Chapter 116 Xie Shang's eagerly awaited child
"Your Highness," Jiang Fenghua said in a weak voice, "How is Consort Su? I really didn't harm her, and I haven't had any contact with any other men. Ruan Ruan only loves Your Highness in this life. Do you believe me?" The last sentence made her sound timid and cautious.
Seeing her like this, Xie Shang said, "I believe you." At that time, the matter had not yet been investigated, and he had hesitated; he did not completely trust her.
The fact that someone liked his princess proved she was good enough; she hadn't done anything wrong, and he almost believed Su Tingwan's words and went to question her.
He deserves to die.
“Your Highness, there is something I lied to you about.” Jiang Fenghua’s eyes were filled with fear. “Actually, my elder brother took me to Yichun Pavilion, and I even saw Your Highness there… That night, Your Highness got very drunk after returning to the manor. I told you this while I was taking care of you, but you seem to have forgotten.”
Jiang Fenghua was also picky, always saying only what Xie Shang wanted to hear.
Xie Shang suddenly remembered, "The woman dressed as a man on stage that night was you." That made sense. He had investigated the identity of the Peerless Young Master, but he couldn't find anything. It was as if this person didn't exist at all.
He asked Jiang Jinyan, but Jiang never gave a direct answer, only saying that they were old friends.
She even stomped on his foot hard, and then ran away.
Now that Jiang Fenghua is pregnant, nothing is more important than her belly, and her trip to Yichun Tower is now a trivial matter.
Jiang Fenghua was accompanied by Jiang Jinyan. Moreover, that night, Yichun Pavilion held a courtesan competition, and many young masters and ladies from prominent families in the capital disguised themselves to join in the fun.
"Your Highness, if you are angry, please punish me. I will accept the punishment. I can kneel outside until Your Highness calms down," Jiang Fenghua said softly when she saw that he did not speak.
Xie Shang couldn't bear to see her kneeling as punishment. "Next time, if you want to go somewhere, you don't need to trouble your elder brother. I can accompany you."
Jiang Fenghua was stunned. "Your Highness doesn't blame me for going to such a place, really?"
"Since Su Tingwan saw you, it means she went there too. You didn't do anything to embarrass me, so why should I blame you?"
Xie Shang used to take Su Tingwan to many places, and restaurants and taverns were commonplace for them. However, they only went to drink. Yichun Pavilion was different from other brothels; there were no such shady things there.
"I was very envious when I saw those girls dancing gracefully, so I asked my elder brother to cover for me to perform on stage. I wore a mask, thinking that no one would recognize me as the Princess Consort of Heng. I didn't expect that Consort Su would still recognize me."
Xie Shang was thinking that it had been several months since the incident, and Wanwan had not told him about it immediately. Instead, she chose to say it at such a grand banquet in front of her father and mother. Her purpose in doing so was to suppress Jiang Fenghua. He did not expect that Wanwan had been putting on an act in front of him all along.
Besides, didn't she know that her claim of seeing Jiang Fenghua compete for the title of courtesan also proves that she went to Yichun Pavilion? Wanwan is just too stupid.
When his mother wanted to send Su Tingwan to Jingci Nunnery to recuperate, he did not object. If he didn't send her away, he didn't know what else she might do to harm Jiang Fenghua.
Jiang Fenghua was about to get up from the soft couch when Xie Shang quickly stopped her, saying, "I know you were angered by Su Tingwan's words. Now is the time when you should not get angry. The Empress Dowager has already punished her."
Jiang Fenghua pretended to be stupid, "I'm not that delicate. At the time, I was just angry because I was falsely accused of something I didn't do. I've always been in good health, and I don't know why I suddenly fainted. It seems that I need to exercise more."
"Ruan Ruan, your sudden fainting wasn't because you were unwell, but because you're pregnant." Xie Shang stared at her belly, his eyes filled with joy. "We're going to be parents too."
Jiang Fenghua froze again, stammering, "What did Your Highness say? Say it again... say it again."
When Xie Shang first found out, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak. He held her on his lap and gently stroked her lower abdomen. "You have a child here, my child."
Jiang Fenghua wept with joy, "Is it true?"
"Really, Physician Wang has taken your pulse several times and it's always a sign of pregnancy. Plus, your period hasn't come yet, didn't you know?" Xie Shang held her tightly in his arms, imagining her giving birth to a daughter as beautiful as herself.
Jiang Fenghua's eyes reddened slightly; in this life, her child had finally arrived, much to Xie Shang's delight.
Seeing this, Xie Shang asked, "Why are you crying?"
"I am happy." Jiang Fenghua leaned against his chest, her mind filled with thoughts. Would they come together?
When they left the palace, Su Tingwan did not ride in the same carriage as them. It was said that the Empress had sent her away overnight.
Jiang Fenghua didn't say anything more to Xie Shang. She really hadn't expected Su Tingwan to be sent away by the Empress.
It's a fact that Xie Shang and Su Tingwan like each other, but now that they're forcibly separated, their feelings will probably fade a lot!
Xie Shang was disappointed in Su Tingwan time and time again, but when he saw Su Tingwan flying to the moon, he was captivated by her.
Unfortunately, the devil is always one step ahead of the saint.
And she is that demon.
How can she completely eradicate Su Tingwan from Xie Shang's heart?
Empress Cheng could crush Su Qingqing as easily as crushing an ant, but the old lady Su had rescued her from the Cold Palace. Although she was now a Jieyu (a concubine rank), Empress Cheng would never give her another chance to turn things around. So she decided to go all out and make a big fuss about Su Qingqing's illness, and the result was more dramatic than expected.
Upon leaving the palace, Xie Shang received a jade ruyi that had been blessed by Buddha.
He presented it to Jiang Fenghua, saying, "This was a gift from the Emperor; let Ruan Ruan keep it safe."
"If Your Highness likes it, then let it stay with Your Highness!" Jiang Fenghua acted as if money was just an external thing, something you couldn't take with you when you died.
Xie Shang stared at Jiang Fenghua and said in a deep voice, "With the Heng Prince's Mansion acquiring this jade ruyi, the winds of change in the entire capital will shift..."
Xie Shang took the initiative to tell her about the importance of this jade ruyi. For the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, inheritance was very important, and this jade ruyi was the most important symbol of the royal family.
Regardless, Xie Shang opened up to her and was willing to tell her everything, which shows that he didn't treat her as an outsider.
As soon as the carriage stopped at the gate of the Prince's mansion, the servant guarding the gate rushed to Jiang Fenghua and said, "Third Miss, I'm so glad to finally see you."
Jiang Fenghua thought to herself: He's the servant who follows my elder brother.
She asked, "What's wrong?"
The servant said, "The young master got into a fight with someone, and now he has been arrested and taken to the authorities."
Jiang Fenghua frowned. Her elder brother would never be so reckless. How could he possibly get into a fight?
“I’ll go with you to take a look,” Jiang Fenghua said.
Xie Shang quickly stopped him, "You can't go now."
Jiang Fenghua thought he was going to stop her again.
"Your belly is more important than anything else right now." Xie Shang added, "I will go for you and make sure your elder brother doesn't get hurt."
Jiang Fenghua did not argue with him. She knew that her older brother had gotten into a fight and was taken to the authorities, and guessed that it was related to Zhang Yumo.
Xie Shang asked, "Who did your eldest son fight with?"
"That man's name is Li Cheng, and he's a military officer," the servant said.
With that, Xie Shang felt more confident.
Xie Shang dropped her off at Lan Yue Pavilion and then left. She was exhausted tonight, and with the confirmation of her pregnancy, she needed to rest well, especially since this child was something Xie Shang had been eagerly anticipating.
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