Chapter 86 He frowned and said, "Let them go."

The sound of breaking water was so subtle that the civil and military officials below were unaware of it. Even Xiaobai, who was standing next to Wen Zheliu, could not hear it clearly.

He just thought he was listening to Zheliu and shifted his hips, lowered his head and whispered in confirmation: "Your Majesty, you..."

Wen Zheliu didn't say a word, and didn't even dare to move.

Fearing that she might get pregnant accidentally, she rushed to the front of the ministers while being several months pregnant.

This was Wen Zheliu's first pregnancy. Before this, she had been pampered on the couch in the prime minister's residence and had never seen the bloody scene of childbirth.

He had no idea that water breaking was only the first step in childbirth. If the baby could really come out smoothly through the birth canal once the water broke, there wouldn't be so many pregnant women dying from difficult labors.

Wen Zheliu did not move, but just gave Xiaobai a wink, asking him to be prepared to stop the court meeting at any time.

Xiaobai didn't understand what Wen Zheliu meant, but he didn't want to ask in front of everyone, so he just nodded and followed Wen Zheliu's order in a daze.

Wen Zheliu was deeply distressed, but the minister below him didn't even bother to read his expression. He simply lowered his head and spoke from the bottom of his heart, "Your Majesty, I believe that the situation in the Central Plains is unstable. It's uncertain who will ultimately hold power. Negotiating peace with the Central Plains requires careful consideration."

“Not necessarily”? Why not?

Then the Central Plains must belong to He Jiuyue!

Wen Zheliu's emotions were in turmoil, and she had a miscarriage. The child who had already been causing trouble in Heaven started to move as well.

Kicking with her legs was not enough, so she used her hands to push him. Taking advantage of the fact that Wen Zheliu had eaten and drunk well in the past few days and had sufficient nutrition, she kicked holes in his round belly one after another.

"Hmm." Wen Zheliu slowly covered his belly and frowned slightly. He looked at his uneven belly, pursed his thin lips, but there was no blame in his eyes.

This little guy is still impatient.

Yes, she must have been suffocated after staying in the belly for more than eight months.

Just be patient for a while, you can leave the court in a moment.

Wen Zheliu wanted to have a good argument with this arrogant civil official. The overlord of the Central Plains could only be He Jiuyue, but his stomach felt so heavy and his hips ached that he really couldn't say anything else.

"What you said, my dear minister, makes sense. We can discuss this matter later."

He emphasized the word "reasonable" very strongly: "My dear ministers, is there anything else you would like to report?"

The civil and military officials below were silent for a moment. Before Xiaobai was about to shout "If you have something to report, please come forward. If not, please leave the court," a head with thick eyebrows and big eyes popped up.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report about the drying up of the Jingjiang River!" Shangguan Yan, who had spoken the loudest just now, stepped forward.

Murong Xuan is the head of the military officers and does not take the late emperor's rules seriously. Shangguan Yan is the head of the civil officials and pays the most attention to the etiquette, righteousness, integrity and shame between the monarch and his subjects. He cannot tolerate Wen Zheliu's attempt to seize power and usurp the throne, and to sit on the throne by stepping on his mother's blood.

In short, he's an absolute thorn in the flesh.

When Wen Zheliu saw her step out, he frowned subconsciously, and when he heard the word "Jingjiang", his frown deepened.

Jingjiang is a large river that flows through the Central Plains and Western Vietnam. The Central Plains is located in the upper reaches and Western Vietnam is located in the lower reaches. The upper reaches have abundant water and are often prone to flooding.

But in the west, the river is prone to drying up.

Unfortunately, there are few rivers and lakes in Xiyue, and Jingjiang is the main river used by Xiyue to irrigate crops and supply the people along the way. Whenever it dies down, it will inevitably cause severe drought.

It is normal for rice fields to be abandoned and people to live in poverty.

But there was a lot of rain in the summer and the river was in flood season, so this shouldn't have happened.

When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.

"Summer droughts shouldn't happen. What's the hidden story behind it? Lord Shangguan, please tell us in detail." Wen Zheliu's black pupils focused a little.

Shangguan Yan knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, it was the Central Plains officials who blocked the water upstream that caused this drought."

Upstream? Wouldn't that be the Central Plains where He Jiyue was?

But he had just said clearly that the child in his belly was his and He Jiuyue's.

Shangguan Yan's insinuations in front of everyone were intended to incite confrontation between Xiyue and the Central Plains. She did not mention He Jiuyue at all, but kept talking about the Central Plains. It was clear that she wanted to embarrass Wen Zheliu, who had just expressed his intention to get close to the Central Plains.

But then again, the Central Plains was in turmoil, and many women were fighting for supremacy. Could it be that He Jiuyue was the one who cut off the flow of water?

Wen Zheliu protected his stomach with one hand and tapped the handrail with the other, making a regular, crisp sound. "Do you know why the Central Plains soldiers are blocking the water upstream?"

Shangguan Yan paused, obviously not expecting that he could provoke confrontation between the Central Plains and Xiyue. Wen Zheliu, who had been to both countries and cared so much about He Jiuyue, was actually not anxious.

After a while, she finally answered haltingly, "Your Majesty, I do not know what you are saying."

"How can we easily draw conclusions without knowing the full picture?"

Wen Zheliu leaned forward slightly, and the air of a superior that he exuded was like incense, silently filling the entire room. His pressure was not inferior to that of a woman.

"Do you realize that your vague statement, 'It was the Central Plains soldiers upstream who were blocking the water,' is tantamount to condemning the Central Plains? Do you know the uproar this statement would cause if it reached the ears of ordinary people without access to water?"

Even though Shangguan Yan was an old minister of two dynasties, he was still frightened by Wen Zheliu's sudden criticism.

She had never imagined that the legendary spoiled young master could handle such a seemingly correct and ambiguous situation with such clarity of thought. He lowered his head, his wrinkled face faintly hot. "I know I am wrong, but I will leave it to Your Majesty to punish me."

Punishment?

Shangguan Yan is an old minister of two dynasties and the head of the civil officials. Now that he is the new emperor, if he is in a hurry to punish the old ministers, won’t he be criticized by those censors again?

He didn't want his unborn child to hear that her father was an ungrateful person.

"My dear, it is a great virtue to admit your mistakes and correct them. You didn't do it intentionally, so I won't punish you. As the saying goes, every failure makes you wiser. I will forgive you this time, but this won't happen again."

Shangguan Yan bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions."

"Order the nearby counties to allocate water to the people of Jingjiang. Each household will receive water based on the number of people, and officials are not exempted."

Wen Zheliu's voice was sonorous.

"This matter is of great importance. A single move can affect the entire body. If we are not careful, it will lead to disaster. Murong Jin, I will assign you the task of coordinating the efforts of the upper and lower levels to rescue the people. If you discover any official corruption during the process, execute them."

Although Wen Zheliu and Murong Jin were "married as husband and wife", they did not cross the line between men and women in private, and in public, they were just a pure relationship between king and subject.

Murong Jin turned a deaf ear to the discussion behind her about her "husband" and "cheating" and simply knelt down: "Your Highness Murong Jin, I obey your command."

Wen Zheliu had just been busy dealing with the issue of the drying up of the Jingjiang River. She had kept a stern face and tried to ignore the swelling in her pregnant belly. But now that the matter was over, the abdominal pain came back.

"Hmm." Wen Zheliu shrank slightly.

The stuff in my stomach is moving downwards.

Wen Zheliu's face turned pale and he subconsciously gritted his teeth.

Huh, why am I falling down all the time?

This child is so lively and active. Can't he even endure it for a moment?

Feeling depressed both physically and mentally, Wen Zheliu listened to the boring reports from the officials below and subconsciously wanted to curse.

And because of the upbringing I have developed since childhood, I endured it.

First of all, it is not good to vent your anger on others.

Secondly, the baby in his belly is not even old enough to drink milk. What does she know?

If he scolded her for being impatient, would she listen?

The pain came and the feeling of heaviness and swelling became even worse.

Cold sweat had been breaking out since her water broke, and by now, Wen Zheliu's clothes were soaked.

Wen Zheliu was helpless against the unbridled child who relied on his favor. He whispered in his heart, trying to use the so-called father-son bond to stop the child's violence.

"Good boy, bear with it a little longer. Daddy will take you to see the world soon. Just bear with it a little longer, ah."

He speaks impartially and with a sincere heart.

The child responded with a flurry of kicks.

Hearing about the willow-breaking incident, the corners of his eyes turned red.

It is said that loving fathers often spoil their children. He didn't believe it before, thinking that he was a person with a bottom line and would never let his children do whatever they wanted. Now that he thinks about it, it does make some sense.

Humph, he is no longer able to teach her, so let her mother He Jiuyue educate her properly!

Central Plains, Princess Mansion.

"Hiss!" He Jiuyue jumped up from the hard couch with such swiftness that the string of white jade earrings hanging on the head of the bed jingled.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Chen Jin poked his head out from the ear room.

Under the cold moonlight, He Jiuyue's fingertips turned white as she grabbed the quilt, as if she had just had a nightmare that would be difficult to relieve in the short term.

"I don't know why, but I've been feeling uneasy lately." She raised a hand and pinched her brow. "According to the date, Wen Zheliu should be giving birth by now. I wonder if he's found a doctor to deliver the baby, and if he's doing well."

Chen Jin didn't dare to respond.

Wen Zheliu's life or death is uncertain. He is struggling to save himself, and it is even more unknown whether the child in his belly can be saved.

Let’s not talk about the princess’ sad story.

She didn't say anything, so He Jiuyue asked instead.

"Didn't An Rui claim to have heard about Zhe Liu? I told Guan Ze to investigate. Last time I asked her, she was hesitant. Go to the Dali Temple quietly and see how the investigation goes."

"Yes." Chen Jin bowed and retreated.

He Jiuyue turned the string of emerald green Buddhist beads in her hand.

She didn't believe in gods or Buddhas.

But Wen Zheliu's disappearance was really strange. When she returned to the capital from the cliff, she passed by the Qifu Temple in the suburbs of Beijing. Thinking of her memories with Wen Zheliu here, she walked in as if possessed by a ghost and met the abbot again.

When the abbot saw her, he clasped his hands together.

"My Lady, you are a blessed person. Don't worry. The man you are thinking of is not an ordinary person. He will return to you when the time is right. Amitabha."

He Jiuyue wanted to ask more, but the abbot refused to answer. He only gave her the string of emerald green Buddhist beads and went to the meditation room while muttering, "Everything is predetermined. The princess and the male donor are destined to be together, and they will meet again."

Ever since she started turning the Buddhist beads, her heart has indeed calmed down a lot, but today, she just feels inexplicably uneasy.

She didn't know where Wen Zheliu was, she just hoped that he was safe.

Xiyue, Imperial Palace.

Wen Zheliu finished the conversation in one breath. His usually straight back slowly slumped down, like a machine with its spring pulled out. His face turned completely pale, and he looked even more fragile than jade that would break at the slightest drop.

Xiaobai's eyes widened.

Is Your Majesty about to have another miscarriage? But the timing is wrong. Your Majesty shouldn't be having a miscarriage right now, she should be in labor!

"Well!"

Wen Zheliu's voice was hoarse, but the breaths he exhaled with force were still controlled at a volume that only he and Xiaobai could hear. It was like a bowstring that was stretched to the extreme, on the verge of collapse, but still taking care of the hand of the bow holder.

He frowned and managed to squeeze out four words from between his teeth.

"Let them go."