Chapter 314 Hidden Worries

On a sunny autumn noon, the sky outside the Great Wall is high and blue.

In the Lingcao Grass Garden of Shengjing'an Palace, Shen Yuexi sat at a round stone table and drank porridge.

There is no seasoning in the porridge, just a little salt sprinkled on the rice porridge. It tastes bland, but you will win if you can finish it.

All around her was a sea of ​​purple flowers, their fragrance filling her nostrils. Occasionally, an autumn breeze would scatter tiny purple petals to the ground, practically turning the garden floor into a purple carpet.

Behind her, several maids, led by Xia Lan, watched her put the spoon into her mouth in fear, and stood on tiptoe at the same time until she swallowed the porridge safely, and then everyone put their heels on the ground at the same time.

Shen Yuexi felt the gazes from behind, put down the spoon, turned around and said with a smile: "You don't have to be so nervous, I have finished drinking it this time."

She could eat her porridge just by smelling the scent of the angelica, but with autumn approaching, the angelica was withering, and she hoped her stomach would stop rebelling when the flowers faded.

Xia Lan stepped forward and asked, "Master, would you like another bowl? It's been a month and a half since the Qiqiao Festival, and you've been vomiting every day. You've almost lost a lot of weight."

Shen Yuexi placed her hands on her lower abdomen and said, "No need. I'm afraid I'll vomit if I eat too much. It's better to eat after an hour."

Ever since she became pregnant, she'd unknowingly developed a habit of resting her hands on her belly. She no longer rode around like crazy, and her gait became more steady. The little life in her belly was growing day by day, and she needed to take good care of it.

Xia Lan agreed and was about to clean up the dishes when the parrot Liuli spread its wings and flew over.

Shen Yuexi particularly liked this large parrot, and even when she was suffering from severe morning sickness, she didn't let the maid put Liuli in a cage. But although Liuli was clean, she still had a strange bird smell, which made her vomit.

Later, Xia Lan came up with an idea. She ground the angelica into powder and placed it in a small cloth bag. She hung it around Liuli's neck, changing it daily so that the scent of the angelica could cover Liuli's body odor. Liuli was not used to it at first and kept biting the bag, but she eventually got used to it and began flying around Shen Yuexi's room with the bag hanging on her.

Xiao Zhuo was away at home as he led his army to quell the rebellion in Jingzhou, so Shen Yuexi would tease Liuli whenever she had nothing to do, and they were all having fun.

Liuli landed on the stone table in front of Shen Yuexi, folded her wings, bent her head to straighten her back feathers, and turned to Shen Yuexi and said, "Yuexi, good luck."

Shen Yuexi stretched out a finger and rubbed the top of Liuli's head, smiling and saying, "Be good."

Who wouldn't like such a well-behaved big parrot? It doesn't fly around, can talk, and is very clingy, following her around all day long.

Liuli seemed to know that Shen Yuexi was praising it. It shook its head, jumped sideways twice, and tilted its head and said, "Oh no, the master vomited again."

When Xia Lan and other maids heard this, they all shrank their necks.

This is the sentence that everyone has been saying the most in the past month. I didn’t expect that Liuli had heard it so much that she actually learned it.

Shen Yuexi laughed and said, "You lazy bird, you can't learn anything else even if I teach you."

Liuli seemed to be showing off, and proudly raised her head and said: "Beiheng, you are sorry for me, Beiheng, you are sorry for me."

Shen Yuexi was amused by Liuli and imitated her voice, saying to her, "Beiheng, you're sorry for me."

Xia Lan was surprised and said, "Master, you seem to have learned it very well. If I hadn't listened carefully, I would have thought it was Liuli who said it."

Several maids echoed, "We also thought it was Liuli who said that."

Seeing everyone speaking in unison, Shen Yuexi asked, "Is it really that similar?"

Everyone nodded.

Just as he was about to play with Liuli again, a maid came up and said, "My Lord, Princess Ping's convoy has arrived twenty miles east of Shengjing City."

Shen Yuexi said to the maid, "I understand. Ask Yang Cong to welcome Princess Ping on my behalf. I am not feeling well and will be waiting in the mansion."

Su Mo's messenger had come to Shengjing earlier, saying that Su Mo would come to visit her after the Mid-Autumn Festival. She was also looking forward to someone to talk to. Although Xia Lan and other maids could also chat with her, only Su Mo shared her interests and they had a common language.

After returning to her room to wash and dress, and changing her clothes, Shen Yuexi came to the front hall of the palace.

Su Mo was already waiting in the front hall. The table next to her was filled with dark red sandalwood boxes, each one foot square, covered with precious soft silk.

As soon as she saw Shen Yuexi, Su Mo stood up and exclaimed, "It's only been a month and a half, and my sister-in-law has lost so much weight."

As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward and held Shen Yuexi's arm, and they sat down together.

Shen Yuexi was originally a thin woman. Now that she was pregnant, she had been vomiting for more than a month and could only survive on porridge and soup. She looked visibly haggard and had lost almost a circle of weight compared to the time of the Qiqiao Festival.

Seeing Su Mo so surprised, Shen Yuexi looked down at her belly and smiled, "It's all because of the baby."

Su Mo said: "Then you should eat more to replenish your body. Why are the chefs in the palace not doing anything?"

At first, she thought that the chef did not cook for Shen Yuexi. Later, when Shen Yuexi explained that she was vomiting and could not eat because of pregnancy, she finally understood.

The two exchanged a few words, and the maid brought cakes and tea.

The parrot Liuli also followed Shen Yuexi to the front hall. As if recognizing Su Mo, its former master, Liuli flew to Su Mo and called out:

"Oh no! The master vomited again. Oh no! The master vomited again."

Su Mo laughed and said, "I didn't expect that my sister-in-law had been vomiting for so long that even Liuli had learned the servant's words."

After saying that, Su Mo picked up a plate of peanuts and melon seeds and placed it on the empty table next to her. She said to Liuli, "Liuli, go eat some peanuts over there. I have something to say to my sister-in-law."

Liuli spread her wings and flew away. Su Mo then walked to the row of wooden boxes and opened one first.

"My mother said she didn't feel anything when she was pregnant with me. She only realized it after her belly grew bigger. I thought all women were like this." Su Mo rummaged through the wooden box. "I came here this time to bring some jewelry for my sister-in-law. If you're not feeling well, just sit there and I'll pick it out for you."

Shen Yuexi said: "I am very happy that you are here, you really don't need to bring anything."

She remembered how she'd once gotten into a fight with Xiao Zhuo over a small box of silver, even signing a written agreement. Now, there was so much gold that it couldn't be stored under the bed anymore; it needed a separate storage room. The jewelry Su Mo had given her wasn't just a single string; the sandalwood boxes filled the entire table.

"Sister-in-law is pregnant, how can I, as her sister-in-law, come empty-handed?" Su Mo picked and chose, and took out a necklace from the box. "Sister-in-law, what do you think of this necklace?"

The entire necklace is made of moon-white pearls, and each pearl is of average size.

Shen Yuexi said: "This necklace is very beautiful, let me try it."

Su Mo walked up behind her and put the necklace on her while saying, "Sister-in-law, do you know that the emperor has issued an edict to establish a crown prince?"

Shen Yuexi's heart moved. Emperor Ming of Qi issued an edict to appoint a crown prince?

She was in Shengjing and hadn't arranged any personnel to be stationed in the capital. As for whether Xiao Zhuo had done this, she had no idea. But she was still quite surprised when Su Mo told her the news in person.

"Oh, it's King Ping who is enthroned, right?" she asked casually.

Judging from Su Mo's relaxed expression, Emperor Qi Ming should have chosen Xiao Beiheng as the heir apparent. If he had chosen Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Beiheng would have been furious. Even if Su Mo wanted to come to Shengjing, Xiao Beiheng would not have agreed.

Su Mo said, "No, my father hung the decree of the crown prince on the Zhaixing Tower, and none of us know who it is. Sister-in-law, if the crown prince is Bei Heng, would my brother and you not mind?"

Shen Yuexi said: "No, he won't, and neither will I."

Ever since she came into this world, she hadn't had much interest in these things. With her universal manufacturing machine, she had no worries about money. Her goal was to find a man who truly loved her and to spend their lives together. Only Xiao Zhuo was obsessed with the status of Crown Prince.

Later, Yongwei was defeated and Xiao Zhuo lost his title as crown prince overnight. However, it was at this most difficult time that the two were able to confirm their true feelings for each other.

Now that she had the fruit of their love, she felt that the struggle for fame and fortune in the world was just a passing cloud. She just wanted her child to be born safely and grow up happily. She and Xiao Zhuo had already endured too much hardship, and she didn't want their child to go through that again.

Su Mo hung the pearl necklace around her neck, adjusted it for her, turned to face her, and said with a smile: "Pearls can help with pregnancy. There are also jade bracelets. I also brought several pairs. Let your sister-in-law choose."

Shen Yuexi raised her eyes and looked at her and said, "Sister-in-law, what if the emperor chooses my husband?"

She also wanted to know what Su Mo thought about this situation.

Su Mo seemed to have anticipated her question, and returned to the jewelry box to continue picking, saying:

"Sister-in-law, you know what I said. I follow my husband wherever he goes. I'm of course happy that Beiheng is the crown prince, but if he wasn't, I wouldn't care. I'm the Princess of Ping now, and I'm already content. But..."

Su Mo paused, turned around, looked at Shen Yuexi and said, "Bei Heng is not the kind of person who gives up easily."

Their eyes met, and they both saw the hidden worry in each other's eyes.