Chapter 34034 What if she is really pregnant?
When Emperor Yonghui's entourage arrived at the temporary palace, they rested briefly for half the afternoon and then hosted a banquet in the palace in the evening to entertain his ministers and vassal states of all sizes.
Foreign officials and female relatives stood on both sides.
Xie Zhan and Second Master Xie sat down. When Tuque Khan looked over, neither the uncle nor the nephew looked at him straight in the eye. This neglect made him feel even more depressed.
Yun Sheng, together with Xie Tinglan and Zhao Yaoyao, followed behind the elders such as Old Lady Xie and her two wives.
The Dingbei Marquisate had made many military achievements and was not an ordinary noble family, so Empress Du naturally arranged seats in the front at the banquet.
The hall was brightly lit with candlelight.
Yun Sheng quietly raised her eyes and looked up at Empress Du who was sitting side by side with Emperor Yonghui. The two of them were nearly twenty or thirty years apart in age. They looked more like father and daughter than a couple.
Empress Du was young and beautiful, at the age of a middle-aged woman, but Emperor Yonghui was already showing signs of being old and frail.
On both sides of the emperor and empress, apart from Princess Yongkang, there was the prince's biological mother, the former princess Zhao Guifei, as well as the quite favored Shufei and Princess Anle.
The other concubines stayed in the palace with the Queen Mother.
Yun Sheng had heard Xie Tinglan talk about a lot of things in the palace these days, and he quickly listed the nobles one by one.
After taking a closer look, she silently withdrew her gaze.
After everyone saluted the Emperor and Empress in unison, Empress Du asked the female officials to arrange for the dancers from the Music Bureau to enter. The palace was filled with singing and dancing, and the emperor and his ministers were in a joyful atmosphere as they drank and chatted.
The envoys from the barbarian lands watched with rapt attention, barely blinking. The Uighur Khan of the northern desert clapped his hands and praised, "The Central Plains truly is overflowing with talent. The songs and dances are so beautiful and melodious, truly showcasing the great demeanor of the Celestial Empire. Today we have truly opened our eyes and feasted our eyes."
The Turkic Khan could not bear to see the Uighurs' fawning behavior, so he immediately looked at Emperor Yonghui and said, "The dances of the Central Plains have their own beauty, and the dances of the Turkic people also have their own unique flavor. If Your Majesty agrees, why not invite them to come in and perform a dance to entertain you all? It will also be my apology for my impoliteness this afternoon."
Emperor Yonghui waved his hand and said, "Since the Khan is interested, how can I refuse?"
Tuque Khan immediately clapped his hands, and a group of men wearing narrow-sleeved Hu shirts, hats with rolled brims and beads on their heads, and long brocade belts tied around their waists walked in with their heads lowered.
Everyone in the hall gasped in fear. Although they had heard of the custom of men learning to dance in barbarian lands, they were still surprised to see it today.
Tuqu Khan said proudly, "The dance of Chang'an women is characterized by lightness and grace, while the Hu Teng dance of our Tuqu men is characterized by boldness and agility. Today, thanks to the blessing of His Majesty, I have asked them to perform."
Emperor Yonghui had also heard a lot about the Hu Teng dance. The palace maids in the hall spread a layer of floral carpet for it. In addition to the pipa and other string instruments that accompanied the dance, the most important one was the drum.
When the drums start beating, the dancers follow the beats and jump high.
The Tuque people were tall and strong, and the dancers they found were all fair-skinned and tall, and even their noses looked straighter than those of Chang'an men.
As the drum beats rose and fell, the dancers tumbled, jumped, and kicked quickly in the air. Their exposed arms were lean and powerful, and every move they made with their legs showed their strength. The powerful masculine beauty made the girls sitting there blush and feel shy.
Yun Sheng also felt a little curious. Zhao Yaoyao beside her was already chirping in her ear like a little bird, her eyes wide open as she asked, "Sister Sheng, I didn't know men could dance so beautifully!"
"Look quickly, that person is really upright. Is he looking at us?"
Zhao Yaoyao came over, covered her face and asked in a low voice.
Yun Sheng looked up and saw that the dancer had actually arrived in front of him. As he raised his hips and retracted his legs, his eyebrows were dancing with joy and his expression was very attractive.
Zhao Yaoyao excitedly poked Yun Sheng: "Sister Sheng, is he winking at us?"
Yun Sheng suddenly felt a headache and said uncertainly, "It should...it should be."
As she was talking to Zhao Yaoyao, her eyes happened to meet Xie Zhan's in the air.
He frowned and looked displeased.
Yun Sheng hesitantly withdrew her gaze, feeling a little guilty for a moment. She had indeed been stunned by the dance just now.
As soon as the dance ended, applause broke out.
Emperor Yonghui was the first to speak: "It is indeed a beautiful dance. The Khan is thoughtful."
The Turkic Khan laughed loudly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This kind of dance is really not worth mentioning. It is not worth mentioning. Most of our Turkic men are brave."
He said it was not worth mentioning, but his mouth was almost stretched to his ears.
All the ministers were somewhat dissatisfied, and Princess Anle was also very angry.
She ignored him and stood up, saying, "The Khan has invited us to open our eyes and watch the Hu Teng Dance. Our dynasty has always emphasized giving and taking, so it is not considered rude. I have heard that the Turkic people are fierce and uncivilized. Taking advantage of this opportunity, why not let the Khan and his men see the elegance of our country of etiquette? What do you think, Khan?"
Tuque Khan and the envoys looked unhappy. They all said that Princess Anle was arrogant and it turned out to be true. She even dared to mock the court in public.
Concubine Shu glared and said, "You ignorant person, come here quickly."
Although she was scolding him, she secretly glanced at Emperor Yonghui, and her heart suddenly relaxed.
Yes, this Tuque barbarian is too arrogant. Even if others are dissatisfied, they can't say much. Only his daughter came forward. It's just a small fight, not a big deal. How could His Majesty really blame her?
Princess Anle refused to give in.
Emperor Yonghui laughed and said, "I have spoiled my daughter. Please don't be offended, Khan and the envoys."
Princess Anle said angrily, "Father."
She raised her eyebrows slightly as she looked down at the officials' wives and noble ladies, her gaze slowly landing on Yun Sheng, who had lowered her eyes. Suddenly, she curled her lips and acted coquettishly towards Emperor Yonghui, "I got a calligraphy piece from a great master a few days ago, and I'm itching to do it myself. How about today, while everyone's here, I ask the noble ladies to copy it, and the top three will get a reward from you. What do you think, Father?"
All the ministers nodded and said, "That's a good idea, Princess. Let's all appreciate it later."
Emperor Yonghui agreed.
Princess Anle raised her voice again, "Madam Yun, please come along too."
After she finished speaking, everyone in the hall looked at Yun Sheng intentionally or unintentionally.
All the ministers have heard about the new concubine that Marquis Xie recently took in.
The men all thought to themselves that it was ridiculous for Xie Zhan to take a village girl as his concubine, who was once the fiancée of his distant nephew.
However, when everyone saw Yun Sheng's pretty face, they quietly shut their mouths. Although she was beautiful, her temperament was far inferior to those of the noble ladies, not to mention that she was literate. Wouldn't that just make people laugh?
Or it can be said that concubines are not presentable.
Old Lady Xie looked solemnly at Yun Sheng, then smiled at Princess Anle, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Princess. You ladies can enjoy such an elegant and interesting event together, so I won't ask this one from my family to join in the fun."
"Just write it casually. This princess won't eat Madam Yun. The old lady is too protective of her."
Yun Sheng stood up and replied calmly, "It's not that the old lady is protecting me, it's just that I'm not good at calligraphy, and I'm afraid it will spoil everyone's fun."
Emperor Yonghui narrowed his eyes and made the decision, "Let's go together. It's not a big deal. Or is it that Xingzhi dotes on her too much and is so reluctant that he is tiring her?"
He suddenly turned to put pressure on Xie Zhan.
Xie Zhan raised his eyes to look at Yun Sheng. She was twisting her fingers helplessly, looking uneasy.
Yun Sheng knew that Emperor Yonghui was wary of Xie Zhan, and that the relationship between the monarch and his minister was not as harmonious as it seemed. The emperor's behavior this time was more directed at Xie Zhan than at making things difficult for her.
When she came to the palace, she did not dare to neglect her writing.
Yun Sheng was unsure of herself, as she feared she was facing a group of noble ladies who had been literate since childhood. If she really made a fool of herself in front of everyone, Old Lady Xie would definitely be dissatisfied with her.
The Duke of Pingyang broke out in a cold sweat for Yun Sheng. He was about to open his mouth, but was a moment too late.
Xie Zhan's face was calm, and he looked at Emperor Yonghui without any expression. He pursed his lips and said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. Since you and the princess think highly of her, please invite her along."
Yun Sheng's long eyelashes trembled, and her eyes suddenly shifted away from Xie Zhan's face.
Old Lady Xie breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Yun Sheng with a complicated expression.
In this way, the palace maids were busy arranging the tables in an orderly manner, and hung Princess Anle's collection of calligraphy high in the air.
This is a calligraphy work by a great master who has lived in seclusion. It only has four words written on it: "tranquility leads to far-reaching goals."
Yun Sheng sat in the back, leaning quietly on the table.
Perhaps because of what happened just now, everyone's eyes fell on her involuntarily, wanting to see how she would end up today.
Yun Sheng exhaled slowly a few times. She did not start writing, but instead stared at the inkstone and the calligraphy in a trance.
Just when the ministers thought she couldn't even hold a pen, Yun Sheng silently felt the strength Xie Zhan used when he first taught her to write, and suddenly spread out the Chengxintang paper and picked up the pen.
She looked quite competent, but most people thought she was just writing randomly.
After a moment, all the noble ladies around stopped writing, and Yun Sheng put the pen back.
Tuque Khan, who had the most serious grudge against Xie Zhan, sneered, "Now that the time has come, His Majesty, please allow us to appreciate each one."
As a cultured person from the Central Plains, he really didn't know what was so interesting about this. He thought it would be more enjoyable to eat meat and drink wine on the grassland.
Emperor Yonghui raised his chin, and the palace maids lowered their heads and displayed the calligraphy works written by the noble ladies in front of everyone.
The ministers were the first to appreciate Princess Anle. Since she was a child, she had been personally taught by the best female official in the palace, and over the years she had mastered the art of handwriting.
She raised her eyebrows, and the ministers also praised her.
"The princess is truly worthy of being the emperor's daughter. The old ministers are speechless."
"Hey, this... is this because my eyes are blurry?"
"Yes, not only did Lady Yun write it, her characters lacked the gentleness of a woman, but instead had the majestic grandeur of a man. It was truly eye-opening."
"Minister Zhao, do you find the strokes of this character very familiar?"
Minister Zhao stroked his beard, and several old ministers nodded secretly.
Minister Lu glanced at his own Marquis and couldn't help but laugh. "It doesn't look familiar. I think the Marquis's handwriting is at least 80% similar, if not 100%. Madam Yun's handwriting must have been taught by the Marquis himself, as it has such a masculine and sharp style."
Everyone suddenly realized what was going on and gasped in shock.
"Minister Lu is so sharp-eyed that it makes us look dizzy and confused."
"It is indeed a beautiful calligraphy. Lord Xie's calligraphy is priceless."
Emperor Yonghui and Princess Anle, father and daughter, sitting at the top, had identical stiff expressions, but their expressions remained impassive due to their years of experience in political politics.
Princess Anle was so angry that her teeth were itching. Xie Zhan personally went to teach Yun Sheng how to read and write, which really added to her beauty.
She pouted, feeling aggrieved in her heart. She was obviously not bad, she was even better than Yun Sheng, and she didn't need him to teach her. Why could he always ignore her?
She had originally thought that she could shock the illiterate Turkic people, let Xie Zhan know how good she was, and also make Yun Sheng look bad. It was a good thing to kill three birds with one stone. But how come she, the princess, has become a clown now?
Emperor Yonghui said with a smile, "Xingzhi is outstanding, and the people in the room are also kind-hearted and virtuous. Judging from everyone's observation, they can definitely be ranked in the top three."
The ministers nodded in agreement without much objection.
The first place went to Princess Anle, the second was a famous talented woman in Chang'an, and Yun Sheng came in third. This beautiful calligraphy that showed a majestic spirit made all the ministers take notice.
Zhao Yaoyao and Xie Tinglan kept talking all night long. Their initial worry turned into admiration. Old Lady Xie also looked at Yun Sheng with admiration.
She was willing to learn and was not the kind of vixen who flirted with men every day, so her attitude changed quietly.
Old Lady Xie was also reluctant because her eldest grandson was born from a woman who was completely uneducated.
Emperor Yonghui waved his hand and bestowed a pile of silks and satins.
After the banquet, Yun Sheng followed Xie Zhan in small steps.
The sky outside was dim, and the hazy moonlight faintly shone on the two of them. Xie Zhan suddenly stopped and turned around. Yun Sheng looked up at him in confusion: "Why didn't you leave, Lord Marquis?"
Xie Zhan's eyes fixed, and he suddenly reached out and pinched Yun Sheng's face: "You haven't embarrassed me, your teacher."
Yun Sheng was stunned and smiled awkwardly: "It's all thanks to the Marquis's good teaching. This concerns the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion, so I dare not be careless."
She paused, seeming to be about to speak, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Just now... why did the Marquis agree without much thought? What if I..."
Is Xie Zhan really not afraid that she will make a fool of herself in front of others and bring shame to the Marquis' Mansion?
Xie Zhan sneered, "Since you came to the palace, you have been glued to your books day and night. If you really make a fool of yourself, then all my efforts in teaching you will have been in vain."
Yun Sheng looked embarrassed. Does Xie Zhan believe her?
But if I really mean to praise her, it always sounds a bit unpleasant to hear.
_
Princess Anle was so angry that she couldn't sleep at night. Emperor Yonghui was still in his study reviewing memorials, but she kept making a fuss and wanted to come in.
When she saw a burly figure flash past from the side hall, she said unhappily, "Hey, why is the Turkic Khan here with my father?"
The eunuch leading her chuckled and said, "Princess, you must have seen it wrongly. How could it be that Tuque person at such a late hour?"
Princess Anle rubbed her eyes, and when she looked again, no one was there. She murmured, "Maybe I really saw it wrong."
Otherwise, why would my father summon Tuque Khan in the middle of the night?
Emperor Yonghui breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he was a really pathetic emperor, being constrained in every way.
He gathered his thoughts and called Princess Anle in. "Why are you here looking for my father again in the middle of the night?"
"I want to marry Xie Zhan." Princess Anle pouted and told Emperor Yonghui about this for the first time.
Emperor Yonghui's expression changed and he scolded, "Nonsense! I think you have lost your mind."
"Father, you are well aware of my thoughts, and I can guess at some of your anxieties. It's nothing more than your fear of the Xie family's in-laws monopolizing power. Have you ever considered that if I could win Xie Zhan's heart by marrying him, he would only serve our royal family even more. How could he harbor rebellious thoughts?"
Princess Anle continued, "Let's assume, even if he wants Princess Shang, you can legitimately take back his military power. Wouldn't that be exactly what Father wants?"
"You are so stupid." Emperor Yonghui looked at his daughter coldly. "You don't know your own worth. Xie Zhan is a man of deep thoughts. It's a good thing you didn't fall for his schemes. Do you really think he could be so bewitched by you that he was lustful?"
Besides, if military power was so easy to take, he would have married his daughter to him long ago. Emperor Yonghui hesitated to take action because he was afraid that Mr. Xie Zhan would rebel, and the emperor and his minister remained in a stalemate.
"Don't mention this matter anymore, go back first."
Princess Anle stamped her feet and was reluctantly asked to leave by the eunuch.
Emperor Yonghui suddenly asked, "Tell me, if I marry the princess off, and Xie Zhan dares to disobey my order and refuse to hand over his military power, what should I do?"
The eunuch bowed his head and said, "If a minister disobeys an order, he shall be punished with death. If he harbors rebellious thoughts, he will be disloyal and unrighteous, and Heaven will not tolerate it."
Emperor Yonghui smiled. He didn't want to go down this path either, but Xie Zhan shouldn't force him.
He frowned, and suddenly thought of the spy's report that there was suspected trace of Prince Zhangren recently. Emperor Yonghui couldn't help but clench his fists.
They are all a bunch of useless people. How come this nephew was allowed to slip through the net that day?
Therefore, Emperor Yonghui did not want to kill Xie Zhan unless he had no other choice. If he could make him loyal and submit, he would be even more powerful.
Thinking of something, Emperor Yonghui ordered the secret guards: "Tell them that if they get any news about Crown Prince Zhangren, they will be killed immediately. Deal with them thoroughly."
Emperor Yonghui would never allow Prince Zhangren to secretly win over Xie Zhan first.
The hunting officially began the next day, and Xie Zhan had no intention of stealing the prince's limelight.
As soon as they entered the hunting ground, the prince whipped his whip and rode ahead.
Xie Zhan, riding on his horse, looked down at Yun Sheng from above and instructed, "If you want to follow and take a look, you can just stay on the periphery."
Yun Sheng nodded. She had just learned how to ride a horse, and it was still new to her. She wanted to enjoy it as much as possible before returning to the city.
However, she and Zhao Yaoyao only knew how to ride horses and not hunt, but Xie Tinglan had some skills in riding and shooting, and vowed to protect them.
Zhao Yaoyao's eyes lit up and he praised her generously.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they rode into the outskirts of the hunting ground.
There are small preys in the surrounding areas, including rabbits, badgers, roe deer and musk deer, so there is hardly any major danger.
The three of them walked and stopped. Yun Sheng was riding on the horse. She opened her arms and felt comfortable and free all over.
When the sun rose, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from a distance. The three of them looked up and were all stunned. The person who came was Xie Zhan.
Beside him followed a servant who was collecting prey. There were two fat deer in the big net.
Yun Sheng asked in surprise, "Why did the Marquis come out now?"
She saw that there weren't many prey.
Xie Zhan tightened the reins and said calmly, "They are all young gentlemen. I don't bother to compete with them."
Xie Tinglan covered her mouth and laughed secretly. She always felt that her elder brother was thinking about Yun Sheng. She quickly and tactfully pulled Zhao Yaoyao away, leaving a message: "Yaoyao and I will go look somewhere else. You can accompany your elder brother."
Yun Sheng looked embarrassed. She secretly glanced at Xie Zhan, and seeing that he didn't react, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
With a "pop", a bird suddenly fell from the tree fork next to it.
Yun Sheng dismounted and said, "My Lord, please wait for me. I'll go take a look."
She heard Xie Zhan hum a low "hmm." Yun Sheng walked over and squatted on the ground. It turned out to be a wounded red-breasted sparrow.
There was an arrow in its abdomen. Perhaps someone had shot it just now. The sparrow happened to land on a tree, but the person didn't see it and turned away. Or perhaps someone had accidentally injured it.
After all, this freckle should be caught and fed. It has no chance of recovery if it is injured like this.
Its small body was curled up, with a lot of blood on its abdomen. Its limbs were shaking and trembling, perhaps because of the pain, and it made intermittent long howls.
Yun Sheng's heart tightened for some reason. She reached out her hand, and the freckled creature struggled to rub its head against her palm. Xie Zhan's voice rang out from behind her: "It was hit directly in the abdomen. It's most likely not going to survive."
"My Lord, I want to take it home and raise it. Let's ask the people from the Imperial Household Department to take a look at it. Maybe it can be saved."
Yun Sheng turned around and looked at Xie Zhan with a pleading look.
Xie Zhan turned his head away: "Even if you bring it back, it may not survive."
"But I want to try, okay?" Yun Sheng felt the soft and fluffy touch in her palm, and her eyes told her that this sparrow wanted to live.
Even though it was injured like this, it still wanted to live, so Yun Sheng wanted to give it a try.
Xie Zhan glanced at the bird lying on the ground with excessive blood loss. After years of fighting on the battlefield, he was already accustomed to seeing life and death.
The bird was indeed struggling to stay alive, just like most soldiers on the battlefield. As long as they could still hold on and stand, they would never fall until the very last moment.
Xie Zhan saw the same thing in the eyes of the bird and Yun Sheng: the desire to struggle to live. Therefore, he always knew that Yun Sheng would not seek death before.
He frowned and said calmly, "Since you want to try, then take it back and see. Whether it can survive depends on whether it wants to live."
Yun Sheng tore off a corner of his clothes, gently wrapped it around the spotted bird's abdomen twice to stop the bleeding, and carefully held it in his palm and took it back.
There happened to be someone on duty at the Taifu Temple, which specialized in treating animals. When he heard that it was Marquis Xie who summoned him, he hurried over with his belongings.
He frowned, thinking it was a very difficult case. After bandaging and applying medicine, he sighed, "We've done everything we can. We just have to see if this bird can pull through on its own. Madam Yun, have someone take good care of it for a few days."
Xie Zhan was afraid that the spotted bird was not clean, so he did not allow it to enter the house until it was fully recovered and cleaned. Yun Sheng had no choice but to ask his servants to take good care of it, hoping that it could survive.
As the sun went down, the young men came out of the hunting grounds one after another with their prey. As usual, the Crown Prince's prey was far ahead of the others, and Emperor Yonghui looked at him with admiration.
After returning from hunting with a full load, he gave meat to his ministers and concubines in the evening.
Tuque Khan chewed the meat with big mouthfuls, but still felt uncomfortable. He felt that it was not as enjoyable as the meat from the grassland!
A lot of the meat from the two venison hunted by Xie Zhan was also divided among the group. He also tasted a small piece. The female relatives were eating grilled lamb skewers, and Zhao Yaoyao was already drooling.
She skillfully brushed three skewers with honey, kept one for herself, and gave the other two to Yun Sheng and Xie Tinglan respectively.
Yun Sheng thought it smelled quite fragrant, but just as he took it, he suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.
Zhao Yaoyao patted her back and said anxiously, "Sister Sheng, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me, I just grilled this meat, it's still fresh."
Seeing her retching, the ladies looked at each other in surprise, looked at Yun Sheng's belly, and then looked at Old Lady Xie and said with a smile, "Congratulations, are you pregnant?"
"The old lady is very happy!"
Old Lady Xie came to her senses and almost stared a hole in Yun Sheng's stomach.
She asked Ah Xi, "Has Madam Yun had her period this month?"
Ah Xi happily replied, "It was postponed for two days. I thought it was nothing serious, but it turns out that Madam Yun is pregnant."
Yun Sheng's hands and feet suddenly became cold, and his face looked extremely ugly.
No...no, how could she be pregnant?
"Quick, send someone to invite the Marquis over."
Empress Du, sitting on top, said with a smile, "The old lady may be overly happy. Simply inviting Marquis Xie is not enough. I have already sent for the imperial physician."
Old Lady Xie smiled so hard that her mouth couldn't close. "Is this old man too happy? Or is it that Your Majesty is so considerate that she should call the imperial physician to see Huai Xiang."
Yun Sheng's blood ran cold. Even though the warm sun shone on her, she felt as if she was falling into an icy cave.
What if she is really pregnant?
If the imperial physician could tell that she was stained with contraceptive perfume, Yun Sheng would not dare to think any further as Xie Zhan's fierce face flashed through her mind.
Zhao Yaoyao and Xie Tinglan were both stunned for a moment, then each of them put their dark heads on her belly, grinned and asked, "Are there really any nephews or nieces here?"
Yun Sheng's eyes were dull and she was so dazed that she couldn't even pretend to smile.
Everyone thought it was her first time being a mother, and she was so nervous that she couldn't speak, but no one cared much.
She touched the purse at her side. Old Lady Xie looked at her expression and thought that Yun Sheng was feeling unwell and wanted to vomit. She hurriedly paid her respects to Queen Du and went to Yun Sheng's room with the female family members.
Everyone was there, and Yun Sheng couldn't get rid of the purse, and he felt uneasy for a moment.
The one who arrived before the imperial physician was Xie Zhan, who hurried over from the banquet.
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The author has something to say: Let's add another chapter. Starting tomorrow, I'll update at 8:00 a.m., so no need to stay up late. Remember to be on time, everyone [heart]
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