Chapter 1311 - 1311 She Is the Queen, and He Is a Minister
Chapter 1311 She Is the Queen, and He Is a Minister
“Yes, Her Highness fainted. Hurry up… Inform His Highness to go to see her. Mingqiu Nun is also there… Hurry up!” Yujie was so excited that she spoke incoherently.
“Are you stupid?” Xiao Xuanzi looked at Yujie as if she were a fool.
“Quick! It’s true. Believe me.” Yujie was overjoyed and kept urging.
“His Highness will get angry,” Xiao Xuanzi reminded Yujie.
Yujie blinked her eyes in confusion. “Go quickly. His Highness will be happy.”
“His Highness will be angry!” Xiao Xuanzi said loudly. He thought that Yujie was out of her mind. What nonsense she was talking about! Xiao Xuanzi had seen with his own eyes how his master treasured Princess Chen. Princess Chen fainted now, but Yujie said that Prince Chen would be happy. What could he be happy for?
Xiao Xuanzi felt a chill on his back. He even thought that he might not be safe. Instead, this silly girl was giggling here.
Yujie looked at Xiao Xuanzi as if he were a fool. She reached out and pushed him again. “Her Highness fainted… Mingqiu Nun says that Her Highness is pregnant. Go to tell His Highness quickly!”
“Her Highness fainted. His Highness will be angry…” Xiao Xuanzi kept explaining to Yujie. He had a feeling that it was not true. When he suddenly heard the last few words, he immediately widened his eyes and said in a sharper voice, “You… Are you telling the truth?”
“Yes, it’s true. Go, go quickly!” Yujie stamped her feet anxiously.
Xiao Xuanzi turned around excitedly, muttering to himself inwardly, “Her Highness is pregnant. There will be a little master in the mansion soon. That is so great!” He hit something under his feet and almost fell, and he stood up with the support of the pillar on the side. Xiao Xuanzi was so happy that he rushed up to Chu Liuchen.
“Your Highness, hurry… Go and have a look. Her Highness has fainted. She… It’s said that she is pregnant.”
Chu Liuchen’s hand paused on the table, and he looked up at Xiao Xuanzi. It seemed that he didn’t hear it clearly. “What?”
“Her Highness is pregnant. You… Your Highness, go and have a look quickly!” Xiao Xuanzi hurriedly repeated with his eyes full of joy.
Chu Liuchen slowly stood up with a calm look. It seemed that he always moved slowly and calmly at any time. Then he turned to go downstairs.
However, when he went downstairs, he crossed two steps at a time and almost fell.
Xiao Xuanzi followed behind Chu Liuchen with his smiling eyes. Yes, his master was always like this. It was obvious that he was surprised and anxious, yet he looked so calm. In fact, his master was flustered. Xiao Xuanzi had served Chu Liuchen for so many years, so how could he not understand?
He knew that Prince Chen was overjoyed.
Shao Wanru was half lying on the bed, eating bird’s nest soup. When she was informed that Chu Liuchen came in, she put down the soup bowl.
Just then, she saw Chu Liuchen coming in a rush. As soon as the servant girl lifted the curtain, he rushed in front of the bed.
Nanny Yu and Nanny Zheng smiled and asked everyone to go out, leaving only the couple in the room.
Chu Liuchen walked so fast that his pale face was a little blushed. He walked to the bed and sat down. He reached out to hold Shao Wanru’s hand and whispered, “How long has it been?”
“Well, it’s not long. It’s just … just a little over a month,” Shao Wanru said with a soft smile, letting him hold her hand with strength. Chu Liuchen held her hand so tightly that his cold palm was stained with a little sweat. Shao Wanru knew that he headed here in a rush.
Chu Liuchen was in poor health before, so he got used to walking very slowly. Afterward, although he got recovered, he never changed that habit. When did he walk so fast?
Looking at Shao Wanru, Chu Liuchen suddenly reached out to hold her in his arms. He chuckle first and then laughed out loud.
Since Chu Liuchen attached so much importance to her unborn child, Shao Wanru’s heart was full of tenderness.
“What a coincidence! I am going to enter the Palace, and I’ll have to hear those old ministers talk about the shortage of concubines in the imperial harem again. Zhuozhuo, you are pregnant at this time. I’d like to see what they dare to say.”
After laughing, Chu Liuchen said. It sounded like he was talking to himself, and it also seemed to be saying to Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru raised her bright eyes in his arms and asked softly, “Has Uncle the Emperor made up his mind?”
“Yes, he has decided to abdicate, saying that he will leave the Palace with Noble Consort Lan in the future. Then they will travel around outside, and by the way, they will go to the south of the Yangtze River to recuperate,” Chu Liuchen said lightly and held Shao Wanru gently. “When we enter the Palace and have a child later, those pedantic old men won’t dare to talk.”
“Will they blame you?” Shao Wanru raised her beautiful eyes, which were full of the figure of Chu Liuchen, clear and bright.
“Of course, they will. It’s annoying for me to be annoyed every day. Now, it’s fine because I have you and our child, Zhuozhuo. I can simply refuse whoever asks me to hold the Pageant,” Chu Liuchen said happily.
He had other ways to refuse, but this way was the best and the plainest one. They would even think that Shao Wanru was the best.
He didn’t need other women in his imperial harem. Zhuozhuo and their children were enough for him. What had happened in his last life was too heavy, so he didn’t want to care too much. As for the Emperor, his biological father, Chu Liuchen had no intention to change the title either. In his opinion, it was all caused by too many women in the imperial harem.
When Noble Consort Lan was pregnant with him, she was schemed by several people, including the Empress and Consort of Virtue. Many people did not want her to give birth to a healthy child.
The Empress and Chu Liuzhou were locked up together. Chu Liuyue was beheaded. Consort of Virtue was sent out of the Palace, and now, she was living with Zhang Qilan, who was willing to support Consort of Virtue for the rest of her life. As for the other concubines in the Palace, some were dead, and some escaped. Chu Liuchen only asked someone to count the number and then let them go.
Since they had been out of the Palace, let them go their separate ways!
Chu Qing and Consort Dowager Qing were also beheaded. In addition, those people, who were in the hands of Pushan Nun and brought by Princess Yuyan, were all eliminated in this palace coup.
In the Xu State, Chu Liuchen passed a message to Princess Yutao. Then the Xu State also underwent a political change, in which Consort Li’s family branch failed. Consort Li’s son was completely defeated by Princess Yutao, and he became the victim of the palace coup. At this point, all the matters of the previous dynasty were resolved.
Nanny Wei, Wei Dahai and the others were also confiscated.
At this critical moment, the Emperor was going to abdicate.
The old ministers submitted memorials one after another, pleading with the Emperor not to abdicate so early. However, the Emperor was determined to leave. He took the excuse of his poor health, saying that he could not hold on any longer and that the reason why he could survive the palace coup this time was completely relying on Chu Liuchen.
The ministers in the court had no choice but to bow to Emperor in tears.
On a selected auspicious day, the Emperor abdicated, and Chu Liuchen succeeded him on the throne. And on the same day, Shao Wanru was conferred the title of Empress.
Wearing a crown, Chu Liuchen stood in front of the main hall and looked at Shao Wanru, who was walking over slowly, with a charming smile.
Shao Wanru was also dressed in fancy attire with a crown. She walked up to Chu Liuchen with slightly red eyes. In the previous life, she did not have a chance to see the scene of his ascending the throne. They were parted by death, so she didn’t know how long he had been the Emperor.
Thinking of what had happened in her dream, Shao Wanru assumed that with his paranoid character, Chu Liuchen would probably destroy the whole country in a few years after being the Emperor.
Nowadays, their suffering had come to an end. Shao Wanru gently put her hand on Chu Liuchen’s palm. The next part of the way was taken by the Emperor and the Empress together, representing the harmony of the imperial harem.
Chu Liuchen walked very slowly, afraid that Shao Wanru would feel uncomfortable if she walked fast, and he paused from time to time and took smaller steps. It could be seen that he was taking care of Shao Wanru, who was petite beside him.
In the crowd of ministers, Wen Xichi was also watching this scene. He felt a lump in his throat. He gritted his teeth hard, and a touch of bitterness appeared in his eyes. He wished that he were the one who stood beside her.
Even if he couldn’t give her the whole world, he would protect her wholeheartedly. He wouldn’t let her go through any hardships again. He would treat her carefully, lest she would repeat the tragic fate like her last life.
However, she had a better choice now. Perhaps they had been doomed to miss each other in their last lives. After all, he could not have protected her well eventually in the last life, so it was useless to say anything now.
Wen Xichi lowered his head, stared at the ground in front of him, and took a deep breath. As long as she lived well, nothing else was important. She was the Empress now. He could tell from the way Chu Liuchen behaved now that Chu Liuchen should treat Shao Wanru extremely well.
That was enough for Wen Xichen.
Whether in the dream or the last life, it was not as good as in this life. The abbot was right. This life was the present, and the present was hopeful. From today on, she was the Queen, and he was a minister. He would restrain all inappropriate thoughts and assist her silently.
Not only her but also the child she gave birth to…
The Emperor and the Empress came to the front of the throne and sat down hand in hand. All the ministers knelt down and called out “Long lives” three times. So, the ceremony was completed. Shao Wanru was carefully escorted to the imperial harem and lived in the Empress’ Palace.
When Rui’an Great Elder Princess heard that Shao Wanru was pregnant, she was so happy that she came into the Palace every day. She first went to see the Grand Empress Dowager and chatted with her for a while. Then she went to see Shao Wanru. Shao Wanru had been pregnant for about two months, but her belly was still flat, and she did not care much about it. In contrast, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was so nervous that she told Shao Wanru to special care as soon as she saw Shao Wanru.
It got Shao Wanru on tenterhooks as well.
There was only Shao Wanru in the imperial harem, so it wouldn’t cause any trouble. In addition, she got advice from Rui’an Great Elder Princess and the Grand Empress Dowager, as well as the addition of Noble Consort Dowager Lan now and then. The imperial harem was lively but with no tricks. However, it was different in the imperial court. The ministers complained about no consorts in the imperial harem, urging the Emperor to start the Pageant as soon as possible to enrich the imperial harem.
Many ministers who had daughters were so positive that they all wanted to send their daughters to the Palace. Except for the Empress, there were plenty of vacant positions of consort in the imperial harem. How could they let it be? Their daughters were completely qualified for the positions of consort.
Those who had daughters about to be married at home were most positive.
Chu Liuchen just said coldly, “The Empress is pregnant, and she can’t get tired either mentally or physically at this time. If the fetal development were affected, no one could bear the responsibility.”
All the ministers look at each other at his words. If something really happened, no one could take on the responsibility.
Moreover, Wen Xichi, the new deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had a glib tongue, spoke up for the Emperor. Whoever talked to Wen Xichi about the Pageant, would end up with failure. Just a few days later, under Chu Liuchen’s tough threatening and Wen Xichi’s intentional guidance, the ministers stopped mentioning it. After all, the Emperor had said so, and the Empress was pregnant with a descendant of the Emperor, so it was useless to say anything right now.