With a sword stuck in her stomach, how could the child still be there? Gu Chaobei reached out to wipe the blood from Shen Guiyan’s face, his fingertips ice-cold and trembling. “We’ll talk about it later. Mother and Duanwen, can you step out first? I want to stay with Yan’er for a while.”
Shen Guiyan took a deep breath, looking at Gu Chaobei with tears and laughter. Usually such a clever person—how had he become so foolish now? He wouldn’t listen to any explanation. Didn’t he see that there wasn’t even half a drop of blood at the wound on her stomach?
She couldn’t speak loudly either—there were so many people outside. She could only tug on Gu Chaobei’s sleeve, then pull out the sword in one motion and lift her palace dress.
Gu Chaobei was so frightened his breathing stopped, afraid that in the next moment Yan’er would cough up blood and die.
But beneath the palace dress wasn’t her stomach at all—it was a strange… wicker basket?
A round wicker basket woven from bamboo strips, with a hole pierced through it by the sword. Picking it up, he could see cotton stuffed inside, along with a layer of golden silk soft armor.
Shen Guiyan’s belly wasn’t that large yet. Removing the basket, it was only slightly protruding.
Gu Chaobei was dumbfounded, the bloodshot in his eyes frozen in place.
“This is a method for protecting the pregnancy that I learned from Empress Dowager Nian. The child is unharmed—please set Your Majesty’s mind at ease.” Shen Guiyan tied the basket back on and said softly, “I only ask that Your Majesty cooperate with me in saying certain things when we go out, so that this pregnancy can be hidden beneath my palace dress, free from others’ covetous eyes and murderous hands.”
This all made perfect sense. Thanks to the black-clothed men’s intervention, no one would believe this child could be kept, so they might as well say it was lost. Afterwards, with the palace dresses the Empress Dowager would provide, even as her belly grew, no one would be able to tell. She could follow the Empress Dowager’s method and successfully give birth to the child.
Gu Chaobei’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, and his eyes suddenly grew moist.
Shen Guiyan was still waiting for him to praise her when she looked up unexpectedly to find something cold falling on her face.
She froze completely.
Empress Dowager Nian and Duanwen also noticed the Emperor’s unusual state and said softly from the side, “Has Your Majesty been frightened?”
“In the future, don’t play such jokes. Whatever you do, tell me first.” Gu Chaobei reached out to wipe the moisture from Shen Guiyan’s face and took a deep breath. “I’m not a god. I can’t think of everything. I worry.”
Just now in that brief moment, he had even thought about his own affairs after death. If Yan’er was gone, where would he go? What would he do? Continue sitting on this throne with emptiness beside him.
No one to wake him, no one to understand his heart, no one willing to wait for him. Everywhere he looked, only desolation.
He had never thought before about what his feelings would be if one day Yan’er was gone. Today he experienced it and even gave himself a fright.
So she was this, this important in his heart. Before, how had he not noticed at all?
Shen Guiyan inexplicably felt her nose sting, looking at Gu Chaobei’s expression and saying softly, “In the future, I will inform Your Majesty first. But today, it really was a sudden incident. No one expected those people would be assassins.”
Empress Dowager Nian pressed her lips together and coughed lightly. “Your Majesty should treat Noble Consort Yan as having already miscarried. Go out first and put on a show, so this fright won’t have been in vain.”
As for the matter of the assassins, she would investigate it.
Gu Chaobei nodded, looked deeply at Shen Guiyan once more, then turned and walked out.
“Your Majesty?” The people outside had been swept aside earlier, and each woman’s heart was uncomfortable. The Emperor came out still with a stern face, so no one dared speak up.
“Your Majesty, please accept our condolences.” Yuwen Changqing said, “This subject failed in his duty to protect you and willingly accepts punishment.”
Gu Chaobei said with a somber face, “I know it’s not your fault, beloved minister. It’s that Yan’er’s fortune is thin—she couldn’t keep this child.”
The hearts of the various consorts jumped as they exchanged glances.
The Emperor’s first imperial son had truly been lost just like that.
Consort Hua frowned. “Elder Sister Noble Consort must be very sad. Your Majesty should go in and keep her company for a while.”
“I know. She’ll need to recuperate for quite a long time.” Gu Chaobei sighed deeply and said casually, “The miscellaneous affairs of the six palaces—let them be temporarily managed by Consort Hua.”
Consort Hua froze. This was truly an unexpected joy. She quickly knelt to give thanks.
Concubine Xi frowned but didn’t say much. Seeing the Emperor so distressed, arguing over such things at this time wouldn’t be appropriate.
An unexpected assassination, Noble Consort Yan losing the imperial prince—the Emperor’s favor for her would be even thinner now. Yuwen Changqing hadn’t entered the room, so naturally didn’t know the truth about Shen Guiyan’s belly. His heart still harbored regret—why, when the black-clothed men surged forward, hadn’t he blocked the path of Noble Consort Yan’s departure and instead went to help Duanwen?
He had wronged Noble Consort Yan…
Fortunately her life was spared. Otherwise, he truly would regret it for the rest of his life.
Gu Chaobei went to accompany Noble Consort Yan. Duanwen came out of the room, looking at Yuwen Changqing’s grief-stricken face. She opened her mouth wanting to tell him the truth, but Mother had said the fewer people who knew about this, the better. After thinking it over, she still didn’t say anything.
“General should rest first.” Duanwen said.
Yuwen Changqing pressed his lips together with a bitter smile. “This humble subject wishes to drink.”
Duanwen instinctively took a step back. “I don’t want to.”
“This subject knows propriety and won’t offend again. I only ask the Princess to procure some wine. This subject is unfamiliar with the Northern Palace.”
Duanwen looked at Yuwen Changqing for quite a while, pouted, then turned to instruct the palace servants to fetch it.
Three incense sticks’ time later, the two of them were still sitting together on the roof eaves, each holding a jar of Huadiao wine, drinking and gesturing animatedly.
Gu Chaobei lay beside Shen Guiyan, his hand covering her belly, never willing to let go.
Shen Guiyan said with tears and laughter in a soft voice, “Your Majesty can rest assured. This child is quite formidable. At first I still had abdominal pain and signs of miscarriage, but he held on. This time during the attack, he even saved Yan’er’s life. Otherwise, if the sword had struck elsewhere, I couldn’t have emerged completely unscathed.”
Gu Chaobei gave a faint “mm,” closing his eyes and asking, “The origin of the assassins—do you know it?”
Shen Guiyan said somewhat embarrassedly, “Didn’t the Empress Dowager say she would investigate?”
“What can she investigate?” Gu Chaobei opened his eyes. “Regarding harem affairs, I’ve always turned a blind eye, but that doesn’t mean I know nothing. To have so many people enter the palace so silently could only be Mother’s arrangement. But likely someone exploited a loophole—the people who came weren’t the ones Mother wanted.”
Shen Guiyan guiltily lowered her head. She and the Empress Dowager had only wanted to play matchmaker for the Princess and Yuwen Changqing. How could they have known it would lead to such trouble? Now she was even more embarrassed to tell the Emperor.
“The Empress Dowager has been in the palace a long time. Your Majesty should trust the Empress Dowager.” Shen Guiyan said.
The Emperor was noncommittal.
Concubine Fu had originally been dissatisfied that her carefully prepared plans had fallen through, but hearing that Noble Consort Yan had miscarried, she was still very happy. Eliminating one major trouble—what did it matter to lose one day of favor?
But then she heard that somehow the Emperor had been captivated by Consort Hua. Since Noble Consort Yan’s miscarriage, he went to Consort Hua’s palace every day, not only giving her the authority to manage the six palaces but also frequently bestowing rewards. He never came to Hehuan Palace again.
The winds in the palace truly changed at will. Just moments ago it had been blowing the spring breeze for her, Concubine Fu, but now it had shifted to Consort Hua’s eastern wind.
Concubine Fu specifically sent someone to inquire and learned that Consort Hua had worn that “treasure” made by Concubine Shen to the Imperial Study to deliver soup, and as a result, the Emperor obediently followed her back.
For a time, the palace competed to purchase Shen Hanlu’s bras, and Shen Hanlu even made a tidy profit from it.
“They really believe everything they hear.” Baoshan told Shen Guiyan today’s gossip, then added her own commentary, “The ladies in the palace are all too idle.”
Shen Guiyan smiled without speaking. Gu Chaobei was sitting beside her reading memorials.
“Consort Hua is sensible and won’t ask where I’ve been.” Gu Chaobei said while flipping through memorials. “So these past few days I’ve borrowed her palace as cover. I didn’t expect it would be spread around like this.”
Shen Guiyan glanced at him. “Women immersed in love—few of them are sensible.”
After thinking, she added another sentence: “Except for me.”
Gu Chaobei closed the memorial, gave a light snort, and casually used it to tap Shen Guiyan’s forehead. “Yan’er has no shame at all.”
Wasn’t it true though? She was sensible because the Emperor was here with her, thinking of her and remembering her. If she were Consort Hua instead, the resentment in her heart could fill a wicker basket.
Last time she had also told Gu Chaobei that Consort Hua and Concubine Xi’s feelings for him weren’t simple. Unfortunately, this master didn’t listen, or rather, even if he heard, he pretended not to.
Shen Guiyan couldn’t quite figure out what position Zuihuayin and the others held in Gu Chaobei’s heart.
“Rest now. Didn’t you say you haven’t been sleeping well lately and it affects the child?” Gu Chaobei stood and pressed Shen Guiyan onto the bed, glancing at Baoshan.
Baoshan efficiently tidied things up, then closed the door and withdrew.
Shen Guiyan smiled warmly, leaning against the Emperor, falling asleep with complete peace of mind.
For several days in a row, it was said the Emperor went to Consort Hua’s place, but in reality, he secretly came to Shen Guiyan’s quarters every night. However, Consort Hua also gained considerable benefits—in the morning when the consorts came to pay respects, they all went to her place.
Shen Guiyan was happy to have the peace and quiet, using the pretext of recuperating from her miscarriage to hide in Yonghe Palace eating and drinking heartily to nourish her body.
Gu Chaobei’s favor became the target of competition in the harem. But this Emperor couldn’t stay idle—today at Consort Hua’s, tomorrow at Concubine Xi’s. Except for Shen Hanlu’s palace, he went everywhere else.
Shen Hanlu had planned to lay low and bide her time, but waiting this long, she couldn’t see even a glimmer of hope.
“How much silver is there now?” Shen Hanlu asked Xiuping.
Xiuping said, “Over three hundred taels—enough for an ordinary family to live happily for a lifetime.”
Shen Hanlu narrowed her eyes.
She had pretended for so long, suppressed herself for so long. Now that she had found a way out, it was time to think of ways to make some moves. If it didn’t work out, she would take the silver and flee. If it succeeded, she would continue staying in this palace enjoying wealth and glory.
Shen Guiyan’s child was gone. She had already laughed enough under her covers. Seeing her suffer brought some balance to her own heart. Without Shen Guiyan, everyone had a chance at that person’s heart on the dragon throne—it just depended on who was more clever.
“Go deliver something to Consort Hua.” Shen Hanlu reached back and handed a packet of her specialized weapon to Xiuping. “Don’t let anyone see you.”
“Yes.” Xiuping acknowledged.
Consort Hua was sitting in her palace lost in thought, two palace maids cleaning the surroundings—one in the outer hall, one in the inner hall.