A Secret Edict

This time, Jiang Chan did not stop Hua Meng from going to see Emperor Jing'an. Not only did she not stop her, she even suggested, "It would be best to have my elder brother take a careful reading of Your Highness's pulse. My medical skills are ordinary, after all."

Hua Meng understood what Jiang Chan meant. She was better at nursing people back to health, but her medical skills were indeed inferior to Jiang Xin's.

"Mm, I'll remember." With that, Hua Meng calmed herself, ate two pieces of pastry, and drank a cup of warm water before getting up and heading to Phoenix Approaches Palace.

In Phoenix Approaches Palace, Emperor Jing'an was reviewing memorials when he heard that Hua Meng had arrived. He immediately put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Xiao Jiangzi, who was grinding ink in Wei Fugui's place because Wei Fugui had suffered mild heatstroke. "Has something happened again?"

Xiao Jiangzi was taken aback. He carefully went over the news he had received in the past two days before replying, "Nothing has happened in the palace. Outside the palace..." His master was directly responsible for matters outside the palace, and he had not yet taken them over.

Evidently, Xiao Jiangzi's pause reminded Emperor Jing'an of that as well.

Thinking of Wei Fugui, who had grown up with him and had been unwell these past few days, he sighed inwardly. He looked at Xiao Jiangzi and said, "Invite Consort Jing to rest in the side hall. I'll go over once I've dealt with the few memorials at hand."

Xiao Jiangzi glanced at the pile of memorials marked urgent on the desk before Emperor Jing'an. Seeing that four or five remained, he respectfully assented.

Of the two side halls beside the main hall of Phoenix Approaches Palace, one served as Emperor Jing'an's study, while the other had become Hua Meng's regular domain.

Xiao Jiangzi led her into the side hall and told her Emperor Jing'an would be there shortly. Hua Meng then took an ordinary porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

"These are heat-relief pills. Take them to your master later and tell him to take good care of himself."

Jiang Chan had made the heat-relief pills, though she and Hua Meng had worked out the prescription together.

While Jiang Chan was making the pills, Hua Meng found an opportunity to add a drop of Spirit Spring to the very large pot of medicinal ingredients. In the end, the pot yielded more than a hundred heat-relief pills.

Hua Meng took a hundred and gave the rest to Jiang Chan.

The heat-relief pills were now kept ten to a bottle. Apart from sending one bottle each to Consort Wan and Consort Ying a few days ago, Hua Meng had only given one to Xiao Jiangzi today, for him to take to Wei Fugui.

Xiao Jiangzi accepted the porcelain bottle and bowed in thanks. He looked at Hua Meng, seeming to want to speak but holding back. In the end, though, he was a disciple whom Wei Fugui had carefully trained for many years, and despite his hesitation, he did not say what was on his mind.

After Xiao Jiangzi left, Qiu Die silently helped Hua Meng over to a cushioned couch and sat her down.

Jiang Chan checked the pastries and tea on the table, and even inspected the teacup. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did she pour Hua Meng a cup of hot water, filling it more than halfway.

Emperor Jing'an arrived quickly, at least sooner than Hua Meng had expected. When Qiu Die saw him, she bowed and withdrew of her own accord to stand guard at the door, leaving only Hua Meng and Jiang Chan in the room.

"Didn't I tell you last time? If anything happens in the future, send someone to tell me, and I'll come at once."

It seemed that because Hua Meng had only taken the initiative to come to Phoenix Approaches Palace when something was wrong during the past two months or so, Emperor Jing'an opened with those words.

Hearing him, Hua Meng first gave him a sweet smile. "And I told you, I'm pregnant. I can't stay still all the time." After speaking coquettishly, Hua Meng saw his smile deepen. Only then did she look at him and say with some distress, "But I really have come to trouble Your Majesty with something again today."

"How could your affairs be a trouble?"

The words slipped out as Emperor Jing'an looked at Hua Meng. He then turned directly to Jiang Chan, knowing that since Hua Meng had kept her by her side, she must know about it too.

When Jiang Chan felt Emperor Jing'an's gaze on her, she did not speak at once as she usually did. Instead, she first looked at Hua Meng, and only after Hua Meng nodded did she tell him the rumors she had heard when she met her daughters at the outer gate a few days ago.

Emperor Jing'an had noticed that both Jiang Chan and Qiu Die were observing the rules much more strictly than before, and had just been about to tease Hua Meng about it once Jiang Chan spoke. Instead, he heard a rumor concerning the throne.

"Such talk has already spread?" Emperor Jing'an was not as anxious or angry as Hua Meng had imagined. After questioning Jiang Chan carefully about the contents of the rumor, he looked at Hua Meng and said, "Shall I have Jiang Xin come examine you?"

Hua Meng nodded first, then said, "Nanny Jiang examined me before I came. She said there was a seventy percent chance it was one child."

Emperor Jing'an did not speak immediately. He took Hua Meng's hand and gave her palm a reassuring squeeze before saying, "Don't worry. If there are two princes, I'll only be happy, and I'll raise them both."

His words surprised both Hua Meng and Jiang Chan. After all, such a thing had happened in the Former Dynasty.

An empress of the Former Dynasty had given birth to twin sons. The throne later passed to the elder, but the younger refused to accept it. He felt that he had missed the throne by a hair's breadth simply because he had been born half a quarter-hour later, so three years afterward, he murdered the emperor and seized the throne.

But after he died, his elder brother's son took the throne back and killed all his descendants, as well as three generations of the families of the court officials who had helped him seize power.

The story had circulated among the people for many years; scarcely anyone was unaware of it.

"Your Majesty..." Hua Meng was not quite sure how to say it. She did not want such a thing as had happened in the Former Dynasty to happen among her own sons one day.

Emperor Jing'an understood Hua Meng's worries. He signaled Jiang Chan to go to the door and send someone to the Imperial Medical Academy for Jiang Xin, then held Hua Meng's hand and said quietly, "You know that our dynasty has had few offspring since the Grand Ancestor's time."

Hua Meng nodded at this. Her obedient manner made Emperor Jing'an's voice soften a little more.

"The Grand Ancestor left a secret edict. In it is a way to resolve this matter."

Emperor Jing'an did not explain further. After all, only each reigning emperor could know the contents of the secret edict.

Even the Elder Princess did not know about it. It was also the main reason Emperor Jing'an was still willing to pay his respects to the Late Emperor every year.

After all, in his imperial father's heart, he had ultimately wanted to pass the throne to him.

Hua Meng was already sufficiently shocked to hear about the secret edict. She did not ask what it contained, but looked at Emperor Jing'an and said, "Still, I can't help feeling that this matter isn't simple."

"You're right to feel that way." Emperor Jing'an gave Hua Meng an approving look, thoroughly pleased with the changes in her these past days. "But don't trouble yourself over it. Leave it to me."

After saying that, perhaps worried that Hua Meng would be unwilling, Emperor Jing'an actually brought up the fact that she had heat-relief pills but had not thought to give him any.

Seeing that Emperor Jing'an did not want her to concern herself with the rumors any longer, and that he had brought up the pills with a touch of jealousy, Hua Meng took a jade bottle from her other sleeve.

"How could I forget Your Majesty? I simply had to let them try the effects first."

As soon as Hua Meng took out the jade bottle, Emperor Jing'an reached over, took it, and put it away.

After putting the jade bottle away, Emperor Jing'an said, "The Ghost Festival is in a few days. If you don't feel sleepy or tired, go to Chaohuang Palace and visit the Empress Dowager."

Hua Meng did not know why Emperor Jing'an had suddenly brought this up, but she agreed.

The two talked about a few more things before Jiang Xin arrived carrying his medicine chest.

Because Wei Fugui was ill, the young eunuch Xiao Jiangzi had sent to fetch Jiang Xin did not know why he was wanted either. All he knew was that Consort Jing had just gone to Phoenix Approaches Palace.

Jiang Xin had been on tenterhooks the whole way, wishing he could sprout wings like a bird and fly to Phoenix Approaches Palace.

Only when he saw his younger sister standing guard at the side hall door, her expression calm and untroubled, did he breathe a sigh of relief, slow his steps, and steady his breathing.

By the time Jiang Xin entered the side hall, Hua Meng and Emperor Jing'an had moved on to discussing the child's name.

"I've already chosen more than ten. Once our imperial child is born, we'll have the Directorate of Astronomy calculate the eight characters before settling on a name."

Hua Meng had been about to say something, but stopped when she saw Imperial Physician Jiang arrive.

"Come and take Consort Jing's pulse."

Emperor Jing'an gave Jiang Xin no hint as to the main purpose of the examination today. Since he said nothing, Hua Meng naturally did not mention it either.

Hearing this, Jiang Xin assumed that Emperor Jing'an was concerned about Hua Meng and wanted to know what her pulse revealed.

With nothing to hold him back, Jiang Xin took her pulse very quickly.

"Your Highness is in excellent health, and the child in her womb is also very well." As Jiang Xin spoke, he could not help marveling once again at how truly good Hua Meng's health was.

Just as Jiang Xin finished marveling to himself, Emperor Jing'an asked, seemingly offhandedly but in fact quite deliberately, "Are both princes well?"