Chapter 22 Offspring "Your Highness, would you like to have a child with me?"...
Gu Zhan didn't look up, but simply switched to another volume of official documents in his hand, saying in a casual tone, "I understand."
Sun Cheng then understood and withdrew.
After the palace doors closed again from the outside, Shen Mi couldn't help but put down her pen, press herself against the edge of the table, and stand up. "Then, Your Highness, will you still come to the Great Xiangguo Temple with me tomorrow?"
Gu Zhan gently pressed his temples, looking extremely tired. "Don't worry, the fourteenth of the first month is not a major day for ancestor worship. I will assign several more guards from the Eastern Palace to accompany you, and the same thing that happened last time will not happen again."
Shen Mi understood that Gu Zhan meant to refuse, but he misunderstood her meaning. She hadn't considered Chen Jun's perspective at all; she simply felt that Gu Zhan was now her husband, and she still hoped that he could come and keep her company.
Thinking that the two of them had gotten along quite well during this time, she mustered her courage, gently bit her lip, and looked at Gu Zhan: "It's not that I'm still afraid because of the Kaibao Temple incident, but it's because Your Highness arranged for my mother's and brother's memorial tablets to be enshrined at the Daxiangguo Temple. I hope Your Highness can also take a look..."
Gu Zhan didn't reply to her. The hall was so quiet that Shen Mi could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
After a long while, Gu Zhan put down the official document in his hand, raised his eyelids slightly, glanced at her, and said, "You can go to the temple anytime, but you should be more sensible when it comes to giving a congratulatory gift."
As soon as he finished speaking, the candle in front of Shen Mi went out with a "plop," and the burnt wick fell into the wax. She silently used a lamp pick to brighten the candle a little and said softly, "I understand. I shouldn't have been so unreasonable."
Gu Zhan gave her a deep look but didn't say anything.
Shen Mi sat down again, trying to find a reason for Gu Zhan to go. As far as she knew, in the current court, Privy Councilor Li Xiang had clearly sided with Prince Wei, and Prime Minister Su had just been summoned back from Pingjiang Road by his father to serve as the Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat because he was in charge of the reform. He was at the height of his power, so logically, Gu Zhan should still go.
As for feelings, she dared not think about it; she didn't want Gu Zhan to think she was overthinking and jealous.
She stared at the half-finished paper stained with ink, crumpled it up, and threw it into the wastebasket, as if she were crumpling up her own heart along with it.
Although Gu Zhan said he was only delivering a congratulatory gift, he didn't return until almost 9 PM, and his clothes reeked of alcohol. Shen Mi presented him with the hangover soup she had prepared, but Gu Zhan didn't touch it.
She said gently from the side, "Your Highness, hangovers can easily cause headaches."
"Oh, at the Su family, Yuzhao brought some hangover soup with her. Take it down." Gu Zhan said, opening his arms to Shen Mi as usual, indicating that she should help him change his clothes.
Shen Mi's heart sank suddenly. She asked Cuiwei to prepare the hangover soup, stood behind Gu Zhan, lowered her head, and gave a self-deprecating smile.
That's right, how could she forget that Gu Zhan went to the Su family.
Is it really because Gu Zhan has been treating her better lately that she has forgotten everything and now wants even more?
Therefore, she didn't sleep well all night, and was still a little sleepy when Danju did her hair and makeup the next day.
Seeing her pale face, Danju reminded her with some concern, "Liangdi, today is the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. According to custom, you should go to the palace to pay your respects to the Emperor and the Empress. Some other members of the inner palace will also be there. You can't be careless."
Shen Mi forced herself to open her eyes and said, "I understand." She looked at herself in the bronze mirror and pointed to the area under her eyes. "I do look unwell. Use more face powder and rouge so as not to displease the Empress Dowager."
Danju followed the instructions, putting a lot of thought into her makeup to make herself look more energetic.
As is customary, after Shen Mi and Gu Zhan went to pay their respects to the Emperor, Gu Zhan stayed in the Funing Palace to talk with Prince Wei and several princes of the imperial clan about matters of state. The harem did not interfere in politics. Shen Mi went to the Kunning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress and to deal with some concubines and relatives of the palace during the banquet.
After the incident at the New Year's Day Grand Court Assembly, she was no longer as timid as before. Gu Zhan had already explained to her in detail who the noble families present were, who she could be less guarded about, and who she needed to be careful to avoid being tricked into revealing information. Gu Zhan said that she did not need to win them over or communicate with them; as long as she was careful and did not give anyone any ammunition to use against her, that would be enough. She carefully noted it down, hoping not to make any mistakes.
Even among the noble families of Bianjing, there were different social circles. Although a long table was set up inside the hall for everyone to sit, drink, and chat, the seating arrangement was the most elaborate.
The Empress naturally sat at the head of the table, followed by the Emperor's two elder and younger sisters. Below them were several concubines of higher rank who were eligible to attend the Lantern Festival banquet. Although Shen Mi was not the Crown Princess, she was currently the only member of the inner palace in the Eastern Palace, and her seating arrangement followed the Crown Princess's, second only to Consort Li, the mother of Prince Wei. Conversely, Consort Li's own daughter-in-law, the Princess Consort of Prince Wei, was seated further away because Prince Wei was merely an ordinary prince. Shen Mi knew that Prince Wei and Gu Zhan were engaged in a power struggle in court, and that Consort Li naturally disliked her. Therefore, since taking her seat, she had been as discreet as possible. Knowing that speaking too much would lead to mistakes, she never uttered a word unless someone specifically asked her.
On the contrary, the Princess Consort of Wei was very warm to everyone present. Whenever a master of a household took a new concubine, she would bring up the concubines in the Wei Prince's mansion who occasionally gave her a headache, and talk about how she kept the harem quiet. When a family had a newborn child, she would also exchange ideas on child-rearing. As for cosmetics and the like, she was an expert among experts. She was knowledgeable and had a sweet tongue, which quickly made everyone in the noble family laugh.
Halfway through her sentence, Princess Wei noticed the empty seat opposite Shen Mi and seemed to realize something, asking, "Why hasn't Chi Ying arrived yet?"
Consort Li immediately chimed in, "You don't know Chiying? She never likes to come to these kinds of occasions. She's probably playing with the Su family's daughter in Yilan Palace right now."
Princess Wei clicked her tongue lightly, "In the end, Sister Shen is her own sister-in-law now, so why is she still inseparable from Miss Su as before?"
Lady Rongguo, ever outspoken, said, "It's no wonder Princess Roufu is like this. After all, everyone thought His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Su were a match made in heaven."
After she finished speaking, the room fell silent instantly. Some people looked at Shen Mi, while others looked at the Empress.
Shen Mi's hand holding the chopsticks froze. Just as she was about to speak, the Empress cleared her throat. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, she sent someone to summon Gu Chiying.
Princess Wei was sensible enough not to dwell on the topic, and everyone quickly put it out of their minds. Half an hour later, Gu Chiying reluctantly arrived and sat opposite Shen Mi, her expression unfriendly throughout.
After several rounds of drinks, Princess Wei suddenly turned away, covered her lips, and began to gag, startling everyone at the table.
Princess Consort Wei took a sip of tea and looked at the Empress apologetically, "Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness."
The Empress frowned and asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Should we summon the imperial physician to take a look?"
Apart from Shen Mi and Gu Chiying, all the women present at the banquet had given birth. Seeing the Princess Consort of Wei's condition, someone asked, "She looks like she's experiencing morning sickness?"
Princess Wei did not completely deny it, saying, "It's also possible that she ate something bad."
She said that, but in front of so many people, the Empress could only send someone to summon the imperial physician.
Not long after, the imperial physician, after taking the pulse of Princess Wei through a silk handkerchief, switched between his left and right hands and said with a joyful expression, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Your pulse is like pearls rolling on a plate, which is undoubtedly a sign of pregnancy. You have been pregnant for almost three months."
The Empress said, "Now that you are pregnant, you should avoid alcohol and the like, as it may not be good for the baby." As she spoke, she ordered someone to remove the wine from in front of Princess Wei and replace it with warm tea.
"It's been three months already, and you didn't even notice it before?" the Empress asked Princess Wei again.
Princess Wei added a touch of appropriate shame to her face: "When I gave birth to Yuanjie, I was left with a chronic illness. At that time, the imperial physician said that it would be difficult for me to conceive again. That's why I added two concubines to Your Highness's household. I never thought that I would be fortunate enough to conceive again. I didn't pay attention when my period was late for the past two months."
Although she said that, everyone present was shrewd and knew she was doing it on purpose. Shen Mi naturally understood her intentions as well. Her period hadn't come for two months, and she wasn't a woman who hadn't given birth before; how could she not summon the imperial physician and see a doctor? She had just observed Consort Li's expression, and Consort Li wasn't surprised at all, even looking pleased. Consort Li must have known about this. Her feigned morning sickness today was merely to provoke the Empress and Shen Mi. Not long ago, at the New Year's Day court assembly, Gu Zhan acted first, and the good news from the Eastern Palace spread throughout Bianjing. The Emperor was delighted and rewarded him. Naturally, Princess Wei would want to get back at them during the Lantern Festival.
The Empress said a few more polite words, instructing Princess Wei to take good care of herself and recover well.
Shen Mi looked at the Empress's expression, which seemed displeased, and felt uneasy. Sure enough, after the banquet, the Empress kept her behind alone.
When they reached a palace gate, the Empress asked her to look up, "Xiao Mi, do you recognize these characters?"
Shen Mi looked up and saw that the plaque read "Zhongsi Gate".
The Empress continued, “‘The grasshoppers’ wings chirp and twitter. May your children and grandchildren be numerous and abundant.’ The imperial family values offspring, and grasshoppers have many offspring, hence the ‘Grasshopper Gate’ in the palace. You and Zhan’er have been married for two months, yet there is still no sign of pregnancy.”
Shen Mi recalled that during the first month of their marriage, Gu Zhan had not visited her Qingluan Palace. It was only later that he would come to the Qingluan Palace every few days, but he would only sleep fully clothed. She and Gu Zhan had not yet consummated their marriage, so how could she possibly be pregnant?
Seeing that she had lowered her head and remained silent, the Empress continued, "I am not in a hurry for you to have children, and your child is not Zhan'er's legitimate son. However, in the past two years, Prince Wei has been trying to make a name for himself and seems to want to compete with Zhan'er. Prince Wei is the eldest son of an official, and many officials in the court, led by Prime Minister Li, the brother of Consort Li, are willing to support Prince Wei. If Princess Wei's child is a boy, I'm afraid the Emperor's heart will really waver. You should understand the reasoning, so I don't need to say more."
Shen Mi felt wronged, but in front of the Empress, she dared not blame Gu Zhan, and could only say, "Perhaps Your Highness showed me some pity in that matter..."
The Empress sighed softly, "His pity is one thing, but you also need to take good care of your health. I heard that you were sick for a month after you married into the Eastern Palace. This can't go on. Tomorrow I will have the imperial physician come to the Eastern Palace to examine you and give you proper treatment so that you can get pregnant as soon as possible."
Shen Mi dared not refuse, and the Empress lectured her for a long time before finally letting her go back.
After returning to the East Palace, while helping Gu Zhan change his clothes, she deliberately brought up the matter: "Your Highness, when I entered the palace today, the Empress Dowager asked me about the matter of having children."
Gu Zhan responded with a nod, neither confirming nor denying.
Shen Mi, clutching her sleeve, lowered her gaze and asked, "Your Highness, would you like to have a child with me?"
A note from the author:
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Thank you for reading.
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