The time that Bai Yuzhi was forced to recuperate in the Zichen Palace by Emperor Qin Huan passed quickly, and he coaxed her to wait until the fifth month.
If the imperial physician had not said that pregnant women should start moving around more at this time to avoid suffering during childbirth, Bai Yuzhi felt that given how nervous Emperor Qin Huan was about this child, even if she lay in bed until the moment of delivery, Emperor Qin Huan would still think that this was the safest way.
During this period, Emperor Qin Huan announced to the public that Nanny Chen and Chu Yue were executed for attempting to murder Concubine Heng, and Concubine Rong also found an excuse to release her from Guanju Palace. Now, except for Concubine Jiang who went insane due to fake pregnancy and was sent to the cold palace, and the deaths of several worldly servants, the structure of the harem seemed to have not changed much.
After all, Bai Yuzhi, who was named a noble concubine, was required by Emperor Qin Huan to stay in the Zichen Palace, not to mention the need to visit her morning and night. The Queen and Concubine Rong had not seen her for nearly two months, and they did not feel it was real that there was such a noble concubine who was pregnant with the dragon heir in the harem.
Bai Yuzhi thought it would be best for her to just live like this, without those evil spirits, schemers and villains jumping around. She could just give birth to the child safely, and then inherit the throne of Emperor Qin Huan, saving the world and preventing Emperor Qin Huan from turning evil while also allowing her to successfully complete her first mission.
But the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop, and the day of worship is approaching, and all the hidden forces are about to begin to move again.
After Emperor Qin Huan unified the empire, foreign envoys from neighboring Central Plains would come to the Qin Empire to pay tribute. On this day, the envoys would be invited to the palace, where Emperor Qin Huan would arrange for friendly exchanges with them, showcasing Qin's national strength.
Bai Yuzhi, as a concubine of the second rank whose status is second only to the queen, must also attend this banquet.
When the dress and jewelry for the worship day banquet arrived, Emperor Qin Huan was helping Bai Yuzhi apply a moisturizer prescribed by the Imperial Hospital to her belly, claiming it would prevent unsightly pregnancy stretch marks. In reality, Bai Yuzhi didn't need it. Anything produced by the system was guaranteed to be top-notch; stretch marks, morning sickness, leg cramps, and other adverse pregnancy reactions wouldn't appear on her.
But there was nothing she could do about Emperor Qin Huan's desire to apply ointment to her, so Bai Yuzhi simply took this as a way for Emperor Qin Huan to experience the most beautiful boudoir pleasure in the world.
The Shangyi Bureau and the Shanggong Bureau were originally responsible for making clothes and jewelry for the empress and other concubines, but Emperor Qin Huan was too worried about her, so all the items Bai Yuzhi was going to wear on this day of worship were purchased by the Sichang Bureau, which was responsible for providing clothes for the emperor. Bai Yuzhi didn't know what the clothes she was going to wear would look like, so she excitedly called in the person who was going to deliver the clothes and jewelry.
"Are these the clothes you will wear that day?"
You won't know how shocking it is until you see it. Bai Yuzhi looked at the palace maids who came in one after another. They were carrying a wooden clothes hanger in pairs, and on the hanger were her complete set of clothes, a total of twelve sets. Did she have to change into a new dress every hour on the day of worship?
Emperor Qin Huan laughed and said, "Of course not. Pick the one you like best to wear that day. The rest are made for you by my orders. You are already in your advanced stage of pregnancy, so you need to change your clothes frequently. There are still many more that are being made."
Bai Yuzhi looked at these clothes carefully. They were either precious and rare Shu brocade or cloud gauze worth a fortune. The embroidery was also extremely complicated. Although the patterns on the skirts were heavy and gorgeous, they felt extremely delicate and light to the touch. They were truly of excellent quality.
She chose the one in front, which was a rich red color and was embroidered with layers of blooming peonies. She didn't know what kind of ingenuity the embroiderer had used to make each petal of the peony on the fabric glow faintly, and the slightest movement would show extremely gorgeous refracted light.
If you wear it on the Hajj day, it will be full of brilliance with every step you take, and will surely outshine all the other beauties.
Her white jade-like appearance is already outstanding, and after taking the beauty pill, she is even more unique in heaven. With this dress, she truly deserves the title of peerless beauty.
Emperor Qin Huan pointed out a pair of jeweled and gilded headgear depicting a phoenix from the jewelry specially made for Bai Yuzhi. The phoenix head was lifelike, and the thin gold sheets made it look like a phoenix singing. In front of the mouth was tied a string of oriental pearls from small to large with a gold chain, which was a metaphor for a phoenix holding pearls, to show that Bai Yuzhi was now pregnant like a pearl in the palm of her hand. At the same time, the phoenix's tail feathers were made of rubies, which was extremely gorgeous.
"This headpiece is noble, and paired with the dress you chose, it is the perfect complement for the imperial concubine."
Bai Yuzhi looked at the twelve phoenix tails on the phoenix headdress. This was something only the queen was qualified to wear. According to palace rules, the jewelry she wore as a noble concubine was not allowed to have twelve phoenix tails. At most, it could only have nine or twelve phoenix tails.
She was silent for only a moment, then naturally shifted her gaze from the phoenix corona and picked up two symmetrical peony velvet flowers: "Then pair them with this. I see that this velvet flower is beautifully made, and it is exactly my favorite peony flower."
On the day of worship, Bai Yuzhi wore far more accessories than the ones she and Qin Huandi had chosen. There were earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets... Nothing she wore was out of line.
The dress of a second-rank imperial concubine is not inferior to that of a first-rank empress, and is even better.
Jintai Yinting helped Bai Yuzhi dress and put on her makeup. Bai Yuzhi stood in front of the full-length peep show that Emperor Qin Huan had specially found for her. She held her waist and walked back and forth. The more she looked, the more dissatisfied she felt. She muttered, "Hey, tell me, has your waist become much thicker since you got me pregnant with this baby?"
How could the two girls dare to say anything to her? But Bai Yuzhi was just being a little pretentious. She didn't have a thick waist at all. Except for her belly, she didn't have any fat on her body.
"Your Majesty, your waist is not thin enough. My waist would probably be as thick as a bucket."
Bai Yuzhi is now five months pregnant, and there is a naturally round curve on her lower abdomen. Now she is wearing a complicated dress. She should be extremely gorgeous, but because she is pregnant, she has added a touch of maternal tenderness.
"My concubine is truly beautiful."
Emperor Qin Huan came down from court, ready to take Bai Yuzhi with him on the imperial chariot to Jixian Palace.
Jixian Palace was a palace built specifically for hosting the grand banquet on the day of worship. It was far away from the Zichen Palace. Emperor Qin Huan was afraid that Bai Yuzhi might encounter an accident on the way there alone, so he could only feel at ease if she was with him.
But as soon as I entered the room, I saw her stroking her belly with her head down, seemingly complaining but actually happy, and my heart softened.
Emperor Qin Huan personally supported Bai Yuzhi, holding her up with one hand and protecting her waist with the other. He waited until Bai Yuzhi was sitting safely on the imperial carriage before he got on again. The imperial carriage was already very spacious, and the emperor and his concubine did not feel crowded at all. However, the imperial carriage, which previously only had a dragon throne and looked very cold and majestic, now had several soft cushions.
"Let's go——"
Wang Chonghai walked in front to lead the way, and everyone in the palace avoided the emperor's carriage.
Have a safe journey.
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