When Empress Zhou heard that Emperor Cheng'an had arrived, she showed an impatient expression.
Reluctantly, she got up and had a female official help her hide her fake belly inside her clothes. After carefully tidying it up, she supported her waist and dragged her protruding belly out to greet Emperor Cheng'an.
When Emperor Cheng'an saw her large belly, a moment of gloom flashed in his eyes, but he quickly put on a smile.
He quickly stepped forward to support the Empress, saying, "Didn't I say that the Empress's pregnancy is progressing and she has difficulty moving around? There's no need for you to come and greet me."
Empress Zhou took his arm and smiled affectionately, saying, "Your Majesty is very considerate, but I still wish to personally greet Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty has not visited my palace for a long time."
Both of them knew perfectly well why Emperor Cheng'an had not visited the Empress's palace for so long.
The Empress was carrying a bastard child. Although Emperor Cheng'an prided himself on his broad-mindedness and ability to endure what ordinary people could not, he couldn't help but feel disgusted when he saw the Empress's belly, so he naturally didn't want to visit the Empress's palace often.
The Empress insisted on making such a fuss about something that everyone knew perfectly well. Emperor Cheng'an frowned, but since he loved the child in her womb and it was still useful, he could only endure it for the time being and put on a gentle expression: "With the Crown Prince not here, I have to handle many things myself. I am so busy that I inevitably neglect the Empress."
The Empress smiled and didn't dwell on the topic. She had hot tea brought over and personally served it to him before saying with a smile, "Although Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, you must take care of your health."
Emperor Cheng'an's brows twitched upon hearing his words, and he recalled Xue Shen's reminder.
He stared at the Empress's belly with an ambiguous gaze, and asked in a drawn-out tone, "How has the Empress been these days?"
Empress Zhou said, "I am well."
Emperor Cheng'an thought of Zhou Qing, who was still missing, and something flashed through his mind. He sighed and said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is just a month away. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family reunion, but neither of us can be together."
Empress Zhou blinked, quickly pondering the purpose of his words, but asked with concern, "Has Your Majesty thought of His Highness the Crown Prince again?"
She put on a comforting tone: "Has His Highness the Crown Prince still not been found?"
Emperor Cheng'an shook his head with a sense of loss and sighed deeply, "There were a couple of times when we found traces of the Crown Prince, but when we went there, we couldn't find him. The Crown Prince is skilled in martial arts and well-versed in military strategy. If he intended to hide, it's understandable that those useless people under him couldn't find him."
Empress Zhou also sighed, and gently said while holding his arm, "Perhaps when the Crown Prince thinks things through and resolves his inner conflict, he will come back on his own."
Emperor Cheng'an said, "I hope so."
Then, changing the subject, she asked about the Zhou family's recent situation: "Didn't the Empress say before that she wanted to go out of the palace to see Mother and the younger generation? Why didn't she go? With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, if you want to go out of the palace, then go. There's no need to have any reservations."
When Empress Zhou heard him suddenly mention the Zhou family, her heart skipped a beat, but she smiled and thanked him, saying, "I was just thinking of doing the same thing, but I was planning to wait until the baby is a little older and the pregnancy is more stable before going."
Emperor Cheng'an nodded: "Indeed, this child was hard-won, so the Empress should be careful and lest something go wrong."
Emperor Cheng'an had only said it casually, but the Empress was startled. She nervously observed his expression and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when she was sure that he did not suspect anything.
After finally seeing the man off, Empress Zhou slumped into her chair, looked at her personal maid, and asked uncertainly, "Do you think he figured something out? Was he deliberately testing me?"
The female official said, "This servant thinks His Majesty just mentioned it casually, as if he didn't realize anything."
Empress Zhou was still somewhat uneasy. She looked at the teacup that Emperor Cheng'an had just drunk from, bit her lip and pondered for a long time. She said resentfully, "His health looks poor, but he's tough. He's been clinging to life for so long."
She propped herself up and sat up, gritting her teeth, and said, "No, it's too slow. I can't wait that long. Send someone to ask my elder brother to find something with stronger medicinal properties and send it in."
*
After leaving the Empress's palace, Emperor Cheng'an hurriedly returned to his own palace.
Upon arriving at his palace, he immediately ordered the imperial physician to be summoned.
The imperial physician stepped forward cautiously to take his pulse: "Your Majesty, is there anything wrong?"
Emperor Cheng'an waved his hand, showing him his sleeve that was soaked with tea: "Examine this sleeve for me and see if there is anything improper added to it."
After thinking it over, he realized that Xue Shen's reminder was not entirely unfounded.
The Zhou family has fallen, but Zhou Qing has escaped, and the Zhou family's huge sum of money, amounting to millions of taels, has also disappeared without a trace, possibly taken away by Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing is the pillar of the Zhou family and his abilities are not mediocre. Even if he were to remain hidden in the shadows with such a huge sum of money, he could still do things for Empress Zhou.
He knew that the child in Empress Zhou's belly was an illegitimate one, but no one else did.
If something were to happen to her, and the Crown Prince were to disappear, the child in Empress Zhou's womb would be the sole heir.
Thinking about it this way, Empress Zhou and I are not on the same side. If she had such intentions, she could have easily abandoned me, or even killed me, and put the bastard child in her belly on the throne.
When Emperor Cheng'an thought of this, he felt an uncontrollable surge of anger and fear.
Before this, he had always thought that Empress Zhou was his ally, but now he suddenly realized the reality and that he was all alone.
This feeling of isolation and helplessness intensified his fear and fueled his hatred for Empress Zhou.
The imperial physician was carefully examining the tea stains on his sleeve. Emperor Cheng'an's expression changed repeatedly. After a long while, he looked at the physician with a gloomy expression and asked, "Did you find anything?"
The imperial physician knelt on the ground, trembling as he replied, "Your Majesty, nothing wrong was found in this tea. Only a few tonics were added, which are meant to nourish qi and blood."
It's not poisonous?
Emperor Cheng'an was initially incredulous, but he quickly realized the reason—Empress Zhou wasn't that foolish; why would she poison him in her own palace?
Emperor Cheng'an's expression shifted: "This tea is indeed harmless to my health?"
The imperial physician shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "However, His Majesty's health has not fully recovered yet, so it is best not to use highly nourishing substances, as the body may not be able to tolerate them, which would be detrimental to His Majesty's health."
When Emperor Cheng'an heard this, his initial relief turned into anxiety.
"And what about the Empress? She is currently pregnant; does she need such nourishment?"
The imperial physician shook his head: "The Empress is in good health and does not need to take such nourishing substances. Too much nourishment will make the fetus too big, which will be detrimental to childbirth."
Emperor Cheng'an's face revealed a mocking expression of "I knew it": "I understand, you may leave."
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