Chapter 304 No More Pregnancy
"Zhuque and our spies planted in the residences of important officials in the capital reported that, shortly after the incident this afternoon, the officials we were monitoring have been making frequent moves tonight."
"They're moving around openly and secretly, and all they're talking about is this news."
"Everyone is speculating about what happened, and some are even guessing that the late emperor may not have died at all."
"However, most of them are just speculating and observing; no one has taken a stand or expressed their opinion yet."
Shen Qingci frowned. Even if it was just speculation and observation, things were not very favorable for Chu Jichen.
"Moreover, several senior ministers are discussing asking His Majesty at tomorrow's morning court session what exactly happened and whether that person was the late Emperor."
Shen Qingci tapped her fingers lightly on the table: "Hmm."
"This is the first thing we need to investigate right now."
“Besides that,” Shen Qingci changed the subject, her eyes becoming sharp, “there is something else that is even more important.”
"Keep an eye on the city's movements and see if there are any unusual activities by unknown forces."
"If the late emperor really did lie low for three years, accumulating strength, then he must have had a considerable number of men. Moreover, they should all be hiding in the capital, just like Huo Yunting, waiting for their chance."
"Now that the late emperor has been captured and Huo Yunting has been arrested, those who were hiding in the shadows are like snakes with their heads cut off; they will surely launch a fierce counterattack!"
"They will make a move soon, and it will be significant!"
"We must find their hiding place before they do and take precautions in advance!"
Shen Qingci took a deep breath and quickly ordered, "Go ask Qingming how many members of the Shen family's secret service are currently available for deployment?"
"Also, how many soldiers do we have now, as we were ordered to openly recruit them in the city these past few days?"
"Have Qingming, under the guise of military training, gather all these newly recruited soldiers overnight in the military camp outside the city for rigorous training, and have them ready to be deployed at any time!"
"Training is a pretense; preparing for war is the real goal!"
"If anything changes in the city, this army will be our last resort!"
The secret agents agreed and left quickly.
Shen Qingci stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.
A full moon hangs high in the night sky, its cool light spilling into the courtyard, yet unable to penetrate the deep darkness of the capital city.
A storm is brewing.
The game of chess has finally come to an end.
Because so many things had happened today, and it was all so thrilling, Shen Qingci lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
The night was deep and all was quiet.
She stroked her slightly protruding belly and forced herself to close her eyes. For the sake of the child in her womb, she also needed to rest.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally drifted off to sleep.
However, the dream was not peaceful.
She dreamt that she was in a fog, surrounded by blurry figures.
Suddenly, a familiar figure emerged from the mist—it was Huo Yunting! No, that face also resembled Huo Yunzhan's! The two brothers overlapped like ghosts, a sinister smile playing on their lips.
"Shen Qingci, you can't escape..."
A sinister voice echoed in her ears. The man raised the dagger in his hand, and with a flash of cold light, he thrust it straight at her stomach!
"don't want--!"
Shen Qingci screamed in terror, instinctively trying to protect her abdomen, but found herself stiff and unable to move.
The knife plunged down hard, and blood gushed out instantly...
"ah!"
Shen Qingci suddenly woke up from her dream, panting heavily, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.
She looked around in a panic. It was already bright outside the window, and the morning light shone through the window frame onto the ground, bringing a faint warmth.
"Master." A low voice from the secret service came from outside the door, tinged with a hint of probing.
Shen Qingci composed herself, forcibly suppressing the lingering fear in her heart, and called out, "Come in."
The secret agent pushed open the door and entered, standing outside the screen. He reported in a low voice, "Master, we sent a message to Qingming as you instructed. Qingming replied that His Majesty has also issued an order for her to gather the soldiers who have been conscripted in the past few days and assemble them at the camp outside the city for training."
"His Majesty said that when Qingming stood in the court as the commander of the Shen family's private army and began to recruit troops in a grand manner, the late Emperor and Huo Yunting became extremely uneasy and took frequent actions. This shows that... both the late Emperor and Huo Yunting were very wary of this legendary Shen family private army."
"Although the late emperor has been captured, his secret guards have vanished as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth and have not yet shown themselves. We must find a way to lure them out."
"Since they are wary of the Shen family's private soldiers, then the Shen family's private soldiers are the best bait to lure them out."
Shen Qingci listened quietly, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Chu Jichen was the most thoughtful.
She only thought that these troops could provide immediate support should any unrest occur in the city. She never imagined that they could also be used as bait to lure out the rats hiding in the shadows.
That's true.
The late emperor was inherently suspicious and was most wary of the Shen family's great achievements overshadowing his own.
During the reign of the late emperor, he had tried to suppress her father several times. However, her father had a high reputation in the army due to his outstanding military achievements, and the late emperor was afraid of harming him, so he was never able to succeed.
The rumors about the Shen family's private army were believed without a doubt by Huo Yunzhan, Emperor Yongming, and Liu Wenyuan.
She even suspected that the source of this rumor might have been the late emperor himself, a carefully crafted trap he had set to eliminate the Shen family.
If we can use the Shen family's private army as bait to lure out the remnants of the late emperor's faction, it might not be a bad move.
Shen Qingci nodded, subconsciously touching her stomach. Recalling the nightmare that had woken her up, she felt uneasy again.
She hurriedly asked, "Have you found out how the Sixth Princess's injuries are?"
“Yesterday outside the Huo residence, I vaguely saw that her injury seemed to be in her abdomen.”
The officer was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice: "The wound is alright, it didn't hit any vital organs. It's just that the imperial physician said... I'm afraid... she will never be able to conceive again."
"What?!" Shen Qingci was struck dumb, standing up in astonishment, her body swaying. "Can't I get pregnant anymore? How... how could this happen?"
"Has Physician Li examined you? Has the old herbalist examined you?"
Chu Yuening is still so young!
Although she already has Tuantuan, and Tuantuan is indeed very cute.
However, Tuantuan was Chu Yuening's child born when she married into the Northern You Kingdom. Her father was the emperor of the Northern You Kingdom, the man destined to be an enemy of the Great Zhou. For Chu Yuening, this was both her flesh and blood and a source of deep wounds.
The emperor of Beiyou Kingdom never had any genuine feelings for Chu Yuening; he only used and tormented her.
She always felt that since Chu Yuening had escaped back to the Great Zhou, and now that Chu Jichen had ascended the throne, Chu Yuening was the most honorable princess of the Great Zhou.
No one will ever dare to look down on her again or mention that unbearable past.
After some time, Chu Yuening will have completely emerged from the shadows, and she will be able to start a new life of her own.
She could marry a prince consort, marry the person she truly loved, have children of their own, and live a happy and fulfilling life.
But now...
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