Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Concubine Shu's Ninth Day
Two palace maids entered the hall and prepared to serve fruits, cakes and tea.
Ji Chen picked up a plump cherry and fed it to Shen Qing's mouth. She ate it subconsciously, but her mood was still a little uneasy.
Have a baby?
Shen Qing suddenly realized, it had only been a few days since we started to feel comfortable, how could it be over so quickly?
But if you think about it, she is indeed almost 20 years old. Although there is no obvious change in her appearance, her mentality has changed slightly.
Shen Qing looked at Ji Chen carefully. He picked up a melon, cut it into small pieces with a knife, and picked the sweetest part to feed her.
As she nodded and ate, she felt that Ji Chen's changes were more obvious. His aura of majesty without even getting angry was even stronger. Just a glance at him was enough to make people tremble with fear, especially now that he showed his displeasure with the corners of his mouth turned down. When the palace servants served tea, they didn't dare to make any sound of the teacup knocking against the table.
His eyes did not glance around or waver. He came quietly and left quietly.
The palace maids standing in the hall breathed very lightly, often making people ignore their presence.
But he is only twenty-five, still far from being thirty.
Ji Chen lowered his head and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. Feeling Shen Qing's obvious gaze, he looked clear-eyed and touched his face: "What's wrong?"
Shen Qing replied softly: "Your Majesty is becoming more and more handsome."
She thought carefully and said, "Yi is even more caring towards me. I am afraid there is no other man in the world who can compare to the emperor."
Under her pure admiring gaze without any distractions, Ji Chen tried to hold back, but in the end he couldn't suppress the curve at the corner of his mouth.
Damn it, how come he could be in a better mood just by coaxing him?
While Ji Chen was still immersed in it, Shen Qing had already held her chin up, worrying about what had just happened: "If I have a child, can I be a good mother?"
Ji Chen wants to be a good father, doesn’t she want to be a good mother?
Besides, children are not kittens that can be raised casually.
Ji Chen was troubled for a while, then said with a smile: "As a mother, you just need to pamper your children. If they make mistakes, tell me and I will educate them. You just need to be a loving mother."
[…Let me be the strict father. ]
It sounds like she feels quite aggrieved... Shen Qing's eyes showed satisfaction, and she said in a soft tone: "I will teach the little prince or princess to love father well."
Ji Chen looked at Shen Qing, his eyes lit up: "Then I'll leave it to Qingqing."
After he entrusted her with this, Shen Qing thought it would be interesting to have a child who would call them father and mother and could amuse Ji Chen with her, so she nodded seriously and promised.
After another round of sweet words, Ji Chen was finally calmed down.
Shen Qing was eating the honey fruit and felt that he was so easy to coax.
Although Ji Chen had calmed down, he was still unhappy with Concubine Xian's behavior. After all, the Third Prince was not much younger than the Second Prince, so they started to study together.
He did not have a deep affection for the three princes, but he also had no intention of letting them become mediocre. He would only train them well.
For example, although he saw the third prince the least, Concubine Xian was his cousin, and Ji Can often went to see Shen Qing, so over time he inevitably neglected the third prince, but he tried his best to treat the three princes equally in terms of things.
The second prince Ji Min wanted the pendant on his waist. It was rare for this child to make a request and it was hard to refuse. However, his jade pendant was also a token of his identity as emperor. So he asked someone to make a jade pendant for Ji Min. By seeing the jade pendant, one could know his identity as a prince.
However, as soon as he had this thought, he realized it was inappropriate, so he changed the gift given to Ji Min to give to the three princes.
Every ten days he would ask the nanny who took care of the prince about his daily life. Even though the Empress, Concubine De and Concubine Xian would not condone a slave bullying his master, he still had to ask in person to feel at ease.
Of course, he was so meticulous because he actually wanted to accumulate experience to facilitate the future education of his and Shen Qing's children.
The matter of the three princes was finalized, and the three palaces had different reactions.
A few days later, Shen Qing was called to Kunning Palace by the Queen.
After paying her respects, she sat on the chair next to the Queen. Given her position, it was impossible for her to be submissive in front of the Queen, or just sit on the stool with her head down and listen.
Shen Qing asked, "What is it that the Queen wants me to come to Kunning Palace for?"
After paying her respects in the morning, she did not stay and only asked Xuancao to call her in the afternoon, which shows that the Queen was conflicted about the matter.
The Queen frowned, her tone slightly tense, and she got straight to the point: "When the Emperor met you that day, why did the Third Prince and Consort De benefit in the end?"
Shen Qing understood that he was here to accuse her. She raised her eyes and explained, "The emperor was angry that day. I went to the palace to ask him to take care of his health. I didn't dare to interfere. The emperor didn't mention the third prince and he had his own plans. I can't change his mind."
"But your majesty, the emperor has already agreed to Concubine Xian's request. If there is another third prince, wouldn't that just make things more difficult for Concubine Xian?"
In the past few days, Concubine Xian looked at Concubine De with disdain and thought that Concubine De had quietly taken advantage of the Second Prince. She was severely reprimanded by the Emperor for this matter, but Concubine De did not suffer any harm.
The queen closed her eyes, feeling impatient. She couldn't hide her anxiety when she spoke again: "The third prince Ji Cheng can already read the Thousand Character Classic at a young age. With him around, Can'er will definitely be overshadowed. Moreover, the emperor openly treats the three princes without finding fault, so Can'er's status as the eldest prince does not give him an advantage."
This matter was mentioned by Concubine Chu accidentally. She was the only one who paid attention to it at that time. She went to inquire about it and found that Ji Cheng's intelligence could no longer be concealed.
Concubine De is really able to keep her composure, and Concubine Xian's ridicule of Concubine De is not without reason.
Shen Qing held the handkerchief. In fact, being a crown prince doesn't just depend on intelligence, otherwise all the wisest people in the world would have been appointed prime ministers.
She said slowly: "It is irreversible now..."
The Queen naturally knew this, otherwise why would she be so anxious to see Shen Qing? She knew her own temper, and if she saw Shen Qing she would definitely complain, but if she didn't see him she would be unwilling.
Shen Qing added: "Why not let Can'er behave like an elder brother and take care of the two little princes? It will be good for Can'er's reputation if the brothers are friendly and respectful to each other."
The Queen looked thoughtful: "Can'er should also focus on his studies. Even if he is a little behind the Third Prince, he can't be too far behind."
As soon as the Queen finished speaking, Shen Qing spoke up: "The eldest prince is still young after all, and he should still take care of his health. Your Majesty must not rush things. The Emperor values riding and hunting. If the eldest prince is weak, it will be detrimental to his martial arts training. In the long run, it will disappoint the Emperor."
Having seen too many examples of forcing things to happen, she did not want the eldest prince to be exhausted and suffer physical damage from dealing with all these things.
For the prince, the most outstanding thing besides academic studies is hunting.
After the queen realized what was happening, she felt a little disappointed: "How could I not feel sorry for Can'er?"
Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Can'er was a good child and the Queen usually spoiled him.
She consoled him, "Can'er is a sensible boy. If he knew that Your Majesty was worried about this, he would definitely share your worries. But Your Majesty also loves Can'er. I'm afraid that by then, Your Majesty would persuade Can'er not to study too hard."
The queen felt bitter in her heart. Yes, her Can'er was so good. As a mother, she should win the position of crown prince for Can'er instead of putting the pressure on Can'er alone.
She really shouldn't have done that.
Seeing the empress's soft-hearted expression, Shen Qing thought that she had been persuaded, so he stayed with the empress for a while before leaving Kunning Palace.
Outside Kunning Palace, Xuancao ran out and stuffed a sachet into the hands of Shen Qing who was about to leave, and winked at her: "Promise to Concubine Shu!"
Just now, Xuancao went to Chengqian Palace to call her. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Shen Qing asked what was the matter. It turned out that Xuancao had been learning how to make sachets recently and had made several. She naturally asked Xuancao for one with a smile.
Shen Qing was delighted when she saw this and sniffed it: "It smells really good. Thank you, Sister Daylily."
Hemerocallis curved her lips in a wide arc and said joyfully, "As long as you like it."
Shen Qing put on the sachet immediately. She used to be a palace maid in Kunning Palace. It was normal for her to have a private relationship with Xuancao. Besides, they had interactions in public and there was no need to hide it.
Xuancao felt warm at heart when she saw this, and she was still smiling even when she returned to Kunning Palace.
Shehe glanced at her and said nothing.
Xuancao was the closest maid to the Queen, but now that Concubine Shu was gone to mediate between her and the Queen, even though she was still the senior maid, the Queen disliked her even more and sent her to manage the storehouse, and did not ask Xuancao to serve her closely.
Xuancao foolishly thought that the queen valued her, so she worked even harder. Seeing this, the queen no longer cared about her.
Now even her words carry more weight than daylily's.
Now only Xuancao had the leisure and time to make sachets, and she prepared one for each of them. She was still thinking about Concubine Shu, and today's task was what Xuancao specifically asked her to leave for her.
Now that the sachet has been delivered, Hemerocallis can finally be satisfied.
Shen Qing returned to Chengqian Palace wearing the sachet. She said, "When the imperial physician comes to check my pulse tomorrow, remember to remind me to ask him to check the sachet. I want to wear it these few days."
Although she went to Kunning Palace to pay her respects every day, she saw Hemerocallis seldom. Only when she was lucky a few times would they chat for a few minutes.
She was surprised to receive the gift from Hemerocallis, and didn't want to let the kindness go to waste.
This is made by Hemerocallis herself. I wonder how many complicated processes it took to make such a nice-smelling sachet.
The palace maid took note of this and wanted to go forward to help the empress take it off: "My empress, why don't you wear it after the imperial physician examines it tomorrow?"
Shen Qing gently brushed away the palace maid's hand: "No need, it won't take half a day."
She smelled just a few ordinary pleasant scents. Besides, no matter how careless Daylily was, she would not let anything else mix in. After all, this was a gift from her. If anything went wrong, Daylily would be the first to be implicated.
Seeing that their queen was happy, the palace maid stopped trying to persuade her.
Sure enough, the next day, after checking the patient's pulse, the imperial physician took the sachet and examined it inside and out. He said, "They are all ordinary and common spices. There is nothing wrong with the fabric and thread of the sachet. Your Majesty has used it for half a day and has not developed any symptoms of rashes. It means there is nothing wrong with it. Your Majesty can wear it at will."
Shen Qing nodded. The absence of rash meant that there was nothing in it that made her allergic.
I wore the sachet for several days in a row.
One day, when Shen Qing stood up, he subconsciously held his forehead and felt slightly nauseous and wanted to vomit.
When she got up and dressed, the feeling became stronger. She looked at Bai Tao and frowned: "Go get the imperial physician."
Bai Tao saw that Shen Qing was in pain and said only one sentence: "I'll go right away." Then she took two young eunuchs and hurried to the Imperial Hospital.
Bai Ying stepped forward to support Shen Qing and asked with concern: "What happened to you, Madam?"
Shen Qing drooped his eyes, listlessly: "Nausea, want to vomit."
The room fell silent.
Shen Qing looked up at them, but found that the palace servants had strange expressions. The empress was sick, but they were suppressing their happiness.
Bai Ying said excitedly, "Should I go and ask the Emperor to come over now?"
Shen Qing only then realized what they meant. They thought she was pregnant, but she knew her own body clearly. Not to mention her and Ji Chen's plans, just talking about the feeling of being pregnant, she didn't have any.
"I am not pregnant."
Baiying's concern was tinged with heartache. She thought that the Empress must have been disappointed too many times, so she told the truth in order to dilute the disappointment of the unsatisfactory results.
After all, whenever Her Majesty takes my pulse, she always asks, "Am I healthy?"
It is obvious that the queen hopes to have a child.
Bai Ying asked cautiously: "Does this servant still need to go and ask the Emperor to come?"
Shen Qing thought that Ji Chen was always reviewing memorials in the morning, so she didn't want to disturb him. However, before she could say anything, she felt a strong dizziness. Before she regained consciousness, she only heard Bai Ying anxiously calling her "Empress" as she pounced on her and hugged her.
Chengqian Palace was in a rare panic. Now, everyone in the palace knew that Concubine Shu had fainted.
When Shen Qing woke up with an unbearable headache, his hand, which was placed beside the bed, was held tightly by someone.
Doctor Zhao said calmly despite his panic, "Your Majesty, I cannot take the pulse of Concubine Shu in this state."
Ji Chen straightened her hand, still holding it, and exposed her wrist: "Take the pulse like this."
Doctor Zhao wanted to put the handkerchief on her wrist, but Ji Chen stopped him: "The health of Concubine Shu is the most important thing. Just take her pulse and don't worry about anything else. I forgive you."
"I am sorry for the offence."
Shen Qing listened to these sounds and thought that she must have fainted not long ago. She wanted to open her eyes, but her hands moved first.
"Your Majesty, the Queen's eyelashes trembled!"
What Ji Chen noticed before these words was the hand he was holding Shen Qing's. He felt the slight movement of the fingers, and after hearing the words, he looked at Shen Qing's face again.
Sure enough, the crow's black eyelashes were trembling slightly.
But even without opening her eyes, Shen Qing was frowning, and one could imagine how uncomfortable she was.
Ji Chen just regretted that he couldn't suffer for her.
Shen Qing finally opened her eyes. Her eyelids were still heavy and it was difficult for her to blink. She looked at Ji Chen from the side with obvious grievance in her eyes, and waited quietly for the imperial physician's result.
Ji Chenyi didn't say anything. Seeing her gaze full of dependence and grievance, his heart felt like it was being stabbed by needles.
Doctor Zhao released his hand, his eyes showing joy: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty, this is a pregnancy pulse!"
【Quack! 】
He swore to God that he would never do anything to make Shen Qing pregnant early.
The other palace maids in the room smiled, but soon became worried because of what the emperor and his concubine said.
Ji Chen held Shen Qing's hand tightly, and said in a dull tone: "I didn't lie to you."
Shen Qing's face was full of dejection: "I have a headache."
She didn't expect that the imperial physician not only diagnosed the wrong news that she was pregnant, but also failed to realize that she had an unbearable headache.
Seeing this, Ji Chen ordered Qian Ji: "Call all the doctors on duty at the Imperial Hospital."
Then he stretched out his hand to rub her forehead and asked the imperial physician Zhao who was present: "How can I relieve Concubine Shu's headache?"
Doctor Zhao hurriedly asked, "Madam Shufei, could you describe your headache?"
Shen Qing's voice was floating, but her words were clear. She was having a headache right now, so she described it more clearly and deeply.
Doctor Zhao thought: "Perhaps it's the smell that offends you. Has the Majesty been wearing anything close to her body recently?"
Shen Qing signaled Bai Tao to hand the sachet to Doctor Zhao, as this was the only one with the scent.
Bai Tao said, "The lady has been wearing this sachet for several days."
After the inspection, Doctor Zhao said the same thing as the doctor that day: "The sachet is fine."
He glanced around the bed and asked, "Has Madam Shufei worn or used anything close to her body in the past two days or during this period of time? Anything without smell will do."
Bai Tao found a few and asked Doctor Zhao to identify them one by one.
Imperial Physician Zhao temporarily withdrew. At this time, Qian Ji brought the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau into the hall.
After feeling the pulse, several imperial doctors looked at each other and said, "The pulse is like a rolling bead on a jade plate. It is a pulse of pregnancy."
Shen Qing reminded softly: "The imperial physician came to check my pulse a few days ago, but he didn't find any pregnancy results."
Besides, she just had her period.
When she was hesitating about how to tell the imperial physician, she heard one of the imperial physicians say, "Your Majesty has been pregnant for more than a month. Logically, it should be possible to tell that she is pregnant within ten days."
The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau would never fail to diagnose a pregnant woman's pulse.
As soon as this imperial physician finished speaking, the other imperial physicians all became serious.
With their keenness as imperial physicians, they had already realized that the matter was complicated and beyond their control. However, since the Emperor and Concubine Shu were here, they had nothing to fear and secretly analyzed the cause of the pregnancy.
From the attitudes of the Emperor and Concubine Shu, the smart ones had already realized that Concubine Shu could not be pregnant at this time.
As for why, they didn't dare to think deeply about it.
After all, Concubine Shu was favored by the Emperor and could not get pregnant at this time. They had more or less read Concubine Shu's pulse records in the past few years and knew that there was nothing wrong with her health.
The only problem is...
And I heard that it is difficult for men who ride horses too much to have children...
Ji Chen said: "First, cure Concubine Shu's headache."
After all the ordeal, Shen Qing was given several injections on his head, but his dizziness symptoms were relieved a lot, and his frown gradually relaxed.
Doctor Zhao also came over with something, and said solemnly, "The handkerchief of the Majesty was soaked with something colorless and odorless, and I used the method passed down in my family to test it out. I guess it was this thing that caused the Majesty to show symptoms of false pregnancy, and the fragrance of the Majesty's sachet was strong and mixed. It must be that a spice mixed with the thing on the handkerchief aggravated the symptoms of the Majesty. The nausea and vomiting during the false pregnancy turned into a strong feeling of dizziness, which made the Majesty no longer feel that she was pregnant."
"If you want to solve it, there is a simple way. Just take these two things away from you, your headache will be relieved, and your slippery pulse will return to normal in a few days."
Ji Chen signaled Qian Ji to take these two things away.
Qian Ji understood what he meant and had the patient sent directly to the Imperial Hospital.
Of course it cannot be destroyed, otherwise the evidence will be lost. But it would make people feel uneasy if it was placed anywhere. It would be better to let the imperial physician study it further and find out what the thing on the handkerchief is.
Besides, the expressions of the imperial doctors just now seemed a little strange.
Bai Tao looked at the handkerchief, which was the one she had picked out for Doctor Zhao. She said, "This handkerchief was left behind by the Empress in the Emperor's Palace of Purity half a month ago. It was returned to the Empress not long after. The Empress loved this handkerchief very much, so she used it intermittently, and someone would wash it every other day."
"If there is something on the handkerchief, won't it be washed away by water?"
Doctor Zhao shook his head: "This... we have to wash the handkerchief again to know whether it can be washed away."
Ji Chen was most worried about Shen Qing's health, so he said, "We'll check this later. I want you to ensure that Concubine Shu is healthy!"
The imperial physicians all agreed.
During the treatment, Shen Qing also said that her period had just come a few days ago. To make sure that she had not misled the imperial physician, she revealed her emotions and looked listless.
Ji Chen put his hand on Shen Qing's cheek, and Shen Qing obediently touched his palm.
Soon, the imperial physicians came up with a prescription, had it prepared, and brought it to Shen Qing.
They sent someone to say, "Madam Shufei, this medicine can relieve your discomfort, but it will make you sleepy. Madam Shufei should have a good sleep."
Shen Qing nodded, took it and drank it slowly, and Bai Tao handed her a piece of honey cake.
After that, she continued to lie in bed obediently.
Ji Chen was still beside her bed, so when someone came to report to him, he could only try his best to keep his voice down.
With the subtle but not too loud noise, Shen Qing held Ji Chen's hand and closed his eyes peacefully.
Anyway, there is an emperor even if the sky falls, and her handkerchief fell into the Qianqing Palace once, so Ji Chen must find out the truth.
She wasn't too worried, but she still didn't like the person who was behind this.
After all, this was a false pregnancy. If any other concubine encountered this kind of thing except her, and the imperial physician insisted that she was pregnant, the concubine would have no way to defend herself and would die unjustly.
It would not be good for her either. She had not been pregnant for such a long time. If she had not had a tacit understanding with Ji Chen, she would have been ecstatic to hear the news. When the truth was revealed and evidence was found, she would only become a laughing stock for a while. But if no evidence was found, others would only think that she was crazy about wanting a child, and even the emperor would distance himself from her.
Shen Qing was thinking in a daze, unable to resist the powerful effect of the medicine, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
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