Chapter 60: "A father's status rises with his son's; let's be completely open about it..."
Chapter Sixty: A Father's Status Rises Because of His Son ==
“Old man, your divination skills are quite impressive. With this child, the current predicament should be resolved.” Master Huiyuan gazed compassionately at the chessboard before him, placing a few more black pieces. At this moment, Master Yunyang casually sat down opposite him and said.
Their trip to Beili was for two reasons: first, for their respective disciples, and second, for the situation between the two countries. Nanqiong's unauthorized replacement of the chosen successor had caused an uproar in the court. If the Emperor insisted on pursuing this matter, the Crown Prince alone would not be able to contend with the imperial power and the reigning emperor.
“The Crown Prince of Qin will be arriving in Beili soon, and this predicament will surely be resolved. However, Beili still faces another calamity,” Master Huiyuan said.
Master Yunyang frowned, clearly not expecting him to say that. "What do you mean?"
The eldest prince of Beili, Xiao Ruofei, lacked the talent of an emperor and has now been deposed. It is the popular choice to establish Prince Cheng as the crown prince. As for calamities, Beili was hit by an epidemic some time ago, but it has now been resolved. Apart from Nanqiong, other small countries are not a threat to Beili.
"We'll know in a few more days." Master Huiyuan didn't explain further to Master Yunyang, leaving the question unanswered.
Some things are best left unsaid, and Master Yunyang didn't intend to dwell on it. He picked up a cool-to-the-touch black piece and placed it on the chessboard. The two had played chess together a lot when they were young, and even in their old age, they still had the same competitive spirit they had when they were young, determined to defeat each other without leaving a trace.
When the carriage bearing the "Prince Cheng's Residence" insignia stopped at the gate, the steward hurriedly came forward. He then saw His Highness pick up the Crown Princess and walk hurriedly towards the Zixia Palace. The steward was startled, fearing that something had happened to the Crown Princess, and quickly followed.
This was the first time he had ever seen His Highness so anxious. Xiao Yu's chest trembled as he carefully placed his wife on the chaise longue. The steward followed him in, and then His Highness ordered in a deep voice, "Please summon Imperial Physician Zhang."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away." The steward glanced at the Crown Princess tentatively, guessing that she was feeling unwell, and hurriedly took the token from his master and went to the palace.
Su Wanyue's expression was still somewhat blank at first, but now she had come to her senses. Seeing his stiff face and the slight trembling of his arms around her, she couldn't help but tug at his arm. With a smile in her eyes, she said, "Didn't Your Highness just take my pulse?"
On the way back to the mansion, the man had already taken her pulse. Su Wanyue had no experience in this area, so she was quite surprised. However, the man's expression was obviously wrong, his chest was heaving violently, and it was as if a beast was being suppressed inside him.
Her small hand unconsciously touched her flat stomach. Xiao Yu was obviously more nervous than her. His throat was a little dry and his eyes were deep. He stroked his wife's soft hand with his big palm and kissed her between her eyebrows. "Wanwan, thank you."
At this point, Xiao Yu had no regrets.
He suddenly felt grateful for that marriage contract; if it weren't for this union, his wife wouldn't have come into his life.
At this moment, Su Wanyue was strangely calm. She pulled his arm and whispered in his ear that she had something to say to him that night. Xiao Yu looked at her deeply and said, "I'm looking forward to it."
He was willing to compromise as long as his wife didn't leave him.
Imperial Physician Zhang had been in charge of the Crown Princess's health. Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had summoned him, he hurried to Prince Cheng's residence with his medicine chest. Could it be that the Crown Prince was summoning him at this time because there was a problem with the child in the Crown Princess's womb?
Zhang, the imperial physician, already knew what happened in the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day. He never expected that the princess who married into the Nanqiong family was not the real princess at all. However, judging from how much His Highness cared about the Crown Princess, regardless of whether the Crown Princess was the real Princess Weiyang, the Crown Prince would treat her well as always. As long as the Crown Prince acknowledged this Crown Princess, what did it matter whether she was the real Princess Weiyang or not?
Moreover, during the time that Imperial Physician Zhang stayed at Prince Cheng's residence, he felt that the Crown Princess had an excellent temperament and was a perfect match for His Highness the Crown Prince in every way. The people in Prince Cheng's residence also spoke highly of the Crown Princess. Wasn't that enough? If it were the real Princess Weiyang, she might not have been able to do this.
Physician Zhang rushed to Prince Cheng's residence. Mo Yu was standing outside the gate. As soon as Physician Zhang appeared, Mo Yu immediately carried him to the Zixia Palace. Physician Zhang hurriedly held onto his medicine chest, afraid that it would fall. After arriving at the Zixia Palace, he saw the Crown Princess reclining on the chaise longue, talking to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was quietly accompanying her, occasionally offering a word of encouragement. Physician Zhang quickly lowered his head. In the royal family, there were very few couples with such a good relationship as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, and the Crown Princess."
Xiao Yu raised his hand, and Imperial Physician Zhang went over to check Su Wanyue's pulse. Compared to that day in the Imperial Study, Imperial Physician Zhang was clearly more adept at taking her pulse this time. After a short while, Imperial Physician Zhang stood up and said with a smile, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess's pulse is stable, but since this is the Crown Princess's first pregnancy, she should rest more, which will be good for the baby in her womb."
That day, it was just a casual remark by the man, meant to solve his immediate problem, but unexpectedly it came true by accident.
Seeing the strange expressions on His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess's faces, Imperial Physician Zhang figured out what was going on. The Crown Prince and His Highness hadn't believed him that day. Imperial Physician Zhang scratched his head and smiled, "I have been practicing medicine for decades and have never made a mistake in taking pulses. Your Highness the Crown Princess is indeed one month pregnant."
Su Wanyue was the first to react, and smiled as she gave Qin'er a meaningful look. Qin'er quickly stepped forward and handed Zhang the Imperial Physician a gold ingot. Zhang the Imperial Physician accepted it with trepidation. The eldest prince had already been deposed as crown prince, and he lacked talent and ability, so he was completely out of the running for the throne. The crown prince's ascension to the throne was inevitable. Although the crown princess was not a princess of the Southern Qiong royal family, she was still a royal daughter. The status of their child was unknown. Zhang the Imperial Physician dared not be careless. If anything happened to the child in the crown princess's womb, they would not only lose their official positions, but also their lives.
"Today, everyone in the Prince Cheng's mansion will be rewarded." Xiao Yu glanced at the steward with his narrow phoenix eyes, his tone gentle and magnetic.
"Yes, Your Highness." A few days ago, everyone in the manor knew that the Crown Princess was pregnant, but at that time, the Crown Princess's true identity was revealed, and His Highness didn't seem to be in a very good mood, so they didn't go around to see the Crown Princess. Today, the Crown Prince took the Crown Princess to see Master Yunyang, and upon returning, he summoned the imperial physician and distributed rewards. Could it be because the issue of the Crown Princess's identity has been resolved? But no matter what the truth is, if the master is happy, then he is happy.
A few days ago, Qin'er felt that something was wrong with the princess. Not only did she have a small appetite, but she also often felt tired. She never expected that the princess was really pregnant. While Qin'er was happy for the princess, she also sighed in her heart. Perhaps, as Master Huiyuan said, His Highness the Crown Prince was the princess's true destiny. With the matter settled, Qin'er was able to breathe a sigh of relief. But the princess was now the Crown Princess of Beili and would become the Empress of Beili in the future. When would she be able to see the prince again? In Nanqiong, only the prince was the princess's true family.
The news that Imperial Physician Zhang had been summoned to Prince Cheng's residence by the Crown Prince quickly reached Consort Qin. Consort Qin, who had been lazily resting her forehead on her hand, abruptly stood up upon hearing the news. "But is Wanwan feeling unwell?"
Consort Qin still remembered that she was pregnant. As long as Nan Qiong's "switching the beams and pillars" was not resolved, Consort Qin would not have peace of mind, because the emperor was still angry. If Nan Qiong could not give a reasonable explanation and give some benefits to Bei Li, the emperor would definitely not give up the idea of letting the two women serve one husband.
Consort Qin had learned from her inquiries that the reason Nanqiong had arranged for the girl to marry into the family was because Princess Weiyang had run away from the marriage a day early. Consort Qin immediately felt that it was good that the girl hadn't married into the family, since even her innocent and romantic Xiaoqi wouldn't do such a thing. The emperor intended for the two sisters to share a husband, which Consort Qin would definitely not agree to.
But as long as the people from Nanqiong did not arrive, the girl would be in greater danger. Consort Qin had been restless and anxious these past two days, thinking about this matter.
"This servant asked Imperial Physician Zhang, and Imperial Physician Zhang said that His Highness only asked her to check the Crown Princess's pulse. The Crown Princess's pulse is stable, and everything is fine," Granny Gui hurriedly explained when she saw that she had misunderstood.
Consort Qin breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that Wanwan and the baby in her belly are alright. Granny Gui, pick out some decorative items from my storeroom and send those two century-old Ganoderma lucidum to Prince Cheng's residence. Tell her that as long as I am here, I will not allow anyone to threaten her position as Crown Princess."
Ever since she learned that her son had fallen in love with the girl, Consort Qin had not given her niece, Qin Sisi, any chance to get close to her son. As for a stranger, Princess Nanqiong, Consort Qin would not give her any face either.
"This servant will go right away."
Consort Qin fiddled with the vibrant plum blossoms before her, plucked a petal, and asked the young palace maid, "Did His Highness see any other concubines today?"
Since the day Su Wanyue's true identity was revealed, the Emperor has never summoned Consort Qin again. Consort Qin did bring a food box to pay her respects to the Emperor, but he refused to see her. Consort Qin was not afraid of losing favor, but she was afraid that the Emperor would believe the Empress's "slander." Having finally found such a handle, how could the Empress let it go easily? Perhaps because of the Crown Prince's deposition, the Empress hated them to death.
The young palace maid realized almost instantly who Consort Qin was asking, and that it was definitely not an ordinary concubine.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has only summoned His Highness and various ministers these past few days; he has not summoned any other concubines in the harem."
Consort Qin let out a soft breath and waved her hand, "You may leave."
The Empress and the eldest prince, Xiao Ruofei, were naturally not happy. They couldn't do anything to Xiao Yu, but dealing with his Crown Princess was more than enough. Xiao Yu loved his wife so much; if she suffered, would he still be so arrogant? They never expected the Emperor to be so biased. The Emperor said he wouldn't hold such a big mistake against Xiao Yu and his wife. What kind of bias was this? Xiao Ruofei was extremely dissatisfied. Without this opportunity, it would be difficult to find such a handle again.
When the major families of the capital learned that the current Crown Princess was not a legitimate princess of the Northern Li royal family, they all sighed at how audacious Southern Qiong was. They changed the marriage partner so easily and even tried to cover it up. The only innocent one was their Crown Princess. However, the Crown Princess was not the daughter of a subject of Southern Qiong, but a princess of the Southern Qiong royal family. Her status was not low, and now that she was carrying their Crown Prince's child, she was worthy of the position of Crown Princess. It all depended on what Southern Qiong's intentions were.
Because of what his wife had said, Xiao Yu specially took a bath and changed his clothes. With his tall and slender figure, he walked towards his wife, put one arm around her, and naturally fed her water with the other. "What does Wanwan want to tell me, hmm?"
The dim candlelight in the hall illuminated the man's exquisitely sculpted face, his features flawless. His gentle gaze fell upon her. Su Wanyue was not one to hesitate; having made her decision, she had no regrets. She took a sip of tea, her watery eyes meeting his. Seeing his wife like this, Xiao Yu's gaze softened, and his hand around her waist tightened slightly. At this moment, Su Wanyue spoke softly yet firmly: "Your Highness, I am deeply in love with you and wish to grow old with you."
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