretly deliver it to the Yangxin Palace."

Clang!

The tea bowl in Liang Chengbi's hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces and spilling tea all over the floor.

It’s accurate, it’s really accurate!

After more than ten days of investigation and countless amounts of money spent, it was on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month that the bad news was finally confirmed!

Was God deliberately playing a trick on her, letting her hear such news on this happy day when families were reunited?

It turned out that although Meng Yan and Lu Haozhi had intended to leak the news to her, they had held back for the first few days, leaving her feeling anxious and restless, lest the news come too easily and arouse suspicion. Just when her anxiety was at its peak, they gave her the news, and she had no time to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Chun Qing was picking up the debris on the ground. She looked up and saw her mistress in tears. She advised, "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so discouraged. Since that woman is pregnant with the prince, the Emperor will surely give her a position and allow her into the harem. Is it possible that she'll be allowed to conceive and give birth in Ti Shun Hall, and ten months later, she'll bring out a little baby and claim it's the Crown Prince? Whether she can enter the harem is up to Your Majesty. For now, Your Majesty, please control your temper and win her over. You can find a fault with her in the future and punish her. It'll be the same if you just take the child to your lap."

Liang Chengbi slowly shook her head, pressing her hands against her temples, sobbing uncontrollably. "The Emperor dotes on her so much, how could she willingly submit to me? If she gives birth to the Emperor's eldest son, it would be a great achievement. No matter how big her faults are, she is still the biological mother of the Emperor's eldest son! No, no, I will never let a lowly maid steal what belongs to me. Chunqing, send someone to see if the banquet at the Qianqing Palace has ended. Tell Concubine Lin to come see me!"

Chun Qing sighed. This master had become more and more stubborn and self-willed over the years. He never listened to a word she said. Instead, he treated that damn Lin Changzai as his trusted military advisor. She didn't know why.

Lin Yanrong was drinking alone at the banquet in the Qianqing Palace, her eyes gently falling on the prince's seat opposite.

Lu Su also came to the banquet today, wearing a purple robe, jade belt, and a golden crown on his head. Under the candlelight, he could be called a gentleman as beautiful as jade. However, the coldness and cruelty in the corners of his eyes could not be concealed.

Lin Yanrong looked a little dazed, so she filled her glass and raised it to him from afar.

Lu Su, however, was oblivious and continued drinking.

She smiled faintly and drank the cup of wine in one gulp.

The palace maid Xiuzhi walked over lightly, leaned over and whispered a few words into her ear.

Lin Yanrong sneered, "I know. Just reply to her. I'll go over after the banquet."