The emperor was so angry that he waved his hand and chased all the useless imperial physicians out.
He changed his position on the edge of the bed so that Gu Jiangli could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.
“Li’er...you’ve suffered so much...he’s your only child, we won’t have any more children.”
Gu Jiangli's heart skipped a beat; she hadn't expected the emperor to say such a thing.
Which man doesn't want to have many children?
But the emperor actually said there was only one?
That's unbelievable.
Gu Jiangli retorted in a weak voice, "How can Your Majesty say such a thing? What if this child is a girl? The Empress Dowager and the court officials all hope that Your Majesty will have a son."
The emperor said nonchalantly, "A daughter is a daughter, I don't care what they say. Pregnancy has caused you so much pain, isn't this once enough?"
Gu Jiangli's heart trembled slightly.
The emperor said that so that she wouldn't suffer.
If we look at the emperor from the perspective of how ordinary people view their husbands, he truly is a good husband.
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly, but he was, after all, an emperor.
"What do these hardships matter when you can bear children for His Majesty?"
The emperor remained silent, and a silent sigh seemed to echo in the room.
After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke: "Even though that Consort Zhang has come, she hasn't taken good care of you. I hardly ever see her these days."
Gu Jiangli quickly and kindly explained on behalf of Aunt Zhang: "Your Majesty, Aunt Zhang has done her best. It's a problem with my own health. Even the imperial physicians couldn't help. What can a woman like her do?"
"Moreover, my aunt's daughter, my sister, has just been flogged and needs someone to take care of her. It's only natural that she cares about her daughter and takes care of her sister on a regular basis."
Gu Jiangli easily revealed the fact that Aunt Zhang had not taken good care of her.
The emperor looked displeased. "I summoned her to Guangming Hall to take care of you, but she went to take care of Consort Gu instead?"
"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. My aunt just goes to Lanfang Palace to keep my sister company and chat with her from time to time. She takes great care of me."
Gu Jiangli's somewhat anxious voice lessened the emperor's anger.
Gu Jiangli continued, "Your Majesty, actually, Consort Zhang is really good to me. When she heard that my quilt was torn, she offered to help me repair it."
"You don't know, my aunt's needlework is excellent. Any damaged parts can be made perfect again after she touches them."
As she spoke, she pulled the blanket from the bed.
"You see, you can't see any signs of repair, can you?"
Gu Jiangli forced a smile onto her pale face.
In the emperor's eyes, Gu Jiangli was trying her best to make him happy.
Even though he was agitated, he could only frown and pick up the bundle to take a look.
But soon, he realized something was wrong.
"Why is a piece of your fabric missing?"
"What? How come a section is missing?"
The emperor spread out the entire cloth and pointed to the far right edge, saying:
"This piece of cloth was originally square, but now it's clearly missing a section on the right side, making it a long strip. Didn't you notice?"
Gu Jiangli looked puzzled. She sat up straight, took the cloth, and examined it carefully.
"If that's really the case...maybe my aunt cut off a piece to mend the damaged area," Gu Jiangli murmured.
Seeing that she looked unwell, the emperor didn't want to investigate the matter further. He took the cloth away and used his other hand to support Gu Jiangli's head, helping her to lie down comfortably.
"I'll keep this for now. Li'er, you need to rest well and take care of your health. Don't worry about these things anymore."
"Your Majesty, I have nothing to worry about. With Your Majesty here, I feel at ease."
The emperor helped her tidy up her stray hairs.
Though his face was cold, his demeanor was gentle.
He stayed with them for a while, then went to attend to official business.
Gu Jiangli calculated the days; three months would be almost up, and it was about time for the final step.
"Lotus," she called out, and Lotus crept in from outside the door.
She crossed her arms and ran quickly to Gu Jiangli's bedside.
Then he pulled out two meat patties from under his stomach.
"My lady, please eat quickly, it's still warm."
Gu Jiangli quickly put the meat pie into her mouth.
That's how she got through this period of time.
In public, she is a weak pregnant woman suffering from morning sickness who can't eat.
Behind closed doors, she was Gu Jieyu, who relied on lotus flowers to steal food and wolfed it down.
If we've gone this far in this charade, it would be unacceptable if we still couldn't handle the mother and daughter.
Gu Jiangli hurriedly swallowed the two meat pies, then pulled out a palm-sized black cloth-wrapped object from under the bed and handed it to Hehua.
"Lotus, you know what to do, right?"
Lotus replied solemnly, "My lady, I understand!"
Gu Jiangli nodded; she trusted Hehua's abilities.
————
Sunset.
Xiao Lan and Xiao Tao came together to ask He Hua for leave.
"Miss Lotus, today Xiao Tao and I have been suffering from stomach aches, we don't know if we ate something bad, and we really can't take care of Aunt Zhang..."
"Yes, Miss Lotus, could we ask for a night's leave? I just mentioned this to Aunt Zhang."
The two palace maids were covered in sweat, clutching their stomachs, and looking pained.
Lotus is not an inhuman being; she said with concern:
"You should all go back and get some rest. Your health is the most important thing. I'll take care of Aunt Zhang."
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