A Happy Pregnancy

It was just that the Wei Family and the Elder Princess's maternal uncle's family wielded too much influence at court. For the stability of the realm, Emperor Jing'an did not dare kill the Elder Princess so directly.

Besides, his partial imperial father had long ago prepared something to protect Yue Shu's life.

At the thought, Emperor Jing'an, still resentful, looked at the Elder Princess and Wei Ningyan, who remained seated steadily in their places. Beside himself with rage, he pointed outside. "Get out there and kneel! You may rise when the Empress Dowager wakes."

With that, Emperor Jing'an started toward the inner hall, but just as he took a step, the Elder Princess called out, "Ningyan is pregnant. She cannot kneel!"

While Emperor Jing'an had been away, the Elder Princess had thought it through. There was no way she could entirely free herself of blame for what had happened today.

But when she married, her imperial father had bestowed a Phoenix Tail Token upon her. With the token, Emperor Jing'an could not have her executed.

Yet she was not the only one here today. Her daughter was here too.

Her daughter was pregnant and must not suffer any mistreatment.

With that in mind, she had spoken up about the pregnancy as soon as Emperor Jing'an opened his mouth.

Emperor Jing'an had not known about it before. Hearing the Elder Princess's words, he instantly understood why his imperial mother had fainted in anger.

At the thought that the Elder Princess was very likely the reason he still had no children, Emperor Jing'an burned with rage and was just about to speak without restraint when Hua Meng suddenly emerged from the inner hall.

"Why did you come out?" Emperor Jing'an asked, alarmed when he saw that Hua Meng's complexion was worse than before. "Is it Imperial Mother...?"

"No." Hua Meng covered her chest and, after suppressing the discomfort in her throat, shook her head. "The imperial physicians are administering acupuncture to the Empress Dowager. I felt unwell, so I came out for some air."

The Empress Dowager had been rendered speechless by anger, and none of the imperial consorts dared leave without permission.

Although the inner hall of the Empress Dowager's Chaohuang Palace was large, with so many people inside, Hua Meng still found it somewhat stuffy.

Besides, she thought today was a good day, perfectly suited for her to reveal that she might be pregnant.

The moment Hua Meng finished speaking, the hand on her chest moved to her lips.

"Your Majesty, I..." As she spoke, Hua Meng gagged in discomfort, but with Emperor Jing'an present, she could only do her best to hold it back.

The Elder Princess was a woman who had borne two children, and even Wei Ningyan had felt this way when she had first become pregnant.

So as soon as Hua Meng gagged in discomfort, Wei Ningyan asked in bewilderment, "Could you be pregnant too?"

Almost the instant Wei Ningyan finished speaking, the Elder Princess cried out, "Impossible!"

Emperor Jing'an had paid little attention to Hua Meng's discomfort. Seeing her like this, he had even thought she was unwilling to remain in the inner hall and attend to the Empress Dowager.

But when Wei Ningyan spoke, he immediately clenched his fists in delight. The Elder Princess's words, however, were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing every spark of warmth in his heart.

Thinking of his own condition, Emperor Jing'an also thought it impossible. But Hua Meng was unwell, and he could not simply watch her without doing anything.

"Fugui, go inside and find an imperial physician to come out and examine Consort Hua."

Emperor Jing'an spoke casually, plainly showing that he did not take Hua Meng to heart. After giving the order, he intended to go inside and check on the Empress Dowager first.

But just as Emperor Jing'an turned around, the Elder Princess boldly laughed aloud.

The Elder Princess's laughter was far too brazen, with an almost deliberate note of cold mockery.

Emperor Jing'an, who had been about to leave, suddenly remembered the many children in Hua Meng's family upon hearing her laughter.

At that instant, Emperor Jing'an had only one thought.

If I truly can have a son, then Lady Hua is probably the most likely to become that child's mother.

That thought brought Emperor Jing'an to a halt.

Wei Fugui went to fetch a physician and soon returned with Imperial Physician Jiang.

It was not that there were no other imperial physicians, but Imperial Physician Jiang was one of their own. Even if there was something, he presumably knew what to say.

As soon as Imperial Physician Jiang came out, he bowed to Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Jing'an waved a hand casually, signaling him to hurry and take Hua Meng's pulse, while he himself went to sit at the head of the hall.

Hua Meng thought she really should be pregnant. Jiang Chan had taken her pulse the night before and said it was much clearer than it had been a few days earlier.

Surely Imperial Physician Jiang should be able to detect it?

With that uncertainty in her heart, Hua Meng sat in the chair, not daring to move.

Imperial Physician Jiang, meanwhile, had already heard Wei Fugui briefly explain the situation. So as soon as he placed his fingers on Hua Meng's wrist, his thoughts naturally turned to whether Consort Hua was pregnant.

With that in mind, he discovered that the pulse beneath his fingertips did indeed feel like pearls and jade beads rolling along.

Startled, he was just about to feel more carefully when he found that the pulse had vanished again.

He hurriedly switched to her other wrist, and soon the sensation of rolling pearls and jade beads appeared again. This time, he felt it quietly and was quite certain that he had indeed sensed it.

Ordinarily, by the rules followed by imperial physicians, they would not give a definite answer when a pulse was this unclear.

But remembering the information Eunuch Fugui had revealed earlier, Imperial Physician Jiang blinked. Thinking of the Jiang family's future, he finally made a decision.

Emperor Jing'an had held out no hope at first, but as Imperial Physician Jiang took longer and longer to examine her pulse, a trace of anticipation could not help rising in his heart.

Just as Emperor Jing'an was about to give in to the urge to ask, Imperial Physician Jiang lifted his fingers from Hua Meng's wrist, then knelt before the emperor in a deep formal salute. Trembling with excitement, he said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! My congratulations, Your Majesty! Her Highness has a pregnancy pulse, a pregnancy pulse!"

"Really!"

Emperor Jing'an's eyes widened in disbelief, and he sprang to his feet from the low couch.

He could scarcely believe it and thought Wei Fugui might have said something to Imperial Physician Jiang when he went inside, which was why the physician was saying this now.

But Imperial Physician Jiang showed no panic at all. Still wearing a joyful expression, he said, "I ask Your Majesty to order the other physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy to examine Her Highness's pulse as well."

"Granted!"

Too excited to hesitate, Emperor Jing'an spoke as soon as Imperial Physician Jiang finished. Wei Fugui had already quietly risen to his feet when the physician began speaking, and the moment Emperor Jing'an gave his answer, he ran joyfully into the inner hall.

When Wei Fugui came out again, not only the other physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy but also the imperial consorts came out after him.

Emperor Jing'an seemed not to see the consorts. He spoke directly to the other imperial physicians. "Each of you, take Consort Hua's pulse in turn."

As soon as Emperor Jing'an finished speaking, Nanny Ming, who had served the Empress Dowager for more than twenty years, also hurried into the outer hall.

By now, Wei Ningyan had helped the Elder Princess retreat to the edge of the hall. The Elder Princess was so stunned that she did not know what to do, and could only keep murmuring, "Impossible! Impossible! How could anyone become pregnant? It can't be true."

Although Wei Ningyan had been doted on by the Elder Princess for years, she too knew that something was wrong with her mother's state.

She did not dare ask about it here, so she could only follow her instincts and lead her mother aside.

In that short time, the imperial physicians had already finished taking Hua Meng's pulse one after another.

All of them wore relieved smiles. They understood that although they had not been the first to detect Consort Hua's pregnancy pulse, now that the emperor had a child on the way, they would be under much less pressure.

After exchanging glances, they said in unison, "We offer Your Majesty our congratulations."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Almost the instant the physicians finished speaking, Emperor Jing'an's laughter rang out through the hall.

As Emperor Jing'an laughed brazenly, all the imperial consorts, led by Consort Qi and including Hua Meng, bowed. "We offer Your Majesty our congratulations."

Amid the congratulations, Nanny Ming, the Empress Dowager's attendant, also felt her eyes grow moist. She happily raised a hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, then turned and hurried toward the inner hall.

The congratulations in the hall were loud. The palace maids at the entrance were the first to hear the commotion inside, and they immediately knelt and offered their congratulations as well.

Like waves upon the sea, the sound of congratulations gradually spread beyond Chaohuang Palace.

Because Emperor Jing'an had left suddenly without dismissing court, the civil and military officials had been obliged to wait in the Diligent Governance Hall. Soon, they too heard the deafening congratulations.

"What happened?"

No sooner had Lin Ming asked than a sharp-eyed, keen-eared young eunuch outside the hall called back, "Reporting to Minister Lin, Consort Hua was just found to have a pregnancy pulse in Chaohuang Palace."

As soon as the young eunuch finished speaking, more than half the civil and military officials at court laughed aloud with joy.

"Heaven blesses Great Yue!"

Lin Ming spoke first, and then all the civil and military officials in the Diligent Governance Hall echoed in unison, "Heaven blesses Great Yue!"