Chapter 289 The Eighteenth Son
The corner of Zhao Yuanxi's mouth twitched. He ignored Madam Mi's mischievous look and scolded, "Am I just a fool who only cares about appearances in your eyes?"
Hu Bazi knelt down in panic, "I dare not."
"I wouldn't dare. I've thought so before!" Zhao Yuanxi snorted coldly. "It's not your place to judge who I like. I took pity on you because I felt you were thousands of miles away from home, alone in the harem, and in a difficult situation. That's why I took good care of you. But you think I got it by relying on your beauty?"
"It's a pity that you don't seem to understand yet. In this harem, beauty is the least worth mentioning thing."
"That's not what I meant. I'm just worried that the Empress Dowager will dislike me..." Hu Bazi hurriedly explained, terrified. She had really offended the Empress Dowager this time!
She wanted to explain a few more words, but Zhao Yuanxi didn't intend to give her a chance. "Come here, help Hu Bazi up and take him back to the bedroom to rest."
Hu Bazi, however, held her stomach, her face pale as she curled up into a ball. "Empress Dowager, I... I have a stomachache."
This weak appearance did not make Zhao Yuanxi feel soft-hearted. He signaled the palace servants to take her away. However, Madam Mi stood up at this time, holding Hu Bazi's belly with one hand and checking her pulse with the other.
The palace maid wanted to go forward and pull her, but Zhao Yuanxi waved her hand to stop her. With a frown on his face, he looked at Madam Mi and asked, "What's wrong with her?"
"It would be better for the Queen Mother to summon the imperial physician. I see her pulse and it seems the situation is not good."
Mrs. Mi had given birth to two children and had some knowledge of medicine. Looking at Hu Bazi's appearance just now, she knew that she was not pretending. The pulse test indeed verified her guess.
"Come here, call the imperial physician."
"My child, my child!" Hu Bazi covered his stomach, his face pale, and looked at the Queen Mother pleadingly, "Queen Dowager, please save him."
Zhao Yuanxi didn't say anything, but just helped her sit on the couch, put a few soft pillows behind her waist, and waited quietly for the imperial physician to come.
In just half an incense stick of time, Zhao Yuanxi was torn between his conscience and his desires.
If this child were dead now, is it possible that Hu Hai would not appear?
Now she was very confident that Hu Bazi was carrying Little Eighteen. If another pregnant concubine gave birth to a princess, then the one in her belly...
This thought turned over and over in her mind until the imperial physician finally appeared.
"How is it?" Zhao Yuanxi asked the imperial physician.
"Empress Dowager, Hu Bazi's pregnancy has been unstable. She hasn't been eating properly these days, and her Qi and blood are insufficient. Her body is extremely weak. Coupled with the stimulation, she has already shown symptoms of fetal movement disorder."
"Is the child still alive?"
"Don't worry, Empress Dowager. I'll first give Ba Zi acupuncture to stabilize him. I'll then prescribe some medicine for him to take. He'll be fine in three or four days. However, he still needs to pay attention to his diet and avoid any further stimulation."
Zhao Yuanxi felt relieved, but also a little disappointed. Listening to Hu Bazi's cry for help, he sighed slightly in his heart, "Let's rescue him first!"
"promise!"
She summoned the palace maids around Hu Bazi and asked, "Have you, Hu Bazi, not eaten well recently?"
The maid looked panicked and hurriedly explained, "Bazi has severe morning sickness. Every time she eats something, she throws it up after a while. There's nothing we can do."
The kitchen had tried every possible way to make dishes that suited Hu Bazi's appetite, but he just couldn't eat them, causing the palace maids to be beaten and scolded every day.
Madam Mi, as someone who had experienced this, explained, "This is common when women are pregnant. Your Majesty, don't worry. It will be fine after a while."
"Was it the same when Gan Tang was pregnant with Zhang Liang and Lan'er?" Zhao Yuanxi wondered.
"Liang'er is a bit naughty. He made me unable to eat for several days. Lan'er is well-behaved and is not feeling unwell." When mentioning the two children, Mrs. Mi's brows softened a lot and there was a faint smile on the corners of her mouth.
Zhang Liang was indeed a little more mischievous than Zhang Lan, and Zhao Yuanxi nodded in approval.
"After we get back, ask the kitchen to prepare some food from the Donghu, so she can eat at least some."
Madam Mi asked with a smile, "The Queen Mother doesn't hate her anymore?"
Zhao Yuanxi rolled her eyes at her. Was her liveliness really that interesting?
"Although I don't like Hu Bazi, I don't want to see her waste half her life getting pregnant."
At least she is a qualified mother.
When Hu Bazi's condition improved, Zhao Yuanxi had her sent back to his own palace.
When Zhao Yuanxi saw her emaciated figure before leaving, he couldn't help but sigh, "Don't think too much. The most important thing for you now is to give birth to this child in peace. My likes and dislikes are not important to you. You can live well with this child even without me."
Isn't this what Hu Bazi wanted in the beginning? Why is he now dreaming of something he doesn't have?
Tears welled up in Hu Bazi's eyes. Only when people have tasted the bitterness of loss will they cherish what they have now.
"I understand."
"Empress Dowager, can I come to see you again?" She looked up, her eyes still full of expectation.
Zhao Yuanxi held his forehead with his hand, speechless about her persistence, "You don't have to come here until you give birth to the baby!"
Hu Bazi lowered his head in disappointment, but then he thought, the Queen Mother only said that she didn't need to come before she gave birth to the child, and she didn't say that she couldn't come after she gave birth.
Not only does she want to use this child to gain the Queen Mother's favor, she also wants the King to look at her more!
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and Hu Bazi became happy again.
"I will definitely give birth to a son for you, Your Majesty, and then I will bring the child to see you!"
…
Zhao Yuanxi was speechless. It seemed that this Hu Bazi didn't understand what he was saying.
Besides, if she gave birth to a little eighteen, it would not make Zhao Yuanxi happy.
"Oh, actually the princess is very nice too."
Hu Bazi thought the Queen Mother was trying to comfort him, and said quite proudly, "I asked the imperial physician, and he said that I am pregnant with a little boy."
Zhao Yuanxi suddenly looked up at the imperial physician beside him, "Are you serious?"
Is it really possible to diagnose whether it is a boy or girl based on the pulse?
The imperial physician stroked his beard, looking quite an expert. "I've taken the pulses of those women, and if not tens of thousands, there are at least thousands. A deep pulse indicates a boy, and a floating pulse indicates a girl. Although Hu Bazi's pulse is weak, it is deep and firm, so it is undoubtedly a boy."
An hour later, the imperial physician arrived at Ganquan Palace again.
Zhao Yuanxi was waiting for him in the hall. "How is it?"
"Concubine Li's pulse is slippery, indicating a female fetus. Congratulations, Queen Mother. The palace will soon have a new prince and princess."
Zhao Yuanxi's previous speculation was confirmed, and he felt very complicated.
But she soon thought of another question: what is the relationship between Zhao Gao and Hu Bazi?
She remembered that historical records stated that Zhao Gao was Hu Hai's teacher. If the two had known each other for a long time, it would not be surprising that he later became Hu Hai's teacher.
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