Chapter 43: Zhi, do you think our girl is pregnant?

At the Wang family residence, despite his advanced age, Old Master Wang was still in very good health.

After the lively birthday banquet ended and the guests were seen off, the joy on his face faded a little, and he turned and headed towards his study with his entourage.

"Well, have you ascertained whether it is truly His Majesty?"

Wang Xiaoru, the father of Empress Wang, stood in front of the hall and replied with a solemn expression.

"Father, news has also come from the palace; it is indeed His Majesty."

"The steward said that there were also women dressed up as the emperor's wives and concubines at the time, and the two of them came together with Commander Wei."

"Now it seems that the woman was Jiang, a woman from Hanyuan Palace."

The emperor's personal presence was an honor, but seeing Emperor Xuanpei "pass by his home without entering" turned this honor into an ominous sign.

"No imperial decree has been issued to date..." Old Master Wang sighed softly as he spoke.

It is said that a family may last for a thousand years, but emperors come and go.

At the end of the previous dynasty, Xiao Gong's prestige reached its peak. People from all walks of life, even those who knew the aristocratic families but not the emperor, respected Xiao Gong even more than the emperor.

But when a dynasty approaches its end, the various chaotic phenomena cannot be concealed.

The struggle for the throne is a life-or-death battle with other competitors.

Noble families that are not prepared to gamble everything would act so rashly.

They preferred to bet on some rough-and-tumble heroes or people with extraordinary potential in advance... The founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty was not originally favored by the Langya Wang clan.

They lost their bet.

Having accepted their defeat, the Wang family kept a low profile and temporarily withdrew to preserve their resources and prepare for a future comeback.

They wanted to hide, but the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty refused.

Even the emperors who ascended the throne were all ruthless and turned their backs on people without hesitation, and they were particularly wary of powerful families.

Every emperor, unexpectedly and tacitly, would use methods, whether strong or weak, to repeatedly "cut flesh" layer by layer like a "soft knife".

Until this time, the daughter of the Langya Wang clan became empress and gave birth to the crown prince.

The next emperor will have the blood of the Wang family, so how do you expect to lose this battle?

Moreover, the Crown Prince is the most benevolent and filial.

If Empress Wang intends to appoint a girl to her inner quarters, the Crown Prince will not refuse. There are plenty of good girls in the Wang family; what kind of girl does the Crown Prince not want?

At that time... it will be a time when the Yin and Wang families jointly rule the world.

The prerequisite for all of this was to preserve Empress Wang's position as Empress and the Eastern Palace... To be honest, Empress Wang Yushu was not really to Wang Shi's liking.

"Yu Shu is spoiled rotten by your mother."

Old Master Wang sighed again, thinking about the messages that the palace ladies would occasionally send.

"It's only because His Majesty is mindful of public opinion and the Crown Prince's feelings that he's shown some leniency. But no matter how great your relationship is, how can you withstand such torment?"

People who have always had smooth sailing and become complacent are not very willing to accept setbacks. Empress Wang's stubbornness, which could be described as hurting both herself and others, caused the Wang clan a lot of headaches.

"I'm really afraid that she'll even implicate the Crown Prince in the end."

Who can argue with that?

Speaking of his daughter, who always seemed to say, "I'm right," and "Look, even the emperor has to give me some leeway," Wang Xiaoru felt somewhat helpless.

“Yu Shu has always had this temperament since she was a child. She had several arguments with the Emperor when she was still in the Prince of Qin’s mansion, and no one could persuade her to stop then… Now that she wants to change, I’m afraid it’s even more impossible.”

"Let Sui'er participate in this talent show."

Sui'er is the daughter of the fifth branch of the Wang family, and Wang Yushu's youngest sister.

The old master Wang, who was completely disappointed in Empress Wang, said, "This child is well-educated and clever. With her helping Yu Shu, she should make some progress."

Adding another girl to the palace would not be difficult for the Wang family. If it weren't for the mistake in generational relationship, Miss Sui... would have been a suitable candidate for the Crown Princess.

What a pity.

Wang Xiaoru nodded.

"Yes, I will send someone to deliver a message right away, and have Fifth Brother bring Sui'er to the capital immediately."

*

Chonghua Hall

"I thought your 'praying for blessings and exorcising evil' would take some time, but I didn't expect it to come so suddenly."

Consort Feng looked at the unfortunate Ah Zhu lying on the couch.

"Does your head still hurt?"

Azhu shook her head. Even though they had discussed this matter several times before, she still couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, please be very careful when I go to Qingyang Palace."

Don't worry.

Consort Feng laughed and said, "Over the years, the scale of the sacrifices and prayers held in the palace during festivals has been much larger than what you have here."

"If I were so easily sent away, would I still be here now?"

As she spoke, Consort Feng's tone carried a hint of speculation.

"If you want to send me off with a lot of fanfare, you'll probably need my birth date and time or something that possesses me... That's the only way to make this ritual effective, right?"

"......"

This highly specialized business was clearly unfamiliar to Azhu as well.

Consort Feng shook her head.

"Never mind, we'll talk about my matter later. Right now, it's your concern."

"Since the emperor says that those eminent monks will arrive in three days, you might as well take these few days to quietly bathe and fast."

"They say sincerity brings results, so I really hope it works."

After talking for a while, a palace servant came to invite A-Zhu to have a meal at Hanyuan Hall.

Thinking that Ah Zhu had suffered a misfortune and lost his vitality, he needed to be properly nourished, so the imperial meal today was prepared with extra care.

Ah-Zhu, who had been excited to go to the birthday banquet but didn't get to eat, now felt hungry.

But when she ate, her chopsticks only went for the few dishes on the table: fresh mushrooms and bok choy, bamboo shoots with hibiscus and basil, and stir-fried lily bulbs and magnolia petals... She didn't touch the rich, oily dishes that she usually loved.

Seeing that Eunuch Chen was going to serve Ah Zhu squirrel-shaped mandarin fish according to the emperor's wishes, Ah Zhu quickly protected the bowl and plate and declined.

Seeing Emperor Xuanpei looking over, Azhu put down her chopsticks and moved closer to the emperor.

"Your Majesty."

"The high monks will be entering the palace in two days, and I wish to properly bathe and fast for the next two days..."

Emperor Xuanpei paused, put down his silver chopsticks, pulled Azhu to sit on his lap, and touched her face.

"The imperial physicians all said that you should eat well and do your best to nourish your body. They have finally helped you recover your complexion, but suddenly you have to fast again."

"Your Majesty," A-Zhu tugged at Emperor Xuanpei's sleeve and laughed, "Who goes to see Buddha with their mouth dripping with oil?"

As he spoke, A-Zhu clasped his hands together and bowed to the surroundings.

"Amitabha Buddha, I spoke without thinking, what a sin."

Emperor Xuanpei patted Azhu's head, which was shaking as he went around paying homage.

“Your body is weak, and you are prone to fever if you are not carefully cared for. If you blame even this, how can you call yourself compassionate?”

These words sound rather disrespectful to the Buddha.

But Emperor Xuanpei was a boring man from head to toe. He had very few hobbies and interests and was indifferent to the "compassion of Buddha".

Furthermore, the serious land annexation caused by the previous dynasty's "four hundred and eighty temples," the countless young and middle-aged people abandoning their homes and fields, and the various chaotic phenomena of monks amassing wealth made them particularly dislike these unproductive places.

After ascending the throne, he not only strictly limited the size of all temples, but also set rules to clarify the land that temples could own.

The quota for monks to be ordained was extremely strict, and any temple that dared to violate the prohibitions was dealt with ruthlessly, with a cruel implication of "destroying temples and exterminating monks."

Empress Dowager Shu, who originally wanted to properly worship Buddha in the palace, had no choice but to leave the palace and go to Mount Futai to peacefully worship Buddha and seek scriptures.

Ah Zhu always said that Emperor Xuanpei was pretentious, and he was absolutely right. Ah Zhu had never realized before that Emperor Xuanpei disliked temples and monks so much.

"Your Majesty."

Ah Zhu, clinging to Emperor Xuanpei's arm, said with some annoyance, "It was just that I was desperate and tried anything..."

No one knows what Emperor Xuanpei was thinking when Ah Zhu, whom he had been holding in his palm and carefully nurturing, suddenly turned pale, remained silent, and rolled over with her eyes closed.

In short, Emperor Xuanpei personally approved the entry of the monks from Fahua Temple into the palace.

Emperor Xuanpei thought that Azhu was timid and that if he didn't put her at ease, she would often have nightmares.

The imperial physicians have said that prolonged fear and insomnia may shorten one's lifespan.

He smiled and patted Azhu's head.

"Let them chant some scriptures for you, pray for your well-being and ward off disasters, so that I can feel more at ease."

Ah Zhu nestled into Emperor Xuanpei's arms, her expression deeply moved, and softly said, "Your Majesty treats me so well. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Emperor Xuanpei gently stroked his soft, plump Azhu.

"If you want to thank me, then take good care of your health. Once the prayer for blessings is over, then you can have a proper meal with me."

Ah Zhu nodded repeatedly.

*

The emperor decreed that it would last three days, and that meant it would last three days. No one was allowed to disturb the peace, meaning no one was allowed to watch the spectacle.

A-Zhu fasted and bathed diligently for three days, and went to Qingyang Palace at dawn.

In the Nianfu Palace, Consort Zhang listened to the news with an inscrutable expression. She let Qingshuang and Qingwen carefully apply a pearl and peach blossom cream mixed with osmanthus dew to the back of her hand.

For some unknown reason, she chuckled to herself.

Qingwen, who was holding the jade wheel and pushing it back and forth on the back of Consort Zhang's hand, subconsciously raised the jade wheel in his hand.

"Your Majesty?"

"It's none of your business, you can do whatever you want."

"Yes." Qingwen then continued with his work.

Yin Dong then picked up the conversation.

"Has Your Highness thought of something pleasant?"

"I just suddenly remembered an old saying among the people—when dogs fight, they all get a mouthful of fur."

"Empress Wang called her a lowly maid and a criminal slave, yet she still tried to push people to recommend to the Emperor. When the recommendation failed, she was even bitten in return."

Those concubines in the palace who gained some favor were naturally those who were quick-witted and shrewd.

Consort Xian copied scriptures to pray for blessings. At first, she had to cater to Empress Dowager Shu's preferences, and she really had no other choice.

Consort Zhang, who was always favored by the emperor, was well aware of Emperor Xuanpei's likes and dislikes.

At this moment, Consort Zhang was unsure whether she was laughing at Empress Wang or at herself, so her words were quite harsh.

"Even the Empress Dowager was expelled from the palace for her Buddhist worship, but now the Emperor has issued a special decree to summon monks to the palace to cause trouble."

"Empress Wang is truly adept at causing trouble for everyone, but she never manages to do anything good."

Consort Zhang glanced at Qingwen.

"It has been more than four months since I first heard about this Jiang woman, and I still haven't seen what she looks like."

Consort Zhang, unable to contain herself, made excuses to go to Hanyuan Palace several times.

But when Ah Zhu heard the news of her arrival, he hid even more tightly than a turtle, and never went to serve tea even once.

As long as the emperor doesn't speak up, no one else can force A-Zhu to come out on this matter.

After several months of back and forth, Consort Zhang still couldn't even get a single meeting with her.

"Our emperor has finally decided to release them."

Consort Zhang raised her hand and leisurely looked at the red nail polish on her fingertips.

"Tell me, what kind of gift should I prepare for her?"

Fearing that Consort Zhang would target A-Zhu, and that A-Zhu would turn around and threaten her, Qingwen quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the one who should be most anxious in the palace right now... is the Empress in the inner palace."

“I had heard of A-Zhu’s reputation when I was in the Imperial Palace.”

"She's ambitious and always wants to climb the social ladder, and she's shameless and brazen."

"Now that Empress Wang has thoroughly humiliated her, expelled her from Kunning Palace, and even trampled on her face in the Yeting Palace, publicly disgracing her... Tell me, now that such a person has left Hanyuan Palace, who is she most thinking of 'repaying'?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Shuang laughed and said, "Then it should naturally be our virtuous Empress."

Consort Zhang, who personally engaged in open and covert struggles with Empress Wang, did she not want someone to fight on her behalf?

No, it isn't.

That's because the other people in the palace were really useless.

The concubines who are influential and useful will not obey Consort Zhang and will not do anything thankless to target Empress Wang.

Consort Zhang disliked Empress Wang and didn't like Azhu, who was favored by the emperor, much either.

But if these two people she both loathed fought to the death, she would love it.

Consort Zhang rested her hands on the chair and slowly smiled.

"Then I will wait and see."

*

Qingyang Palace

When it comes to getting rid of the "ghostly thing" that has plagued him for years, A-Zhu is serious, even devout.

Originally, these monks' sermons were to be performed for 49 days to complete their merits.

But seeing Emperor Xuanpei's expression, they wisely added that sincerity would bring results, and seven days of merit would suffice.

As soon as the monks from Fahua Temple arrived at the palace, Azhu didn't waste a moment. Every day, she removed her hairpins and dressed simply, joining the monks in their morning prayers.

After finishing their morning prayers, the monks would sit around the altar and chant scriptures.

The high monk, dressed in a red robe, sat facing Azhu and began chanting sutras.

Today I am reciting the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra.

Tomorrow, I will be reciting the Diamond Sutra in the Buddhist hall.

The following day, they moved to a different palace and, while enshrining the Buddha statue, recited the "Sutra of the Fundamental Vows and Merits of the Medicine Buddha"... The sutra was rich in content, and the methods were diverse.

Ah-zhu's soul was purified for seven days under the Buddha's radiant light.

When the merits were complete, Emperor Xuanpei personally came to pick up Azhu.

Ah Zhu, without any makeup and dressed in a gray-blue black robe, had a head of black hair without any gold, silver, or jade ornaments.

She stepped forward, then clasped her hands together and recited a phrase to Emperor Xuanpei.

"Amitabha Buddha, greetings to Your Majesty."

Emperor Xuanpei's eyelids twitched, and he looked directly at the abbot of Fahua Temple, who was bowing slightly as he approached.

The abbot of Fahua Temple naturally began by reciting Amitabha Buddha's name as a greeting, and then showered him with kind words.

"Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha is compassionate and wishes to save all sentient beings."

"Your Majesty, this chanting and prayer for blessings has been successfully completed."

As he spoke, the abbot praised Azhu for strictly observing the precepts in the temple and constantly chanting scriptures with him during this period.

“The female benefactor is devout and truly possesses great wisdom.”

Looking at the host's face full of praise, and then at Azhu beside him with a solemn expression and his hands clasped together, I could see his expression was very serious.

Eunuch Chen, who came along: ......

To be honest, watching this particularly horrifying scene gave him a bad feeling.

When he saw Emperor Xuanpei suddenly nod and smile, Eunuch Chen quickly lowered his head and silently chanted Amitabha.

With a solemn expression, she bid farewell to the presiding abbot, A-Zhu. On the way back, she did not ride in a sedan chair, but followed on either side of the imperial carriage with Eunuch Chen.

Emperor Xuanpei remained silent.

He casually rubbed the ring on his finger, calmly watching A-Zhu, who had a noble and otherworldly demeanor, as if she were about to shave her head and become a nun.

Upon entering Hanyuan Hall, Azhu addressed Emperor Xuanpei at the head of the table with another "Amitabha."

Emperor Xuanpei wasn't angry; he even waved to Azhu.

"I have a Buddhist scripture that I have treasured for a long time, but I haven't had time to read it. Today I would like to trouble the young monk to read it to me properly."

A-Zhu looked around and was about to ask where the Buddhist scriptures were when Emperor Xuanpei shook his head again.

"I usually deal with worldly affairs here; this is hardly a place to store Buddhist scriptures."

As he spoke, Emperor Xuanpei looked very serious and prepared to lead Azhu to the inner palace.

"Please, young monk, go and study Buddhism with me now, so that you may compassionately guide me out of this sea of ​​suffering."

"Amitabha Buddha, well said, well said."

Ah Zhu followed after him, twirling the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.

......

As they traveled, Eunuch Chen, who had a bad feeling about the situation, was originally keeping a close watch at the entrance of the inner hall of the rear palace, just in case something happened, so that he could quickly take a break and find a distraction.

But he didn't expect to hear the noise inside—

Emperor Xuanpei spoke first, his voice slightly hoarse, yet tinged with amusement.

"Young master, you're not paying attention."

"Come, tell me, what is the next line after Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva's practice of the profound Prajnaparamita?"

"Yes, waah, Your Majesty, please spare me..."

"No, it is to see that the five aggregates are empty, and to transcend all suffering... Didn't you come here to save me, little master?"

"How come you can't even remember Buddhist scriptures?"

"Alright, alright, I'm not blaming you. Stop crying. Now, say the next line."

"Your Majesty, A-Zhu was wrong, really wrong, sob sob sob, really, we won't recite it anymore, okay?"

"Young master, you must finish what you start."

"If you don't finish studying this Buddhist scripture today, I won't let you leave."

"......"

Eunuch Chen rubbed his reddened ears and suddenly took several steps back.

He turned and left the palace, leaned against a red pillar, looked up at the azure sky, and calmly nodded. The sky was indeed very blue.

*

After A-Zhu began preparing for the warding off of disaster and the prayer for blessings, Consort Feng did not see A-Zhu for nearly half a month.

"Why did it take you so long?"

"Isn't it said that the period for praying for blessings only needs to be seven days?"

"How was the effect?"

"Did you get a headache during the exorcism? Did that thing make that noise again?"

Even now, her entire body is still flushed pink, and the stunningly beautiful Ah Zhu trembled as she looked pitifully at Consort Feng.

"Your Majesty, I no longer wish to chant sutras."

? ? ?

"If you don't want to recite, then you don't have to. It's not a big deal. Do you want to renounce worldly life and become a nun?"

"No, no, no."

Upon hearing this, Azhu immediately rejected the idea, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle drum.

Consort Feng: ......

She looked Ah Zhu up and down carefully, and then she realized what was going on.

Tsk tsk tsk, really.

Consort Feng remained silent.

After he calmed down, Ah Zhu mentioned the exorcism to Consort Feng.

"It hasn't made a sound or hurt at all... but it's always been like this. Unless it makes a sound on its own, I don't know if it's effective."

Well, we can only wait and see how things go.

Because of the prayer for blessings, the plan to test Empress Wang was delayed.

However, after hearing that Emperor Xuanpei had visited Kunning Palace and discussed the matter of investiture with Empress Wang, Azhu and Consort Feng agreed that there was no need to test the waters anymore.

*

Once Ah Zhu's long-cherished prayers were over, the days flew by.

In eight days, it will be the day that Azhu moves out of Hanyuan Hall.

Even though they were still in the palace, she felt as if she and Emperor Xuanpei were about to experience some heart-wrenching separation, wishing they could stick together every moment.

On this rare day, Emperor Xuanpei was preoccupied with matters of the previous dynasty, and Azhu returned to Chonghua Palace alone for lunch.

Because of Emperor Xuanpei's orders, the imperial chefs who prepared meals for Azhu never dared to be careless.

This was the season when fruits were fresh and fragrant, and fish were plentiful and delicious. The imperial kitchen prepared a variety of fresh dishes for A-Zhu to try.

Chef Wu's signature dish, the Three-Ingredient Silver Fish Soup, which is only available at this time of year, is especially loved by A-Zhu.

She ate it for several days in a row.

That day, as usual, the soup was served to A-Zhu.

But just by smelling the steam, A-Zhu could smell a fishy odor. She thought about it and figured it was normal for fish to have a slightly fishy smell, so she scooped up a spoonful anyway.

She felt nauseous as soon as she put it in her mouth.

A-Zhu quickly covered her mouth and ran to the side to vomit. Since she hadn't eaten anything, she only vomited some sour water.

Qingliu and Lvfu were greatly alarmed upon seeing this.

The two hurried forward, one looking at A-Zhu, the other looking at the silver fish soup on the table.

Qingliu patted Azhu's back repeatedly and whispered, "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Is there anywhere else that hurts or aches?"

Green Lotus had already pulled out the silver needle and placed it into the soup bowl containing the silver fish soup.

Seeing that the needle tip remained unchanged, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at A-Zhu, "Miss, did you find this soup not fresh?"

Ah Zhu rinsed her mouth, took the handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and waved her hand repeatedly.

"It's alright, it's alright, the soup is fine, it's my own fault."

As she spoke, Ah Zhu looked at the bowl of fish soup with a hint of regret.

"What a pity, I ate it for several days in a row because I was greedy... Even the best food can get boring after a while."

Because of this incident, Ah-Zhu barely ate any food for lunch.

During dinner, her appetite seemed to have been ruined by the vomiting at noon; she couldn't eat much and just wanted to sleep.

Seeing that A-Zhu had fallen asleep with a slightly sour candied fruit in her mouth, Qing Liu and Lü Fu quietly slipped out.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, Qingliu grabbed Lvfu's sleeve and pulled her aside.

"Yesterday was the day for the young lady to change her clothes, but... she hasn't come yet?"

Green Lotus nodded slowly.

Qingliu's eyes lit up.

She tried her best to keep her voice down, but couldn't contain her excitement, "Do you think our girl is pregnant?!"

"This... can't be."

Green Lotus, who was always inclined to rationality, hesitated and said, "Miss has been taking medicine to nourish her body, and Imperial Physician Geng comes every few days to adjust the prescription according to Miss's condition."

"Judge Geng just came to take your pulse the other day. If the young lady is truly pregnant with the emperor's child... how could he not have diagnosed it?"

That's true.

But upon reflection, Qingliu was still somewhat unwilling.

She bit her lip and said, "What if? Some women don't show it when they're in the early stages of pregnancy."

"What if the young lady's pulse was not clear the other day, which caused Judge Geng to overlook it?"

Green Lotus also felt that Green Pomegranate's words made some sense.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Or, we could whisper a word to Eunuch Chen first, and then just say that the imperial physician took the young lady's pulse as usual?"

After thinking for a moment, Green Lotus nodded.

"Alright, we should at least try it to avoid making things worse. This way we'll have an excuse and the girl won't be disappointed."

Once the two had made up their minds, they each began to take action.

Green Lotus carefully guarded Chonghua Palace, while Green Pomegranate went to find Eunuch Chen.

Inside the palace, seeing that Qingliu and Lüfu looked strange and then whispered together, Consort Feng leaned over to eavesdrop.

After hearing what was being said, she darted back into the hall and stared intently at A-Zhu's belly.

This silly girl is living her own life in a daze, and this is actually happening?

Seeing that A-Zhu was fast asleep, Consort Feng refrained from waking her.

Let's have the imperial physician take a look first, to avoid any misunderstanding.

......

-----------------------

Author's note: (Achoo) Little ones, be careful to keep warm (blowing nose) otherwise you'll easily catch a cold (cough cough cough), it'll be terrible.