mtlumby2d Is she pregnant? (Chapter 281)
Is she pregnant? (Chapter 281)
"Especially that one who's spitting blood, he'll probably be killed if we hit him a couple more times." Cheng Sheng said helplessly, his hands trembling.
Just then, a yamen runner came in to report: "Sir, Lord Shen, Minister of Revenue, Lord Gu, has come to visit."
Cheng Sheng immediately stood up. As a second-rank official among the six ministers, he naturally had to go out to greet him.
Shen Li realized that Yu Die had run away from her, but she didn't think much of it, assuming that she had gone back to protect her little trinkets. She didn't expect that she had gone to ask someone for help.
As soon as the two stepped out, they saw that Gu Chang'an had already passed through the second hall and was heading towards the back hall. The hem of his scarlet court robe was rolled up, and although he was walking very fast, he did not look fast at all, but rather exuded a steady and imposing aura.
"Greetings, Your Excellency." Cheng Sheng cupped his hands and bowed in greeting.
Shen Li stood to the side and behind Cheng Sheng according to her official rank. According to official etiquette, she should follow her superior's lead and bow, but she hesitated because the person opposite her was her husband.
Upon closer reflection, she realized that she had never had any dealings with Gu Chang'an in the officialdom.
It was during this moment of hesitation that Gu Chang'an helped Cheng Sheng up: "Your Excellency, there is no need for such formalities. I am not here on official business, but to take your wife back."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Shen Li, and his handsome features, usually so serious, were now filled with concern.
Shen Li shook her head at him. What kind of scene was this? Could a few thugs and hooligans scare her?
She also saw Xiaoyudie behind Gu Chang'an. Since she was there, Gu Chang'an must already know the whole story.
He will know what he's doing.
"Lord Gu, please have a seat. To be honest, you've come at just the right time. I was at a loss as to how to handle this matter." Cheng Sheng didn't stand on ceremony when he saw that Gu Chang'an wasn't using official jargon.
Although he had extensive experience in the judiciary, he still wanted to hear Gu Chang'an's thoughts. After all, Gu Chang'an had been handling major cases in recent years, and had even seized some of the power from the Ministry of Justice and the Flying Fish Guard, which was something that not an ordinary person could do.
"Is the other party an envoy from the Great Liang?" Gu Chang'an asked.
Yu Die did not know the other party's identity, but he knew that the delegation had arrived. At this time, the troublesome Daliang people were very likely to be people in the delegation.
"Sir, you are indeed well-informed. They are just the envoy's guards, a few ruffians among the soldiers."
"A rogue soldier?" Gu Chang'an's mind raced as he looked at Shen Li beside him: "Is it because you don't know how to punish him?"
Shen Li nodded: "We went a bit too far. The Prefect was worried that if we punished him according to the law, someone would die, but he didn't want to let him off lightly and lose face for the court."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Sheng thought to himself, "Why am I the one who's afraid? Who wouldn't be afraid of this, except for a hothead?"
"Dare to cause trouble within my Great Zhao territory? You're asking for it if you die." Gu Chang'an sneered.
Cheng Sheng: "..."
That's why you'd say they're a couple.
"Lord Gu, the other party is, after all, a member of an envoy. If not handled properly, it could lead to war," Cheng Sheng advised.
"The members of the delegation should not disrupt the harmony between the two countries. Putting aside the incident of causing trouble, their open denial of the fact that their flag was taken by our female general shows that they are not truly subservient to our Great Zhao. If they are not severely punished, it is hard to imagine whether the entire delegation and even the Great Liang share this sentiment."
Shen Li blinked and pondered for a moment. No wonder all the officials were afraid of Gu Chang'an; it was easier for him to pin a big label on someone than to eat a meal.
Cheng Sheng coughed lightly: "Lord Gu, there's no guarantee that this won't escalate the conflict."
"No, Lord Cheng, please listen to me, and this matter will surely be resolved." Gu Chang'an whispered a sentence as Cheng Sheng leaned closer.
Although the voice was soft, Shen Li heard it clearly and immediately raised an eyebrow.
Does this work too?
Cheng Sheng thought about it carefully, and the more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. So he stood up, bowed to Gu Chang'an, and said, "This humble official will go to the palace to inform His Majesty."
"Master Cheng, please excuse me."
The two left the yamen with Cheng Sheng. Gu Chang'an stood up, took Shen Li's hand, and asked her, "Haven't you had lunch yet?"
"I was just about to eat when I ran into these people. I didn't want to argue with them, but it's never going to end," Shen Li said, also feeling unlucky.
"It's not Ah Li's fault, they went too far." Gu Chang'an comforted her and then said, "Let's go to another restaurant together."
"Hasn't my husband already eaten?"
"I'll stay with Ah Li."
Just as Shen Li was about to persuade him to go back because he was too busy with official duties, she saw a carriage with a pink curtain approach and stop in front of Shuntian Prefecture. The curtain was lifted to reveal Cheng Ruojin's small, rosy face, who waved to Shen Li: "Sister Shen."
"It seems I have company now, husband, why don't you go back to the yamen?" Seeing that he seemed reluctant, Shen Li leaned closer to his ear and said, "It'll be good if you come back early tonight after you're done."
Gu Chang'an was finally appeased after hearing the second half of the sentence. He reluctantly let go of Shen Li's hand when Cheng Ruojin approached, greeted her, and then got into the carriage and left.
Cheng Ruojin followed Gu Chang'an as he left, and when she turned back, she praised him without reservation: "The top scholar is truly extraordinary. When will I be able to find such a handsome and talented husband?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Li couldn't help but tap her on the forehead, amused, and said, "Let's talk about your ideal husband somewhere else. There are so many people here."
“Oh, that’s true.” Cheng Ruojin stopped talking and hugged Shen Li’s arm again: “Sister Shen, we haven’t seen each other for a long time since we parted ways at the palace. Why haven’t we seen you at these poetry gatherings?”
"Not really interested," Shen Li replied. "Have you had lunch yet?"
"I've used it," Cheng Ruojin answered honestly.
"Then come with me." Shen Li led her to the car. She digested quickly and was already hungry when she was about to eat. Now she was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back.
"Oh." Cheng Ruojin was pulled away.
Before the two got into the car, a group of people walked past the government office. Shen Li vaguely saw that the leader was a female general, who was looking at her, or more accurately, at her and Cheng Ruojin's arms linked together.
Shen Li greeted her from afar, but Lin Wan'er did not respond and rode away.
"What's wrong with Sister Lin? Who upset her?" Cheng Ruojin asked, puzzled, after getting into the car. "She looks really unwell."
"Yes, what happened?" Shen Li was also pondering.
Lin Wan'er is a calm and easygoing person, and it's rare to see her angry, let alone this angry. Could it be that she had a conflict with her cousin?
My cousin is the same; he's a grown man who doesn't understand romance and always makes girls angry. We should bring him home to stay for a while so he can learn a thing or two from my husband.
Upon arriving at another restaurant, Tianxianglou, Cheng Ruojin entered a private room and began discussing recent events at the poetry gathering. These included stories of young ladies from different families having disagreements and wives from different families tearing each other apart while vying for first place.
Shen Li listened attentively, nodding occasionally to show that she was listening, while elegantly but continuously eating.
“Sister Shen, the banquet has become boring ever since you and Sister Lin stopped attending. The poems aren’t good, and even the arguments aren’t exciting enough.” Cheng Ruojin shook her head repeatedly: “If this continues, I’ll lose interest in going anymore.”
Amidst her busy schedule, Shen Li replied, "Did we have a fight?"
Both she and Lin Wan'er felt that their conflict was a gentlemanly contest; it only appeared intense on the surface, but they did not harbor any hatred towards each other.
"Yes, although we didn't completely break ties, we still had to fight it out." Cheng Ruojin said with a nostalgic look, "Those were the most fun times."
Although Cheng Ruojin didn't mean it that way, Shen Li heard it as a group of people going to see two monkeys.
She and Lin Wan'er were lucky to have lived another lifetime. It would have been a real loss if they had only lived one. They had a lot of knowledge but didn't do much useful work. Instead, they were keen on being monkeys.
"Now when we get together, we often think that it would be great if we could be like you, able to roam freely in the court like men."
"Do you know, Sister Shen, lately many young girls have stopped learning needlework, accounting, and shop management. Instead, they've started studying the classics, hoping to one day receive some favor and participate in the imperial examinations," Cheng Ruojin muttered.
Shen Li nodded: "It's a good thing. Perhaps in the future, women won't need to receive special favors to take the imperial examinations."
"That must be difficult, right?"
“It’s difficult, but as long as someone does it, there’s hope. If one person can’t achieve it, a group of people will eventually succeed.” Shen Li’s gaze was firm.
Cheng Ruojin was also greatly encouraged, and she clenched her little pink fist and said, "I also want to study hard and do this thing that no one has ever done before with my sister."
"What? Aren't you in a hurry to find a Mr. Right?" Shen Li teased her.
“Urgent.” Cheng Ruojin’s eyes lit up again when she mentioned this: “His Majesty will hold a special imperial examination next year, and the spring examination will be held in a few months. At that time, there will definitely be many talented young people coming to the capital. They can’t all be frauds, can they?”
"You're quite devoted." How can you not say she's devoted if she only likes talented men?
Cheng Ruojin took this as a compliment and was proud of it. She had figured out that if she couldn't find someone in the next two years, she would wait. If she couldn't find someone of similar age, she could find someone younger in a couple of years.
"But I still need my sister to help me check. I'm scared of being deceived before, so I need to thoroughly investigate whether they have a family." Cheng Ruojin was still afraid when she thought about the last one.
That man was ruthless to send someone to kill his own wife and two children. After he uses her to rise to power, the Cheng family will surely suffer the same fate.
“It must be thoroughly investigated.” Shen Li fully agreed with this.
"Sister Shen, I heard that the Liang delegation has entered the capital, and they've brought a princess of unparalleled beauty with them. They say they're here for a marriage alliance," Cheng Ruojin continued, gossiping.
Shen Li ate the food in her mouth and asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Gu Chang'an said that the delegation arrived just before the city gates closed yesterday evening, and that no one had told them in advance that a princess was coming to marry him; she only found out today.
"This morning, the granddaughter of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies said at the poetry gathering that she had just arrived at the imperial palace last night and a maid saw the princess, who was indeed extremely beautiful."
"If Father hadn't sent someone to summon me, I would still be at the poetry gathering listening to their discussion, saying that it's not necessary to marry His Majesty, but rather to choose a husband from among the princes."
Shen Li was just listening, but when she heard that a son-in-law would be chosen from among the princes, she raised an eyebrow slightly.
Although Your Majesty has many sons, the older ones have already married their princesses and gone to their fiefdoms. Now, there are only two or three princes who are of marriageable age but have not yet married.
What does Da Liang mean by this?
No wonder Gu Chang'an gave Cheng Sheng that idea; he was trying to test the attitude of the Great Liang.
Only Gu Chang'an could come up with the idea of repeatedly using something.
"If it were a prince, it would be fine, but marrying His Majesty is truly a tragedy. Being a princess is really not easy," Cheng Ruojin sighed from the side.
Shen Li nodded. The royal family is always powerless. Last year, the Great Liang was still full of vigor and strength. Its decline was only a matter of time.
The princess became a victim of the royal power struggle.
But in Shen Li's opinion, the Great Liang did not need to adopt such a humble posture. Although the war last year affected the country's strength, it was not to this extent. She must have some calculations involved.
We should still be cautious and not fall for their subtle tricks.
She was quick-witted, but didn't delay picking up her chopsticks. She finished the meal in no time, which surprised Cheng Ruojin.
"Sister Shen, does that Scholar Gu not let you eat at home?" Cheng Ruojin looked at Shen Li with a hint of sympathy.
She had already imagined it based on the plays she had read: the top scholar was gentle and kind on the outside, but in reality he was a scoundrel who abused his wife at home and even starved her.
"Oh, I ate this much this morning too, but I'm a little hungry today because I didn't have a snack."
Shen Li rinsed her mouth and washed her hands, then picked up a glass of rose syrup to drink, displaying the demeanor of a noble lady once again.
She went to see Li Heng while eating snacks. Gu Chang'an also prepared snacks when she got back, but she felt nauseous after seeing Li Heng and didn't touch them.
Speaking of which, she still needs to go to the palace in a couple of days to meet the maidservant of the Crown Princess.
Cheng Ruojin looked Shen Li up and down, her gaze finally settling on her stomach. She asked in a low voice, "Is sister pregnant?"
"Huh?" Shen Li was taken aback.
In the past, she would have immediately denied this question, but this time she hesitated because she had indeed shared a room with Gu Chang'an, and quite frequently.
It's not impossible.
"Sister, you must see a doctor regularly, and be extra careful if you become pregnant," Cheng Ruojin reminded her.
Shen Li listened attentively and replied, "Okay, I will."
Although she had no plans to have children, she also had no intention of avoiding pregnancy. Although the political situation was not very stable, the crisis was not too great, so it was a good time for her to have children.
Thinking about this made her feel a little uneasy. Having lived two lives, she was quite experienced in other aspects, but this was something she had never experienced before.
After dinner, the two went to see a play together. Since they had seen it many times, neither of them felt anything particularly deep, except for Yudie, whose eyes were red from crying.
After watching the play, it was already dark, so the two went home separately, agreeing to meet again when they had time.
She had just returned home when Bai Wuyou arrived with her pills. This time, she was wearing a dark blue Taoist robe with the Eight Trigrams embroidered on the collar. She walked with a dignified gait, her eyes were clear and bright, and her skin was clear and flawless. She truly looked like a Taoist immortal.
"This is a golden pill that can prolong life. How about I present it to you tomorrow?" Bai Wuyou opened a wooden box, inside which was a black pill that emitted a faint fragrance that was surprisingly appetizing.
“It’s the perfect time.” Shen Li nodded. “I will bring you into the palace tomorrow.”