Soon, a palace servant reported this to Chu Xiao.
Chu Xiao immediately went to the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace. Unlike the Empress Dowager's joy, Chu Xiao remained expressionless.
Yun Chaoxi almost couldn't help but laugh when she saw it.
Who told him to find a bodyguard to replace him? Now look what's happened—should he raise this child or not?
"Your Majesty, Consort Xian is pregnant. This is a joyous occasion! I have decided that she may stay in the palace to rest and prepare for childbirth," the Empress Dowager said with a beaming smile, her eyes full of anticipation.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's delighted expression, Chu Xiao swallowed the truth that was on the tip of his tongue. In recent years, the Empress Dowager had been deeply worried about the imperial heir, unable to eat or sleep properly, and her health had deteriorated significantly. Chu Xiao knew in his heart how deep the Empress Dowager's longing for an imperial heir was.
In truth, Chu Xiao himself wasn't sure if he would ever have a child of his own. He had consulted medical books and subtly inquired with the imperial physicians, learning that some men, though capable of intercourse, might not be able to impregnate their wives, especially someone like him who had previously been impotent.
If the truth were revealed to the Empress Dowager now, it would inevitably expose his previous impotence. If the Empress Dowager knew, she would likely be greatly shocked, her worries would deepen, and her health would weaken further.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiao had no choice but to suppress his helplessness. "Then let's do as Mother says. Consort Xian can stay in Lexian Palace and rest during her pregnancy."
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction. Chu Xiao then sent someone to escort Consort Xian back to Lexian Palace, while he and Yun Chaoxi returned to Zhaoyang Palace together.
Throughout the journey, Chu Xiao's expression was solemn, and he felt quite uneasy.
He whispered to Yun Chaoxi, "Xi'er, this child is really not mine. You know, this is the first time for me and you..."
As he spoke, there was a hint of grievance in his voice, as if he was afraid that Yun Chaoxi would misunderstand.
“Every time An Yi leaves, I send someone to deliver contraceptive soup. It was completely an accident that Consort Xian became pregnant.”
Yun Chaoxi chuckled, "Your Majesty, I know, but you're not innocent either. If you hadn't found a bodyguard to take her place, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant. What are your plans for handling this matter?"
Chu Xiao then expressed his concerns, "I intend to let Consort Xian give birth to a child. If you and I have no children, we will let him stay in the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager. After the Empress Dowager passes away, we will send him away, which will fulfill her wish."
Yun Chaoxi touched her lower abdomen. "Then... what if we have a child?"
Chu Xiao didn't hesitate at all, "Then let's leave the child with An Yi. Anyway, it's his child. If he doesn't raise it, who will?"
Yun Chaoxi had no objection, but it seemed a bit unethical.
Upon returning to Zhaoyang Palace, Chu Xiao summoned An Yi and informed him, "Consort Xian is pregnant with your child."
An Yi was stunned for a moment, "...Huh?"
The emperor didn't need him during this time, so he was happy to have some peace and quiet and spent a long period of time cultivating his character. He thought the emperor summoned him to visit another concubine, but it turned out that the emperor was telling him that he had an unborn child?!
An Yi has been replacing Chu Xiao for over a decade. When completing a mission, his heart is as cold and hard as the fishmongers in the West Market of the capital. He can guarantee to finish within a quarter of an hour. Suddenly telling him this is something he can't accept right away.
After a long pause, he scratched his head. "But I've been taking medicine all these years, it's impossible for me to get pregnant!"
Chu Xiao's thick eyebrows furrowed. "What medicine did you drink?"
An Yi, "A contraceptive medicine specifically for men."
Having served as Chu Xiao's double for over a decade, An Yi was quite intelligent and could naturally deduce the emperor's thoughts. Whenever he left, Chu Xiao would send people to deliver contraceptive potions to the concubines, and An Yi knew that the emperor did not wish for any children to be born in the harem.
So he would secretly have someone prepare a contraceptive soup for men, for fear that if something went wrong and one of the concubines got pregnant, the emperor would be cuckolded and, in his anger, kill him!
With both doses of herbal medicine taken simultaneously, pregnancy should not have been possible.
Yun Chaoxi speculated, "Is it possible that Consort Xian's pregnancy is false? Is there a kind of medicine that makes one appear pregnant?"
Because she had these pills in her little space, called false pregnancy pills.
The timing of Consort Xian's discovery of her pregnancy was too coincidental, exactly the day before she was to be sent out of the palace, making it hard not to suspect.
Chu Xiao then summoned the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to inquire.
The abbot said, "There is indeed such a medicine, but it is not available in the palace, and most pharmacies in the countryside do not prepare it either, so it is indeed quite difficult to find. Moreover, the effect of this medicine is not long-lasting, usually one to two months, and during this period it cannot be detected by pulse diagnosis."
Chu Xiao understood the situation and waved for the headmaster to leave.
"If Consort Xian is indeed faking her pregnancy, she won't be able to hide it for long. She will soon find an opportunity to fake a miscarriage."
"You'd better be careful. She'll probably find someone to take the fall after her miscarriage, killing two birds with one stone: she can frame you and stay in the palace." Chu Xiao said earnestly, afraid that Yun Chaoxi would fall into that woman's trap.
Having grown up in the palace, he knew best the scheming methods employed by women in the harem.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I am very clever. Besides, with you trusting me, what do I have to worry about?" Yun Chaoxi winked at him playfully, her voice sweet and charming.
Chu Xiao felt a strong itch in his heart and lowered his head to kiss her rosy and moist little lips.
He glanced coldly at An Yi standing to the side and said, "What are you still standing here for? I don't need you anymore, get out."
An Yi ran away quickly.
With the eyesore gone, Chu Xiao couldn't wait to carry her to the bed, showering her with kisses and whispering in Yun Chaoxi's ear, "If I try, maybe we really can have a child."
Even if they don't have children, after three to five years, the remaining concubines in the palace will find another reason to be sent away.
Yun Chaoxi smiled gently, "I will certainly not disappoint His Majesty."
"Hmm, how about trying kneeling this time? I heard it's easier to conceive that way."
"How about we try it on the chaise lounge?"
Yun Chaoxi, "..."
She guessed that he just wanted to find an excuse to have sex in broad daylight!
...
Consort Xian was able to stay in Lexian Palace, and things were quiet for quite some time.
After that, she tried every few days to summon Chu Xiao to her palace, but Chu Xiao remained indifferent, verbally giving her perfunctory replies, and never actually went.
Consort Xian was truly heartbroken. Although her pregnancy was false, the Emperor's lack of concern made her lose all hope.
If she were truly pregnant with the emperor's child, that would be fine. Without the emperor's favor, she could focus on raising her son to compete for the crown prince position. But her belly was empty, and Chu Xiao never came to her palace.
If we wait any longer, her belly will become obvious when it starts to show.
Consort Xian had no choice but to devise a plan to make the miscarriage of this "child" meaningful.
A month and a half later was the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. As was the custom in previous years, the emperor held a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and invited officials of the third rank and above to bring their families to the banquet.
The Imperial Household Department had prepared the palace attire for the concubines attending the banquet well in advance. In reality, there weren't many; after half of the concubines had left the palace, only a handful of those remaining were qualified to attend the banquet.
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