Chapter 71 Nausea, loss of appetite, drowsiness...
After the Empress finished her makeup, she looked radiant and beautiful.
Just as Yuan Chaolu was about to get up, she suddenly picked up the rouge from the dressing table and lightly swept it across the corner of her eye. This extremely light stroke would naturally be invisible to a man, but it made her eyes appear as clear as water.
She smiled and stood up, when suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she swayed.
"Your Majesty!" The palace maid rushed forward in a panic.
Yuan Chao felt short of breath and her breathing was rapid. She raised her hand to rub her chest. She had been feeling this way for the past few days, with a poor appetite and frequent churning in her abdomen.
She first steadied herself on the table to catch her breath, then frowned slightly as she looked into the bright bronze mirror, finally focusing her gaze on her flat stomach.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
**
The Empress had no patience to wait for the female official from the Imperial Medical Bureau and hurried to Xuande Hall.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, the eunuch said, "Your Majesty, the morning court session has just ended. His Majesty, along with the Prince of Yan, the Prince of the County, and several ministers, went hunting at Guanglin Garden in the southern suburbs of Luoyang."
Yuan Chaolu asked, "Did you say when you would return?"
The eunuch said, "No, Guanglin Garden is located in the southern suburbs, and it takes two hours to get there. It is not known whether His Majesty will return tonight."
He may not be able to return tonight...
Seeing her lowered eyes in deep thought, the eunuch was about to accompany her back to Changqiu Palace when he heard the empress say, "Prepare the carriage."
If she wanted to go to Guanglin Garden, riding a horse would be the fastest way, but given Yuan Chaolu's current physical condition, she wasn't sure and dared not take the risk.
Indeed, it had been so long since she had seen the emperor that she knew nothing about his itinerary. Having witnessed the coldness between the emperor and empress these days, no one in the palace had come to Changqiu Palace to report to her that the emperor was going on a hunting trip today.
The Empress traveled in a very low-key manner, accompanied only by a group of guards, and her carriage drove out of the imperial city.
A long river meanders across the vast plain. As dusk deepens, the crimson setting sun hangs high in the sky, casting its afterglow onto the shimmering water.
A few days ago, the emperor arranged for today's hunting trip. The number of people was small, and the trip was simple, with only a few close ministers accompanying the emperor. Ministers were allowed to bring their wives along.
As evening fell, the group had already finished their hunt for the day and were riding back when they saw a magnificent carriage slowly approaching from the distant, vast grasslands.
Soon, a rider came galloping from afar, raising dust with his hooves. When he was about ten feet away from the emperor, he dismounted and knelt down to report.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. The Empress has come to welcome Your Majesty back to Luoyang upon hearing of your hunting trip."
These officials and princes who were close to the emperor had long suspected, from the frequency with which the emperor had been handling state affairs and summoning them recently, that there seemed to be a problem in the relationship between the emperor and empress.
His Majesty often discusses matters with them until late at night, but the Empress is rarely seen accompanying him. The Emperor has excellent energy, but he is really exhausting them.
Upon hearing that the Empress had arrived, everyone was startled and turned to look at the Emperor. He was bathed in the glow of the setting sun, his figure upright, holding a longbow, but his face remained extremely calm, without the slightest fluctuation.
In fact, the emperor was not in high spirits today. During the afternoon hunt, he only watched his ministers from the sidelines and did not participate. Moreover, according to the usual hunting custom, the procession would stay overnight in the forest garden and return to the capital the next day, but the emperor ordered a hasty return to the palace in the evening, clearly showing his lack of enthusiasm.
A moment later, the emperor's voice rang out: "Summon."
The two groups gradually converged.
Inside the carriage, Yuan Chaolu gently placed her hands on her abdomen, glancing sideways through the bamboo curtain. As the shadow of the pedestrian drew closer, her heart gradually tightened.
On the way here, she specifically ordered the convoy to slow down, partly to reduce the bumps, and partly because she still couldn't figure out how to start the conversation when they met again.
The figure on horseback appeared outside the bamboo curtain. "What brings the Empress here today?"
Through the bamboo curtain, Yuan Chaolu met the man's eyes. Seeing his bright gaze, he casually tapped his riding whip with his fingertips and said, "I know what you want to say. It's about the Lu family."
Yuan Chaolu did not answer. She got up and walked out of the carriage. The long autumn wind blowing in her face made her hair fly wildly.
“Besides that, can’t I come to see my husband?” She raised her eyelashes and looked down at him. “Your Majesty is out hunting, and I was worried about you, so I came to keep you company.”
As soon as he finished speaking, she saw a glimmer of light flicker in his eyes, but it was so subtle that it only flashed by for a fleeting moment.
With so many outsiders behind him, it was really inconvenient for him to speak.
Yuan Chaolu and he went to talk by the lake. The evening sunset seemed to paint their figures with a layer of gold dust.
Xiao Zhuo said, "Since there are outsiders present, the Empress need not say anything more about bowing."
Yuan Chaolu did indeed want to kowtow. The Lu family had caused such a great disaster, so she had to remove her hairpin and apologize. Upon hearing this, she nodded and said, "Your Majesty previously granted the Lu family an official position, which was a promotion for my maternal family. I am extremely grateful and have repeatedly told my father and brothers to be careful. However, my second brother... is really too eccentric and has caused such a great disaster."
Xiao Zhuo lowered his eyes, stroked the horse's mane, and guided it to drink water, listening to the Empress continue speaking.
Yuan Chaolu stepped forward further and said, "The Lu family was at fault first and cannot escape their guilt. They can be punished however they want. I have come here today with no intention of defending my family. The fact that my father and brothers have covered for them has truly chilled my heart. No matter what I say, I cannot exonerate them."
She said with difficulty, "Although the Lu family has raised me, I think there is no need to maintain this relationship now that they have done what they have done. It is best to sever this connection."
The emperor's hand, which was stroking her mane, suddenly stopped. He looked up and saw her eyes sparkling.
People gather for power. For a new empress, the support of her maternal clan is crucial for establishing a foothold in Luoyang. Without her clan's influence in court, her future will be fraught with difficulty, like walking on thin ice.
The Empress's words at this moment are no different from cutting off her own tail.
She stood forlornly in the wind, tears welling in her eyes, with an empty wilderness behind her.
She was expressing her loyalty to the emperor.
From the first moment she saw him, she was an orphan. Her most obvious weakness, and also the reason the emperor could trust her most—
She had no one else to rely on.
What kind of trouble could an empress with no power possibly cause?
“Lu’s father is incompetent, raising such a worthless son. He should be imprisoned and held accountable,” Xiao Zhuo said with a smile. “Is this all the Empress has come for? If that’s all, then I…”
A chill ran down her spine as she looked into his smiling eyes, as if she were facing a thin blade.
She thought that this would dispel the emperor's dissatisfaction with the Lu family and ease the tension between them. However, the fact that he did not accept her offer to sever ties with the Lu family showed that the emperor could not dispel his suspicions about her.
Yuan Chaolu was unaware of the Lu family's affairs, yet the emperor was in such a state.
There must be another reason why the emperor could be so furious.
She felt her blood rushing through her body, and her mind raced with a thousand thoughts as she pondered when and where she had gone wrong.
Yuan Chaolu said, "There is one more thing."
Xiao Zhuo had originally asked Zhong Changjun to come forward, but seeing that she interrupted, he said, "The Empress should speak first."
Yuan Chaolu said, "Then Your Majesty should speak first."
Xiao Zhuo took a letter from Zhong Changjun and handed it to Yuan Chaolu. She took it with a puzzled look, and the handwriting on it caught her eye—
Yesterday, the young master of the Lu family got drunk and made some outrageous remarks, telling his friends that the Empress's background was unusual and that she was not taken in by the Lu family.
Yuan Chaolu's heart pounded in his chest, and the cawing of crows around him made it almost impossible to hear anything else.
Xiao Zhuo said, "That Second Young Master Lu spoke wildly. At the time, he was drunk and eight or ten people heard what he said. He really deserves to die."
Yuan Chaolu gripped the envelope tightly and said, "This is utter nonsense. Has he gone mad?"
The emperor narrowed his eyes. "But those were his own words."
Yuan Chao, who had just exposed his chest, was stunned and looked at him. "Your Majesty?"
Xiao Zhuo led the horse and said with a faint smile, "Let's go back to the palace first. The Empress can think about how to explain it to me when we get back."
He mounted his horse and said no more.
Behind him, Zhong Changjun looked at Yuan Chaolu, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, and then followed her.
Yuan Chaolu's body trembled slightly; the more he smiled, the less likely this matter would be easily dismissed. It was as if a storm was brewing.
If it were just the revelation of her past as a female slave, it wouldn't matter: she had established a connection with the Lu family to conceal her identity and make her background more respectable. Based on her understanding of this man, Xiao Zhuo knew what kind of person she was, yet he still married her, so he probably didn't care about this.
She could even go to him, hug him, and cry her heart out. There was a 50% chance that she would soften his heart, and the most likely outcome would be that he would dislike her for deceiving the emperor and give her a minor punishment.
None of that matters. The fatal flaw is that this matter has uprooted her past enemies, her purpose in coming to the capital, her intentions to get close to the emperor, and her actions right under his nose...
As long as you follow the clues, you can always find the answer.
Yuan Chaolu felt unsteady on his feet and returned to the carriage. Suddenly, he noticed a figure accompanying the emperor's hunting party.
Qi Yu sat on his horse, nodding calmly, presumably accompanying the group as a physician.
Yuan Chaolu suddenly came to his senses and realized that there was something else he had not told the emperor.
She called out, "Imperial Physician Qi, come here."
Qi Yu followed her into the carriage. Yuan Chaolu sat down, rolled up her sleeves, and presented her wrist to Qi Yu. She immediately asked, "I have recently lost my appetite and have been experiencing excessive sleepiness. Could I be pregnant? Sister, could you take a look at me?"
Qi Yu was surprised to hear this and quickly placed his fingers on Yuan Chaolu's pulse to check.
Yuan Chaolu observed her expression, her other palm beneath her sleeve already covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been prepared to have an heir, but if she could obtain an imperial heir at this moment, it could almost save her from dire straits.
Seeing Qi Yu's brow furrowed deeply, his three fingers repeatedly moving across her wrist, yet he remained silent, she asked again.
Qi Yu finally stopped and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty is just mentally exhausted and restless, which is why you have those symptoms. You need to rest well. However, your pulse does not indicate pregnancy."
The carriage fell into a deathly silence.
Yuan Chaolu said softly, "Is that so?"
Seeing her eyes dim, Qi Yu gently comforted her.
A moment later, Yuan Chaolu's lips curled up: "If Heaven is not on my side, then I can only do it myself."
She turned her head and said, "I still need to trouble Sister Qi Yu with this matter. After returning to the palace, I will immediately summon Qing Heng and ask her to verify your pulse. Don't worry, you only need to keep it a secret for me for about a month. At that time, I will find a way to make it look like a miscarriage."
"Don't worry, you were just coerced into doing this."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu was greatly shocked, knowing that she was always bold and sometimes reckless. He tried to dissuade her, but it was too late.
Yuan Chaolu had already lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
She called out, "Your Majesty."
Xiao Zhuo turned around and saw that he seemed to have something to say, so she rode her horse to her carriage.
“I have not yet told His Majesty anything,” she said, her eyes clear and bright, a touch of red at the corners of her eyes adding to her delicate appearance. “I have indeed come to see my husband, and there is something important I wish to tell him.”
Her hand slowly moved to her lower abdomen, her fiery red dress fluttering in the evening breeze.
Xiao Zhuo's gaze suddenly froze, a rare look of astonishment flashing across his dark eyes. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her in disbelief.
Zhong Changjun, standing behind him, couldn't hide the sudden glint in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I am pregnant."
The wind carried the Empress's words into the distance. As soon as she finished speaking, the slender figure swayed, and before she collapsed, Xiao Zhuo stepped forward and embraced her.
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Author's Note: Corrected a typo in a previous chapter: Lu Chun'an, the eldest son of the Lu family, is a Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of cases; the second son is the one who got into the argument. The previous ranking incorrectly placed both of them one place further back.
Today's chapter was written a bit slowly, so please leave a comment and I'll send you a red envelope!
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