Chapter 11 Fake Pregnancy Pills

Hongzhao, his mouth greasy, paused for a moment, then continued to eat the braised pork knuckle on his plate as if nothing had happened.

The system had been silent since the full moon celebration, and for nearly three years he had almost forgotten that he had a system that didn't like to talk to people. Today, he suddenly had a mission again, and the first thing it said was that his mother was pregnant.

He remembered that in the original drama, the imperial concubines entered the palace three months after Yongzheng ascended the throne, by which time Consort Xin had already miscarried.

If she was pregnant at this time, it meant that the time for Emperor Kangxi's death and Emperor Yongzheng's ascension to the throne was not far off, and it would be as short as three months, and at most no more than five months.

Hongzhao clearly remembered that in the drama, Huanhuan said that Consort Xin's miscarriage was due to slipping and falling. However, most viewers assumed it couldn't have been an accident, and the Empress Dowager also said that the two miscarriages of Consort Xin and Consort Fucha should be attributed to the Empress.

The only incident related to slipping and falling in the drama is when Zhen Huan almost fell off her sedan chair when she first returned to the palace—on a pebble covered in moss.

This was most likely done by Gua Liu, but with her limited intelligence, she probably couldn't have come up with such a meticulous plan, nor could she have cleaned up the mess so thoroughly. So it could only be that the Empress was behind it.

Perhaps the idea of ​​using pebbles stems from a past success, where someone successfully obtained something that worked before.

After all, Zhen Huan used those moss-covered pebbles to test Consort Xin, and Consort Xin didn't hide anything about it.

Hongzhao speculated that in the original drama, Consort Xin entered the palace not long before things were settled, and the chaos gave others an opportunity to take advantage of her.

However, one cannot let one's guard down even while in the mansion.

There were quite a few pregnant women at that time. Counting the days, Consort Xu, who later became Consort Fang, and Consort Cao also became pregnant one after another. Of the three, only Consort Cao gave birth smoothly, and she was exhausted from childbirth.

The first child born after the emperor's ascension to the throne—this title is undeniably prestigious, and competition for it is inevitable.

It's not just Yixiu who's making a move; protecting this child will be quite difficult.

First of all, it was impossible to keep it a secret forever, especially since this matter coincided with the funeral of Emperor Kangxi. If she were pregnant and had performed all the proper rites, the child would have been lost on its own without anyone else's help.

Now that you've decided to speak, when will you speak?

If... there just happens to be another big event that can divert everyone's attention, especially Yixiu's.

"System, show me the rewards I kept from the third mission." Hongzhao poked the unresponsive screen.

The screen flickered, and a dark pill appeared on it, clearly labeled "False Pregnancy Pill" below.

Seeing that the princess and prince had finished eating, the wet nurse and nanny quietly cleared away the food. Hongzhao led his younger sister to the soft cushions and watched her innocently play with the nine-linked rings on the ground. He then relaxed and sat down to the side, propping his head up as if he were still working on the puzzle.

If someone in the household becomes pregnant, making everyone even more wary of her, then far fewer eyes will be fixed on Mother.

Whose pregnancy would make everyone wary?

Hongzhao's expression remained unchanged, but the emotion in his eyes grew serious. The person in the manor who could do such a thing was actually quite obvious.

—If Consort Hua were to suddenly become pregnant, aside from anything else, Yixiu would probably not be able to sleep soundly every night, and her headaches might flare up for several more days.

Furthermore, Nian Shilan believed she was pregnant, and given her level of concern, she probably wouldn't have time to scheme against others.

However… Hongzhao did not make a decision immediately; he hesitated, which was uncharacteristic of him.

As its name suggests, the False Pregnancy Pill can make even a man look like a normal pregnant woman. Even if the imperial physician comes to check his pulse every day, he cannot find anything wrong. However, since it is a false pregnancy, the "child" will not last more than six months before miscarriage.

Hongzhao remembered asking the system at the time if taking this medicine would result in a false pregnancy and a miscarriage at six months, and the feeling would be the same as a real miscarriage. You could really feel a "life" slowly draining from your body.

If, like Zhen Huan in the later stages of the story, one were to use a miscarriage to frame their opponent, then this elixir would be the best choice.

However, if the treatment were applied to a woman who longed for a child every day and had also lost one, to make her experience the exhilarating joy of tears followed by the heart-wrenching pain of loss, Hongzhao suddenly found it difficult to do it.

Perhaps it was because those plates of crab roe pastries were just too delicious.

Or perhaps…

Seeing Shu'er's innocent and lovely smile, holding up the nine-linked rings and reaching out to him, her adorable appearance made Hongzhao laugh as well. He slowly walked over, took the things she handed him, and sat down next to her. The two little heads huddled together to study them.

Hongzhao turned his head to look at the round top of his head on the side of his face, and made up his mind. Perhaps it was because Shuer was a girl, but he did not want Shuer to suffer like this in the future.

"System, how many points do I have now, and what can I redeem for?"

System – “Host currently has 600 points remaining. The system shop has been opened for you.”

Hongzhao looked at the screen and saw that it was the first time he had ever seen such a wide variety of items in the mall. The prices were indeed astonishingly high.

He had a sudden inspiration, so he selected the price list in reverse chronological order and began browsing slowly.

Before long, something caught Hongzhao's eye.

"System, I want this. Redeem it for me."

System – “Okay, redemption complete. Please select the time and recipient for use.”

Zhao You lowered his eyes and softly uttered a name—"One month later, Yixiu."

At this moment, Lu Yingfeng, the head of the Jade Hall, was covering her mouth and directing the maid to remove the fish soup in front of her. Seeing that her princess looked uncomfortable, Xuexin quickly opened the window and fanned the flame.

"It must be because the cook didn't cook it well today, which is why the fish soup has a fishy smell. Princess used to love this dish the most."

She gently patted Lü Yingfeng's back to calm her down and then placed a few refreshing side dishes on her plate.

Lu Yingfeng remained silent, staring at the dishes on the table in front of her, her long eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if she had encountered some problem.

With no one else around, Lü Yingfeng tugged at Xue Xin's sleeve, signaling her to lower her head, and asked in a low voice, "How long has it been since my period came?"

Xuexin counted on her fingers, "Your Highness, you didn't come last month, and you didn't come this month either." She trailed off, then suddenly realized something and grabbed Lü Yingfeng's arm with a surprised voice, "Your Highness, could it be that you're pregnant again?!"

“Ever since the princess gave birth to two little masters, the prince has been frequently visiting our courtyard. The princess is of good age, so it’s perfectly normal for her to be pregnant now. This servant will go and fetch the royal physician!” With that, she hurriedly headed out, but was stopped by Lü Yingfeng.

Lü Yingfeng was not as optimistic as her—"Isn't this perfectly normal? There are so many women of marriageable age in the manor, why haven't they had any children in three years? And now that I'm pregnant again, what will others think?"

“We need to call the royal physician, but not now. The prince has been increasingly busy lately, and he’s not in the palace all day long. Let’s pretend nothing’s wrong for now and wait for an opportunity.”

Xuexin nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Using the table as cover, Lü Yingfeng gently stroked her still unseen belly and murmured, "I just hope this opportunity comes soon."