Tong Kingdom.
In the Tong An Courtyard of Eldest Prince Qing Li.
“Ugh…” A disgusting sour taste rose in Zhang Liu’s chest. She couldn’t help bending over once again and vomiting violently.
The maidservants hurried forward with their bronze basins to contain the bile. Shi Min anxiously patted the princess’s back while asking toward the people outside, “Is the imperial physician here yet?”
“Don’t worry, I must have simply eaten something bad.” After vomiting everything in her stomach, Zhang Liu weakly raised her pale face.
“Princess, you can’t be careless. It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten something bad.” Shi Min shook her head in displeasure. As she picked up an embroidered kerchief to carefully wipe her sweat, she nagged at her, “This servant doesn’t mean to speak badly of the Princess, but Your Highness, you treat yourself so carelessly. You had no appetite a few days ago, we should have gone to the imperial physician right then, but you insisted that it was only because you’d drank cold water at night, it’s too troublesome so we mustn’t make a scene. You also vomited yesterday, but kept insisting that you had only eaten something bad. Look now, you’ve vomited until you turned so pale…”
“Enough,” Zhang Liu smiled bitterly, “How long are you going to keep talking? I’m already in this state, but you’re still lecturing me.” Her face suddenly went tense.
Shi Min knew this was a bad sign and hurriedly turned to exclaim, “Get the bronze basin here, and some clean cloth…” Before she could finish her words, Zhang Liu had doubled over again with a hand pressed onto her chest, regurgitating everything that she had eaten that afternoon.
The sour scent of bile spread across the room.
As she kept watching, Shi Min began having suspicions. After the maidservants had cleaned things up, she ordered them out and brought a cup of warm water to serve Zhang Liu herself. In a low voice, she whispered, “Princess…”
“Nn?”
“This servant has been watching the Princess vomit so much, could it be…” Shi Min hesitated.
“Could it be what?”
“Could it be… you’re pregnant?”
Zhang Liu paused and looked at Shi Min in surprise. After a while, a look of loneliness entered her eyes as she smiled bitterly, “How could it be? Ever since that vixen entered the residence, Qing Li had clung to her every day for three months. This… Is it something I can accomplish by myself…”
Shi Min thought this was reasonable and sighed, but she suddenly recalled one thing.
“That might not be the case.” She raised her face and spoke with a tense look, “Has Your Highness forgotten about that incident last month? Prince Qing Li had been drinking that day and came in the middle of the night, so intoxicated that he couldn’t even recognize anyone. Your Highness, you had already gone to sleep that night, and was startled by His Highness too. That night, didn’t you…”
Zhang Liu looked uncertain, but there was a light flush on her cheeks. She spoke softly, “How could it be? When we first married, there had been a time when we often stayed together. At the time, the king had been anxious to have a grandchild and Qing Li had given me such tenderness every night, but we never had any good news. This time, it’s just a coincidence, it’s…” Her face turned gloomy, “Right now, he only has that Shang Yi in his heart. Even if he were to become the king in the future, I’m afraid the first thing he would do is to get rid of me, his wife. This situation is completely different from the past. Even if I gave birth to a child for him, I’m afraid that this child would only have a difficult life ahead.”
When she recalled her difficult situation, she couldn’t stop the flow of her tears.
Shi Min knew that her words were true, that such an occurrence was much too uncommon. Moreover, that vixen Shang Yi had enchanted Qing Li until he lost his reason, what difference would a pregnancy make? She wiped her own tears along with Zhang Liu.
After crying silently for a while, Zhang Liu forced out a smile, “Don’t cry. There’s no salvation for this problem, crying for him is a waste of tears. But the banquet last night has shown me Duke Ming’s integrity and competence. He truly is an outstanding person. Even his bearing and experience are beyond comparison with other influential officials. The most comforting thing for me right now is the fact that I’ve formed an alliance with him. That’s right, has he sent anyone to contact us?”
“Not yet so far.” Shi Min wasn’t an inexperienced girl, so when she saw that the princess was no longer wallowing in her pain, she also put away her sadness. Her expression turned cautious as she looked out the window to make sure nobody was eavesdropping, and replied, “This servant has stationed someone trustworthy at the small entrance to the courtyard, waiting for Duke Ming’s people.”
“Nobody will find out, right?”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. The Xiao family steward in charge of this issue is an extremely careful person. We’ve already discussed beforehand, if Duke Ming sent his people here, they will report that my cousin Shi Yue has come to ask for me. When I receive the news, I will go to wait at the Fu He Gate. My cousin Shi Yue is a counsellor at Yong Yin, he has also come here in the past. If we use his name, nobody will be suspicious.”
Zhang Liu’s worries were eased by those words. She slowly raised her face and sighed, “I hope Duke Ming contacts us soon, so I can properly report the things with Qing Li recently. Heavens, please bless Duke Ming so he can leave Tong Kingdom safely, please don’t let him meet any misfortune in Tong Kingdom. Otherwise, not only would the imperial kinsmen of Tong Kingdom be met with trouble, even Rong Tian and the Xiao family, and even Zhao Bei might not be let off.” She clasped her hands together and gracefully turned her face upward, closing her eyes in silent prayer toward the heavens. Out of everyone, Shi Min understood Zhang Liu’s difficult situation best. As the Princess of Zhao Bei and Qing Li’s unloved wife, the imperial kinsmen of both Tong Kingdom and Zhao Bei were related closely to her. If Qing Li had committed any fault, she would definitely be affected too.
But now she was secretly forming an alliance with Qing Li’s enemy, Duke Ming. If Qing Li were to find out, this would most definitely be an unforgivable betrayal.
She was in such a precarious position. Her only hope was successfully forming an alliance with Feng Ming to foil Qing Li’s assassination plans, while also making sure Qing Li didn’t know that his own wife had exchanged information with his enemy.
Such a flawless end result could only happen with the heavens’ blessings.
Shi Min assured her, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, we’ve tried our best to protect Duke Ming. Besides, Prince He Di is currently living in Tong An Courtyard. He is Duke Ming’s ally too, he will definitely help him. In any case, Prince Qing Li is only charmed by that vixen temporarily. After Duke Ming has safely left, we’ll deal with that vixen. In the future, Prince Qing Li will understand Your Highness’s efforts, and will be grateful that you’ve stopped him from committing such a grave mistake.”
Zhang Liu said softly, “If only that were the case.”
The sound of movement came from outside. A maidservant’s voice was heard, “Your Highness [1], the imperial physician is here.”
Shi Min was a maidservant that Zhang Liu had brought from Zhao Bei, so she was used to addressing her as ‘Princess’. But in Tong Kingdom, her most important status was Qing Li’s princess consort.
“Come in.” After Zhang Liu finished her prayers, she lowered the hands clasped in front of her chest. Before the imperial physician entered and carefully paid his obeisance to her, Zhang Liu had removed all traces of worry from her face and gracefully nodded at him, telling him to forego the courtesy. “I feel no great discomfort, I simply can’t stomach my food too well, the maidservants are worrying for nothing. Please give me a quick examination, so they will stop nagging at me.”
The imperial physician nodded. “Yes, please allow me to check the Princess Consort’s pulse.”
The maidservants brought a small pillow for her to rest her wrist. The imperial physician came forward and carefully felt her pulse. Everyone else was fine, but Zhang Liu and Shi Min, because they had mentioned the possibility of pregnancy earlier, were quite concerned.
Seeing the furrow in between the imperial physician’s brows, as if he had encountered a great problem, even those who weren’t concerned became anxious.
After holding herself back for a while, Shi Min asked in a soft voice, “Imperial Physician, what is the problem with our princess?”
The imperial physician remained silent, his face fully focused. He tilted his head and continued feeling the pulse for a moment. Then he finally raised his face, as if he had confirmed something, and met Zhang Liu and Shi Min’s questioning eyes.
“What is it?” Even Zhang Liu couldn’t help speaking up.
“Congratulations to the Princess Consort, you have been blessed with a pregnancy.” The imperial physician exhaled, an emotional smile spreading on his serious face, “Joyous news for Prince Qing Li! Joyous news for the Princess Consort! Joyous news for Tong Kingdom!”
Shi Min and Zhang Liu couldn’t help looking at each other.
They had somehow guessed right.
During this time of cold neglect, she had borne the child of Tong Kingdom’s crown prince.
They didn’t even know whether to be shocked or happy…
The maidservants around them immediately erupted with joy.
“The Princess Consort is pregnant!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness! Such joy for Her Highness!”
“Hurry, hurry! Send someone to tell Prince Qing Li this great news…”
“Right, right! This servant will go right away.”
A few maidservants took the order and immediately ran out in a swirl of skirts.
But Qing Li wasn’t in his own chambers.
After eating his lunch, he seemed a bit anxious, and went to visit the guest currently living in his residence. He never would have expected to be stopped by He Di’s underlings in his own home.
“Sorry, Prince Qing Li, our prince is currently unable to meet guests.”
“Unable to meet guests?” Qing Li looked surprised. “Could it be… Prince He Di has fallen ill?” Despite his hatred for Feng Ming, he actually cared about his ally He Di and couldn’t help showing some worry on his face.
Since this morning, his head had been hurting. While frowning in pain, Qing Li asked, “Was he worn out by the banquet last night? I heard that Prince He Di works extremely hard with his official businesses and had also met with Feng Ming’s… whatever special envoy late last night. He can’t… that… fall ill.” He was only speaking a few sentences, but he somehow spoke them so inarticulately.
Looking at that complexion and expression, the one who was feeling unwell should be Qing Li.
Kong Liu, who was standing in front of him, looked at him in astonishment, but he immediately regained his unruffled look, “Prince Qing Li, rest assured, our prince is very healthy. But the prince is currently in a period of praying to the Sea God, so he must rest quietly to recuperate.”
Qing Li only made a soft ‘oh’ in response after a long time. He seemed really out of it, asking sluggishly, “Praying to the sea god?”
“This is a ritual among us pir… oh, our Dan Lin people. It’s very sacred and effective.”
“Prince He Di is…”
“There is an important business for which the prince needs the Sea God’s blessing. At the moment, he truly can’t sit down to chat with Prince Qing Li. Please accept our apologies. Also,” Kong Liu spoke straightforwardly, “Our Kingdom has a tradition. In order to express their sincerity to the gods, the people in prayer must not indulge in sexual intercourse or consume liquor and meat. All these,” he pointed at the large jars of fine liquor and the newly-picked young girls of Tong Kingdom, and smiled, “I’d have to ask Your Highness to take them back.”
“Oh…” With the two to three attendants standing around him, Qing Li stood in front of the steps and looked inside in a daze. His head hurt so much, as if it was about to burst. It felt like if he were to think about anything, his head would throb until his ears were ringing.
Qing Li raised his face to look at the sun. The blinding light made his sight turn white. Today, everything seemed to be going against his wishes. He frowned. Shang Yi had a weak physique, after attending last night’s banquet, she had fallen ill immediately upon returning. He had gotten used to taking Shang Yi’s sedative drug daily. Now, he had only missed it for one day, but his head hurt so much.
He originally intended to finish the negotiations with He Di earlier so he could obtain those weapons, but…
“His Highness is here!”
“Found him.”
At some point, the ringing in his ears was joined by some women’s sickening exclamations.
“What’s the ruckus?” With a vicious glare, Qing Li turned around and howled.
The maidservants, who were hurrying to spread the good news, had finally found him after much effort, and were startled. Their smiling faces turned pale. All of them recoiled slightly, “Your Highness, please don’t be angry. These servants are…”
“Are what?” When he recognized the maidservants’ faces, Qing Li became even more upset, “Aren’t you Zhang Liu’s maidservants? Why would you come here for no reason? I feel irritated just from looking at you all, what has Zhang Liu done now? I knew it, she won’t be happy if she doesn’t cause me trouble for a day, hmph.”
The joyous excitement was immediately ruined by his resentful and irritated words.
The maidservants said timidly, “Reporting to Your Highness, the princess consort is pregnant.”
In that instance, the courtyard fell into silence.
Qing Li was speechless for a moment and asked, as if in disbelief, “Who did you say is pregnant?”
“The princess consort…”
Qing Li was stunned. His gaze was beginning to show some changes. If this had happened in the past, he would have taken Shang Yi’s drug the moment he woke up, so he might not react too much. But the heavens were merciful. Shang Yi happened to have fallen ill last night and only fell asleep at dawn. She had always kept her drugs in a secret place, not even Qing Li knew where she kept them. Even though he had gotten used to taking the drug every day, he couldn’t bring himself to disturb his beloved beauty in her sleep.
At the moment, despite the pain in his head, his mind was much clearer than it ever was.
“Zhang Liu… is pregnant?” His voice was soft, uncertain, eyes wandering, gazing beyond the gate of the courtyard.
The maidservants believed that no matter how much he spoiled the new beauty, he must still be happy that his wife was pregnant, because it was his own blood and flesh, after all. Seeing his current state, the maidservants looked at each other and replied carefully in a low voice, “That’s right, Your Highness. The princess consort has been feeling unwell recently and often felt nauseous. The imperial physician has checked on her, she really is pregnant, it has been confirmed. Congratulations, Your Highness.”
Pregnant?
Congratulations!
Qing Li’s mind was in a daze, as if there was a gigantic shadow covering up everything. He struggled to form his thoughts, but his head was suddenly engulfed in a searing pain.
“Ugh…” Qing Li cradled his own head.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!” The attendants were startled and hurried to support Qing Li.
After a while of gasping for breath, Qing Li opened his eyes with a frown. His face was filled with surprise and bewilderment, “My head hurts so much…” he murmured, “A simpleton will marvel at the most common things. I’m going to see Shang Yi.”
The people at his side had changed quite a bit after Shang Yi’s arrival, but there were still a few attendants who had stayed with him for a long time. Seeing his confusion, which was unlike the cruel conceited look that had always been on his face recently, they became hopeful and couldn’t help urging him, “Your Highness, the princess consort is pregnant, it’s a joyous occasion, shouldn’t you… pay a visit to the princess consort?”
“Pay a visit to the princess consort?” As if he had been hypnotized, Qing Li repeated those words in a murmur.
“Your Highness, please pay a visit to the princess consort. You’re going to have a child.”
“Have a child…”
“That’s right, Your Highness, the princess consort is waiting for you. You’re going to be a father.” They were still frowning, but Zhang Liu’s maidservants could see that this was a great opportunity for their lady to regain the prince’s favor. Taking advantage of Qing Li’s unprotesting state, they urged him toward Princess Zhang Liu’s courtyard.
Have a son?
He’s going to be a father?
Qing Li slowly moved his gaze to his feet. It felt as if there were dozens of sharp rocks in his head, pricking him and causing so much pain. Where was Shang Yi? He jolted violently. The path toward Zhang Liu’s courtyard in front of him felt so foreign that it was frightening. He turned to search for another way.
As he hesitated, the charming and gentle voices next to him entered his ears.
“Your Highness, please move, the princess consort is waiting.”
“Oh…” His head, hurt so much.
[1] ‘Your Highness’ The phrase used in this instance is 「王妃殿下」, which is specifically used for the wife of a prince. In Chinese, the words for ‘princess’ and ‘wife of a prince’ are different, hence the following explanation that Shi Min is used to calling Zhang Liu ‘princess’ while the other servants call her ‘princess consort’.