Ning Cainu, who was pretending to vomit, was completely stunned. Did this mean that she didn't need to pretend to be pregnant anymore?
She hadn't received any instructions from above, and she didn't know what to do.
The most shocked person was, of course, the Empress Dowager. When she heard that Nanzhi was pregnant, she thought she had misheard.
However, she quickly realized what was happening.
So what if Nan Zhi is pregnant? It's definitely not Xiao Lan Chuan's child.
"You audacious, vile maid, how dare you defile the inner palace! Drag her out and beat her to death with sticks!"
Xiao Jingyi felt it was a bit of a pity; he hadn't even had a taste of such a tender and beautiful young woman yet.
Just as the palace maids beside the Empress Dowager were about to pull Nanzhi away, the unconscious Nanzhi slowly opened her eyes.
When she saw several fierce-looking palace servants coming forward to pull her away, she was so frightened that she clung to Xiao Lanchuan's arm.
"Your Majesty, what are they planning to do?"
Xiao Lanchuan was still somewhat taken aback by the news of her pregnancy. At that moment, he instinctively hugged Nanzhi and glared coldly at the eunuch who was approaching.
"presumptuous!"
The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Xiao Lanchuan was no longer as gentle as before. He merely glanced at her, his voice carrying an imposing authority without anger. "The child in her womb is mine. Let's see who dares to lay a hand on her."
As soon as Xiao Lanchuan said this, it was as if a mute had been turned on, and the entire room fell silent.
How could the Empress Dowager not have guessed that Xiao Lanchuan would have Nanzhi serve him in bed?
But it was impossible for Nam Gyi to conceive a royal heir.
She was absolutely certain and stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "My son, she is just a palace maid with no official title. What if the child in her womb is someone else's? Wouldn't that taint the royal bloodline?"
Xiao Lanchuan looked at her: "Why is Mother so certain that the child in her belly is not mine?"
His gaze seemed to see through everything, and the Empress Dowager felt a little guilty. She quickly used Abbot Fang as an excuse: "Abbot Fang just said that you, my son, are destined to have no heir. I was worried that you were being deceived, which is why I was a little anxious."
"Who knows if what Host Fang says is necessarily true?"
“Abbot Fang is the abbot of Jin Guang Temple. His word is law, so it must be true.”
“My word is as good as gold. I said that the child in her belly is my child. How could it not be true?”
Xiao Lanchuan's casual remark left the Empress Dowager speechless.
She couldn't understand why Nan Zhi would cause such a commotion when she had laid the groundwork for everything.
So what if she's pregnant? She's not going to let her give birth.
So she changed her tune and said with a smile, "Hearing my son's certainty, I naturally believe him."
She looked at Nanzhi, hiding the resentment in her heart.
I had planned to give her to Yi'er, but now that plan has to be put on hold for the time being.
She smiled, with a compassionate look on her face.
"Since she is already pregnant with the imperial heir, she can no longer remain a maid. How about we bestow upon her the title of a sixth-rank Imperial Concubine, and then promote her to the rank of Imperial Concubine after the child is born? What do you think, my son?"
These words shocked everyone present.
She was only pregnant, yet she was granted the title of a sixth-rank Baolin?
She was clearly just a palace maid.
Jiang Cainu started twisting her handkerchief again, so jealous that she wished she could go up and replace Nanzhi.
Qin Jingyi was also jealous, but considering how much Xiao Lanchuan protected Nanzhi, she had long since stopped having any designs on her.
Seeing this, Ning Cainu knew she no longer needed to pretend to be pregnant, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Nan Zhi was thus granted the title of a sixth-rank Baolin, and was originally granted residence in Yilan Palace, but she never went there and instead lived in Shangyang Palace.
However, this time her room was clearly not the maid's side room as before, but she was openly living with Xiao Lanchuan.
That evening, Nan Zhi, whose pregnancy had temporarily stabilized, nestled in Xiao Lan Chuan's arms, whose favorability rating had finally risen to 80%. "Your Majesty," she asked, "Zhi Zhi is no longer a palace maid. Would it be inappropriate for her to continue living here?"
Xiao Lanchuan stroked her still-flat belly, his expression gentler than ever before, and said, "If I think it's good, then it's good."
There's a tiny life inside.
He knew then that she was indeed his savior.
He knew that once the Empress Dowager had selected women for the imperial concubines, they wouldn't stay put.
He selected a relatively obedient concubine named Ning from among the selected women, intending for her to feign pregnancy, just to make things difficult for the Empress Dowager.
Who would have thought that Nan Zhi would give him such a big surprise?
The Empress Dowager even suspected that he wasn't her child. How could that be? Nanzhi was with him every night. How could she dare to go out and cheat on him? Did she have a death wish?
Nan Zhi knew that Xiao Lan Chuan didn't allow her to stay at Yi Lan Palace because he was afraid the Empress Dowager would take action against her.
But if she doesn't go, the harem will surely be dissatisfied, and the court will be difficult to stabilize. Who knows what Xiao Lanchuan might do then?
She still wants to be empress, and doesn't want to become the subject of gossip so soon.
Moreover, she was also afraid that the crazed Xiao Lanchuan would take advantage of her pregnancy and weaken her than usual to seek revenge on her.
She looked at Xiao Lanchuan, who seemed to be in a good mood, and thought he should be easy to talk to right now.
She hugged his neck and rubbed against his clothes: "Your Majesty, Zhizhi is scared."
Xiao Lanchuan paused slightly: "What are you afraid of?"
"What if the officials make things difficult for you because you're too good to Zhizhi?"
"They dare?" Xiao Lanchuan sneered. "I will kill anyone who dares."
Nanzhi knew he was capable of doing it.
She hugged him tightly: "Your Majesty, this is our first child. We cannot commit too many killings. I am afraid that the retribution will fall on the child. For your safety, please send me to Yilan Palace."
Xiao Lanchuan felt something wet on his neck. He let go of her and saw that her eyes were red and her face was full of worry.
I remembered Chen Huaizhi saying that pregnant women are prone to losing control of their emotions and need to be comforted.
Seeing how sensitive she was, he also feared that the sins he had committed would truly bring retribution upon the child.
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