Qian Shengyan's heart skipped a beat.

Things are different now.

"Your Majesty, I was initially confused, but after finding Zeng Jing, I discovered many treasonous remarks in his residence. This boy is actually a remnant of the previous dynasty, and he even dares to dream of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming." Hongli sneered, "It was only after going out that I learned that in those remote and high places, there are indeed quite a few disloyal people!"

Qian Shengyan listened in silence, knowing that Hongli wanted to say more than just that.

Hongli paused for a moment, then continued, "Father, you truly amaze me. How could you know what a scholar from so far away wrote... Father's insight into the world is so profound, so... astonishing!"

His eyes were full of admiration and respect. Qian Shengyan paused for a moment, and finally realized belatedly that something was wrong.

Yinzhen was far too prescient...

And he made no attempt to hide it from her!

Whether it was opium, lifting the sea ban, or befriending the Mongols and training troops, it was all preparation for the future.

And after that, not only after the Yongzheng era, but also after the Qing Dynasty, and after this land!

Qian Shengyan's heart pounded like a drum. She stood up abruptly, then slowly sat down again under Hongli's puzzled gaze. After a moment, she forced a smile: "Yes...yes, your imperial father's abilities are recognized by your imperial grandfather and admired by all the civil and military officials."

"Yes," Hongli replied solemnly.

"Alright, you should go back and check on the Fujin (wife). She's newly married and already out of the hospital. That child has had a tough time too," Qian Shengyan said, urging her to leave.

Hongli seemed to sense something, but seeing her uneasy appearance, he still advised her, "Mother, were you frightened by that rebel? I was being rash. Mother is pregnant with my younger brother and sister-in-law. I shouldn't have told you such a thing."

"It's alright... I really didn't expect that even now, there would still be people with such rebellious intentions," Qian Shengyan said smoothly.

Hongli blamed himself a couple more times, and Qian Shengyan's emotions calmed down. She first comforted her son gently, and after seeing him off, she stood up and paced around the room with her huge pregnant belly.

As she walked, she unconsciously bit her nails, her mind filled with doubt and unease.

Is it him?

Has the person been changed?

But feelings don't lie. Qian Shengyan felt that he was still himself, but he was definitely different!

"What's wrong, Master? You've been walking for quite a while. Please sit down and rest." Qingxue saw Qian Shengyan pacing back and forth and was a little worried, so she couldn't help but comfort her.

Qian Shengyan glanced at her, pursed her lips, and prepared to ask the person beside her for their opinion: "Qingxue, lately... have you felt that the Emperor has changed?"

"Your Majesty?" Qingxue asked, puzzled. She stepped forward, took Qian Shengyan's arm, and carefully helped her sit back on the chaise longue before saying, "Your Majesty's authority is immense, and this servant dares not look directly at you."

Qian Shengyan: ...

That's not wrong. Qian Shengyan doesn't believe that anyone who travels back in time can replace Yinzhen and have such imperial power.

She gradually calmed down, but thinking about these events that differed from the course of history, she couldn't let go of them.

What if... what if there really is a different person inside that shell?

If we kill him, can the original Yinzhen come back?

But the people she met now, aside from feeling a little strange, weren't unfamiliar to her. It was the familiarity of nearly twenty years of companionship—something that couldn't be faked…

"Hmm..." Qian Shengyan was probably too emotionally agitated, and suddenly felt a pain in her stomach. It was as if the baby was also affected by her emotions and moved restlessly.

The twins were already cramped, and the fetal movements at six months weren't particularly frequent, but now, as if the two babies sensed something, they started kicking and punching inside her belly. Qian Shengyan was in so much pain that she just wanted to bend over, but Qingxue and Lüliu were so frightened that they had to carry her to the bed and hurriedly went to summon the imperial physician.

When Yinzhen rushed back upon hearing the news, Qian Shengyan was holding a large bowl, frowning as she drank the bitter medicine inside.

Judge Liu was truly capable. After examining her pulse for a moment, he asked Qian Shengyan why she was so agitated, and told her that she needed to maintain a peaceful state of mind and not to experience extreme joy or sorrow, otherwise it would affect the fetus.

Then they left behind this bitter prescription! They even said that drinking more of it wouldn't cause any harm and would even be good for the fetus. Qian Shengyan guessed that it might be to replenish amniotic fluid, so no matter how hard it was to drink, she could only hold her nose and force it down.

Even Yinzhen was startled when he saw the large bowl: "What's going on?"

"Your Majesty, the baby's movements are quite strong. Imperial Physician Liu said it's due to excessive excitement and prescribed a medicine to stabilize the pregnancy," Qingxue reported.

Qian Shengyan swallowed the bitter medicine in her mouth: "It's alright now..."

"Excited? Because of what? Seeing Hongli?" Yinzhen frowned, waved his hand, and Su Peisheng, Qingxue, and the others all withdrew. He walked over and sat by her bedside, frowning at the half-full bowl of medicine. "Why did you drink so much?"

"Judge Liu said that drinking more is good for the baby." Qian Shengyan swallowed another mouthful with difficulty. She was really full and it tasted very bitter, so she reached out to touch the plums by the bed.

Afraid that she would strain her belly, Yinzhen held her wrist with one hand and casually put a plum into her lips with the other. Then he gently squeezed her porcelain-like wrist and sighed, "How come you don't have any flesh on your body?"

"That's better..." Qian Shengyan mumbled with a plum in her mouth, then suddenly paused.

It's so natural, this kind of interaction is so natural.

Without sharing a bed for twenty years, it would be impossible to become so casually familiar.

She took a bite of the sweet and sour plum in her mouth and said casually, "I remember that I was very nauseous when I was pregnant with Fuerguochun, but I didn't feel anything when I was pregnant with Hongshou. I haven't nauseated at all this time either. Could it be that I have two sons?"

After she finished speaking, her fingers curled up nervously, and her eyes stared unblinkingly at Yinzhen.

Yinzhen laughed and said, "You're really confused. You've just got it backwards, haven't you? I remember that Foerguochun was very well-behaved and didn't make you suffer much. But Hongshan made you unable to eat anything and had a lot of things to do, which must have been very tiring for you."

Qian Shengyan's curled fingers relaxed slightly. She stared blankly at Yinzhen, unsure of what to say.

He remembers, he remembers everything.

Is it him?

Qian Shengyan was conflicted, yet she couldn't bring herself to ask. She couldn't reveal her background and origins, so she couldn't ask Yinzhen such a bizarre question. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant and prone to overthinking, but Qian Shengyan wanted to be close to Yinzhen, yet she was afraid that he wasn't him. Torn by this, she actually lost weight in her late pregnancy, her face and chin becoming thin, with only her round belly remaining.

This made Yinzhen quite anxious. Every day, he would call over Imperial Physician Liu and Imperial Physician Yu to reprimand them. The two imperial physicians were also suffering. With the due date approaching, they dared not prescribe any appetite-stimulating medicine for Qian Shengyan and could only offer empty advice.

At the end of November, after offering sacrifices at Jingling Mausoleum and finishing the Winter Solstice ceremony, Yinzhen returned to the palace that day. As soon as he entered Yangxin Hall, he saw Xiao Shunzi from Yongshou Palace running in, scrambling and rolling along.

Immediately, Yinzhen's heart sank. Without needing to say anything, he didn't even have time to change out of his imperial robes and hurried towards Yongshou Palace.