"I'm going to be a father, is that right?"
Jingyan hadn't yet processed the news that Yuejiang was pregnant, and fearing it was all a dream, he asked twice in a row.
The moment Yue Jiang first saw Jing Yan in a daze, the usual sharpness in her eyes disappeared, her noble and composed demeanor vanished, and her bright eyes were filled with only a sparkling, expectant light, as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Yue Jiang covered her mouth and chuckled, teasingly saying, "If it's not Your Highness who wants to be the father, then who else could it be?"
"I never expected Your Highness to be like this when you become a father. You're so silly and not steady at all."
Shang Yu couldn't help but interject, "That's right, this is the first time I've ever seen His Highness like this."
“Shang Yu,” Jing Yan warned in a very short tone.
Shang Yu quickly covered her mouth and lowered her head to pack her medicine box.
Jingyan asked with concern, "How long has the Crown Princess been pregnant? She was frightened today, is she alright? Should we prescribe some medicine?"
Shang Yu: "It's been almost a month. The Crown Princess is in good health, but she was indeed frightened and almost had a miscarriage. However, since she is pregnant, it's better to take less medicine if she can recover. She can start taking the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine."
"I'll go back and write a prescription for the Crown Princess in a bit. She can just have someone come to me to get the prescription and the medicine."
"Okay, go and prepare," Jing Yan said impatiently, sending Shang Yu back.
After Shang Yu left, Jing Yan also transferred all the palace servants out of the hall.
Yue Jiang leaned against the headboard, looking around at the soon-to-be-empty surroundings. She glanced back at Jing Yan, pretending to be oblivious.
"Your Highness, you've called everyone away. There's no one to guard me. Who can I call to serve me?"
"Am I not watching over you?" Jing Yan lifted his robe and sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on Yue Jiang.
After a long while, Jingyan noticed that Yuejiang's eyes held only a warm smile, without any trace of delirious joy.
At least this wasn't the indifference she displayed when she had been professing her desire to bear him children on the second day of their marriage.
Jing Yan, recalling Yue Jiang's recent unusual behavior, belatedly realized what was going on. A look of annoyance crossed his brow as he glanced at Yue Jiang's abdomen and asked.
"Jiang'er, you're so calm. Did you already know you were pregnant but just didn't tell me?"
Yue Jiang said innocently, "If I had known earlier, I would have told Your Highness sooner. I only suspected it before, how could I guarantee that I was definitely pregnant?"
"What if I tell Your Highness that I am definitely pregnant when I am not sure, and Your Highness is disappointed for nothing?"
"Now that Your Highness knows, will you be disappointed?"
"Do you think I'm so petty, only thinking about the child I haven't even met yet, and not even having the patience to stay with my wife and quietly celebrate this joyous occasion?"
Jing Yan admitted that he was very happy at this moment, and felt a great sense of responsibility for becoming a father.
However, if Ruoyue Jiang could tell him in advance that they might be having a child, but it wasn't very certain and they needed to calm down and wait.
Jingyan will definitely be patient and keep the news with Yuejiang. She doesn't need to keep quiet and hide it so that she can experience that moment of joy when she finds out she's going to be a father.
Jing Yan secretly wanted Yue Jiang to trust him completely.
"Of course not," Yue Jiang denied immediately. These words greatly comforted Jing Yan, showing that Yue Jiang could still see his feelings.
But Jing Yan was completely mistaken; Yue Jiang always managed to make him feel "annoyed" in a serious manner.
"His Highness is no ordinary person; he holds a high position and wields great power, attracting many admirers..."
"Jiang'er, you're misusing idioms," Jingyan knew Yue Jiang well enough to know that she was probably trying to make fun of him again and to manipulate him at the same time.
"Which word is being misused?" Yue Jiang muttered to herself, puzzled.
Jing Yan was about to speak when Yue Jiang's perfunctory response came even faster.
"Alright, alright, Your Highness is the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor. How can I, a concubine, speak of him so casually? I am just ignorant and short-sighted."
Just as Jingyan had predicted, after saying a few words to Yuejiang, she immediately became very aggrieved, both giving him perfunctory replies and making sarcastic remarks.
But Jingyan couldn't stand her like this, so he sighed helplessly in his heart and let Yuejiang continue.
"Alright, Jiang'er, you tell me."
Yue Jiang said dejectedly, "I wouldn't dare, lest Your Highness accuse me of being presumptuous again."
Jing Yan chuckled: "I've told you many times that you've been presumptuous, but when have you ever restrained yourself? If you don't say anything, I might as well leave."
Despite saying he was leaving, Jing Yan showed no intention of leaving at all. In fact, Yue Jiang was still lying in his arms, and her posture hadn't changed at all.
Yue Jiang continued flirting with Jing Yan, half-heartedly, but gradually, she thought about what had happened that day.
The "accident" at the Longevity Palace was truly sudden, and its purpose was aimed directly at her. No one knew what it wanted to achieve, which made Zheng Yutong willing to fall into the water with her.
If Jing Yan hadn't arrived in time, wouldn't she and her unborn child have been in danger?
Yue Jiang sighed softly, feeling sad: "I am just a woman who has been married off to a place as far away as possible. I have no relatives or friends in the entire Jing Kingdom. The only person I can rely on is Your Highness."
"If it weren't for Your Highness's protection, I would have fallen into the water with my unborn child today. I don't even know if I could have saved the child. Isn't it normal for me to be concerned?"
"In the Moon Kingdom, although I am not the daughter of the Emperor's uncle, I have seen many concubines in the harem vying for the Emperor's favor. They are no less ruthless and can take lives at any time."
"I'm scared!"
Jing Yan, recalling Yue Jiang's words and the current situation, realized that Changshou Palace's intentions were obvious: they wanted to send Zheng's daughter into the Eastern Palace, just as they had arranged for someone to serve their father.
Since he had ulterior motives, Jing Yan never imagined that today's trouble was simply caused by a cat.
Unfortunately, Yuejiang was pregnant, and if she fell into the water, she could very likely be injured.
Unless the Longevity Palace has the ability to find out before Yue Jiang herself is even sure she is pregnant.
Jing Yan wasn't stupid; he understood what Yue Jiang was saying. Having grown up in the palace, he knew a little about his father's concubines, such as Consort Zheng and Consort Cheng.
If Father Emperor were to say who he likes, even his treatment of Mother Emperor when he was young was initially nothing more than fulfilling his duties as husband and wife.
The reason why Consort Zheng was treated well was because of the two empress dowagers. The emperor always had to choose one of them to show his favor, so he naturally chose his own mother's side.
How much true affection is there? It's only in middle age that one realizes it's nothing special.
Needless to say, even when Consort Cheng committed suicide, the Emperor was not actually too saddened; in fact, there was an element of deliberate facilitation.
Over the years, it seems that the Emperor has been controlled by the two empress dowagers, even taking in concubines at the same time. But hasn't the Emperor simply chosen a simpler way to satisfy the ambitions of the two empress dowagers?
The ensuing struggle was merely a matter of Consort Zheng and Consort Cheng vying for the Emperor's favor, with the Emperor's favor acting as a balancing force.
With so many concubines, the harmony and tranquility of the harem were merely a superficial need for stability in the rear.
The bloodless struggle for favor and the bloodshed were merely a twisted form of amusement for emperors when they were bored.
The cruelty of the court lies in oppressing a person to the point where survival depends on struggle, even for life and future prospects.
Jing Yan sympathizes but will not succumb to despair, because Yue Jiang was someone he stole.
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