N-A-A Chapter 381 Second Pregnancy
Chapter 381 Second Pregnancy
The fourth prince was so frightened that he dropped his chopsticks. He looked around and saw that although there were three people serving him closely, it was hard to say that his mother's people might not be among them.
"Second Brother, do you want to die? How can you say such a thing?" the Fourth Prince asked in a low voice. He picked up his chopsticks and ate the meat that had fallen on the table.
No matter what happens, it won't stop him from eating.
The fourth prince is now a chubby little boy, not very tall. In this respect, he inherited the genes of the former Duke of Xin, who was both fat and short.
The second prince chuckled, "Fourth brother, surely Mother Du is also urging you to study hard, practice martial arts diligently, and show your face more often in front of Father, right?"
Since his second brother wasn't afraid, why should he be? "Yeah, I'm tired of hearing these things. I just asked my mother, why isn't she the Empress? If she were the Empress, I would be the legitimate son. Would I still need to fight for it?"
The second prince patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "Smart!"
He then asked his third brother, "And you, didn't I guess right?"
The third prince remained noncommittal, then asked, "Second brother, now that Prince Min is gone, you are Father's eldest son. Don't you want that?"
The second prince laughed and said, "Of course I want to! I even dream of plucking stars from the sky, is that possible?"
The third prince returned to his courtyard, lay down under the eaves, and looked at the stars in the sky. There were so many, twinkling and shining, the starlight was truly beautiful.
His mother asked him if he wanted to, but he hadn't thought about it and couldn't answer for a moment. His mother then said that since they were both the Emperor's sons, if he didn't even try to compete, he would definitely regret it in the future, and she wouldn't be willing to accept that.
There was something he couldn't understand: they were all the emperor's children, so why were Dongjun and Xihe able to live with their father and grow up in his arms, while the princes could only see their father once a year, during palace banquets?
He didn't understand.
Naturally, they were unwilling to accept this.
Chao Yu reported the affairs of the inner palace to the Empress. The Empress listened and laughed, saying, "Let them be. It's impossible not to compete; that's not normal. It's normal that some people are unwilling to accept it."
"Can they turn the world upside down? What's there to be afraid of? Just keep an eye on them. By the way, how about Li Wencheng becoming an official? Send someone to investigate."
Li Wencheng was Li Sihe's father. He came from a poor family and was a scholar. He married the daughter of the former county magistrate of Dunhuang County. Thanks to his family's influence, he first served as a minor official in the county. He was quite capable. Later, he met the brother-in-law of the prefect and got a position as a clerk in the prefectural government.
A clerk is a low-ranking official.
However, after Li Sihe entered the palace and gave birth to the third prince, Li Wencheng's status in Dunhuang rose sharply.
Later, Guazhou specially set up an examination for him. After passing it, he became a junior official of the eighth rank. Later, Li Sihe was promoted, and Li Wencheng also rose in rank, from a junior clerk of the seventh rank to a county magistrate.
This man was indeed very good at being an official. He could do practical things for the people and also smooth things over. In just a few years, he was promoted to the position of prefect of Minzhou.
Shen Shixi obtained Li Wencheng's resume. After reviewing it, Li Yuanke asked, "Who is this man? Is he worth your attention?"
Shen Shixi dared not say things like "father-in-law" anymore. Li Yuanke, that bastard, had a terrible temper because he had raised Dongjun and Xihe, and he would often yell at her.
"Li Chongyuan's father has a daughter who is a favorite concubine in the harem. He rose through the ranks quite quickly. He has also achieved some success in his years in office. Let's put it aside for now!" Shen Shixi threw the resume on the table.
Li Yuanke took it, glanced at it, and didn't take it seriously. "Keep it for your son to deal with in the future!"
Shen Shixi glared at him, thinking, "What nonsense are you spouting?" and sat down on his lap. "Li Yuanke, have you named your child yet?"
Li Yuanke held her in his arms and said, "Just give birth peacefully. I've already chosen the names. We'll just have to see if it's a son or a daughter."
He hugged her and kissed her. "Xi'er, I'm so happy. It's not because we have two more children. I'm so happy that you're willing to suffer so much for me."
The thought of giving birth makes him nervous and scared; it's terrifying!
[You're overthinking it. I'm not doing this for you. I'm just worried that my son and daughter are too weak on their own. Having another child means more strength!]
Shen Shixi hugged his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "It's good that Your Majesty understands my feelings!"
Li Yuanke watched her act with a sinister look, wishing he could throw this bastard down there. If he couldn't hear her thoughts, he would have been tricked into selling even his underwear.
Shen Shixi sensed something was off about his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
[Has his acting deteriorated? You bastard, if you dare yell at me, throw me down there! You dare? Let's see if you dare!]
Li Yuanke dared not, he was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He didn't want to look at her anymore, he wanted to kill her if he looked at her even once. "I see that you seem to have a spot on your face. The Empress has really suffered during this pregnancy. I am very grateful."
Shen Shixi ignored his sarcastic tone, jumped up in fright, and rushed to the mirror. "Really? Where? Oh my god! Qinghao, come quick! I have a freckle on my face, ahhhhh, what do I do?"
She was carrying a belly as big as a wok, and ran faster than a rabbit, even stomping her feet in front of the mirror. Li Yuanke was so frightened he almost lost his soul. Filled with regret, he ran over to protect her, "What are you doing?"
Shen Shixi pointed to her face, extremely anxious, "Where's that freckle? Point it out to me!"
Li Yuanke was speechless. "So what do you want? To cut this piece of flesh off your face? I was just kidding, I don't have any freckles."
Shen Shixi was furious and punched Li Yuanke, "You bastard, why did you lie to me? Waaah, you scared me to death! I'll never get pregnant again. I knew having too many children was bad."
Li Fude and the others were terrified by the Empress's dramatic outbursts, but they breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their heads.
Over the years, Li Fude had long since lost his obsession with saving the emperor. Even if the empress were to stab the emperor with a knife right now, he could pretend he didn't see it.
At the end of April, on the night of the 22nd, the Empress went into labor in the middle of the night. Her stomach was cramping and she thought she was dreaming. After waking up, she felt it for a while and then kicked Li Yuanke.
Li Yuanke jumped up almost reflexively. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Do you need to get up in the middle of the night? Or are you thirsty? Let me get you some water."
In the late stages of her pregnancy, Li Yuanke had trouble sleeping, had difficulty falling asleep, was easily startled awake, and lost weight.
Shen Shixi was helped to sit up, clutching her belly. "I think I'm about to give birth. Bai Ping, come in and help me change!"
The hall instantly became agitated, and the atmosphere grew tense. Li Fude arranged for someone to summon the imperial physician, the side hall was opened, the midwife took her place, and the small kitchen brought over boiled water. Every step was overseen to prevent anyone from taking any action.
The concubines in the harem also received the news. Consort Shu got up quickly, not even having time to comb her hair, and rushed over. Just then, the Empress entered the delivery room, and she hurriedly followed her in.
Li Yuanke was a step too late and missed out. He heard the Empress say from inside, "Your Majesty, just keep watch outside and keep an eye on Dongjun and Xihe."
Don't come in, you'll only cause trouble.