Chapter 477 Nightmare
At this moment, Granny Wang brought Jiang Fenghua a late-night snack. "This servant had someone make a portion for the Emperor as well. The Emperor probably didn't eat enough at the banquet, so he can have some with the Empress."
Xie Shang nodded, "I was also hungry. With Granny Wang taking care of Ruan Ruan, I feel very reassured."
“Serving our master is our duty,” said Granny Wang.
Xie Shang said, "You may all leave."
Jiang Fenghua, supporting her pregnant belly, slowly sat down and then selected some of Xie Shang's favorite foods and handed them to him. "Granny Wang is very thoughtful. She made all the Emperor's favorite dishes. If Your Majesty is hungry, please eat more."
On the table were various exquisite snacks, including glutinous rice balls.
Xie Shang scooped up a glutinous rice ball and fed it to Jiang Fenghua. Jiang Fenghua smiled and ate it. For a moment, the couple was silent and ate quietly. Jiang Fenghua ate very elegantly and never made a sound. She chewed slowly and gracefully, like a very lady.
Seeing her like this, Xie Shang suddenly felt a little disappointed. Was she just faking it?
He suddenly said, "Ruan Ruan."
Jiang Fenghua put down her chopsticks, wiped her already clean lips, her demeanor dignified and gentle, her appearance beautiful, and said softly, "Does Your Majesty have anything to say to me?"
Xie Shang said, "I'm very curious about what Ruan Ruan was like when she lived in Yu County. Was she also so dignified and well-mannered when she lived at your maternal grandfather's house?"
Jiang Fenghua looked at him and said gently, "The concubine of the past is definitely different from the concubine of the present. After I married the Emperor, I had to abide by many rules. I am not as free as I was outside. Moreover, I am now the Empress, so I must be more dignified and polite. I cannot make a single mistake. Granny Wang has taught me all of this."
"Which version of yourself do you prefer?" Xie Shang asked again.
Jiang Fenghua's eyes were clear as she thought seriously, "I like myself no matter what time it is. No matter what I become, I am still me! However, I think life always has to move forward, and it is impossible to go back to the past. Isn't the current Ruan Ruan the one Your Majesty likes?" Only her gentle and affectionate appearance could captivate Xie Shang.
Jiang Fenghua smiled slightly and served him another bowl of soup, saying, "Your Majesty, please eat more."
Afterwards, she even picked out some delicious snacks for him and fed them to his mouth, saying, "This is delicious, Your Majesty, would you like to try some?"
Xie Shang smiled and said, "What Ruan Ruan likes to eat, I also like to eat."
Jiang Fenghua smiled and remained silent. What did Xie Shang want to say when he suddenly came over?
After having a late-night snack, Xie Shang went to the side hall to check on the two sleeping children. "I will sleep with Ruan Ruan tonight."
Jiang Fenghua thought he would return to Qianqing Palace. Just now, she also went to the side hall with Xie Shang to ask Lin Feng. Lin Feng said that they went to Chaoyang Palace to find Qin Yunyan, and also said that the Emperor saw her asking Granny Wang to teach Qin Yunyan a lesson.
After washing up, the two went to bed. Jiang Fenghua took the initiative to explain, "I sent Aoxue to follow Qin Yunyan. I wanted to know if the person behind Qin Yunyan was Consort Su. Just now, Lin Feng said that His Majesty went to Chaoyang Palace to ask Shu Yan about that palace maid. She changed her name and hid by Shu Yan's side. She must have no good intentions."
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "How does Ruan Ruan know that Xin'er is Qin Yunyan? Have you met before?"
She knew he would ask that question; she had indeed never seen Qin Yunyan's face in this life.
Jiang Fenghua said, "I saw her once on the way to the Hengyang Imperial Mausoleum. At that time, I thought there was a palace maid in the funeral procession who was extremely beautiful, so I took a second look. However, I did not know that she was Qin Tai's daughter at that time. It was only because Zhang Jingjing had seen her that I learned that she was Qin Yunyan during a casual chat. I did not expect to run into her tonight."
Xie Shang raised an eyebrow and said, "So you had Granny Wang beat her because you wanted to force her to leave the palace and contact Su Qingqing."
Jiang Fenghua said, "It's not entirely because of that."
"What else is it because of?" Xie Shang asked, puzzled.
“If I don’t do this, they won’t know how to restrain themselves. I heard that Shu Ronghua often tries to run into Your Majesty. Now that I’m pregnant, there are always vixens trying to get close to Your Majesty. I feel uncomfortable! Qin Yunyan is so beautiful. What if Your Majesty sees her like this…” Jiang Fenghua seemed to be jealous. He had already favored Helan Yanran, and there were other women behind him. She had to pretend to be jealous.
Xie Shang affectionately pinched her nose and said softly, "Who can be as beautiful as my Ruan Ruan? Ruan Ruan is the most beautiful in my heart."
"Everyone says that pregnant women are the least attractive, and only Your Majesty has the sweet tongue to make me happy." She hooked her arm around Xie Shang's neck, her face full of joy, and smiled broadly. "I'm so sleepy today, I want to go to sleep."
He tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "I'll stay with Ruan Ruan. Go to sleep!"
The couple lay in bed, each trying to fall asleep. Because of Jiang Fenghua's pregnancy, she could only sleep on her side.
When Xie Shang didn't come, Granny Wang would sleep in the side room of Jiang Fenghua's bedroom to keep her company.
She had another nightmare, dreaming that her stomach was slashed open. When she saw the face, she realized it was Xie Shang. He questioned her about why she had lied to him and even threatened to kill the child in her womb as punishment. She desperately ran away to protect her child.
Xie Shang was awakened in the middle of the night by the noise beside him.
He could tell she was very nervous; her body was trembling. "Ruan Ruan, what's wrong?"
Xie Shang called her for a long time but couldn't wake her up. He quickly got up, lit a candle, and went back to bed. He saw that her forehead was covered in fine sweat and tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes. Whenever he touched her, she would unconsciously curl up to one side, repeatedly saying "no," but she just wouldn't wake up.
"Ruan Ruan, wake up." Xie Shang was also very anxious, and called her several times but couldn't wake her up.
He then shouted outside, "Help!"
Soon, Granny Wang and Lianye arrived. Lianye stepped forward to check on her, as if it were commonplace, and said, "Your Highness is having a nightmare."
Xie Shang asked in confusion, "Why would Ruan Ruan have nightmares?"
Lianye couldn't explain it either. She took a medicine bottle from a drawer in the bedroom and brought it close to Jiang Fenghua's nose. After a moment, Jiang Fenghua suddenly calmed down and entered a deep sleep.
Lianye explained, "This is the 'Returning Home Incense' that Aoxue prepared for Her Majesty. Whenever Her Majesty has a nightmare, using the 'Returning Home Incense' that Aoxue gave her will calm her down and allow her to sleep soundly until dawn."
Xie Shang stared at the medicine bottle in her hand and asked, "What is Gui Ning Xiang? Let me see it."
Lianye said, "Your Majesty cannot smell it. Aoxue said it is a special kind of sleeping incense, but it has the effect of helping you to sleep. It can calm you down instantly and prevent you from having nightmares."
Xie Shang asked in confusion, "Does Ruan Ruan often have nightmares? How long has this been going on?"
Lianye said, "Actually, Your Majesty often had nightmares when she was a child, but they gradually got better. Later, she still had nightmares occasionally. Since she became pregnant, she often has not slept well, but fortunately, there is Aoxue's Guining Incense, so Your Majesty can sleep soundly until dawn every time."
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