Chapter 48
For a moment, Chu Yi could only cover his nose and mouth with his hand. He slowly walked into the hall. The front hall was empty.
He felt that something was wrong. Sheng Qianheng rarely drank, and he had never seen him truly drunk.
But the smell of alcohol in this room was strong. Why was that?
He walked to the rear hall and saw the back of a woman. Chu Yi strode forward and then saw Sheng Qianheng sitting on the bed, supporting his forehead, his brows tightly furrowed.
The woman looked back, immediately bowed to Chu Yi, and said, “This servant, Ruotao, greets Consort Hui.”
Chu Yi looked Ruotao up and down. Hadn’t she been sent to the Laundry Service Bureau by Sheng Qianheng? Why was she in Yangxin Hall?
He then turned his gaze to Sheng Qianheng and asked, “Your Majesty, Head Eunuch Liu stopped this concubine outside the door just now. Now, this is…?”
Sheng Qianheng stood up, helped Chu Yi sit on the bed, and then spoke. He glanced at Ruotao. “Zhen just returned to Yangxin Hall from morning court when Ruotao fainted at the door. She was clutching Zhen’s dragon robe and wouldn’t let go, so I had to temporarily bring her into the hall…”
Hearing Sheng Qianheng’s words, which were full of loopholes, Chu Yi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He looked at Ruotao’s flushed cheeks and couldn’t see any sign of fainting or weakness.
He carefully smelled the alcohol in the room. It seemed to be the scent of fruit wine, and it seemed to be coming from that Ruotao.
He crossed his legs, pulled his hand back from Sheng Qianheng’s grasp, and whispered, “Your Majesty, this concubine is very clear about Ruotao’s constitution…”
Seeing that Sheng Qianheng’s gaze was only on Chu Yi, Ruotao immediately knelt and moved toward him. In an instant, her eyes were hazy with tears, and she began to sob, “Consort Hui, this servant is already carrying an imperial heir. This is His Majesty’s future eldest prince. I know that Your Ladyship and His Majesty are deeply in love, but for the sake of the imperial heir, please don’t make things difficult for His Majesty anymore.”
Chu Yi sneered, glanced sideways at Sheng Qianheng, and distanced himself from him.
Sheng Qianheng slept with him almost every day. If he had been unfaithful, he would have noticed. But since someone was setting up a trap now, he would play along.
He stood up and squatted in front of Ruotao, his fingertips gently lifting her chin. “How many months?”
Ruotao choked, “It should be more than a month…”
Chu Yi nodded. What a coincidence. He was also more than a month pregnant. Was she trying to compete with the child in his belly for the position of the eldest prince?
He feigned a look of disbelief, raised his hand, and slapped Ruotao. “Is there any record in the Tongshi? To slander His Majesty like this and cause chaos in the harem, do you know what crime you have committed?”
Ruotao covered her face and said intermittently, “This servant would not dare to speak rashly. His Majesty was drunk before. This servant was just delivering a bowl of sobering tea and was mistaken for Your Ladyship. I am just a weak woman. How could I resist His Majesty?
I know that His Majesty’s favor was a misunderstanding, so I naturally did not dare to ask for a title. This servant was originally willing to bury this matter in my heart, but recently my body has been unwell. This servant’s monthly affair has always been on time, but this month it has been late, so I called for a physician, who said that this servant is already pregnant. A maidservant being pregnant is a matter of chaos in the harem and is punishable by caning to death.”
Ruotao deliberately placed her hands on her lower abdomen, looking as if she had suffered a great deal, her grievance evident. “This servant’s life is worthless, but I know that the one in my belly is an imperial heir and cannot die with me. I really had no other choice but to come to His Majesty and confess.”
Chu Yi admired Ruotao’s acting and couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up in his heart. “You are in the Laundry Service Bureau. How could you have come to deliver sobering tea to His Majesty?”
Ruotao raised a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks and continued, “The matron in the Laundry Service Bureau took care of this servant. The maid who was supposed to deliver the sobering tea had a stomachache, so she had this servant take her place…”
Chu Yi looked at Sheng Qianheng and said slowly, “This is quite a coincidence. It just so happened that you took the place of the original maid, and it just so happened that His Majesty was drunk, and it just so happened that he favored you, and you just so happened to be pregnant with an imperial heir~”
Ruotao knelt on the ground. “If Your Ladyship doesn’t believe me, you can just call for an imperial physician to take a look at me…”
Sheng Qianheng wanted to argue but couldn’t get a word in.
Chu Yi stood up and called for Liu Deshan. “Hurry and summon an imperial physician to check on the child in Ruotao’s belly.”
Since Sheng Qianheng couldn’t get a word in, he simply pondered what Ruotao had said. He clasped his hands and recalled that a month ago, he had indeed drunk a little after discussing matters with the ministers and had been a little drunk.
When he was resting in this rear hall, he seemed to have vaguely smelled a strange scent and then fainted. When he woke up, there was a woman’s dudou by the bed. At that time, he had found it very strange and had directly ordered Liu Deshan to throw it away. He had also ordered all the cleaning staff to be replaced with men. Could it be that time…?
The one who came from the Imperial Hospital was not Imperial Physician Xu, but Imperial Physician Zhang.
Seeing that it was not Sheng Qianheng or Chu Yi he was to examine, but a maid, Imperial Physician Zhang said, “Your Majesty, this subject only examines Your Ladyship and Your Majesty. This… maid is not under my care.”
Sheng Qianheng supported his forehead. “Hurry and see if she’s pregnant.”
Even if Imperial Physician Zhang was unwilling, he had no choice but to take Ruotao’s pulse. After a moment, he said, “It is indeed a pregnancy pulse, about a month or so. It’s just that the pregnancy is unstable and needs to be cared for.”
Ruotao immediately kowtowed and continued to cry, “Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, even if this servant’s status is humble… the imperial heir is innocent.”
Chu Yi kicked Sheng Qianheng behind his back, then feigned an angry expression. “Since she is someone His Majesty has favored and is carrying an imperial heir, shouldn’t Your Majesty give her a title?”
Sheng Qianheng didn’t dare to speak, looking at Chu Yi’s eyes at a loss. He could only follow Chu Yi’s words and randomly pointed to a title. “Then she will be enfeoffed as a Daying. The rest will be arranged by the Imperial Household Department. Everything will be simple.”
Ruotao immediately kowtowed and thanked Sheng Qianheng. “This servant thanks Your Majesty, thanks Your Ladyship!”
After Ruotao and Imperial Physician Zhang had withdrawn, Chu Yi raised a hand to his chest to catch his breath. He shouldn’t have come…
He had actually helped Sheng Qianheng take another concubine!
He stared coldly at Sheng Qianheng and said, “This concubine is tired. I will take my leave.”
Sheng Qianheng immediately stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Chu Yi’s waist, lowering his stance and saying in a low voice, “A-Yi, I have absolutely never betrayed you!”
Chu Yi poked Sheng Qianheng’s chest with his index finger and asked, “Then how did the child in her belly come to be?”
Sheng Qianheng felt that he had a grievance but couldn’t express it. For a moment, he didn’t know where to start. “A-Yi, listen to my explanation!”
Chu Yi immediately raised a hand to cover Sheng Qianheng’s lips, sighed deeply, and whispered in his ear, “I’m worried the walls have ears. When you’re done today and have returned to Qianqing Palace, I’ll settle the score with you!”
Hearing this, Sheng Qianheng nodded quickly and gently kissed Chu Yi’s palm as an apology.
Although Chu Yi was angry in his heart, he could only temporarily endure it. He just quickly withdrew his hand and went straight to Qianqing Palace without looking back.
After Chu Yi had returned to the chaise lounge in Qianqing Palace, he belatedly felt a slight pain in his lower abdomen.
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The pain barely subsided.
Although he didn’t know who had instigated Ruotao’s actions this time, he thought it was most likely aimed at the child in his belly.
The position of the eldest prince was so coveted?
He would rather not be pregnant…
During the evening meal, Chu Yi was absent-minded and barely ate a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.
Lianfang tried to persuade him several times but couldn’t get him to eat more.
Sheng Qianheng, on the other hand, although he was sitting in Yangxin Hall, his heart was long gone.
At the third quarter of the shēn hour, he stood up and went to Qianqing Palace.
The moment he entered the hall, he saw Chu Yi’s unenthusiastic expression. After sitting down beside Chu Yi, Sheng Qianheng took his hand and said slowly, “I swear that I, Sheng Qianheng, have never touched anyone other than you. My body and my heart are both yours.”
Chu Yi was slightly dazed. He only felt that he had been angered today, and his lower abdomen was aching faintly. Seeing Sheng Qianheng’s sincere expression, he could only temporarily believe him.
He took Sheng Qianheng’s hand and placed it on his lower abdomen. “My stomach hurts. Rub it for me…”
Seeing Chu Yi’s poor complexion, Sheng Qianheng immediately summoned an imperial physician.
Imperial Physician Zhang arrived at Qianqing Palace in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Chu Yi leaned against Sheng Qianheng’s shoulder.
Imperial Physician Zhang did not know that Chu Yi was pregnant and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Her Ladyship is already pregnant. It’s just that Her Ladyship seems to have had a scare. This subject will prescribe a dose of pregnancy-protecting medicine. Taking it on time every day will suffice.”
Sheng Qianheng said to Liu Deshan beside him, “Hurry and get the medicine and decoct it!”
Chu Yi had originally thought that the fetus in his belly was strong, but he never expected that just a little anger would make him so uncomfortable. The pain from his lower abdomen made him break out in a cold sweat. He whispered to Sheng Qianheng, “Do you think the one in her, Ruotao’s, belly is the eldest prince, or the one in mine?”
Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to wipe the sweat from Chu Yi’s cheek and replied, “Of course our child is the eldest!”
Chu Yi sat up straight, looked at Sheng Qianheng’s worried face, and could only smile slightly to comfort him. “Don’t worry. I was just angered today. Alright, tell me, what’s the matter? How could Ruotao say she’s carrying an imperial heir?”
Sheng Qianheng picked up Chu Yi, gently placed him on the bed, and helped him take off his clothes, slowly explaining, “A month ago…”
Chu Yi felt uncomfortable all over and could only lean against Sheng Qianheng. He only felt much better after smelling the xìnxiāng on him.
“Release some xìnxiāng for me.”
Sheng Qianheng immediately did as he was told. Only then did he remember that Chu Yi and the child both needed his xìnxiāng to be nourished.
After listening to Sheng Qianheng’s explanation, Chu Yi asked, “Are you sure you were dead drunk?”
Sheng Qianheng was puzzled. How could being drunk be the main point?
“I was very drunk. I seemed to have slept for four hours that day before I got up.”
Chu Yi wrapped his arms around Sheng Qianheng’s waist and analyzed, “Then the child in Ruotao’s belly is definitely not yours.”
Sheng Qianheng was puzzled. “Why?”
Chu Yi could be sure that Ruotao was lying based on his physiological knowledge. “A dead drunk person can’t get it up!”
The moment the words were spoken, neither of them spoke. The room was suddenly quiet, leaving only the sound of their breathing mingling.
Chu Yi felt a heat rise to his cheeks…
Sheng Qianheng was suspicious. “How do you know these things?”
Chu Yi couldn’t help but laugh and said, word by word, “Practice makes perfect…”
Sheng Qianheng immediately pinched Chu Yi’s cheek and pressed, “Who did you practice with? Hmm?”
Chu Yi pulled away the hand pinching him and raised his hand to beat his chest. Perhaps because of the discomfort in his abdomen, the muddle-headed Chu Yi unconsciously let down his usual high guard.
He actually sneered at Sheng Qianheng, “I haven’t even settled the score with you for taking another consort, and you’re questioning me? I haven’t even said that I must give birth to the child in my belly! The decision of whether to give birth or not is mine, you know?”
Translator’s Notes
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Tongshi : The “Vermilion History,” a record kept by female officials in the imperial palace detailing the emperor’s intimate relations with his consorts, particularly for tracking potential pregnancies.
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Dudou: A traditional Chinese undergarment, similar to a bodice or halter top, that covers the chest and abdomen.
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Shēn hour: This is the period from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the traditional Chinese timekeeping system.
