The old ministers only believed it after the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau confirmed in front of everyone that Su Danruo's pulse was indeed a pregnancy pulse.
"But Your Majesty, who is the father of this... child? And why doesn't Your Majesty take him into your harem?"
The Sultan's eyes flashed,
"You guys want to meddle in my private affairs, don't you?"
The old ministers were frightened by the aura of Sultan Ruo and knelt down in a row.
"I dare not!"
Duke Qi was among them. He had always known that his son liked Sultan Ruo and wanted to take this opportunity to send his son into the palace. However, he did not expect that Sultan Ruo did not know whose child she was pregnant with.
Thinking of the fact that the hostage of Jingyong Kingdom was always inseparable from Sultan Ruo, Duke Qi began to guess that this child was most likely the child of that hostage.
That is why the Sultan could not take the child's father into his harem.
The meaning of Sudan's words was very clear. Now that she had a child, she would not choose anyone else to join her harem.
But thinking of his son, Duke Qi still took the risk and said:
"Your Majesty, although you already have a child, the child will definitely lack fatherly love without a father. Your Majesty, if not for yourself, you should also consider the child!
Your Majesty, please think twice about choosing a concubine!"
If Sultan heard what Qi Bohou said, he would immediately think of Yingyu, his child in his previous life.
It's because she doesn't have a father that she is overly obedient and sensible, and matures many times more than her peers.
When Qi Bohou saw that the Sultan's expression had relaxed, he quickly winked at the other ministers around him.
Others said together:
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Sultan Ruo touched his forehead and said:
"I'll think about it carefully, you guys go back first!"
Duke Qi knew that he couldn't push Sultan too hard on this matter. If he persuaded him every day, he would eventually figure it out.
So the Duke of Qi signaled all the ministers to leave first.
After returning home, he told Qi Xinyuan that Sudan Ruo was pregnant.
Qi Xinyuan and Qi Bohou thought the same thing and both felt that it should be Qu Chengan's child.
Mrs. Qi was advising Qi Xinyuan,
"Your engagement with His Majesty is now void. Do you really want her? Even if it means moving to the inner palace, even if it means sharing the throne with someone else?"
Qi Xinyuan said firmly:
"I only want to spend my life with her. If I can't be with her, I'd rather not get married."
Madam Qi sighed deeply.
"Forget it, forget it. You and your father are both so stubborn. I can't persuade you. Just do whatever you want!"
Qi Bohou quickly picked up a piece of her favorite sweet and sour fish for Madam Qi.
"Madam, eat fish."
Mrs. Qi glanced at the two of them unhappily, lowered her head and started eating.
The next day Qi Xinyuan went into the palace.
Sultan entertained Qi Xinyuan as usual.
The two were sitting in the yard drinking tea and enjoying the scenery when suddenly snowflakes started falling from the sky and became heavier and heavier.
Qi Xinyuan glanced at Sudan Ruo and pretended to be casual and said:
"With such a snowy scene, why don't we have hot pot tonight?"
Sudan nodded. It had been a long time since the last time they had hotpot.
The Sultan had the pot set up, and the two of them sat opposite each other at the table.
The Sultan dismissed the maidservant who was serving the two men so that they could talk more easily.
Qi Xinyuan said:
"The last time I ate hot pot with His Majesty, he was still General Su. Now, you and I have become the monarch and his subject."
Sultan Ruo also responded:
"Yes! Things change so fast! Back then there were three of us, but now there are only two of us left."
As Sudan Ruo spoke, there was a hint of inexplicable loss in his eyes.
Qi Xinyuan saw Su Danruo's expression.
He picked up the wine glass beside him and drank the wine in it in one gulp. Then he looked at Sudan Ruo and asked cautiously:
"I heard from my father that you are pregnant. Is the child Qu Chengan's?"
Sudanruo paused in his cooking, and without saying a word, he took out the mutton he had cooked, dipped it in sauce and ate it.
Qi Xinyuan kept looking at Su Danruo. Seeing that he couldn't avoid the topic, Su Danruo nodded vaguely.
Qi Xinyuan clenched his left hand hidden in his sleeve.
"He doesn't know, does he?"
"Um."
"Do you like him?"
If the Sultan does not want to answer this question,
"Is this what you came here to ask me?"
Qi Xinyuan saw Su Danruo's escape and already had the answer in his mind.
In fact, he had long noticed that there was something unusual between Su Danruo and Qu Cheng'an.
It's just that he has always been unwilling to face it.
Now that the facts were before him, he finally convinced himself to accept that the Sultan might not like him.
Qi Xinyuan said seriously:
"A child must have a father after all. If you're worried about the choice of a father and don't trust others, and don't want to think about choosing a concubine, I can be that person."
Su Danruo stared at Qi Xinyuan in a daze. She knew that Qi Xinyuan liked the original owner, but after she came here, she had tried her best not to contact Qi Xinyuan.
She suddenly felt a little guilty. She felt that she shouldn't have taken advantage of Qi Xinyuan's love for the original owner.
She looked at Qi Xin seriously and said:
"I'm no longer the same Sudanruo I was before. After I returned from the battlefield, the original Sudanruo died. Are you sure you still have the same feelings for me as before?"
Qi Xinyuan and Sudan looked at each other.
"No matter what you become, you are still Sultan. I know you don't like me, and I just want to share your worries, whether as a court official or as your friend."
Sudanruo was silent for a long time. When Qi Xinyuan felt that Sudanruo was unwilling to be with him even for a show, Sudanruo nodded and agreed to Qi Xinyuan's proposal.
Qi Xinyuan almost couldn't control his smile.
He forced himself to suppress the excitement and joy in his heart, and kept picking food for Sultanruo to hide his emotions.
Su Danruo felt relieved when he saw Qi Xinyuan's expression. In fact, what supported him was just an obsession.
Since that's the case, she might as well satisfy him and let him always have a wish in his mind.
The next day, Sultan Ruo issued an edict to confer Qi Xinyuan the title of Emperor's Consort, but he still retained his position in the Hanlin Academy.
Qu Cheng'an didn't sleep all night after hearing that the Sultan would confer the title of Emperor Consort on Qi Xinyuan.
He had thought that if the Sultan was with him that day it was because they liked each other.
Unexpectedly, just a few months after he left, Su Danruo was actually together with Qi Xinyuan.
The more Qu Cheng'an thought about it, the angrier he became. He urgently wanted to go back and ask Su Danruo for clarification.
But now is the critical moment when the five princes are fighting for the throne, and he cannot leave.
Qu Cheng'an suppressed his emotions. When Wen Xiang saw that Qu Cheng'an couldn't sleep, he knew that it must be because Fengyang Kingdom had newly appointed an emperor.
He said to Qu Chengan:
"Your Highness, even if you and the Sultan are in love, your identities mean that you two cannot be together!"
Qu Chengan glared at Wen Xiang and said firmly:
"Nothing in this world is absolutely impossible!"
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