Chapter 301 Pregnancy?! The Emperor (Second Update...)
"……call."
Qi Chengming sat in the palace, unable to fall back asleep since waking up in the middle of the night. His whole body was tense until daytime, when he finally received good news and slowly let out a sigh of relief: "Phew... I made it."
Song Gu was there to keep him company through this ordeal; the other Grand Secretaries and officials had been sent back to deal with memorials. Seeing the change in the Emperor's expression, Song Gu had a sudden thought, remembering what Lord Qin had said before leaving: "Your Majesty, you made it in time?!"
"That was too close. Even I can't guarantee it." Qi Chengming couldn't help but pat his chest, still feeling a lingering sense of fear and a racing heart.
He was awakened in the middle of the night to discover the Di invasion and immediately contacted the border troops on the way to their aid. But for some reason, the Di chose to attack the prefectural city during the day. The short time difference would normally be negligible; the Youzhou camp would have been too late to notice or for the prefectural city to call for help. But who knew that there was someone in the world, Qi Chengming, who could send messages from thousands of miles away?
It was this short time difference that allowed the army to arrive in time before the villages along the way were massacred, giving most people a chance to survive.
“Your Majesty, you said that the number of Di people who have invaded this time is large. This may mean that the route they took to bypass the border defenses was some kind of small path, which is not suitable for a large army to pass through quickly, thus delaying the assembly time.”
Song Gu pondered for a moment, then came up with two possibilities, “There’s also… the Di people aren’t good at attacking cities, but they’ve chosen to attack Youzhou Prefecture City, which means they’re expending a lot of resources and need to plunder a large amount of supplies. They’ve got their eyes on the city. If they can’t break through the city gates immediately, they’ll have to use catapults. Making or assembling catapults on the spot… that will take some time.”
Qi Chengming remained silent.
They weren't on the front lines, so until the situation calmed down, any further speculation was just that—speculation.
"Now we just have to wait for news." Qi Chengming sighed, completely giving up any thought of resting.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and all the reports from various places were submitted one after another. The palace was about to stop writing for the New Year, but Qi Chengming had no interest in celebrating the New Year at all.
General Tao rushed to the west and brought back the latest military intelligence—the numerous cannons that had been delivered early were proving incredibly effective, stabilizing the crumbling defensive line. Even when fighting against a four-nation coalition, they were not at a disadvantage.
The Qiang people urgently sent envoys to the capital to explain their position and that they would not follow the author's advice.
The Di army that attacked the prefectural city from the north was pursued by the Jingsai army and killed most of them, leaving only a small force scattered throughout Youzhou, prompting all regions to tighten their defenses. A new round of fierce fighting broke out between the Youzhou camp and the Di people outside the mountain pass, and Yang Shou was ordered to rush to supervise the army in a time of crisis.
As the "Dongfeng" series of firearms became increasingly famous, the spies hiding in the Youzhou camp could no longer sit still, and any slight movement was caught red-handed.
The truth then came to light.
It turned out that the problem wasn't with the generals of Youzhou, but rather that the Di people, disguised, bribed and corrupted the patrol team in the most remote area, luring them away. There was a narrow, secluded valley there, with a path leading directly to the heart of the defense line, which allowed the Di people to bypass the main camp without anyone noticing.
After torturing the spy, they discovered something amiss: this spy... was not a Di person, but a Qiang person!
But the Qiang people came from a different, more hardline tribe, not the one that led the wool trade with Dingguo. The Qiang envoy in the capital was utterly panicked and swore it had absolutely nothing to do with them…
The two sides started arguing back and forth, each claiming to be right, which annoyed Qi Chengming, so he could only put it aside for now... Anyway, the border war would be dealt with later!
Because of the war, Qi Chengming forbade a grand New Year's banquet, and even a small one had to be kept as simple as possible.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this." He felt very sorry for Yizhen and felt guilty. He comforted his wife again and again before going to bed that night.
This was the Empress's first New Year in the palace, and to end it so hastily would easily make people feel that she had lost face. But neither military supplies nor timing mattered.
"Hmm, it's okay. I'm so happy to have less work during the New Year holidays!" Tao Jiang shook her head, smiling easily and comfortably, without a trace of reluctance on her face.
Qi Chengming gazed intently into her bright eyes, judging that his wife was speaking the truth from the bottom of her heart, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
really.
I've heard that some of the imperial concubines in the harem are resentful of the Empress's authority, others are arguing over their allowances; still others are embroiled in disputes over their share of provisions; and the young heir of Prince Dun's mansion is ill again. The Third Princess and her daughter frequently visit the palace, causing jealousy and rivalry among the concubines who want to befriend her; several factions of Taoist priests in the Imperial Palace are also arguing; and then there are the distant relatives of noblewomen from other noble families coming to seek their help with difficult matters—how to determine the standards for girls' school graduation and court admission, and how to reform the division of ranks for female officials who wish to become civil servants…
Every single matter required the Empress, the matriarch, to make the decisions.
All sorts of big and small matters were quite tedious, and Yi Zhen really didn't want to bother him with these things. However, Qi Chengming wasn't entirely unaware of them. Gan Tang, as the head palace maid in his palace, was usually quiet and reserved, but she knew everything in secret and would come to inquire about news for him every now and then.
Qi Chengming was preoccupied with the wars of the previous dynasty, but he also sympathized with Yi Zhen's similar youthful and difficult situation. Without Yi Zhen to support and manage this large undertaking for him, all these matters were previously handled by Song Gu, Gan Tang, and Nanny Liu. Whenever there was something that couldn't be done on their own, they would all have to consult him.
"You've helped me so much with you around." Qi Chengming simply moved closer and snuggled up with his wife on the headboard, whispering to each other. Qi Chengming sighed, "It's a good thing I don't plan to take any concubines."
He reaffirmed his resolve not to take concubines.
Emperor Hongren's harem is already busy enough. If he had a harem too, how chaotic would it be every day? Qi Chengming didn't want to be the judge of the harem, and he also felt sorry for Yizhen, who had only been married in for a short time and was suddenly put into a high-intensity job with so many things to do.
Tao Jiang blushed slightly, but instead of agreeing, she sighed silently, "I've been studying hard with Aunt Bai Song and Steward Xiao Song these past two days."
Sometimes her decisions were not mature enough, so Steward Song would explain in detail how to do it properly, giving her advice and help, and that's how she managed to handle things in a hasty and incomplete way.
"Keep learning, there's no need to rush," Qi Chengming patiently and gently advised. He had also heard about how Yi Zhen had ruthlessly rejected the attempt to curry favor with the wealthy woman from the outside world that day, and how the matter hadn't been handled very smoothly, but Qi Chengming had no objections.
As long as she didn't cross his bottom line or go against his ideals, Qi Chengming didn't care much about formalities or reputation. He let her act according to her own nature.
After all, she is the mistress of this country.
As Qi Chengming pondered this, he rolled over, propped himself up above the girl, and looked at her long hair and clothes scattered all over the bed, subtly caressing the side of her smooth face.
"...Wait! Wuyou." Tao Jiang called out hastily, turning her head to avoid it.
His Majesty's attitude towards her remained as tolerant and gentle as ever; just moments ago he had so confidently declared that he did not wish to have any more concubines...
"Are you tired?" Qi Chengming stopped what he was doing and asked with concern.
He rolled back over, shoulder to shoulder, pressing his warm skin against hers. Qi Chengming wasn't the kind of guy who would ignore his wife's fatigue and only care about his own sexual desires. Since Yizhen was tired today, they could do it another day.
Tao Jiang hesitated for a moment, her eyelashes slowly drooping as her gaze fell on her lower abdomen: "I..."
She hesitated for a while, trying to speak, but couldn't.
Qi Chengming followed her gaze, his eyes freezing as he recognized the clue: "You—you wouldn't—"
He thought of a guess and couldn't help but stutter.
Qi Chengming looked to the side and saw that Luyu, the personal maid that Yizhen had brought into the palace, had a look of relief on her face, as if she had been holding it in for a long time.
"Yes, Aunt Baisong is skilled in medicine and took a look at me... I'm just over two months old." Tao Jiang turned her head and nodded shyly.
She lowered her eyes and gently touched her lower abdomen: "Although I don't really feel anything yet..."
Qi Chengming realized that he had been busy with the war recently and hadn't been intimate with his wife for a long time. In other words... when he and his wife had only been married for a month or two... was Yi Zhen pregnant?!
Qi Chengming was dumbfounded.
he……
His child...
He will have biological offspring in this world?
Qi Chengming was stunned for a long time, looking at the girl's flat abdomen. There was no abnormality there, but was a little life already growing there?
Qi Chengming suddenly jumped out of bed, without even putting on his coat, and was about to go out in his boots.
"Your Majesty! What are you going to do?" Tao Jiang, forgetting her shyness and joy, hurriedly sat up and asked.
"Summon the Imperial Physician!" came the young king's booming voice from the doorway. He sounded full of energy and showed no signs of the fatigue he had just experienced upon his return.
Tao Jiang couldn't help but chuckle softly, but after thinking of something, she quickly suppressed her smile, a hint of worry appearing between her slightly furrowed brows.
She recalled what her mother had said before she entered the palace…
"Jiang'er, remember this: unless His Majesty brings it up himself, you must never mention the matter of selecting concubines!"
The young man, his face beaming with relief, exclaimed, "Thank goodness I didn't want to take any more concubines."
Tao Jiang struggled for a while longer, gently stroking her lower abdomen a few times before finally sighing and letting go of her thoughts.
Even if she's pregnant, even if it's customary, even if Wuyou might not be able to remain celibate for a year...
His Majesty is not in the mood for this right now, so let's leave it at that for now.
Shi Shuang, who was still serving in the palace, watched this scene with keen insight. She carefully looked up and exchanged a glance with Lü Yu. She didn't show anything on her face, but she made up her mind that she would have to tell His Majesty about the Empress's situation when His Majesty returned.
You've won the heart of the Empress Dowager!
...
After Qi Chengming had the imperial physician confirm his wife's pregnancy, he was filled with renewed energy. His backache and headaches were gone, and he eagerly gathered his trusted men, determined to eliminate the rebellious enemies at the border as soon as possible, thus creating a better environment for his future children.
"We're fighting too slowly! Everyone's waiting for the New Year, winter is tough, and supplies can't be supplied for long. We clearly have more valuable weapons at our disposal, so why have we been fighting for so long?"
"Your Majesty, this is..." Qin Liusong was equally excited. Dingguo was finally going to have a successor! But he swallowed a disrespectful remark.
Is Your Majesty on some kind of high-energy boost?
Grand Scholar Mu, tears streaming down his face, was even more excited than His Majesty, and looked like a spirited young man. He was the first to agree, "That's right, the fighting was too slow!"
He completely ignored the fact that Dingguo was now fighting five opponents at once, and it was already absurd that he wasn't losing ground.
Wang Shuo, a military officer, glared at the group of civil officials with a complicated expression, then looked expectantly at his cousin: "Does His Majesty mean... we can use that now?"
"Yes," Qi Chengming said decisively. "If not now, when?"
Other countries have ganged up on Dingguo, so now we should retaliate fiercely, hurt them badly, and tear them apart until they are afraid.
This show of force is necessary.
And they've already manufactured rockets and missiles... Qi Chengming has been able to endure this long enough to make him want to praise his own civilization.
...It's time for the "Dongfeng" to make its debut on the land.
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Author's note: Yes, after this battle is over and the rockets have unleashed their full power, I'll be concluding the main story.
I've prepared some side stories, including tales of the Empress's pregnancy, stories of future generations, and so on. I'll also include side stories that you requested in the comments section of the previous article. If you have any other requests, please leave a comment and let me know.
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