Chapter 301 Strong Dragon Body
Seasons change, and another summer has arrived.
Inside the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, the ice chest emitted a cool breeze, but it could not dispel the growing gloom in Shui Xian's heart.
Since the pregnancy was confirmed, Emperor Zhaoheng has taken meticulous care of her, to the point of being thorough and meticulous.
At first, Narcissus did indeed share in his joy.
However, as time went on, this pampering gradually revealed its suffocating side.
Her daily schedule was strictly planned, and she was absolutely forbidden from touching palace affairs again. Even if she asked about it herself, Emperor Zhaoheng would gently change the subject.
He always told her, "Don't worry about those troublesome things, Xian'er, I'm here for you."
Originally, she was in charge of the affairs of the six palaces. Although the harem was empty, there were still many specific matters such as the management of the inner court, the dispatch of palace staff, and the review of expenses. Now, Emperor Zhaoheng took over most of them, saying that "I just handle them in my spare time."
She was left with only trivial tasks such as checking the list of holiday rewards and looking at the pattern catalogs presented by the Imperial Household Department.
She seemed to have been sidelined; the empress who used to handle official business from morning till dinner time was now left with only one core task.
Take care of yourself during your pregnancy.
Helpless, Narcissus could only go to the Imperial Garden to clear her mind.
However, ever since she twisted her ankle on the pebbles while taking a walk in the Imperial Garden a couple of days ago, Emperor Zhaoheng has been extremely worried and has arranged for countless palace servants to attend to her.
Now, when she goes for a walk in the Imperial Garden, it has become a grand ceremony.
There were no fewer than twenty palace maids and eunuchs surrounding him, some fanning him, some serving him snacks, some laying out cushions... all of them looked tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.
If she quickened her pace even slightly, a maid would cautiously remind her, "Your Highness, slow down and watch your step."
She wanted to watch the koi fish by the pond a little longer, but someone immediately brought her an embroidered stool, as if she would get tired if she stood there for even a moment longer.
Narcissus felt like a bird carefully raised in a golden cage, its feathers groomed to a glossy sheen, its food and water meticulously cared for, yet it had lost the sky to spread its wings.
This loss of control over her life left her with an indescribable emptiness and restlessness deep within her heart.
Narcissus didn't know what was wrong with her. Despite the envy of those around her, she always felt a kind of melancholy that she wanted to express but couldn't.
That afternoon, as usual, she took a short rest in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden.
The breeze was cool today, carrying the fragrance of flowers, which dispelled some of the stuffiness, so the narcissus lingered in the pavilion a little longer.
She closed her eyes to rest, and vaguely heard the hushed conversation of two palace maids coming from behind the artificial rockery, carried by the wind.
"...His Majesty is truly concerned about the Empress's pregnancy to the core. I heard that not only Physician Pei, who is helping the Empress with the pregnancy, but even the head of the Imperial Hospital has been summoned to the Qianqing Palace several times to inquire about the details of the pregnancy."
Another voice, tinged with pride and excitement, said, "Of course! Our Empress is truly blessed! However, my sister who works in the kitchen said that the Emperor not only personally oversees the Empress's meals, but he himself... seems to be taking some kind of... tonic to strengthen his body!"
"Tell me, could it be for the sake of making the foundation of the dragon's offspring more stable and robust..."
"You silly girl, the imperial heir is already in Her Majesty's belly, how could it possibly have any effect? ​​You must have taken it before she was pregnant..."
After that, Narcissus could no longer hear.
Her attention was drawn to the words in front of her, and the hand fanning herself with the silk fan couldn't help but pause slightly.
A secret elixir to strengthen the dragon's body?
Her face remained calm, as if the cicadas' chirping had disturbed her peaceful sleep. She frowned slightly and glanced at Tinglu beside her.
Tinglu, who was serving nearby, immediately understood and quietly withdrew. A moment later, she returned and gave Shuixian a barely perceptible nod, indicating that she had noted down the two talkative palace maids and would question them carefully later.
Narcissus wanted to enjoy the cool breeze in the pavilion, so she didn't leave many people around her, only Tinglu, who was serving her.
The remaining twenty-odd palace servants were waiting at a certain distance from the pavilion in the middle of the lake, so the words of the two young palace maids did not attract their attention.
Narcissus slowly closed her eyes, her heart rippling like the surface of a lake touched by a cool breeze.
A few days later.
Pei Jichuan came for his routine pulse diagnosis. Shui Xian hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that she looked closely, she noticed that Pei Jichuan's expression was tense when he took her pulse, unlike his usual natural demeanor.
After he finished writing the prescription and was about to take his leave, Shui Xian dismissed the palace servants standing around her, leaving only Ting Lu to guard the door before slowly speaking.
"Imperial Physician Pei, what is wrong with my health? Tell me the truth, there is no need to hide anything."
Pei Jichuan froze. Although he didn't know how Shui Xian suddenly found out, he immediately knelt down.
He knew that the Empress was meticulous and insightful. After hesitating for a moment, he finally dared not hide anything and carefully chose his words to reply: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's health is currently good and the pregnancy is stable."
"However... His Majesty is concerned that the Empress's vitality has been depleted after giving birth to twins, and that her foundation is not yet fully restored. Therefore, he has specially ordered me and the sorceress Ana to jointly develop a formula to strengthen her foundation and replenish her vital energy, in order to gradually nourish her and solidify her foundation."
"However, Her Majesty's vital energy was severely depleted at the time, and this tonic seems to have had little effect..."
Shui Xian never expected that Emperor Zhaoheng would secretly have Pei Jichuan nourish her body.
She paused, then instinctively asked, "Why did he ask you to keep it a secret?"
Pei Jichuan bowed his head and replied, "His Majesty was afraid that Her Majesty would worry too much, so he told me not to..."
"Pei Jichuan, is there anything else you're hiding?"
Narcissus interrupted him, her gaze fixed intently on Pei Jichuan.
Pei Jichuan paused, then lowered his head in thought. After a long while, he looked up and replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, could you perhaps offer me some guidance?"
Shui Xian slowly leaned back into the phoenix chair. She met Pei Jichuan's sincere eyes and felt that he really didn't know.
"Do you know that His Majesty is using medicine that is beneficial to having offspring?"
Pei Jichuan slowly shook his head, "No, Your Highness, where did you hear that from?"
Shui Xian understood Pei Jichuan; he had painstakingly studied medicine, and if he didn't know, then he truly didn't know.
If you try to cover it up, your clumsy attempts at concealment will inevitably give you away.
Pei Jichuan genuinely didn't know.
Shui Xian's lingering doubts about Pei Jichuan finally vanished completely. She had previously thought that Pei Jichuan would deliberately conceal the fact that Emperor Zhaoheng was taking the medicine, at Emperor Zhaoheng's request...
"I've only heard some rumors... Physician Pei, could you please investigate this for me at the Imperial Hospital?"
Narcissus sighed, recalling Tinglu's recent covert investigations, all of which ended in failure.
There were only rumors circulating in the palace, but no actual evidence.
Emperor Zhaoheng kept this matter secret, and Shui Xian was afraid that letting Ting Lu continue to investigate would attract Emperor Zhaoheng's attention.
Pei Jichuan, being in the Imperial Hospital, would ultimately have more freedom of action than Tinglu.
Pei Jichuan took a deep look at the tired-looking Shui Xian. He would remember Shui Xian's kindness to him for the rest of his life.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Pei Jichuan left, Shui Xian sat on the phoenix chair for a long time.
Mingming had been carefully cared for and pampered since she became pregnant, and everything she ate and used was the finest.
But Narcissus's weariness grew heavier and heavier. She sat quietly on the ornate phoenix chair. The exquisite and heavy embroidery and embellishments on the empress's everyday clothes seemed to blend into the phoenix chair beneath her, binding her firmly to this place.
Narcissus couldn't help but think about it.
If the tonic used by Emperor Zhaoheng that was beneficial to fertility was true...
Just how much did he yearn to continue his lineage?
Was his concern for her and his care for her due to his supposed love for her... or simply because he loved her body that could bear dragon offspring?
Narcissus's heart grew colder and colder, inch by inch.
If it's true, she definitely needs to be prepared...
——
When Emperor Zhaoheng returned from court, he was all smiles.
He took off his court robes and habitually pulled Narcissus into his arms, gently placing his large hand on her still-flat stomach, his tone filled with boundless anticipation for the future.
"Xian'er, today I watched Qingyan and Qinghe playing and practicing with Master Wu, and I was thinking that when our child is born, whether he is a prince or a princess, he will be our treasure."
"By then, Yongning, Qingyan, and Qinghe will have younger siblings to keep them company, making the palace even more lively..."
The more warm and beautiful the scene he depicted, the more Narcissus's heart sank.
She nestled in his arms, a gentle and compliant smile still on her face. She nodded at appropriate times and responded softly to his words, as if she were completely immersed in happy anticipation.
However, only she knew that beneath that seemingly perfect smile, her heart was gradually growing distant.
Her heart, which had gradually opened a crack because Emperor Zhaoheng had dismissed all his concubines for her and treated her like an ordinary couple, was once again completely locked up like the heavy palace gates.
Shui Xian did not question him, because she knew that once some questions were asked, the rift between her and Emperor Zhaoheng might never be repaired.
If she were an ordinary wife, she would choose to argue.
But she wasn't.
Emperor Zhaoheng, no matter how much he tried to appear to be an ordinary husband, was ultimately the emperor of the Great Qi.
late at night.
Shui Xian tilted her head slightly, gazing at Emperor Zhaoheng, who was fast asleep beside her.
Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, outlining his incomparably handsome profile, his straight nose, and thin lips. At this moment, he had shed his imperial majesty and appeared incredibly serene.
Narcissus looked at him quietly, but her heart was filled with boundless sorrow.
Silently in her heart, she asked the question that had disappointed her the most, gazing at his sleeping face.
"What was the purpose of all the kindness you showed me...?"
"Yiheng".
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