Chapter 169 Defense as Offense: Cheng Qianyue is pregnant. She hadn't even announced it yet…

Cheng Qianyue was pregnant. She hadn't yet realized she was pregnant; she'd only felt shortness of breath and chest tightness. Of course, she'd been sulking and giving Yinreng the cold shoulder these past few days, so the chest tightness was perfectly normal. But this morning, when she woke up, she didn't know if it was the cold draft that blew in or what, but she felt dizzy and then vomited violently. She vomited so violently that she couldn't vomit anything else, only acidic bile.

The servants inside were terrified and rushed to fetch the imperial physician. When the physician arrived and took her pulse, he said she was pregnant.

Cheng Qianyue: ......

She clutched her chest and took a couple of breaths, looking at her stomach with utter helplessness, thinking to herself, why did it have to come at such an inopportune time!

Just as she was wondering what to do, a message came from outside that Yinreng had arrived. Cheng Qianyue didn't want to see him, but out of courtesy, she had to stand up and bow to him. Yinreng rushed over, helped her sit on the kang (heated brick bed), and stared intently at her.

Cheng Qianyue turned her face away, but he cupped her head and turned it back to her. He said, "I left my ministers behind and came here as soon as I heard that the imperial physician had been summoned from Yongshou Palace." His words were a mixture of anger and helplessness. "I know you're unhappy. Every time I come, you're silent and distant. But now you've made yourself sick from anger. How can you be so short-tempered?"

Cheng Qianyue kept her head down silently, tears welling up in her eyes, still unwilling to look up.

Yinreng sighed and looked at the imperial physician who had not yet left, asking, "How is the Consort's pulse?"

The imperial physician hurriedly replied, "Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is pregnant, and it has been more than a month." He paused briefly before continuing, "This humble servant dares to say that Her Highness the Imperial Concubine has been experiencing severe emotional distress lately. If this continues, I fear it may harm the imperial fetus."

When Yinreng heard that Cheng Qianyue was pregnant, he was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. However, upon hearing the rest, his brows inevitably furrowed, and he said, "Go and get some medicine to prevent miscarriage." After the imperial physician left, he dismissed the servants in the room and said softly, "So you still won't look at me? Qianqian, we're having another child."

Thinking of this made Cheng Qianyue want to cry even more, and then she really cried, with big tears falling down her face.

When Yinreng saw this, he was heartbroken. He came over and hugged her, saying, "I know you're scared, but don't be afraid. I will protect you and our child. Really, I swear." He repeated this over and over, stroking her back as he said in a deep voice, "I've dealt with everyone in the palace. Something like that will never happen again. You believe me, okay?"

Cheng Qianyue sobbed uncontrollably. Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw Yinreng looking at her with concern, making such a promise. Cheng Qianyue felt no joy, only pain. Yes, pain. It was like blood gushing from her heart congealing into a thorny flower.

She remembered what she had said to him that day, how she had told him to let her and the children leave. Those words were sincere, but now she clearly realized how ridiculous they were. She couldn't leave, whether she had the child in her womb or not. In this vast world, where was home? The Forbidden City was her home, and it would also be the place where she would breathe her last.

Cheng Qianyue cried and cried, as if she wanted to cry out all her grievances. In the end, she felt completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Seeing that her mood had calmed down, Yinreng ordered someone to bring water and personally wrung out a steaming hot towel to wipe her face. After wiping her face, he asked, "Are you tired? I'll help you to the inner room to rest."

Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath and nodded. He helped her to the bed in the inner room, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she tried not to think about anything. Yinreng lay on his side watching her, gently patting her body with his hand, and said softly, "Sleep, and you'll forget everything when you wake up."

Cheng Qianyue was awakened by hunger, and found that Yinreng had already left. Hearing the noise, Ruodie hurriedly came over and said, "Master, you're awake?" and helped her out of bed.

Cheng Qianyue asked, "What time is it?"

Ruodie replied, "It's almost one o'clock. I'll send someone to fetch the meal." Then she said softly, "His Majesty waited until you fell asleep before leaving. He came again around eleven o'clock, but left again when he saw you were sleeping soundly."

Cheng Qianyue hummed in agreement, thinking that since things had come to this, she should eat first. After finishing her meal, she took a walk around the house, lost in thought as she went.

She felt she was awake.

To be honest, she even has some regrets now. After this incident, her hot-headedness of recent years has finally cooled down. It has to be said that Yinreng has indeed elevated her too high after ascending the throne. Although she has tried her best to warn herself not to take his favor for granted, her temper has inevitably become bigger and bigger, to the point that she now dares to give Yinreng the cold shoulder.

Yinreng was not only her husband, but also the emperor... Her life, honor, and disgrace all depended on him.

Cheng Qianyue felt as if reality had slapped her hard in the face, but she was also very glad that she had been awakened. Even as a favored imperial concubine, she couldn't protect her child. If she were to fall out of favor one day, the fear and hardship she and her child would face would be even greater.

She had overestimated herself, and she had underestimated the power struggle for the crown prince position, thinking that as long as she and her son behaved well, others would be grateful. But now she knew she was wrong, terribly wrong. She realized with absolute certainty that if Hongxi were to ascend to the throne, she and her child would not fare well.

Perhaps Yinreng is right; Hongxi wouldn't order someone to do such a thing. But what about those who want to elevate Hongxi to the throne? Wouldn't they also take action to install a new emperor? If she were Hongxi, how would she view those people? Would she consider them acting on their own initiative or meritorious officials?

Cheng Qianyue thought helplessly, "Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to fight." But how? Should she resort to scheming and trickery like them? That would be the worst possible strategy. Like this time, does Yinreng truly have no reservations about Hongxi? Probably not. Therefore, she must fight, Hongyan must fight, and what they are fighting for is Yinreng's heart, his favor. Since they are fighting for someone else's heart, they must be pure and kind. Because no one likes a calculating person.

Besides, if they didn't catch the culprit this time, what about next time, and the time after that? What's done in secret will eventually come to light. They need to be on guard, but at the same time, they need to force them to act. As for how to force them to act, isn't it obvious? The more favor she and Hongyan receive, the less restrained they will be. The more restrained they are, the more Yinreng will feel sorry for them, mother and son.

Cheng Qianyue looked down at her belly and didn't feel that the child's arrival was inappropriate. She slowly smiled.

When Yinreng entered, he saw her gently smiling at her belly. This was the first time she had smiled in front of him in days, which delighted him. But upon seeing him, she froze, not looking unhappy, but rather somewhat at a loss.

Cheng Qianyue truly felt awkward. Although she had already reasoned with herself and thought things through, she still couldn't bring herself to admit it in person. For the first time, she felt her throat was so dry and her neck as stiff as steel, unable to speak softly and humbly to apologize. Coupled with her recent thoughts of vying for favor and succession, this made her feel even more embarrassed.

Fortunately, Yinreng came over and said, "I heard you were awake, so I rushed over." He took her hand and asked, "Have you eaten? Did you enjoy your meal?"

He did this, and Cheng Qianyue followed suit, nodding slightly: "I woke up hungry, and I feel much better after eating."

Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good." He continued to explain, "I only went back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to discuss matters after you fell asleep. After we finished, I wanted to come over and have a meal with you, but you didn't wake up."

Cheng Qianyue hummed in agreement.

Yinreng touched her face and said, "Don't be angry with me. If you're in pain, I'm in pain too." He looked at her still flat belly and said, "Our child is in pain too."

Cheng Qianyue thought to herself that she had released all the anger in her heart, and slowly leaned into his arms with her eyes lowered. Being held by him, her tense nerves suddenly relaxed. If there was anyone else in this world she could rely on, it was him. It was helpless, yet also very real.

That night, Yinreng and she lay in each other's arms. Cheng Qianyue rested her head on his arm and buried her face in his chest. After a long while, she suddenly spoke, "I was wrong about things these days." After saying the first sentence, she was less hesitant about the rest and added softly, "Such a big thing happened, I was really scared, so I guessed that way."

Yinreng slowly exhaled and said with relief, "I know. But don't worry, this kind of thing will never happen again. In the past few years, I always had to be more lenient with the old ministers because of the late emperor, but I won't be like that now. I will definitely clean up and eliminate those treacherous officials."

Cheng Qianyue nodded and said, "If that's what you say, then I'm relieved."

Yinreng kissed her forehead, and after a while suddenly chuckled: "These past few days, I've really had my hands full with frustration because of you. Whether it's attending court or reviewing memorials, you've been holding back your anger."

Cheng Qianyue's heart tightened, and she looked up at him, "Is Grandpa angry with me?"

"No." Yinreng shook his head. "I'm not angry with you. I just feel that you don't understand my good intentions."

Cheng Qianyue thought, "Isn't this just him being angry with me?" She pursed her lips and said, "You said you weren't angry." Yinreng smiled and kissed her again, saying, "Okay, a little. But now I'm really not angry at all."

The next day, Cheng Qianyue planned to visit Hongyan after breakfast and tell him what she had figured out. Unexpectedly, Hongyan came over by himself, leaning on his cane, while she was having breakfast.

Cheng Qianyue quickly said, "Why did you come here? Sit down quickly." Then she asked, "Have you eaten? I was thinking of having breakfast before coming to see you in the back."

Hongyan replied with a smile, "Not yet. I heard this morning that Mother is pregnant, so I couldn't wait to come over."

“I never thought I could give you another brother or sister.” Cheng Qianyue said, gesturing for someone to serve him porridge, and said softly, “You haven’t eaten either, so you can eat with your mother.”

Hongyan sighed, "It's a good thing that Mother is pregnant. I heard that Father Emperor stayed with Mother all day yesterday."

Cheng Qianyue nodded, and after a while she looked up and asked him guiltily, "Hongyan, do you blame your mother?" She said in a low voice, "Your mother is powerless and cannot get justice for you."

“How could that be?” Hongyan quickly shook his head. “There’s no way to find justice when the dead can’t prove it.” He stopped talking and apologized, “I shouldn’t have talked about death in front of Mother. It’s bad luck.” He slowly let out a sigh of relief, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. “Mother, I have something I want to ask of you.”

"Okay, go ahead."

"Son, son..." Hongyan finally managed to finish his sentence after a long pause, "I hope you won't let this matter cause a rift with Father Emperor. Because, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan, and I have something very important I want to do..."

event......

Cheng Qianyue looked at Hongyan in silence for a long time before finally saying, "No matter what you do, your mother will agree to it and support you. But Hongyan, you need to know what your father likes and dislikes. He... he hopes that you brothers will work together. We can't control what others do, but you have to control yourself."

Hearing her say that, Hongyan visibly relaxed, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile: "Mother, do you remember what you praised me for? Your son isn't so stupid as to do anything that would give others leverage against him." He lowered his eyes and continued, "Actually, I've been thinking about my downfall these past few days. This matter... my eldest brother probably doesn't know... because it's too obvious. If something happens to my second brother and me, he'll be the first to be suspected. But... but my eldest brother does seem to have a lot of dislike for me..."

Hongyan smiled calmly, "But don't worry, no matter how he treats me, I will be a good younger brother. Not for any other reason than that I want to be a good son in Father Emperor's heart."

Cheng Qianyue was deeply moved by these words. She couldn't quite describe her feelings—was it relief, guilt, or praise? Only one sentence remained in her mind:

Hongyan has really grown up.