Chapter 44: Is she just desperate for a child?
Hanyuan Hall
"Your Majesty, your subject and Eunuch Zeng have thoroughly investigated the matter over the past few days, and we have indeed found no abnormalities in the Eastern and Western Palaces."
The ones giving the reply inside the hall at that moment were Commander Wei and Eunuch Zeng, who was in charge of investigating various underworld matters within the palace.
Ah Zhu was completely focused on the "ghostly thing" that had been tormenting him, but in the eyes of others, it was hard not to associate these unexplained symptoms with "witchcraft and sorcery."
Since ancient times, once the palace has been tainted by witchcraft and sorcery, it will instantly cause panic and implicate a large number of people. Therefore, Emperor Xuanpei ordered a secret investigation.
Obviously, if no one really did it, there's no way to find out who did it.
Emperor Xuanpei frowned, paused for a moment, and slowly nodded. "In that case, let's leave it at that."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Your humble servant obeys."
Not long after the two left the hall, Eunuch Chen, unable to contain his joy, hurriedly entered Hanyuan Hall to report the good news to Emperor Xuanpei.
Of course, although Eunuch Chen didn't say he was completely certain that A-Zhu was pregnant, he actually believed it to be about 80-90% in his heart.
Upon hearing this joyous news, Emperor Xuanpei was taken aback, and then suddenly got up and went to Chonghua Palace.
After walking a few steps, he said, "Go and summon Geng Nianliang to check her pulse."
"yes."
*
Hearing that A-Zhu was still asleep, Emperor Xuanpei waved his hand to prevent others from making a sound and went into Chonghua Palace to take a look. Sure enough, A-Zhu was still sleeping soundly on the bed.
Before long, Judge Geng arrived.
He hurriedly paid his respects to Emperor Xuanpei.
"Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuanpei waved his hand to dismiss Imperial Physician Geng from the formalities, and then, unusually, began to nag him repeatedly, saying, "You must carefully examine his pulse and not be negligent in the slightest."
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I will be careful and do my best."
After expressing his loyalty to Emperor Xuanpei, Imperial Physician Geng turned around and knelt in front of Azhu. With a serious expression and solemn gaze, he reached out and placed his hand on Azhu's wrist—Imperial Physician Geng had just taken Azhu's pulse the day before and had not found anything abnormal.
Who would have thought that he would be suddenly brought before the Emperor today, and be told that the Empress might be pregnant... Physician Geng was filled with surprise, panic and confusion the whole way.
That shouldn't be the case...
Has his medical skills suddenly deteriorated to this extent?
Therefore, while everyone else was overjoyed by this happy event, Judge Geng, who entered the Hanyuan Hall, was deeply horrified.
Upon closer inspection, he truly was... Physician Geng's hand, resting on A-Zhu's wrist, trembled slightly. He had received both good news and bad news.
The good news is that his medical skills are still intact, and he hasn't been reduced to becoming a quack doctor selling quack remedies.
The bad news is that it wasn't a slippery pulse; this empress truly wasn't pregnant, and it's suspected that she was... faking a pregnancy.
Seeing Geng Nianliang's expression, Emperor Xuanpei's joy suddenly faded a little.
Seeing that he repeatedly took the pulse but refused to speak, Emperor Xuanpei's expression darkened slightly.
"You've been taking my pulse for so long, and you still haven't figured it out?"
Judge Geng abruptly withdrew his hand.
He had already diagnosed it.
He knew that Emperor Xuanpei wanted to hear some good news, but without it, there was nothing!
He couldn't conjure up a royal heir to stuff into this empress's belly.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Judge Geng replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, thanks to Your Majesty's divine protection, Her Highness's chronic diarrhea has been mostly cured during this period."
"If you continue to take such good care of yourself and get proper treatment, that will be fine."
"By the time when spring arrives next year and the flowers bloom, Your Majesty should be free from all illnesses and enjoy good health."
After hearing what Physician Geng said, Eunuch Chen didn't dare to raise his head for a moment. He just stared blankly at the gold bricks in the hall, as if he wanted to stare a flower out of them.
Emperor Xuanpei immediately tightened his grip on the thumb ring.
"Is that all?"
Faced with Emperor Xuanpei's renewed questioning, Imperial Physician Geng did not hesitate to activate the imperial physician's special skill, the "People-Calling Technique."
"Your Majesty."
"The Imperial Physician Cao in the Imperial Medical Academy is most skilled at treating children and women. If we could have his assistance, we would be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Emperor Xuanpei gave Imperial Physician Geng a deep look, pursed his lips, and still said, "Summon!"
"Yes." Eunuch Chen responded quickly and left the hall.
Soon, the Imperial Physician Cao, who had been successfully brought in by Judge Geng to testify, arrived. In fact, Eunuch Chen was followed by two more people – Green Lotus and Green Pomegranate.
After hearing Imperial Physician Cao's assertion that A-Zhu was not pregnant at all, Qing Liu couldn't hold back any longer.
She gritted her teeth and knelt before Emperor Xuanpei.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I have something to say."
Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei had agreed, Qingliu said to the two imperial physicians, "Your Excellency, Physician Cao, Her Majesty is indeed experiencing missed periods and has been nauseous and vomiting several times, making her unable to eat."
Judge Geng and Imperial Physician Cao exchanged a glance.
This time it was Imperial Physician Cao who spoke. He braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, when I was among the common people, I saw a family whose situation was similar to that of Your Highness."
"That woman had been infertile for years... Desperate for a child, and also, coincidentally, she had been exposed to cold, which caused her period to be delayed. In the following months, she began to exhibit all the characteristics of a pregnant woman..."
Judge Geng continued, "Her Majesty has been eating a lot of fruits, fish, and shrimp these past few days, which may have upset her spleen and stomach. That's why she's experiencing bloating and nausea several times."
The hall was completely silent.
Obviously, no one expected things to turn out this way.
Emperor Xuanpei remained silent for a moment, then instructed the two imperial physicians to keep the matter to themselves before returning to prescribe medicine for Azhu.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my carelessness. Please forgive me."
Seeing Qingliu and Lüfu kneeling on the ground, hurriedly begging for forgiveness, Emperor Xuanpei not only did not blame them, but also wanted to reward them.
He began by praising them, saying, "You two are utterly loyal; what crime have you committed?"
"Since you are already serving by your Ladyship's side, you should be so careful and cautious in everything you do."
"This is true now, and it will be true in the future."
After giving his instructions, Emperor Xuanpei added, "Considering your loyalty, I will reward you with half a year's salary."
After admiring the green lotus and the green pomegranate, Emperor Xuanpei turned his attention to Eunuch Chen.
"Delu, you did a good job. The palace maids you selected this time are excellent. You can also collect two more months' worth of allowance."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Qingliu and Lüfu, who had been anxious and secretly annoyed, immediately felt relieved.
Together with Eunuch Chen, the three of them immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express their gratitude.
"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."
After waving his hand to dismiss the few people, Emperor Xuanpei got up and went to his bedside again.
Looking quietly at A-Zhu, who was sleeping soundly and completely unaware of the farce, Emperor Xuanpei covered his eyes and suddenly shook his head and chuckled.
"I have used up all the foolishness of my life on you."
Since A-Zhu came along, Hanyuan Hall has never been quiet and desolate again.
As for the rules?
Rules himself was completely bewitched by the soft, gentle touch and sweet words of Ah Zhu, and disappeared into some unknown corner, never to be seen again.
Remembering how Ah Zhu had frantically begged him for the "contraceptive soup," tears streaming down her face, and then thinking of how Imperial Physician Cao was now addressing Ah Zhu's urgent desire for a child...
Emperor Xuanpei gently touched Azhu's face and whispered, "I know you're afraid."
"I'm afraid of the people in the palace, I'm afraid of Empress Wang, I'm afraid of myself... and I'm even more afraid of those who have no one to rely on behind me."
"But I never expected you to be so anxious."
In this palace, Empress Wang kept calling A-Zhu the sinful slave... No, it wasn't just the Empress who knew A-Zhu's true identity.
They wished they could carve the words "sinner slave" onto a red-hot branding iron, branding it firmly onto Azhu's face.
Even in the future, his and Azhu's children will be branded with this mark.
They would try every means to mention his mother's identity, humiliating and provoking him again and again, wishing they could tear him to pieces with their words.
The Jiang family, the Jiang family, the Jiang family... Emperor Xuanpei slowly turned the ring on his finger and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, he already had a thought in mind.
"It's not entirely for your sake that I'm doing this."
"Maybe, just a tiny bit."
"After all, the powerful families are now very influential, and many princes are involved in them, forming cliques and factions. I need to have more capable people."
Emperor Xuanpei pursed his lips.
In this secluded palace, he looked at Ah Zhu, whose face was flushed from sleeping, and muttered to himself about the advantages of this plan.
"The late emperor was too ruthless in his killings."
"Entangled in a complex web of connections and countless relationships."
"When people die, everything naturally disappears, but there are still people who live on."
"Those who are alive... they harbor resentment."
“If I am willing to exonerate them, they will not give up this opportunity.”
The Jiang family is gone, but there are many others who were implicated but not executed along with their entire families.
The Jiang family will become the banner of redress, and they will firmly uphold the Jiang family's name, charging into battle in the imperial court.
As for the cost... back then, Emperor Xuanpei led a large army into the capital to forcibly suppress the matter.
But the human heart is inherently unpredictable.
In matters of state, is there any truly perfect and foolproof plan?
Emperor Xuanpei tucked the blanket around Azhu.
"Let's be patient for a while longer."
"I need to carefully consider this matter."
*
Imperial Medical Academy
Just moments ago, Imperial Physician Geng and Imperial Physician Cao were standing united before the Emperor, facing his stern face. Now, in their room, they were arguing about how to prescribe medicine for A-Zhu.
Seeing that Azhu's chronic diarrhea was about to be completely cured, Physician Geng, who had previously given his assurance to Emperor Xuanpei, was naturally unwilling to give up all his previous efforts.
Meanwhile, Imperial Physician Cao was thinking of first treating A-Zhu's irregular and delayed menstruation.
"No, no, no."
Physician Geng shook his head repeatedly, firmly rejecting Physician Cao's prescription, his voice rising with excitement.
"Salvia miltiorrhiza is cold in nature, and is the best cooling medicine for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and cooling the blood. Curcuma zedoaria is pungent and bitter, and is good at breaking up blood stasis and promoting qi circulation..."
"You know how ill Her Majesty is now... Where can we use this kind of medicine now?!"
Imperial Physician Cao glared at the incredibly stubborn Imperial Physician Geng, feeling angry inside. He was about to say something, but then controlled himself and lowered his voice.
"Your Majesty is not pregnant, so why can't these medicines be used?"
"An old ailment is an old ailment; we can just take it slowly and treat it."
"If you don't treat the problem now, and her menstrual cycle becomes irregular, the Empress will suffer from unbearable abdominal pain in the future, and the Emperor will be furious. What will you do then?"
"no!"
Even though Your Majesty is currently pregnant...
Um? ? ?
Realizing he had said something foolish, Imperial Physician Geng immediately fell silent.
Meanwhile, Imperial Physician Cao, seeing Imperial Physician Geng so excited that he stammered, was stunned for a moment before he couldn't help but laugh.
After a moment, Physician Geng shook his head and laughed.
That smile instantly eased the tense atmosphere between the two.
"Alright, it's all for Your Majesty's good health."
"How about this, let's each compromise. It's okay if it takes longer to see results, but we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes."
Just as Imperial Physician Geng and Imperial Physician Cao stopped arguing and were carefully considering the prescription, a figure quietly slipped past the door and then hurried out of the Imperial Hospital, heading straight for the Imperial Household Department.
*
Chonghua Hall
Ah Zhu woke up after a good night's sleep, feeling completely exhausted. She stretched and yawned.
Just as he was about to get up, he heard Consort Feng's voice, which she was trying hard to suppress as she spoke.
"Regarding your situation, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
Ah Zhu was a little confused. She had only taken a nap, so what had happened?
"What bad news did Your Majesty bring...?"
Consort Feng shook her head.
"No, the good news must come first before the bad news."
Tsk, their Imperial Concubine is still so mischievous.
A-Zhu nodded and smiled, "Then Your Majesty, please tell us the good news first."
"The good news is that the palace maids who serve you think you are pregnant, but they are afraid of being disappointed, so they want to ask the imperial physician to take your pulse first."
? ? ?
A-Zhu suddenly stared wide-eyed down at her stomach, then looked up in the direction of Consort Feng, pointed at herself, and stammered in astonishment, "I, I, I'm pregnant???"
That can't be right. Given how much Emperor Xuanpei stirred things up at night, if she were pregnant, wouldn't she have felt anything?
"It's a pity."
Consort Feng said with a regretful yet serious tone, "Even though the Emperor was not giving up and had two imperial physicians examine your pulse repeatedly, you are not really pregnant."
Oh, Ah Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it was impossible.
Consort Feng could no longer suppress her laughter.
"They also said that the reason you feel nauseous, vomit acid, and have irregular periods is because you are so eager to have a child, that is, you are so focused on getting pregnant that you are experiencing morning sickness."
A-Zhu: ......
? ? ?
!!
After realizing what had happened, A-Zhu's face turned bright red.
"Who, who's desperate to get pregnant?"
The thought of the imperial physician saying those things about her in front of Emperor Xuanpei... ahhhhh!!!
Enraged, A-Zhu gritted her teeth and began punching and kicking the blanket.
She doesn't want to be human anymore, she doesn't want to be human anymore, ah!!!
*
Regarding the false alarm about Azhu's pregnancy, everyone in Hanyuan Hall tacitly chose to pretend it never happened.
Qingliu and the others were afraid of being blamed for not doing their job well.
Emperor Xuanpei feared that Azhu, who was "eager to have a son," would be heartbroken.
As for Ah Zhu... if any of you bring this up with her, she'll turn on you and bite you.
But because of her gluttony, Ah Zhu always ends up losing out.
The emperor's allowance was naturally the best in the world.
Emperor Xuanpei could restrain himself, but he couldn't do the same to Azhu, who wasn't even qualified to touch these things in the inner palace.
Fruits are cooling in nature, and she still ended up hurting her spleen and stomach.
Sure enough, despite the dinner being prepared as lightly and mildly as possible, Ah Zhu couldn't help but run to the side and vomit after eating a little.
No one else dared to speak up, and Emperor Xuanpei naturally wouldn't touch on Azhu's "sore spot," so he said, "You're not feeling well, so Imperial Physician Geng has prepared a prescription for you. The medicine has already been brewed, so you can take it in a bit."
A-Zhu was even more eager for no one else to mention it, and she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, this servant will go and drink the medicine now."
Seeing Ah Zhu's eyes red from vomiting, looking listless and pitiful, Emperor Xuanpei sighed softly and went to bed early that night.
*
"Your Majesty..."
Emperor Xuanpei was really too fierce tonight; Azhu was having a hard time handling him.
Completely flustered, she was held in Emperor Xuanpei's arms, her body limp. She tried to beg for mercy, but Emperor Xuanpei kissed her instead.
“A-Zhu”.
"No rush."
Emperor Xuanpei tried to soften his voice and gently soothe Azhu by stroking her back.
"We will definitely have children."
Who the hell wants to say this?
who? !
Incompetent doctor! Incompetent doctor! Incompetent doctor!
Waaah, that quack doctor ruined her life.
A-Zhu, who was whimpering and had nothing more to say, bit Emperor Xuanpei's lips: Please, just shut up.
*
Ganquan Palace
Consort Xian, who should have gone to bed early, kept pacing back and forth in her room.
She only regained some focus when she saw Guanqi come in.
"Is Jingyi asleep?"
"Yes, Your Highness, the princess has already rested. Granny Sun is keeping watch over her tonight."
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, you should get some rest."
Consort Xian shook her head.
"I really can't sleep."
"Your Majesty."
Seeing that Consort Xian was really restless, Guanqi stepped forward and tried his best to comfort her in a gentle voice.
"Even if the one in Hanyuan Palace is pregnant, aren't there enough princes and princesses in this palace?"
"There are quite a few, but why her of all people?" Consort Xian clenched her hands tightly.
"We used to say she was a slave, a slave, and that she would never amount to anything, but look at the rank she's achieved now!"
"When I entered the palace through the imperial concubine selection process, I was merely a lowly noblewoman!"
"Now, His Majesty is so concerned about her that he has even disregarded the dignity of the Empress."
How many people in the palace felt a pang of jealousy at the fact that Emperor Xuanpei consistently went to Kunning Palace on the first and fifteenth of each month?
Consort Zhang, enjoying the Emperor's favor, was eager to give Empress Wang a hard time and tried every means to stop Emperor Xuanpei from going to Kunning Palace.
“Consort Zhang, no, she has accomplished something that no woman in the palace has ever done before, with ease... It’s only been a few days, and she’s already pregnant.”
Consort Xian looked at Guan Qi and murmured, "Back then, the evidence that the Jiang family was suspected of colluding with Crown Prince Chongde to plot a rebellion... was personally submitted by the Marquis of Chengen's mansion."
If they hadn't been so righteous in their betrayal of their own family, how could the Marquis of Chengen's mansion have remained unscathed in this turmoil?
Consort Xian was inherently weak-willed; otherwise, she wouldn't have been copying Buddhist scriptures nearly three years after Empress Dowager Shu left the palace.
Thinking about it now fills her with dread and keeps her awake at night.
"First it was Empress Wang, then it was Old Master Wang's birthday banquet, and then what? Who was next?"
Guanqi bit her lip, unable to speak for a moment.
The late emperor is gone, and there is no way to seek revenge.
Too many people died because of this back then. If Jiang Zhu is determined to get revenge, would he let go of the Chengen Marquis's mansion, which hastily handed over the so-called "evidence" back then?
Won't.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
There is no room for self-deception or wishful thinking in this palace.
"I cannot allow my household to suffer the same fate as the Jiang family in the future..."
Consort Xian looked towards the side hall.
"I still want to watch over Jingyi, to see her grow up healthy and well, and to choose a good husband for her to entrust her life to..."
"We can't wait any longer."
Consort Xian loosened her grip on her hand.
"Go and send a message to the manor. The affairs of the Jiang family from back then must be dealt with thoroughly, as well as the Empress Dowager of Mount Futai."
"Now no one in the palace can stop His Majesty. Please ask the Empress Dowager to come out of seclusion."
Guanqi nodded repeatedly, and was about to accept the order to carry it out when he was stopped by Consort Xian.
"Guanqi, tell Kunning... no, tell Nianfu Palace secretly about the fact that Lady Jiang is pregnant with the emperor's child."
Consort Xian supported herself on the table.
"If her child is born, what will happen to my Jingyi?"
Hatred and blood debts will continue and be passed down.
Generation after generation, until death do us part.
"Her child cannot be born, absolutely not."
Guan Qi nodded seriously.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."
*
Nianfu Palace
Consort Zhang, who had been suspected of falling out of favor these past few days and hadn't been sleeping well, woke up to incredibly bad news—
The Hanyuan Palace, which originally only hid one fox spirit, now has one more, making it two.
One big and one small, they could drive a person crazy with frustration.
Is this news true?
"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true."
Yin Dong whispered, "These words were spoken by Imperial Physician Geng himself."
"He and Imperial Physician Cao, who was skilled in treating children's and women's diseases, were summoned to Hanyuan Hall. Afterwards, when the two returned to the Imperial Hospital to write prescriptions, they discussed them carefully and deliberated repeatedly, and did not even allow others to see the prescriptions."
"When Physician Wei was getting the medicine from Physician Geng, he secretly glanced at it a few times and found that some of the herbs were indeed used to stabilize the pregnancy, strengthen the body, and nourish yin."
"The two palace maids who served Lady Jiang received half a year's worth of regular silver as a reward."
"The eunuchs said that this was a gift from His Majesty himself."
Consort Zhang rubbed her head, feeling a little dizzy.
The Emperor has gone mad for this woman, Jiang.
Not only did he disregard the feelings of the old master Wang, but he also showed no mercy to the crown prince and Prince Rui. Now that the empress has completely turned against him, he no longer even goes to Kunning Palace.
"Sinful slave, oh sinful slave, what a reassuring pill! Empress Wang has truly shot herself in the foot!"
"She was already a concubine, and she wasn't pregnant when the decree was issued. If she had given birth to the child, wouldn't she have been flying to the heavens?"
Consort Zhang kept cursing fiercely, but you expect her to personally deal with Jiang Zhu?
"No, I cannot act rashly."
Consort Zhang threw away the embroidered quilt and tossed aside the brocade curtains as she got out of bed.
"This is the work of our virtuous Empress. Where can she hide?"
"Go, make sure to cheer up the Empress and keep her entertained."
Yin Dong nodded repeatedly, "Yes, this servant will take care of it right away."
The women in the palace were truly exceptional in their efficiency.
So, even before A-Zhu knew she was pregnant, her pregnancy had already become an open secret among the concubines who had a little bit of knowledge.
......
-----------------------
Author's note: A-Zhu: I've learned something new. This is a classic case of "three men can make a tiger."
Haha, thank you so much for your support, my little cuties! Mwah! [doge head with rose in its mouth][doge head with rose in its mouth][doge head with rose in its mouth][doge head with rose in its mouth]
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