When Situ Rui arrived at Changchun Palace, he waved to the palace maid he was supposed to report to. Seeing that no one was in the main hall, he went straight to the bedroom. He knew that his beloved concubine was not one to join in the fun, and she rarely even went to the Imperial Garden more than a few times a year. So when he saw that no one was in the main hall, he went directly to the bedroom to look for her.
Sure enough, Baozhu was sitting by the dressing table, her hand supporting her chin, her eyes vacant. It was obvious that she was lost in thought, preoccupied with something.
"What is my beloved concubine thinking about?"
Tang Baozhu was startled by the sudden sound. The sound was familiar, which prevented her from losing her composure.
"Your Majesty has arrived. Why didn't you let the palace servants announce it? You frightened me to death."
It happened silently, and thankfully I didn't do anything; I was just spacing out.
Tang Baozhu suddenly felt guilty. What was she feeling guilty about? She hadn't done anything wrong. What was there to be guilty about?
Situ Rui didn't expect Baozhu to react so strongly, and belatedly realized that he might have really frightened her.
"Fine, it was my fault."
Tang Baozhu was surprised that the emperor would say it was her fault, which made her a little embarrassed, and she had no excuse to argue.
"How can you blame the Emperor? It's also my fault for being distracted and not hearing the Emperor's footsteps."
"Is Baozhu feeling unwell? Otherwise, why would she be so listless? We should call the imperial physician to come and take a look."
Situ Rui really thought his beloved concubine was unwell and was thinking of calling the imperial physician to take a look. After all, she was usually in such good health and had never been sick in all these years. He also thought that she had not been pregnant for so many years, so he wondered if she had been pregnant.
Thinking of this, he didn't delay and directly called to Eunuch Li, "Little Li, go and call Physician Zhang from the Imperial Hospital over, hurry up."
"Your Majesty, please don't worry, this servant will go by myself."
When Eunuch Li ran out, he wondered if there was good news again. Tang Baozhu was so healthy, and she had never been sick in all the years she had been in the palace. The first impression that she was summoning the imperial physician was that there was good news again.
"Oh, no, I'm not sick, I don't need to..."
Eunuch Li was too fast; Tang Baozhu hadn't even had time to react before he ran away. She knew her own situation; her health was excellent. Fortunately, she had called for a familiar doctor, Physician Zhang, so there was no need to be nervous.
"Your Majesty, I am not feeling unwell. I was just spacing out. I was thinking about how lively Changchun Palace used to be with three children. It's so quiet and deserted now, and I'm just not used to it."
Tang Baozhu felt that no matter what her purpose was in coming into this world, the three children were born from her ten months of pregnancy and she had spent six years with them. How could she not be reluctant to part with them now that they were going to be separated?
"Baozhu, don't worry. I was originally going to ask the imperial physician to take a look at you. Your children are all so grown up, and nothing good has happened yet. I was worried that it might be a health issue. I'd like to have him take a look so I can feel more at ease."
Tang Baozhu felt she had been moved for nothing. She thought he was worried about her health, but it turned out he wanted to check why she hadn't gotten pregnant again. However, she felt that three princes were enough and she didn't want to have any more.
"Your Majesty, aren't three little princes enough?"
Situ Rui felt it wasn't enough. He wouldn't mind having ten or eight more princes who were so healthy. Besides, he didn't have a little princess, and he wanted a delicate little girl too.
“My dear consort, look, we have three little princes, but no little princess. Don’t you think that’s a pity? Let’s have another little princess! A little princess who looks exactly like you. Besides, the little princes have all moved away. It’s the perfect time to welcome a new life. Changchun Palace will be even more lively.”
Situ Rui felt that his beloved concubine was so beautiful that it would be a waste if she didn't give birth to a little princess who looked exactly like her.
It can only be said that the emperor was too optimistic. Having a daughter isn't something you can just wish for. It's only because Tang Baozhu had many good things that he was able to fulfill his desire for a son. Unexpectedly, he now wants a daughter.
Tang Baozhu was more interested in what the emperor was saying, and following his words, she imagined in her mind a baby who looked exactly like herself.
She couldn't think about it anymore; she had to quickly banish the image from her mind. The thought was just too tempting; she almost fell for it and wanted to have another little princess.
Situ Rui noticed that his beloved concubine seemed a little tempted, so he quickly encouraged her, saying that as long as his concubine was interested, the little girl he wanted should arrive soon.
It wasn't until Physician Zhang arrived that the emperor stopped trying to persuade him and resumed his usual public persona of being expressionless.
"Imperial Physician Zhang, please take the Imperial Concubine's pulse and see why she hasn't conceived after all these years. Also, consider whether she should take any remedies to regulate her pregnancy."
"I obey the order."
Physician Zhang appeared respectful, but inwardly he was grumbling. He could tell from the sight that his master was in excellent health, so there was nothing he needed to do with it. He just didn't want to have children; if he wanted to, he could have given birth to ten or eight of them.
But he still carefully took her pulse and found that she was perfectly healthy. After all, Doctor Zhang himself had a WeChat group with so many amazing things in it, how could he possibly make her sick?
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is in good health. As for the issue of not being pregnant, perhaps it is simply that the time is not yet right. When the time is right, she will naturally conceive."
As for when the time is right? That depends on when the Imperial Concubine wants to have a child. When she wants to have a child, the time will come.
Although Situ Rui was not satisfied with the answer, he was not the kind of person who would take his anger out on others, so he could only wave his hand and tell Physician Zhang to leave.
Nothing good came of it, and Situ Rui was still in a low mood. Fortunately, his beloved concubine was alright, and he figured things would be alright sooner or later.
Worried that his beloved concubine also wanted a daughter but hadn't conceived yet, he feared she was overthinking things and quickly comforted her, saying, "My dear concubine, don't worry. Perhaps it's just that our time hasn't come yet. When it does, we'll have a daughter."
Seeing his dejected expression, Tang Baozhu was still trying to comfort him. Thinking about all the little things that had happened over the past five or six years, she realized that the emperor had been very good to her. At least no one bothered her, and she had lived a peaceful life. Even when the empress dowager had opinions about her, it was the emperor who stood in front of her.
Since he wants a daughter so much, let's grant his wish. We'll have triplets, and when the babies are born, we'll conspire with Physician Zhang to tell the Emperor that I've injured my body and can't have any more children. I think he'll stop having any expectations of me then.
The more I think about it, the better the idea seems. But I can't get pregnant right away, or he'll get suspicious. I'll wait a few months before trying to conceive!
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