Chapter 55 Xiao Yu: 'Wanwan, take your time...'

Chapter 55: Pregnancy ==

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, especially the Emperor, whose face turned ashen. "What did you say?"

Su Wanyue froze. When did she get pregnant?

Moreover, his reaction was also unfathomable to Su Wanyue. Wasn't he angry?

Xiao Yu sat down with the woman in his arms, gently rubbing her slender waist soothingly, repeating the gesture once more.

This time, the Emperor truly heard it. His gaze held a hint of suspicion, and he retorted with a sharp question, "Then why didn't you say so before?"

"Yes, Third Brother, this so-called pregnancy isn't something you just made up to protect your wife in front of Father, is it?" Xiao Ruofei, always eager for drama, asked through gritted teeth. How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

Xiao Yu didn't speak this time, completely ignoring Xiao Ruofei. Seeing that he still looked down on him, Xiao Ruofei became even angrier and was about to retort when the Emperor gave a stern order, "Go and invite the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

To ensure fairness, Eunuch Zhou invited two imperial physicians: Physician Zhang, who had been treating Su Wanyue at Prince Cheng's residence, and Physician Su, who had been taking the Empress's pulse for a long time. This way, there was no need to worry about anyone falsifying anything. The Emperor's expression softened slightly, and he seemed quite satisfied.

"The Crown Princess is suddenly feeling unwell. You two, please take a look and see what's wrong." The Emperor's words were very clever. He only mentioned that she was feeling unwell and made no mention of the possibility that the woman might be pregnant.

When Su Wanyue's identity was exposed, she didn't show the slightest panic. But the moment the man spoke, she became nervous because only she knew that she wasn't pregnant at all. However, her expression remained as calm and gentle as ever, without the slightest hint of fear.

Zhou Heng remained calm and glanced in the direction of Xiao Yu and the girl. He always felt that the man might have just said it casually to help the girl out of her predicament, but the imperial physicians were all from the palace and might not necessarily help to cover things up in front of the emperor.

If the imperial physician were to say later that the young lady was not pregnant, how would this matter be resolved? Zhou Heng was on pins and needles, never having felt such torment before. Yet, they were in the wrong, and he couldn't even speak up to help the young lady.

Seeing so many masters sitting in the hall, Imperial Physician Zhang and Imperial Physician Su exchanged glances, probably sensing that something had happened again. But the people in the palace were very good at reading people's expressions. Imperial Physician Zhang approached the Crown Prince and his wife, saying, "Your Highness, please come in."

As the imperial physician placed his hand on the white silk handkerchief, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. On one hand, they felt that if the woman before them was pregnant, her identity might be mistakenly confirmed. On the other hand, they were also worried that the young lady was pregnant, because she was not the real Princess Weiyang. Back then, there were so many noble ladies in the capital who wanted to marry Prince Cheng, and she couldn't possibly have all the good ones taken.

As soon as Physician Zhang draped the white cloth over her, he frowned, then his beard twitched slightly, and he stood up with a smile. “Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and the Crown Princess have slippery pulses. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can have Physician Su examine her again.”

The atmosphere in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was noticeably different from usual. The Empress Consort, Princess Huiyang who was usually reserved, the Right Chancellor, and the Duke of Xie and the Duke of Zhou, who were highly regarded by the Emperor, were all present. It was clear that something big was happening. However, since Prince Cheng had just been made Crown Prince, his principal wife was already pregnant, which was certainly a joyous occasion.

However, the emperor did not seem particularly happy, and Zhang, the imperial physician, thought he did not believe him, so he quickly added a sentence.

Following behind Imperial Physician Zhang, Imperial Physician Su hurriedly stepped forward and placed his hand on hers. The Empress gave Imperial Physician Su a fierce look. Imperial Physician Su was in the palace specifically to take the pulse of the Empress of Kunning Palace. The Empress believed that she had treated him well, so she naturally hoped that Imperial Physician Su could secretly help the Empress at this time. She had finally caught a handle on the Xiao couple, and the Empress did not want it to go to waste.

Since Xiao Yu has such a good relationship with women, even if we can't bring him down this time, we should at least annoy him.

If it is confirmed that the woman is pregnant, the Emperor will definitely have to consider the issue of offspring, because the woman in front of him is not an ordinary member of the royal family. Her father is the younger brother of the Emperor of Nanqiong, and she carries the blood of the Nanqiong royal family. Therefore, the child in her womb will not only have the blood of the Beili royal family, but also the blood of the Nanqiong royal family.

Just as the Empress was extremely nervous, Imperial Physician Su calmly withdrew his hand from taking her pulse. He then bowed to the Emperor and Empress above him and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the Crown Princess is indeed pregnant."

Su Wanyue's eyebrows trembled slightly, her fingernails, hidden in her sleeve, dug into her palm. She knew very well that she wasn't pregnant, so...

Su Wanyue subconsciously looked at the man with his arm around her shoulder. She saw that his profile was sharp, his phoenix eyes were long and cold, and there was not a trace of a smile on his face.

When he saw her looking over, he paused slightly, and the grip on her shoulders loosened for a moment, but he still didn't let go of her.

The Emperor's face was dark and deep, and he remained silent for a moment. The reactions of the others in the hall varied. In the eyes of the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Xie, whether it was a princess of the royal family or a princess of the royal family, the Crown Princess had already married the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Crown Prince liked her very much, which was enough. As for the concubines in the harem present, they were initially shocked that the Southern Qiong royal family dared to use a princess of the royal family to replace a princess of the royal family in marriage. But after the shock, they admired her somewhat. At least the Crown Prince's affection for her was genuine. With the child in her belly, her status as Crown Princess was probably secure. However, the Empress and Xiao Ruofei did not have such pleasant expressions, especially Xiao Ruofei, whose eyes were practically spitting fire as she looked at Xiao Yu and his wife.

It seems even the heavens are on their side.

Everyone was waiting for the Emperor's instructions. Consort Qin seized the opportunity to speak: "Your Majesty, the child is the most important thing. Why don't we let Yu'er and the Crown Princess go back first? Let's wait for what Emperor Nanqiong has to say about this matter. I believe there must be some hidden story behind this."

Consort Qin had recovered from the shock of the news that the girl was not the real Princess Weiyang. She truly regarded the girl as her own daughter, so whether she was a royal princess or a princess of the imperial clan, Consort Qin could accept it.

They like her as a person, not the identity behind her.

The Emperor remained silent, clearly not wanting to let the matter rest so easily. No matter what reasons Nan Qiong gave, the fact that Nan Qiong had switched the goods was undeniable. Zhou Heng, who had been observing the situation, added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, I have already sent a message to the Crown Prince by carrier pigeon. I believe the Crown Prince will soon respond. This matter is absolutely not the Crown Princess's fault; she was forced into it."

After a pause, Zhou Heng continued, "Moreover, the child in the Crown Princess's womb also has the bloodline of the Southern Qiong royal family."

"The Crown Prince and Crown Princess's marriage was originally intended to be a union of convenience. However, Nanqiong broke his promise first, changing the marriage candidate without authorization. He truly doesn't respect me or Beili. I await an explanation from King Nanqiong. Considering that the Crown Princess may have been coerced and is already pregnant, I will entrust this matter to the Crown Prince. I hope the Crown Prince will give me a satisfactory answer." The Emperor cannot openly punish Su Wanyue, but that doesn't mean he can let her off easily. The best solution is for Nanqiong to send the real Princess Weiyang over, so that the two women can share one husband.

Princess Huiyang blinked her beautiful eyes, probably not expecting to see such a good show today. It was the envoy from Nanqiong who proposed that the two countries form a marriage alliance, but in the end, Nanqiong did not marry the real Princess Weiyang to them. There must be some unspeakable reasons for this. In the game between the two sides, the only one who was sacrificed was the woman in front of her.

Princess Huiyang glanced at the beautiful woman being held in the man's arms. Her subconscious reaction was that the woman was not pregnant. Everyone had already witnessed the Crown Prince's abilities when he was still a prince. It would be easy for him to bribe a few imperial physicians.

Let alone the imperial physicians, anyone would probably know who will rule the world in the future.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Xiao Yuyu's expression was indifferent, and his voice was cold.

He hadn't listened to a word the emperor said. The emperor gave his son a deep look and realized that he might lose control of him the longer it went on.

It was quite unexpected for the Emperor that a mere woman could seduce his naturally cold son to the point of being unable to distinguish right from wrong.

A dark glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes. He dismissed everyone except Zhou Heng and Bai Shuang. It seemed that besides concealing the truth that the princess of the royal family was replacing the princess of the royal family, Nanqiong was also concealing something else. If the woman was a princess of the Nanqiong royal family, she should have a fiancé. How could a royal daughter-in-law be entangled with other men?

After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Empress and Xiao Ruofei, having gained nothing, naturally gave Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu a cold look. Xiao Ruofei, in particular, snorted and left.

Princess Huiyang came over to greet Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu. When Right Chancellor Yan Chenzhou saw Princess Huiyang go over, he narrowed his eyes and also went over.

"Zi Luo, I am very happy that you are pregnant. No matter if you are a princess or not, in my heart you are my daughter." After everyone left, Consort Qin stepped forward. She hesitated, and all her words turned into a soft whisper, "You must be tired today. Go back and rest with Yu'er. Come back to the palace to talk to me another day when you are well-rested."

Su Wanyue felt a warmth in her heart, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you, Mother."

During her year or so in Beili, she was very grateful for the kindness Consort Qin had shown her, but she had indeed deceived her family because of her own actions.

Consort Qin understood her meaning, patted her hand with satisfaction, and told the two of them to return to their residence first.

Xiao Yu gently helped his wife into the carriage, and the couple did not exchange a single word throughout the journey.

When they returned to Zixia Palace, the servants came in to serve them, but Xiao Yu raised her hand and they all bowed their heads and withdrew, leaving only the two of them in the inner hall, where the atmosphere was very quiet.

Xiao Yu did not speak, nor did Su Wanyue.

After a long silence, the man finally spoke first: "Do you have anything to say?"

Su Wanyue took a deep breath and made a move to stand up, "This concubine..."

"What do you want to say? I'm listening." Xiao Yu suddenly grabbed her wrist and pressed her down onto the chaise longue. His voice was deep and soft. "Wanwan, speak slowly."

This was the first time he had called her by her given name.