After everyone left, Sheng Jin returned to his desk, constantly replaying Liu Lingxi's raised eyebrow in his mind.
The beauty raised her head, radiating light and charm, her every glance captivating him, utterly bewitching him.
Even now, thinking back on it, Sheng Jin is still filled with excitement, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Xi'er..."
He picked out the portrait he had drawn that was the most lifelike, and gently ran his fingertips across her red lips, applying slight pressure as if he could feel her body temperature that way.
No, we must not rush things.
Sheng Jin suddenly recalled the imperial physician's diagnosis, saying that Xi'er had been overly worried lately. His heart sank as he thought…
Could it be something I did wrong?
The emperor, now high above all others, dared not act impulsively again and was willing to treat this precious child with utmost patience.
But what if she will never accept him?
As a certain possibility came to mind, a black storm gathered in Sheng Jin's eyes, threatening to engulf everything.
No, he can. Xi'er will be his sooner or later.
With great difficulty, Sheng Jin managed to suppress the agitation in his heart, calm himself down, and sit down at his desk to begin reviewing memorials.
Perhaps because he had just seen Xi'er, Sheng Jin was in a good mood, and in no time he had approved nearly half of the memorials.
Since most of the documents were just empty greetings, Sheng Jin only needed to stamp them, so the pile of folded documents was noticeably thinner.
When he came to his senses, Zhang Wen came to report back.
"Bring him in—"
Sheng Jin put down the memorial in his hand and looked at his trusted imperial physician, who was being accompanied by Xiao Yezi as he entered the palace to report.
"Your Majesty, I have summoned you. I have inspected the West Warm Pavilion and found nothing amiss, except—"
Zhang Wen clearly knew the Emperor's style of doing things, so she dared not delay, much less keep him in suspense.
He started the conversation briefly and continued without pausing.
"However, some of the precious flowers and herbs are easily activated by other evil substances, which can cause the fetus to be restless. Therefore, Your Majesty, I beg you to remove all the flowers and herbs."
"Approved, Xiao Yezi, go and do it immediately."
Sheng Jin agreed without hesitation. He was eager to discover some problems as soon as possible to avoid making a big mistake later.
Zhang Wen is a trustworthy person; he wouldn't risk his entire family's lives to deceive me. He doesn't have the guts.
Xiao Yezi knew how much the Emperor valued the Crown Princess, so she didn't dare to delay and immediately bowed and went out to handle the matter.
Now there are only two people left in the hall, of course, this is only on the surface.
As for those in the shadows, who knows?
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Physician Zhang carefully looked around before speaking.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I concealed the Crown Princess's pulse. Her pulse was steady and her pregnancy was stable. There is nothing wrong with her. She does not need to take any pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. Two doses of tonic will suffice."
After finishing speaking quickly, Zhang Wen kowtowed heavily to the ground, fearing that if he hesitated even a moment longer, the Emperor would drag him out and execute him.
After all, even a little concealment is still concealment, and what if the emperor catches them red-handed...
Thinking of this, Zhang Wen broke out in a cold sweat, large beads of sweat dripping onto the floor.
Only then did he remember his nine generations of relatives whom he had forgotten, and he began to pray in his heart, even thinking about how to behave in order to win the emperor's favor and gain his forgiveness.
However, what he didn't know was that the thunderous rage he had imagined never happened.
Upon hearing Zhang Wen's report, Sheng Jin felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of his heart, but even more so, he felt joy!
Xi'er was so frightened by him that she almost miscarried!
Very good.
This is the best news he's received so far!
"Are you telling the truth? The Crown Princess's pulse is stable, and there's absolutely no sign of miscarriage?"
Sheng Jin asked again, still somewhat incredulous, given how afraid the Crown Princess had been of him.
He was genuinely worried that he might traumatize the woman, making it difficult for him to get close to her again.
Zhang Wen, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled when she heard her emperor's voice suddenly amplify.
But at this moment he dared not lie again, his heart pounding with anxiety, and he immediately answered.
"Yes, the Crown Princess's health is perfectly fine; in fact, she looks better than most pregnant women."
"Your Majesty, I only exaggerated the situation because I heard from Eunuch Bai Qing that the Crown Princess was suffering from severe abdominal pain. But I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty; I originally intended to report it to you privately."
"Very well, from now on, the Crown Princess's pulse must not be hidden from me. In public, just say that the Crown Princess's pregnancy is unstable, and the news must not be leaked."
Sheng Jin gave his instructions in a deep voice, without any intention of punishing him.
Realizing this, Zhang Wen's mood instantly brightened after the storm.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations."
"Yes, I will come over every day at Shenshi (3-5 PM) to check the Crown Princess's pulse and also check the West Warm Pavilion every day to see if any evil spirits have entered, so as to ensure the safety of the Crown Princess's pregnancy."
Sheng Jin felt a little relieved after giving his instructions. He trusted Zhang Wen's medical skills, and if he did his best, the Crown Princess's pregnancy could definitely be saved.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Step down."
"yes."
Zhang Wen was now certain that the Emperor was indeed only concerned about the Crown Princess's health. As long as the Crown Princess was well taken care of, her own life would be perfectly safe.
However, he still harbored doubts in his heart. The Emperor's concern for the Crown Princess seemed a bit excessive.
Forget it, I'll just pretend I'm deaf and dumb.
Zhang Wen dared not think too deeply about it, and after respectfully performing the ceremony, she withdrew.
Once again, only Sheng Jin remained in the Yangxin Hall. The emptiness made Sheng Jin appear even more lonely.
After a long while, a soft sigh echoed from within the hall, mingling with the fragrance of peach blossoms and dissipating into the air…
The Hall of Mental Cultivation returned to peace, but what they didn't know was—
The palace was in an uproar because of this news!
...
One quarter past the hour of You (5-7 PM).
As darkness began to fall, palace lanterns were lit along the palace path.
Phoenix Palace.
Even though it wasn't the time for paying respects, the crowd gathered at the entrance of Fengyi Palace was more complete than usual.
"What's all that noise outside?"
The Phoenix Palace was brightly lit. A woman dressed in a bright yellow nightgown lazily got up from her bed and asked the question.
Her voice was still hoarse and dazed from just waking up. Upon hearing the sound, Granny Jiang immediately stepped forward to support the woman.
"Your Majesty was awakened by the commotion outside. It's the ladies from all the palaces gathered in front of Fengyi Palace, saying they have something to report."
That's right, this woman is the Empress who was angered when she visited the Crown Princess in the afternoon.
Because of a serious illness she had previously suffered, she is now increasingly unable to tolerate being mistreated.
She felt weak all day, so after a quick lunch, she was helped to bed by Granny Jiang.
I didn't expect that when I woke up, it was already dark and still so noisy outside.
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