Hua Qingcheng and her husbands left the General's Mansion before dark and returned to the East Palace.
At the hour of Xu, accompanied by the sound of dignified and elegant palace music, the New Year's Eve banquet at the Laifeng Kingdom Palace began on time. Hua Qingcheng also appeared at the palace banquet with her husband and six servants.
The banquet was hosted by the current Imperial Noble An Zihao. It was pretty standard, not terrible, but not outstanding either. It consisted of just some singing and dancing performances by the dancers, and performances by the princesses, princes, the imperial concubines, and the imperial consorts.
According to tradition, the New Year's Eve palace banquet was a family feast, attended by members of the imperial family. Emperor Nalan Yunzhi personally attended the banquet, but after three rounds of drinks, he excused himself, saying he was tired, and returned to Lanyue Palace with the Imperial Noble An Zihao to spend the night together.
Nalan Yunzhi discovered that her new emperor was actually showing a trend of reverse aging. His appearance became more and more handsome, and there seemed to be an inexplicable attraction that made her fall deeper and deeper in love with him. She just wished she could always pin this man under her and ravage him.
As a result, Nalan Yunzhi's attendance at court had gradually decreased, and his body seemed to be getting thinner and weaker. However, Nalan Yunzhi was obsessed with An Zihao, unable to stop.
After Nalan Yunzhi and An Zihao left, the noble Lord Ouyang Yuming also returned to his Qiongyu Palace surrounded by many palace servants.
"That bitch An Zihao!"
As soon as he returned to the bedroom in Qiongyu Palace, Ouyang Yuming angrily swept all the bottles and jars on the dressing table to the floor.
"Father, please calm down!" The eldest princess Nalan Junxue stepped forward at the right time to pat Ouyang Yuming on the back to calm him down.
"Xue'er, could it be that... it's really because I, your father, have grown old and ugly, and the emperor has lost interest in me anymore?" Ouyang Yuming gently stroked his well-maintained face in front of the polished bronze mirror on the dressing table, a melancholy look on his face.
"How could that be? Father is still handsome and looks to be in his early thirties." Nalan Junxue quickly consoled him, "Perhaps Mother has been busy with state affairs lately, so she has neglected Father."
Ouyang Yuming sighed upon hearing this, "Only Feng Lingyan would believe such words. Xue'er, you know that the Emperor has been absent from even the morning court lately. This kind of thing has never happened before. Do you think... the Emperor really intends to make that bitch An Zihao his queen? Otherwise, why would the Emperor favor that bitch An Zihao so much?"
"Father, please don't say it, this matter... I'm afraid there is really something strange..." Hearing Ouyang Yuming's words, a light flashed in Nalan Junxue's mind, and then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Xue'er, are you saying that the emperor was... drugged or poisoned?" Ouyang Yuming's eyes widened, and then he looked around. Seeing that they were all his confidants, he felt relieved.
At this time, a monk came in with a bowl of ginseng soup, "Sir, please have some ginseng soup."
Ouyang Yuming, who had calmed down, took the ginseng soup and drank a few sips, but unexpectedly he suddenly felt nauseous.
"vomit......"
Ouyang Yuming covered his mouth and began to dry heave. Seeing this, the palace servants beside him hurriedly brought a spittoon.
"Father, what's wrong with you?" Seeing this, Nalan Junxue frowned slightly and asked worriedly.
Ouyang Yuming shook his head. "I don't know either. It's always like this lately..."
Nalan Junxue's eyes flashed slightly, and she suddenly had a bold guess in her mind. Could it be that her father... It seems that she has to find a reason to secretly invite the imperial physician to give her father a thorough diagnosis and treatment.
About a quarter of an hour later, Du Zhongchun, the director of the Imperial Hospital, was secretly summoned to the Qiongyu Palace. After taking Ouyang Yuming's pulse, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Doctor Du, what disease do I have? Just tell me." Ouyang Yuming's tone was filled with anxiety.
Du Zhongchun knelt on the ground and said with his head down: "My Lord Ouyang, you are not sick, you are pregnant."
Ouyang Yuming and Nalan Junxue were stunned after hearing what Du Zhongchun said. Especially Ouyang Yuming, he had never expected that he would be pregnant.
"Doctor Du, are you sure you didn't take the pulse wrong?"
Ouyang Yuming was in disbelief. After all, he hadn't been favored by Emperor Nalan Yunzhi in the past month. Did that mean the child in his belly was actually... actually Yu Lianhuan's?
Upon hearing this, Du Zhongchun kowtowed and replied, "Your Excellency Ouyang, I have been practicing medicine for decades, so I can tell whether it is a pregnancy or not."
A glimmer of joy flashed in Nalan Junxue's eyes. She helped the director of the Imperial Hospital up and said, "Doctor Du, fetuses are always delicate. Don't spread the news before the fetus is stable. You can go down first. If you need any herbs, just let me know."
Du Zhongchun nodded repeatedly and then left Qiongyu Hall. Ouyang Yuming and Nalan Junxue looked at each other, and both saw the complicated expressions in each other's eyes.
"Father, this is a good opportunity to turn things around. It doesn't matter whether the baby in your belly is a girl or a boy. The most important thing is that our mother has not had any children for several years. Now that she suddenly has a daughter or a son in her middle age, this child will be very much loved..." Nalan Junxue broke the silence.
"Xue'er, I'm already thirty-six years old. Isn't this a case of an old clam giving birth to a pearl?" Ouyang Yuming was in hesitation.
Thinking that Ouyang Yuming was worried about her age and difficulty giving birth, Nalan Junxue comforted him again, and then left Qiongyu Palace and returned to the Xianwang Mansion in the city.
After Nalan Junxue left, Ouyang Yuming stood at the entrance to the palace, gazing leisurely towards the Xianwang Mansion, a trace of melancholy flashing through his heart. Giving birth at an advanced age was only one aspect; the most important thing was that this child wasn't the emperor's at all. What if...
However, when Ouyang Yuming thought of An Zihao who was making love with Nalan Yunzhi in Lan Yue Palace, his eyes suddenly turned cold.
Xue'er was right. This child was indeed his chance to turn things around. Logically, this child had to be the emperor's. Strategically, this child also had to be the emperor's...
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