Chapter 76 His arms were full, then empty. ...
The next morning, Shen Mi counted a few banknotes she had brought from Bianjing and took Cuiwei to the local brokerage firm in Tongguan.
She had never liked ostentation or extravagance. When she left Bianjing, she made emergency preparations for the journey, and the clothes she brought were mainly lightweight jackets and swirl skirts, in the light green color that she was used to wearing. At this time, she and Cuiwei were both wearing veils, so no one knew her identity and just thought of her as an ordinary woman. Because she was a nun, they treated her with much neglect.
Shen Mi was not in a hurry; she and Cuiwei simply found a place to sit down and wait.
After a while, a matchmaker came out from behind the counter, looked her up and down, and said, "Young lady, are you here to buy servants?"
Shen Mi didn't look up, staring at the teacup in front of her, and said calmly, "No, come and see which detached houses are available for rent recently. They should be quiet, not close to the city center, but not too remote either."
“Oh, renting,” the matchmaker’s already faint smile vanished. “Then please wait here, young lady, while I go find the detached house that the landlord registered earlier for rent.”
The matchmaker would take most of the day to arrive, as if she were deliberately delaying.
Cuiwei noticed something amiss and said to Chen Mi, "This matchmaker is far too snobbish. Although renting a courtyard is less expensive than buying one or having servants take a cut, we're not refusing to pay her. She doesn't have to act like this."
Shen Mi took a sip of tea. "It's human nature to fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak."
The matchmaker delayed for a long time before reluctantly coming over, forcing a smile: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. You insisted on a private courtyard and wanted it to be quiet, which is not easy to find. I've been flipping through the catalog for a long time before I finally found one. If you have some free time, let's go and take a look at the courtyard first?"
Shen Mi gracefully got up and went to the car at the door. She didn't let the matchmaker get in, but only let her lead the way.
The car slowly drove along the street, and it took quite a while to reach the courtyard the broker had mentioned.
As soon as Shen Mi got out of the car, she bumped into a man who looked somewhat familiar. She wasn't sure who he was, so she ignored him.
Fan Nayan hadn't expected to run into the Crown Princess while looking for His Highness the Crown Prince. Out of respect for their respective positions, he nodded to Shen Mi and said, "Madam Shen."
The matchmaker had been in Tongguan for many years and naturally recognized Vice Envoy Fan, who was stationed there. She smiled at Vice Envoy Fan and said, "This humble subject greets Envoy Fan."
Shen Mi then remembered that she had seen Fan Nayan, the Deputy Military Commissioner of Shaanxi, at the official post station before, but they hadn't met then and she didn't really remember Fan Nayan's face. Instead, it was Fan Nayan who greeted her first.
She returned the greeting and saw that Fan Nayan had reined in his horse in front of the courtyard next to hers. She subconsciously looked up and saw that the gate of the courtyard next door was closed. The plaque above it did not reveal the identity of the resident, only the two characters "Lanju". The handwriting looked somewhat familiar.
Unexpectedly, Fan Nayan, though not serving in the Bianjing government offices for many years, had such leisure and refined tastes.
Shen Mi was secretly surprised, but she quickly and tactfully withdrew her gaze and entered the courtyard she had come to see with the matchmaker.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was indeed the two-courtyard house she wanted, and the place was quiet enough to meet her requirements.
She walked around the courtyard and looked at some of the furnishings, without saying a word the whole time.
When the matchmaker saw that even a high-ranking official like Fan Shixiang was taking the initiative to greet the young lady in front of her, she could tell from her own eyes that Shen Mi was of noble status and probably not short of money. Her desire to swindle and cheat grew stronger.
So she mentioned the price she had originally planned to Chen Mi, "Is my wife satisfied with this courtyard?"
Shen Mi casually replied, "It's alright."
The matchmaker smiled and said, "It's not cost-effective to rent this courtyard long-term. If you like it, why don't you just buy it? The original owner of this courtyard is in a hurry to sell, but he doesn't want to rent it out, he only wants to sell it."
Cuiwei asked on behalf of Shen Mi, "How much?"
The matchmaker's eyes darted around: "One hundred and thirty strings of cash."
Shen Mi was indeed satisfied with the courtyard. Everything met her requirements, and since it was next to Fan Nayan's residence, she wasn't worried about any villains committing crimes nearby. She didn't care about the 130 guan. She didn't know how long she would stay in Tongguan, so buying or renting wouldn't make much difference.
Seeing that Shen Mi remained silent for a long time, the matchmaker feared that the deal would fall through, so she lowered the price by five strings of cash, thinking she could simply underquote the seller.
Shen Mi turned around and said, "Deal. Go back and transfer the property deed to me."
The matchmaker had never done such an easy business before, and she immediately beamed with joy, thinking to herself that Shen Mi was foolish and had too much money.
Shen Mi and the matchmaker went back to pay the money and sign the transfer deed. She also asked the matchmaker to take care of everything in the house in advance and bought a maid to clean and sweep. After giving these instructions, she returned to the post station to pack up the odds and ends she had brought with her. After noon, she moved into the newly purchased courtyard.
The courtyard was tidied up properly. After resting, Shen Mi recalled meeting Fan Nayan at the gate that morning.
Some time ago, when she was at the official post station, Fan Nayan occasionally took care of her. Moreover, if she remembered correctly, her elder brother seemed to have mentioned this Vice Envoy Fan to her before his death. So, he could be considered to have had an old relationship with the Shen family. Therefore, she should go and see him, both out of courtesy and reason.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Mi found a jade bracelet that she had brought from Bianjing and planned to give it to Fan Nayan's wife as a gift. So she told Cuiwei to wait at home while she went to knock on the door of the "Lanju" next door.
A short while later, the door opened from the inside, and a servant wearing a short shirt appeared.
Shen Mi said, "My surname is Shen. I have come to pay my respects to Envoy Fan. Please trouble you to announce my arrival."
The servant scratched his head. "Minister Fan? This isn't Minister Fan's residence. Has this lady come to the wrong place?"
Shen Mi frowned, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. She recognized the man as Yang Qing, who was beside Gu Zhan. She took two steps back and looked up at the plaque. After examining the plaque closely, a thought popped into her mind—could it be that she was wrong, and this was not Fan Nayan's residence, but Gu Zhan's temporary residence in Tongguan?
No wonder she found the naming style of the plaque strange, and the handwriting on it familiar.
The thought of unintentionally becoming Gu Zhan's neighbor made Shen Mi even more agitated. She had hastily moved away from the official post station precisely to avoid seeing Gu Zhan anytime soon, but now her plan had backfired.
She pursed her lips and said to the servant, "Then I must have remembered the wrong place. Farewell."
But as soon as she turned her back, she heard someone call her by her childhood name: "Zhi Niang?"
It was Lady Yang.
Shen Mi was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to leave or stay.
There was an unspeakable grudge between her and Gu Zhan, but it was difficult for her to be ruthless towards Yang Meiren.
As Yang Meiren's footsteps became clearer behind her, Shen Mi could only stiffly turn around and bow to Yang Meiren.
Lady Yang was pleasantly surprised to see her. She helped her up with both hands and told her not to stand on ceremony. She held her hand and looked her over for a while, saying, "You don't look as thin as you did when you first left Bianjing. That's a good thing."
Shen Mi lowered her eyes and simply responded with an "Mm".
Her departure from Bianjing that day was entirely out of desperation. At that time, she thought Gu Zhan was dead, and it took a lot of courage for her to make up her mind to contact Meng Tongfang and leave Bianjing, where she had grown up, with a small group of elite Qianniu Guards. She had even put a white flower in Gu Zhan's hair and considered herself his widow. But when she thought that all of this was a deception set up by Gu Zhan from the beginning, a bitter feeling welled up in her throat.
At that time, she lived in guilt and torment almost day and night, and couldn't eat or drink. How could she not lose weight?
Yang Meiren tried to pull her inside, but she didn't want to see Gu Zhan. She tried to pull her hand away from Yang Meiren's and said, "I've gone to the wrong place, so I won't go in."
"Is she avoiding Zhan'er?" Yang Meiren guessed her thoughts.
Shen Mi remained silent.
Yang Meiren patted the back of her hand, released her hand as she did so, and said, "He's not here right now. I made some chicken soup, and it's still simmering on the stove. I was going to send someone to deliver it to you at the official post station, but if you don't mind, come in and have a taste?"
Shen Mi was in a dilemma and conflicted, but in the end she couldn't bear to refuse Yang Meiren's kindness and agreed, since Gu Zhan was not around at the moment.
Consort Yang ordered her maid to bring a bowl of delicious chicken soup into the room. After pulling her hand and asking her to sit down, she hesitated for a moment before asking Shen Mi, "Are you pregnant?"
Shen Mi frowned. She had never mentioned this matter to Consort Yang, but judging from Consort Yang's surprised look, it probably wasn't Gu Zhan who had mentioned it to her.
Yang Meiren placed her fingertips on her wrist, probed it again, and withdrew her hand. "Before I entered the palace as a maid, I also learned medicine from my mother. Because I was quite knowledgeable about health preservation, I was able to serve the Empress when she was still a Consort, and that's how Zhan'er came to be. Just now, I accidentally felt your pulse and I noticed something."
Shen Mi no longer concealed anything, "It has been three months."
She simply couldn't bear to part with this child, and there was no way she would willingly abort it; once the pregnancy progressed, everyone would eventually find out.
“That scoundrel! He even kept this from me. He knew you were pregnant, and the first three months are the most critical. Yet he still made you travel all the way from Bianjing to Tongguan,” Yang Meiren scolded Gu Zhan from the side. “When he comes back, I will definitely give him a good scolding.”
Shen Mi originally wanted to explain to Yang Meiren that Gu Zhan only learned of her pregnancy when she arrived at Tongguan, but after thinking about it again, she changed her mind.
Why did she defend Gu Zhan in front of Consort Yang?
Yang Meiren pushed the small cup filled with chicken soup in front of Shen Mi, "In that case, you should take better care of your health. I know how hard it is for a woman to be pregnant, so you must not suffer any more. I also know a little about medicinal cuisine. If there is anything you want to eat, just tell me. If he does anything to upset you, just tell me."
Shen Mi never intended to bring her affair with Gu Zhan to Yang Meiren's ears. Hearing Yang Meiren say this, regardless of how much of it was true or false, the thought alone was enough to make her eyes redden.
After drinking the chicken soup, Yang Meiren told her many things to pay attention to during pregnancy, her words full of concern, which moved her deeply.
Consort Yang was witty and humorous, and Chen Mi gradually relaxed in her presence, feeling much more at ease than when he had to serve the Empress with great care.
While they were chatting and laughing happily, Shen Mi heard the voice she least wanted to hear.
"Mother, Zhan'er is back."
Shen Mi's breath hitched, and her back stiffened.
Gu Zhan was still outside the door and did not see Shen Mi. Only after entering the door did he realize that Shen Mi was sitting next to Yang Meiren.
He gasped softly, both surprised and delighted, his eyes filled with disbelief, "Zhi Niang, how did you get here?"
Fan Nayan came to see him in the morning to discuss something. After finishing their business, he mentioned that he had seen Shen Mi at the door and that Shen Mi was accompanied by a matchmaker from the brokerage firm. He was surprised and asked Fan Nayan to investigate the matter. He learned that Shen Mi had unintentionally bought the small courtyard next to his. He suppressed the irritation rising in his heart and quickly made arrangements with Fan Nayan, Meng Tongfang and the others. He then went home early, intending to visit Shen Mi after seeing his mother. However, he did not expect that Shen Mi would come to his house first.
Shen Mi's smile gradually faded. She took a deep breath, stood up, and said to Yang Meiren, "I have remembered what you said."
Lady Yang could tell that she was intentionally avoiding Gu Zhan, so she did not force her to stay.
Shen Mi pretended not to see Gu Zhan, stepped over the threshold, and was about to leave.
Gu Zhan glanced at Yang Meiren and hurriedly followed Shen Mi's steps.
Shen Mi was in a hurry to leave, so she turned into the covered walkway and walked along it. When she got to the end, she realized that she had gone in the wrong direction. This covered walkway was not the one that led to the entrance of "Lanju".
She turned around, her forehead bumping into Gu Zhan's chest.
The spot where Shen Mi bumped into was the very spot where Gu Zhan had been wounded by an arrow. He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
Shen Mi didn't want to get too close to Gu Zhan, so she took two steps back and looked at the spot where she had accidentally bumped into earlier.
A patch of blood the size of a thumb quickly appeared on Gu Zhan's chest, making it even more noticeable against his plain white robe.
Shen Mi's mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out, "Does it hurt?"
Gu Zhan's pupils dilated. "You... are you worried about me?"
Shen Mi belatedly realized what she had said, but refused to admit it, saying, "No."
Gu Zhan ignored the bleeding wound. If it were before, he would probably have Shen Mi apply the medicine for him, but he knew that the relationship between him and Shen Mi was tense now and not as good as before. He was also afraid that if he rushed things, Shen Mi would want to avoid him even more.
He noticed that Shen Mi's brows were furrowed, and her hair was falling over her forehead, as if she had left in a hurry. He subconsciously wanted to tidy up her hair, but stopped abruptly as he raised his hand. He then withdrew his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Shen Mi's lips moved slightly. Facing Gu Zhan, her heart felt like it was filled with a thousand words, but she didn't know which one to say first, so she simply remained silent.
The world fell silent in an instant.
Neither of them spoke; they simply stood facing each other in silence.
The wind blew through the veranda, stirring up the leaves of the trees planted beside it, and then into my sleeves.
The chill that swept over her brought Shen Mi back to her senses. She took half a step to the side, intending to walk around Gu Zhan. "It's getting late, I need to go back."
"Go back where?" Gu Zhan wanted to take in all of Shen Mi's expressions, so he didn't look away from her for even an inch. "I went to the official post station to look for you very early this morning, but you weren't there."
Shen Mi answered softly, "Go home."
Gu Zhan pressed on: "Can't this place be your home?" He paused, "Or rather, what kind of place, and what kind of people, do you think can be your home?"
Shen Mi's eyelashes drooped. She wanted to say that home is where there is someone you care about, but didn't she care about Gu Zhan?
She wanted to avoid the question, and only vaguely replied to Zhan, "I misspoke, let's go back to my newly bought courtyard."
Gu Zhan stepped aside, blocking her path. "Then why did you suddenly move out of the official post station? And in such a hurry?" He pinched the jade thumb ring on his thumb and asked tentatively, "Or are you avoiding me?"
Shen Mi was angered by his act of blocking her way. She looked up at him and said, "Yes, I am avoiding you. I just want to never see you again and never stay where you are!"
Gu Zhan looked at the woman's red eyes, which held only anger and no affection whatsoever. His heart sank: "Why?"
Shen Mi avoided Gu Zhan's deep gaze and said, "Being with you is exhausting. I have already returned the Tiger Tally to you. You have your unfinished great cause, the power, the throne, and the country that you value most. You are now biding your time in Tongguan, conserving your strength, and one day you will return to Bianjing to reclaim everything you once had, rule the world, have a harem, and have many children."
"And what about you? Don't you want to come back with me?"
Shen Mi felt a pang of sadness in her heart and uttered, "I don't know. You are first and foremost an emperor. To a wise and enlightened ruler, I am not the most important one, and I cannot entrust all my trust to you."
Gu Zhan's mind jolted. He was always adept at handling things. Even when he was deposed as crown prince and severely injured when he was banished from the capital, almost losing his chance to rise again, he still calmly and rationally analyzed his situation and made the right decision. But when facing Shen Mi, when facing Shen Mi like this, he could only feel helpless.
He didn't know what to do to make Shen Mi believe him.
When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. He whispered Chen Mi's name: "Zhi Niang, am I really so unworthy of your trust and reliance? I want to be your family, I want to give you a home where you can shelter from the wind and rain."
Shen Mi sneered and retorted to Gu Zhan, "Shelter from the wind and rain? Don't you think that almost all the storms I've weathered have come from you?"
Gu Zhan paused for a moment, realizing that what Shen Mi said was indeed irrefutable.
If it weren't for that imperial decree of marriage back then, even if Shen Mi was betrayed by that villain Chen Jun, she could still have married an ordinary man and lived a peaceful life with the title of "Princess of Jianing Township." She wouldn't have had to exhaust herself, risk everything by faking her death to escape, or travel thousands of miles while pregnant.
"It's my fault, it was my fault back then..."
Shen Mi didn't want to hear his explanation and interrupted him directly: "I don't want to hear your excuses."
Gu Zhan said, "Zhi Niang, I'm not trying to make excuses for myself. I just want to say that everything that happened back then was my fault, but the person standing in front of you now is just Gu Zhan, just your husband. I only want to spend the rest of my life with you peacefully, and I only want you to come back to my side."
"What if I don't want to?" Shen Mi clenched her sleeves.
"I will do everything I can to keep him here," Gu Zhan replied stiffly.
All the past events floated through Shen Mi's mind. She asked Gu Zhan, "How can you keep me here? Will you do it like you did last year when you brought me back from Runzhou, or will you chain me up like you did in the Eastern Palace, so I can't go anywhere? Imprison me in the deep palace?"
Gu Zhan knew that the more he explained, the further he would push Shen Mi away, so he said, "It was my fault. I was so angry that I thought you were going to leave and that's why I did that. I won't do that again."
Shen Mi composed herself. "So don't you understand? What you want is a woman who is obedient to you and will never listen to you. In the past, your biggest requirement for me was 'obedience,' but that's not what you'd expect from a wife. What I want is someone who is devoted to me and respects me. But I know you can't do that."
Gu Zhan sensed from Shen Mi's implied meaning that she wanted to find someone else to spend the rest of her life with. He couldn't accept such a thing happening, so he softened his tone: "So, you don't want me, and you don't want our child either?"
As he spoke, his gaze naturally fell on Shen Mi's lower abdomen.
Out of a mother's desire to protect her child, Shen Mi raised her hand to protect her abdomen and said calmly, "This is my child. I don't want him to become a tool for his biological father to gain power and status before he was even born. I can't bear the pain of losing a child again. As long as he is my child, that's enough."
A wave of pain washed over Gu Zhan's chest.
He knew that Shen Mi was referring to the innocent child who died in Taiye Pond back then, and he felt guilty as well.
When he plunged into the water and pulled Shen Mi from the pool into his arms, Shen Mi was already in a state of semi-consciousness. As he reached out to pull the water plants tangled around Shen Mi's calves, he glanced into the depths of Taiye Pool. Blood trickled down from beneath Shen Mi and dissolved into the water. What he saw was not the clear water of Taiye Pool, but a pool of blood, which was also his child.
Before marrying Shen Mi, he had killed many people and had blood on his hands. He thought he should be able to handle that scene by now, but to this day, he still cannot forget it.
So when the fake imperial edict deposing the crown prince was delivered to the Eastern Palace a few months ago, he heard that one of the reasons for his conviction was because of that child. He knew it was a frame-up by the King of Wei, but in that instant, he still felt a kind of atonement.
He once thought that if he and Shen Mi had another child, he might be able to win Shen Mi back through the child, but now it seems that this is not the case.
Gu Zhan looked down at Shen Mi, who was standing in front of him in thin clothes, and subconsciously wanted to pull her into his arms. He said, "Zhi Niang, no matter what, I will protect you and our child. The past will never happen again. Please stay."
He thought it that way, and he did it that way.
The moment the soft warmth enveloped him, his heart seemed to start beating again.
But he didn't dare to hug Shen Mi too tightly.
Shen Mi pushed her hand against his chest and broke free from his embrace.
His arms were full, then empty.
Shen Mi was surprised that she didn't hear Gu Zhan's usual explanations today, explaining how helpless he was at the time and how many reasons he had to do it. He seemed to be just admitting his mistakes and trying to persuade her to stay.
Upon hearing Gu Zhan's heartbeat, she too became flustered. Although she had already made up her mind, she was momentarily at a loss and could only push Gu Zhan away to maintain a brief moment of clarity.
She looked away and said, "The things between us cannot be explained in a few words, and all the problems cannot be solved overnight."
Gu Zhan said, "I understand. I hope you can give me some time."
Shen Mi didn't respond to that, but simply said, "I want to go back first."
Knowing that he couldn't force the issue, Gu Zhan stepped aside, clearing the corridor in front of Shen Mi.
He just stared at Shen Mi's back, watching her figure gradually fade from his sight, but he didn't follow. He was afraid that if he followed, he would try to force Shen Mi to stay and do something foolish again.
After Shen Mi's figure completely disappeared from his sight, Gu Zhan went to his study to deal with some things he hadn't had time to look at yet, mainly news from the spies in Bianjing.
Although the Prince of Wei had previously taken advantage of the Emperor's serious illness to forge an imperial edict to depose Gu Zhan from his position as Crown Prince and temporarily assume the role of regent as the eldest son of the Emperor, it was only temporary. Gu Zhan was still not the Crown Prince and could not move into the Eastern Palace.
The emperor could depose the crown prince in a fit of rage, because the prince colluded with generals, because he was suspected of treason, or because he disregarded etiquette and the emperor. But establishing a new crown prince was not an option.
The establishment of a crown prince requires the emperor to consult with all the court officials and then respectfully inform the ancestral temple. If there are no unusual celestial phenomena, it means that the ancestors have no objection, and only then can a crown prince be re-established. However, given the current situation, it is simply not feasible for the King of Wei to be established as the crown prince and rightfully oversee the country.
Firstly, the Emperor was seriously ill and rarely conscious each day, relying entirely on medicine and ginseng soup to keep him afloat. He had no energy to summon his ministers, let alone report to the ancestral temple and seek the ancestors' wishes.
Secondly, even though Gu Zhan was dead, there were still many people in the court who were his supporters, including two or three highly respected old ministers. These old stubborn men insisted on the rule that a son of a concubine should never be made heir apparent. They would rather have the empress adopt a child from the imperial clan than acknowledge the Prince of Wei. However, there was no young son in the imperial clan who was not aware of the situation, and the empress was also unwilling to accept this, so she had no choice but to give up. When these old stubborn men heard that the Prince of Wei was now in charge of the country, they all claimed to be sick and did not attend court. The end of the year and the beginning of the new year are the busiest times, so many things were not running smoothly, and the Prince of Wei was also very worried about this.
That wasn't all. To make matters worse, the fact that the deposed Crown Princess Shen Mi was pregnant before leaving Bianjing was leaked. This news caused an uproar throughout the court, with those who already opposed Prince Wei, Gu Shen, becoming even more vocal in their opinions. Many officials believed that while the former Crown Prince Gu Zhan had been deposed for his mistakes, the unborn child in Shen Mi's womb was innocent. Furthermore, this child was of imperial blood, and there was no reason for imperial blood to be left to wander outside the palace. Therefore, they advocated bringing Shen Mi back and making her unborn child the heir apparent.
With this statement, rumors circulated in the court that the pregnant Shen Mi left Bianjing because she was forced by the now-powerful Prince Wei. Prince Wei could not prove this himself, nor could he keep it from being mentioned. Bianjing was now in a complete mess.
Gu Zhan flipped through the messages from Bianjing, a smile playing on his lips as expected.
Although he was forced out of Bianjing by the King of Wei, the eyes he left behind were still useful. More than 70% of the reason why such a big upheaval was caused was because of the manipulation of people's hearts by the spies he had left in Bianjing during this period.
Today, Fan Nayan came to see him and asked him to come over and discuss matters with others, which were related to this matter.
Meng Tongfang advocated that the army could be reorganized, the news released, and a renewed attack on Bianjing be launched. Gu Zhan, however, rejected his idea, believing that they could wait a while longer because Bianjing was not chaotic enough and the King of Wei still had popular support. Only when the King of Wei's limited abilities could no longer maintain the stability of the court and the country would it be the right time for him to return to Bianjing and "purge the court of corrupt officials".
However, Gu Zhan still couldn't figure out what was going on between him and Shen Mi. Once he put aside his political affairs and thought about his relationship with Shen Mi, he always felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
He could strategize and win battles from afar, but he didn't know how to win back his wife and children who were right beside him.
Fortunately, Shen Mi was willing to confide in him and recount his past foolish deeds, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
As the winds in Bianjing gradually turned in his favor, he had to devote more energy and time to matters related to the Bianjing plot. Therefore, he went to the Tongguan government office early the next day to discuss matters with Fan Nayan, Meng Tongfang, and several trusted subordinates.
Fan Nayan had said that there was no such thing as a monarch actively seeking out his subjects, so they used to hold most of their meetings at Lanju. However, just two days ago, when Consort Yang arrived at Tongguan, Gu Zhan did not want the comings and goings to disturb Consort Yang's peace and quiet, so he instructed them to hold meetings at the government office from now on.
It was indeed rare for Fan Nayan to arrive half an hour late, as he was usually the first to arrive.
Upon arriving, Fan Nayan hurriedly bowed to Gu Zhan and said, "I hope Your Highness will forgive me. However, my wife suddenly showed signs of labor in the middle of the night last night. The doctor and midwife we summoned said it was a sign of a difficult birth, so I waited outside until my wife and child were safe before I came to your office."
Gu Zhan glanced at Fan Nayan. His clothes were indeed wrinkled and his hair ornament was crooked. It was obvious that he had gotten up in a hurry and had only tidied himself up casually before leaving.
"It's alright, then congratulations to Nayan on the birth of your son."
Fan Nayan smiled and thanked him, then steered the conversation toward the political matters they were discussing.
After discussing everything, Gu Zhan made a point of keeping Fan Nayan behind.
Fan Nayan was quite surprised. "Does Your Highness have something you would like to ask me that you would find inconvenient to discuss with others?"
Gu Zhan didn't try to hide anything, and simply said, "I would like to ask the Grand Councilor what a woman should pay attention to in the early stages of pregnancy?"
Fan Nayan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is the Crown Princess pregnant?"
Gu Zhan nodded and said, "I have no relevant experience before, and the Grand Councilor has just had the joy of having a son. I think it is most appropriate to ask you, Grand Councilor, about this matter."
It wasn't that he had no relevant experience, but when Shen Mi was pregnant last time, she was still in the Eastern Palace. All her food and daily life were prepared and managed by the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Six Departments of the Eastern Palace, so he didn't need to interfere much. In addition, that child didn't live for long in Shen Mi's womb. At that time, he always thought that since he and Shen Mi were both young, he didn't pay special attention to that child, and he wasn't as careful as he is now.
Fan Nayan was unaware of these past events, but recalling his past experience caring for his wife, he told Gu Zhan in detail: "Actually, besides the matter of diet and pregnancy-preserving medicine, it's also important to keep the Crown Princess in a good mood and avoid causing her to feel depressed, overthink, or overwork..."
He rambled on and on, and Gu Zhan didn't interrupt him, letting him talk.
Finally, Gu Zhan said that he already knew, and that's why he told Fan Nayan to go back and take care of his wife as soon as possible.
When Gu Zhan returned to Lanju, there was a market in Tongguan Prefecture that day, which blocked the streets and made it difficult to move forward. So Gu Zhan did not ask anyone to hitch up a carriage, but planned to walk back to Lanju along the long street. It was only three or four miles away, which was not far.
The market was crowded with vendors. Gu Zhan's memory of Shen Mi's pregnancy was very vague. He was too confused at the time and did not realize his own feelings. He was mostly indifferent to Shen Mi. Even when he thought back, he could only remember Shen Mi at that time. She was very picky about food and loved spicy jerky.
Now he is trying to understand and inquire about Shen Mi's tastes, but Shen Mi avoids him like the plague.
Gu Zhan walked along the long street, looking at the things sold by the vendors on the roadside.
He always felt he owed Shen Mi a lot, so he bought a portion of everything he saw that Shen Mi might like to eat.
When his hands were full of oil paper packages of all sizes, he always felt that something was missing.
Looking down, he saw a small stall selling rattles and bells, with several cute tiger-head hats displayed next to it. He suddenly remembered the day he went to the official post station to find Shen Mi, who was sitting by the window with an embroidery frame, as if she was embroidering clothes for the child in her womb.
It turned out that these items were missing, so he paid for them all and asked the shop owner to pack one of each.
Shen Mi thought Gu Zhan might come, but she didn't expect that when Cuiwei welcomed him in, he was carrying many bags and packages.
Gu Zhan took out a rattle drum from his pocket and shook it twice in his hand.
When Shen Mi saw this scene, she found it somewhat comical, but it seemed more like a test and a sign of concern.
Her gaze fell on the rattle drum, and she asked, "What's this for?"
Gu Zhan looked at her and said gently, "Zhi Niang, I want to learn to be a qualified husband and a qualified father."
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Author's note: [pats head][pats head]
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