Chapter 55 Blinded by Love
Chu Yunjin looked at him, truly impressed by his acting skills.
Although he was momentarily flustered when he heard that the princess was pregnant, he quickly regained his composure. Unless one was paying close attention to him, one might not have noticed his emotional change at all.
The Prince Consort Wen was handsome and elegant. When he looked at a woman with his tender eyes, what woman could resist such a gentle offensive?
And it has been the same for more than a decade.
Such skill and disguise are not something everyone possesses.
Let's see Wen Shiyu's reaction.
The eldest princess has been blinded by love all these years and has been completely unable to see the true nature of this adopted son.
Princess Ning'an asked Imperial Physician Sun some questions and casually said, "Don't announce my pregnancy to the outside world yet. If the Empress Dowager asks, you can tell her the good news, but there's no need to tell anyone else."
"yes."
Princess Ning'an added, "I also request that Physician Sun come to the Princess's residence every day to take my pulse and ensure the safety of the baby."
"Yes," Physician Sun acknowledged. "I shall take my leave now."
Princess Ning'an ordered someone to send Imperial Physician Sun away, then turned to look at Consort Wen, a hint of guilt and reluctance on her face: "I want this child."
Prince Consort Wen raised his hand and brushed a strand of her hair aside, asking in a low voice, "Is it absolutely necessary?"
Princess Ning'an sighed, "Yi Shu, we have been husband and wife for more than ten years. I have seen your affection for me. I want to have a child with our bloodline. I don't want you to have no heir. Otherwise, it would be too unfair to you."
“How could I have no successor?” Consort Wen frowned. “Shiyu and Shijie are both our children. From the day they were adopted into the Princess’s residence, I have treated them as my own children.”
Princess Ning'an sighed, "I know, but..."
Yan Jinyue cupped her face in her hands, looking on with the envy of a young girl: "I really envy my aunt and uncle for their deep and unchanging love over the years. If I could meet a man like my uncle in the future, I would die without regrets."
"Pah, pah, pah, children say the darndest things." Chu Yunjin quickly stopped her silly talk. "Being betrayed is not a reason to give up your life. If you have a good partner, you should cherish your life even more. Growing old together with your partner is the right path. Don't talk about death all the time."
Prince Consort Wen turned to look at her and smiled with satisfaction: "It's rare to hear the Princess Consort of Yan say such things."
"Yes, Fourth Princess Consort used to be the one who didn't cherish her husband the most, but today she speaks so eloquently about growing old together," Princess Consort of Jin joked. "It seems that Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess Consort's relationship has progressed by leaps and bounds recently."
Regardless of whether Consort Wen's gentleness was genuine or veiled, and regardless of whether Princess Jin's teasing was genuine or an attempt to remind people of her past misdeeds, Chu Yunjin accepted it all with pleasure.
“My lord is such a good person. It was only I who was misled and blinded in the past.” Chu Yunjin sighed, her face full of melancholy and guilt. “Fortunately, my lord does not hold my past blind and foolish behavior against me and is very tolerant of me. This makes me want to be good to him even more. Only by loving him ten times or a hundred times can I make up for his deep affection for me.”
Princess Jin froze almost imperceptibly.
The other princesses wisely remained silent.
They didn't want to offend either the powerful Prince of Jin or the Prince of Yan, who held military power, so remaining silent was the best course of action.
Yan Jinyue sat down by the bed and happily took the princess's hand: "Today is my aunt's birthday, and my aunt is pregnant again. It's a double blessing. After returning to the palace, I must tell the Empress Dowager and my father this good news."
The eldest princess smiled slightly: "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I'm so happy that my aunt is pregnant," Yan Jinyue said sincerely. "Now my aunt will have her own child."
Upon hearing this, Princess Ning'an glanced at Consort Wen out of the corner of her eye and, sure enough, saw his instantly gloomy expression.
The princess lowered her eyelashes slightly, and the luster in her eyes gradually cooled. The various reactions of the Prince Consort Wen today had already shown that he did not welcome the arrival of this child.
Ostensibly, he was worried about her health, but in reality...
Princess Ning'an had a smile on her lips, but her eyes were cold and indifferent. Had the man she had shared a bed with for more than ten years really deceived her with his feelings for so long?
She was unwilling to accept this fact and had to find more evidence to convince herself... Perhaps he was genuinely worried about her health and didn't want her to endure the pain of childbirth at such an advanced age, as well as the potentially dangerous outcomes during delivery.
"Why don't we let Aunt rest?" Princess Jin said considerately. "With so many of us here, it's not convenient for Aunt and Uncle to have a private conversation."
Just as Consort Wen was about to order someone to see the guest out, Princess Ning'an got up from the bed and said, "I want to go to the palace."
He stared at Princess Ning'an in astonishment: "Enter the palace?"
"Hmm." Princess Ning'an nodded, seemingly a little uneasy. "It's not that I doubt Physician Sun's medical skills, it's just that I haven't been able to conceive all these years. The doctor has also said that it's difficult for me to get pregnant. This unexpected surprise today feels unreal to me. I want to go to the palace and ask the Empress Dowager to summon other physicians from the Imperial Hospital to examine my pulse and confirm whether it's true or not."
Prince Consort Wen said gently, "Doctor Zhang will be here shortly—"
Princess Ning'an interrupted him with a smile: "I just happened to be going to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager and have a chat with my mother. It's not entirely to see the imperial physician."
In front of so many princesses and consorts, Princess Ning'an wanted to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager, and no one could stop her, not even Consort Wen.
He could only nod and say, "Then I'll go with you."
"You should stay home and properly entertain the guests." Princess Ning'an patted his hand. "Take good care of the guests in the front hall. There's no need for them to know that I'm pregnant. After all, they're all men, so there's no need for them to know these things."
Wen, the Imperial Son-in-Law, was still unwilling to give up: "Let Shiyu entertain you. I'm worried about you going to the palace alone."
Chu Yunjin understood.
Wen, the Imperial Son-in-Law, was meticulous and considerate in everything he did. In reality, he used this gentle trap to keep the Princess firmly under his control. He would only feel at ease if the Princess was meeting with some women in the inner quarters of the mansion or attending some insignificant flower viewing banquet or tea party.
Whenever she went somewhere that made him feel even slightly unsafe, he would gently offer to go with her. If the princess refused, the three children of the Wen family could speak up for her.
In that case, would the eldest princess still have any room to refuse?
To outsiders, it seems that Prince Consort Wen is deeply in love with the eldest princess and cannot be separated from her for a moment. The eldest princess herself is probably also immersed in this tenderness, feeling happy and satisfied all the time. Then she will gradually lose her guard and become a pawn manipulated by Prince Consort Wen and his three children.
If it weren't for the presence of so many princesses and consorts today, Prince Consort Wen would never have agreed to let the eldest princess enter the palace alone to see the Empress Dowager, and it's even uncertain whether Imperial Physician Sun would have been able to enter the residence smoothly.
Chu Yunjin felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that the Prince Consort Wen was truly cunning and scheming.
"What's there to worry about?" Princess Ning'an chuckled, then glanced coolly at Yan Jinyue. "The Empress Dowager has been angry these past few days because of Jinyue canceling the engagement. Jinyue should go to the Empress Dowager later to apologize and coax her properly."
Yan Jinyue couldn't help but want to pout.
She broke off the engagement because Pei Yi'an broke his promise. The Empress Dowager not only didn't punish Pei Yi'an, but also wanted to teach her a lesson.
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