Chapter 284 Who is the child's father?

Song Zhimian's first reaction was, "Oh no, am I going to have to take care of her during her postpartum period?"

Then she thought about many things, such as how postpartum care is done in modern times, and what preparations are needed...

But then an even bigger question popped into my head.

They've only been gone for less than two months, how could Her Majesty be pregnant? The most crucial question is, who is the father of the child…?

Song Zhimian watched Ye Yunshu with her mouth slightly open as he subtly wiped the corner of his mouth before continuing to walk forward.

Ye Yunshu took a couple of steps before realizing that Song Zhimian hadn't followed, and then she turned around.

Turning around, she saw Song Zhimian tilting her head slightly, her cherry-like mouth half-open, looking at her in surprise...

"What happened? Did something bump into you?" Ye Yunshu asked with a faint smile.

Song Zhimian then realized what was happening and quickly walked over to carefully support Ye Yunshu's arm.

"Your Majesty, please slow down!" Song Zhimian wished the eunuchs would bring the sedan chair over immediately.

After Ye Yunshu ascended the throne, unlike Emperor Xiao Xuan who sat down to attend court, she preferred to walk slowly around the palace.

And he was thinking about things as he walked.

The sedan chair is quite a distance from Ye Yunshu right now!

Ye Yunshu gently pulled her arm out of Song Zhimian's grasp.

"Okay, it's nothing serious, no need to make such a fuss."

"Someone, take the Crown Prince to the tutor's place!" Ye Yunshu said softly.

Two eunuchs immediately came and led Xiao Jingjue outside.

Only after Xiao Jingjue left did Ye Yunshu glance at Song Zhimian and gesture for her to follow behind her.

"Just treat this as a normal thing."

"I have to get someone out of the Censorate! This child... came at just the right time. I sent him to the Ye family as soon as he was born," Ye Yunshu said softly.

Song Zhimian responded with an "oh," indicating that His Majesty intended to emulate the late Empress.

After the late Empress gave birth, wasn't the child secretly sent back to the Ye family...?

"So that means... this child is going to be kept a secret too? To be born quietly?" Song Zhimian immediately lowered her voice.

If that's the case, then we need to prepare something like a bondage belt now. What material should we use? Tencel satin! Tencel satin is the best material, and it should work very well as a bondage belt.

Also, we need to inform the embroidery workshop in the inner palace to make more loose-fitting clothes so that His Majesty's belly can be covered up when it gets bigger!

Oh, and His Majesty must ride in the sedan chair; we can't let His Majesty have his way like we do now...

And also... When His Majesty is about to give birth, we must inform Xiao Huaijin in the southwest so that he can prepare accordingly and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

Of course, it would be best if I could come back.

Song Zhimian's mind worked quickly, and she thought about many things.

After all, an emperor who personally gave birth after ascending the throne... this is the first time. As the first lady-in-waiting by His Majesty's side, she must be fully prepared.

"What are you thinking with that little head of yours! Do I need to sneak around when I have a baby?"

"Just give birth openly and honestly. Anyway, I won't let her become the emperor. After I'm gone, the throne will belong to Juege'er. This is what Father Emperor decided." Ye Yunshu turned her head and gently tapped Song Zhimin's head.

Song Zhimian said "oh" and quickly followed Ye Yunshu forward.

"Your Majesty... has the palace recently taken a new imperial consort?" Song Zhimian asked softly.

Ye Yunshu glanced at her.

"Isn't what you just want to know is who the child's father is?"

Song Zhimian, let me tell you, it doesn't matter who the child's father is. What matters is that this child was born to me. After she is born, she will take over the Censorate.

Everything else... isn't that important!

After saying that, Ye Yunshu strode towards the Phoenix Heaven Palace.

Song Zhimian's heart was in her throat the whole time, so she quickly followed.

For Ye Yunshu, the identity of the child's father was unimportant, but for the court officials, it was still very important...

...

Ye Yunshu did not hide her pregnancy. She openly asked the Imperial Hospital to prepare a prescription for pregnancy support and also asked the Imperial Household Department to start preparing everything that would be needed in the future.

After doing all this, Ye Yunshu also wrote two letters herself.

She sent a letter to Emperor Xiao Xuan and his entourage, who were traveling abroad, informing them that she was pregnant and about to give birth. She asked if they should return to take charge of state affairs, since handling state affairs while heavily pregnant would cause significant emotional fluctuations, which would be bad for the fetus.

Another letter was sent to Xiao Huaijin in the southwest.

She was also telling Xiao Huaijin that she was pregnant and he would soon be her uncle, but that she was experiencing severe pregnancy symptoms and asked if Xiao Huaijin could return as regent to manage state affairs.

After all, she was heavily pregnant and didn't want to do anything, and the child in her belly still had to call Xiao Huaijin "uncle"! Even if he didn't care about her, the older one, he should at least care about the younger one!

Although Ye Yunshu received replies quickly after sending the two letters, the contents of the replies made her very unhappy.

The retired emperor said directly that being pregnant was a good thing, at least the Ye family line wouldn't die out.

Furthermore, he believed that even if Ye Yunshu was pregnant, she would still be able to handle state affairs well. After all, she took over the Censorate at the age of fifteen, and the difficulties she encountered at that time were much greater than childbirth.

Now... he believes his beloved daughter will arrange everything perfectly.

Of course, he will definitely give a big gift when his granddaughter is born.

In addition, the retired emperor also quietly inquired about the father of the child, wondering if his son-in-law was some weak and useless scholar who looked good but was actually useless.

Along with the reply, Xiao Huaijin also sent two large cartloads of gifts, including food, household items, and toys, all sourced from the southwest and the fragmented Biao Kingdom.

Xiao Huaijin also wrote a heartfelt reply to Ye Yunshu.

First, he congratulated his eldest sister on her pregnancy and upcoming motherhood, and also expressed his anticipation of becoming an uncle himself.

However, the situation in Biao Kingdom is complicated right now. Although he feels sorry for his elder sister, he cannot leave the southwest for the time being for the sake of the long-term peace of Dayu.

In the letter, he also said that it was alright, that Song Zhimin was smart and calm, and that his elder sister could leave the matter to Song Zhimin.

At the end of the letter, he also asked who his brother-in-law was, saying it would be even better if they could have a friendly competition.

Ye Yunshu was so upset by the two letters that she ate an extra bowl of porridge for dinner.

She knew that in crucial moments, neither her own father nor her own brothers could be relied upon; she could only rely on herself.

...

The news of the empress's pregnancy spread quickly.

The people of the capital city could not believe the news was true, nor did they dare to discuss it openly.

As her daily workload increased, Song Zhimian dared not complain.

That day, Ye Yunshu took Xiao Jingjue to the outskirts of the capital to check on the growth of crops in the fields, and specifically told Song Zhimian not to come along, but to stay in the palace to rest for a while.

Just as Song Zhimian was about to rest, Princess Shou Kang and Princess Yongxin arrived.

Both of them looked excited.

"Song Zhimian, do you know whose child is in my elder sister's belly?" Princess Shou Kang's eyes were full of joy.

“I don’t know, it’s definitely not mine! What? Does Your Highness know whose it is?” Song Zhimian asked casually.

"Of course I know!" Princess Shou Kang proudly raised her head.

Song Zhimian...