In January, when Chu Yuan summoned Physician Hu, Dugu Jue, who was in court, couldn't sit still and rushed off the court to Chu Yuan's side.
The way the doctor was staring at him made the latter feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty...is something wrong?" Physician Hu's hands trembled slightly as he took the pulse.
Dugu Jue gripped the armrests of the chair, remaining as calm as ever: "It's nothing, you can continue."
Physician Hu exclaimed, "!"
Your Majesty, do you know how frightening your entourage is?
But he dared not be careless in taking the pulse, so he could only force himself to calm down. When he found out that the pulse was positive, he was excited, but for some reason, when he looked at the emperor, he felt that the emperor's eyes were more dangerous.
Physician Hu stammered, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty is pregnant...Congratulations..."
As he spoke, the emperor's brows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly. Physician Hu's heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed, "Oh no! This slight expression means he's unhappy!"
But he didn't understand why the emperor was unhappy.
The Empress is fertile and can give birth easily; this is a blessing for the country and for the Emperor!
"Hmm, I understand." After a long while, Dugu Jue responded in a muffled voice, his concern for Chu Yuan naturally showing. "You should take good care of her. You did very well when she was with Ai'er. Even so, for the first three months, you came to the palace every day to check her pulse, and for the next few months, you came every three days to check her pulse. Record it and send it to me. If she has any discomfort, you must inform me. Also, be careful with the medicines that your Imperial Hospital submits. If there are any problems, I will investigate them thoroughly, but the first thing I will do is question your Imperial Hospital!"
Hu Liang was already the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and Dugu Jue would not be polite to him when it came to conveying orders.
Hu Liang was quite familiar with Dugu Jue's style, so he immediately knelt down and agreed, daring not to have any objections.
The Emperor usually doesn't talk much in court, but he was willing to give the Empress such careful instructions, which clearly shows that he cherishes the Empress very much. Hu Liang was even more puzzled as to why the Emperor was not happy that the Empress was pregnant.
After leaving Fengming Palace, he asked the head maid who had seen him off about his doubts.
After all, knowing yourself and your enemy makes it easier to serve them, so you don't accidentally break a taboo without even realizing it.
The head maid of Fengming Palace was undoubtedly Xia He. Upon hearing this, Xia He's fair face flushed red, as if she had been drunk in broad daylight.
Physician Hu said, "...If it is inconvenient for my aunt to disclose this, then I will not ask further."
Xia He, being shy, pursed her lips and asked softly, "Does Physician Hu have several wives and concubines in his household?"
The latter was slightly taken aback. "This... many of my colleagues have both a legal wife and a concubine in their families."
Is this a crime?
"No, Physician Hu, don't be nervous. It's not that it's impossible, it's just..." Xia He shook her head, lowering her voice even further, biting her lip as she spoke with difficulty, "It's just that His Majesty only has one concubine, none of the maids or other concubines. Once Your Majesty becomes pregnant, you have to observe the first three months of abstinence, then the last three months, and then the postpartum period lasts for dozens of days. His Majesty..."
Xia He couldn't continue speaking; her cheeks were already as red as apples.
Of course, Physician Hu suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed, "I was so slow to understand! Thank you for your guidance, Aunt!"
Thinking to myself, I need to go back and think carefully about how to subtly ingratiate myself with the Emperor and tell him that I don't really need to be so restrained...
After all, the Empress's gestational condition was the best he had ever seen; how could there be any problems?
So, when the pulse diagnosis was presented the next day, Physician Hu subtly recounted the words he had pondered for so long the night before.
Before hearing this, Dugu Jueting was somewhat resentful, because he had been unable to do anything since last night.
After hearing this, he specially stepped out of the desk and patted Hu Liang on the shoulder, saying, "I heard that Minister Hu has a particular fondness for medical books and fine horses. The rare medical books in the library and the Ferghana horses from the Western Regions, I will have someone send them to Minister Hu's home later."
Overjoyed, Hu Liang exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor!"
My goodness, this is the first time I've ever felt that this unfathomable and gloomy emperor is so easy to serve!
Did he discover some incredible shortcut?
In the spring of the thirty-sixth year of Huaxu, Chu Yuan gave birth to a pair of fraternal twin sons. Dugu Jue granted a general amnesty and reduced the national tax burden by 20%.
In the winter of the thirty-eighth year of Huaxu, Chu Yuan gave birth to another son.
She had a total of five sons, which can be described as fruitful. She alone surpassed the entire harem during the reigns of the previous emperor, the previous dynasty, and the dynasty before that.
Thus, those talkative censors had nothing to say. The entire court and even the whole country knew that our Empress was pregnant, beautiful as a fairy, and the most favored woman in the harem. She was an exceptionally lucky woman.
Many little girls, once they grow up, wish to see her.
Little did they know, Dugu Jue was secretly plotting behind their backs, saying, "Minister Hu, I've been drinking the contraceptive soup for a while now. This time, it should be effective, right?"
Hu Liang's forehead was covered in beads of sweat. "Your Majesty, the contraceptive soup for men is not easy to prepare. If the dosage is too low, it won't work, and if the dosage is too high, I'm afraid it will harm Your Majesty's health."
"It's alright. Compared to the Empress's hardship, I would rather suffer physical harm."
Physician Hu silently rolled his eyes.
It seems His Majesty has no idea what he's doing. Who knows if the Empress's repeated pregnancies aren't actually a way for her to "rest" a bit?
He would never forget the day he was ordered to enter the palace to take the emperor's pulse, only to find that he had just witnessed the emperor and empress having a passionate night of lovemaking until dawn. It was incredibly embarrassing...
Your Majesty is truly remarkable!
He felt ashamed of himself!
Dugu Jue secretly drank the contraceptive soup, and after drinking it, he became even more unscrupulous.
I'm certain there won't be any this time.
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