bookbashuk Chapter 373 Pregnant
Chapter 373 Pregnant
He Qimo smiled slightly. "I entered the palace by order of Her Majesty the Empress. Do you think I did something wrong? Is this how your elders taught you manners?"
Yang Tingjiao became angry upon hearing this and retorted, "Do you even know who I am?"
He Qimo said dismissively, "Who you are, young lady, is none of my business. In this palace, unless you are a princess or an empress, I presume I don't need to perform such a grand ceremony for a princess!"
It means that you and I are both guests.
A young woman standing nearby said, "This is Miss Yang from the Duke of Ying's mansion."
"The Duke of Ying's Mansion? Is that the Duke of Ying's Mansion that caused the death of the First Prince? I see!" She curtsied to Yang Tingjiao. "Since you dare to come to the palace, and my father died in battle, receiving posthumous honors from the Emperor, why can't I?"
"Did I say you can't enter the palace?" Yang Tingjiao said angrily.
Bai Ping approached and said with a smile, "Miss He, please come with me. Her Majesty the Empress wishes to see you!"
Shen Shixi was talking to several noblewomen when someone subtly asked why there hadn't been any imperial concubine selections in recent years, and whether they planned to stop doing so in the future.
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "I really haven't had the time or energy to do this in the past few years. The selection of people to enter the palace must be approved by the Empress Dowager and liked by the Emperor. It's no easy task. If you have any good candidates, please tell me. Some members of the imperial clan are also asking me for recommendations."
It means that if you recommend me, I might recommend you to the imperial family.
Whether or not people are allowed into the palace is up to me.
Who would dare to recommend him?
He Qimo arrived, and everyone looked at her.
Shen Shixi then summoned her to speak, "Your father sacrificed himself for the country, and the Emperor bestowed grace upon him, but your mother refused to accept it. I also admire this integrity."
You look great today, and your younger brother is doing well too. You're the second child in your family, so which family did your eldest sister marry into?
He Qimo replied nervously, "Your Majesty, my elder sister was betrothed to the Xie family. However, the Xie family moved to Jinling, and my elder sister married far away there."
The Xie family suffered misfortune early on, but the He family never considered annuling the engagement, which shows great integrity.
This is also what the Shen family values.
Shen Shixi asked a few questions, expressed his liking, and thus clarified his position. They were all intelligent people, and since there were rumors circulating, the ladies of noble birth all understood what was going on.
Shen Shixi took a phoenix hairpin off her head and put it in He Qimo's head, making the girls extremely jealous.
The winds quickly shifted, and the noble ladies who had previously looked down on He Qimo began to try to get close to her, vying to curry favor with her.
This made He Qimo somewhat uneasy. She didn't know enough about the Shen family before. She thought the Shen family was very low-key and poor, so she felt quite at ease. Now she realized just how high the Shen family's status really was.
She went back and told her mother about her concerns. Her mother said, "The Shen family is related to the imperial family. Even if they don't have a title, can they be an ordinary family? But don't worry, it's precisely because the Shen family is low-key and has a clean family tradition that I feel at ease letting you marry into their family."
As long as you behave well, manage your household prudently, respect your parents-in-law, and maintain harmonious relationships with your sisters-in-law, who can find fault with you?
In the evening, Shen Shixi asked Chaoyu to bring over a peach sapling, and the family of four went to plant another peach tree. This was the nineteenth peach tree planted in the twelfth year of Yongxi's reign.
At this time last year, the two little ones could only make a mess with shovels and could barely walk steadily. This year, in addition to helping with a couple of shovelfuls, they are making even more trouble.
Xihe swung her shovel directly at Li Yuanke's face. Li Yuanke wiped his face and saw his daughter's flushed cheeks. She seemed frightened by her own actions and quickly said, "Daddy's alright. Daddy knows my darling didn't mean it. Don't be afraid!"
Shen Shixi was speechless, wondering which eye of his saw that Xihe was scared!
time flies!
Shen Shixi looked at the peach trees that were growing vigorously, some of which had already opened their buds. They were really beautiful!
She looked at the peach blossoms, then at Li Yuanke, and sighed, "By this time next year, the peach trees here should be blossoming and bearing fruit, right?"
Li Yuanke leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
Both the prince and the princess wanted it.
Xihe climbed right onto him like a cat, whining, "I want, I want a kiss!"
Li Yuanke glared at Shen Shixi, who chuckled. It was just that one day, she and Li Yuanke were arguing, and the two kids overheard her saying, "I want a kiss, I want a hug, I want to be lifted up high."
Not to be outdone, the crown prince climbed onto his father from the other side. Li Yuanke had no choice but to throw down the shovel, pick up the two children, one on each side, and hold them, sticking one on each cheek.
Shen Shixi then said, "Are you happy now?"
Li Yuanke was enjoying himself immensely, unable to suppress the smile on his face, his eyes brimming with joy.
Shen Shixi felt only regret. Behind the father and his two sons were peach blossoms, and three identical faces were pressed together. She used her finger to make a camera frame around the three of them, but she couldn't freeze this moment into eternity.
Time may pass.
In June, the He family's daughter finished her mourning period, and the two families chose an auspicious day in July to hold the wedding. Thus, Brother Shen's second brother was able to settle down and start a family.
Needless to say, the rewards from the palace were plentiful.
With the Crown Prince and Princess now over two years old, Li Yuanke was finally able to devote some energy to politics, and Shen Shixi shifted his focus to the Institute of Natural Sciences, where a foot-operated sewing machine had already been developed.
It works very well, and it's much faster than sewing clothes by hand, which immediately reduces the cost of ready-made garments.
The railway project is not on the agenda for the time being, but Shen Shixi still intends to lay some industrial foundation.
She has recently started to feel sleepy, and her drowsiness is increasing day by day. She can't muster any energy when discussing matters, which makes her ministers very worried.
Shen Shixi waved his hand and summarized, "The direction we're heading is this. Using this contact method will save time and effort. As for the power, I have an idea, but we can't get there in a short time. Let's get this working first."
Suppressing a yawn, she asked someone to take their leave.
After giving birth, she was supposed to have her blood on display at the beginning of the month, but she didn't have it on the scheduled date in early August.
Li Yuanke was both worried and somewhat expectant, but if this bastard really had it in his pocket again, why was he not reacting this time? He should still be very nervous.
By early September, having not changed his clothes, he couldn't resist anymore.
During breakfast, Shen Shixi was dozing off, even more so than when she was pregnant with the Crown Prince and Xihe. She almost buried her head in her porridge bowl.
"Why are you so tired? What did the imperial physician say when he came to check your pulse the last two times?" he asked.
"He didn't say anything." Shen Shixi forced her head up and leaned on Li Yuanke's shoulder. "Ugh, I'm sleepy. Li Yuanke, carry me to bed for a while."
She yawned.
Last time, Jiang Lingyou came to inquire about his health, but he hesitated to speak. She was too lazy to ask, so she assumed he was pregnant.
She stopped taking the medication and her pregnancy was normal.
In the first half of the year, she suddenly had a dream. After dreaming of the modern world, she felt uneasy. She couldn't bear to leave Dongjun and Xihe behind. If she suddenly died or went back, the Crown Prince would only have one sister. If the two siblings didn't grow up, how could they fight against so many brothers?
As for relying on Li Yuanke, that's a joke. If there's a stepmother, there will inevitably be a stepfather.
She then had the idea of having another child.
Having more siblings means you'll have someone to rely on in the future.
Unexpectedly, after stopping the medication, there was no progress for several months. Just when she thought she might not be able to get pregnant and was preparing to think of other ways, her period didn't come.
Li Yuanke picked her up and placed her on the couch. "Summon the imperial physician!"
Jiangling You knew what was going on, so he brought Zhang Yuanpan along. The two of them took the Empress's pulse together, going back and forth, not daring to make a mistake.
After exchanging glances, Imperial Physician Zhang said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is pregnant with the Emperor's child."
Dongjun and Xihe were also present. Xihe asked, "Mother, what is a dragon fetus?"
Before Li Yuanke could react, Shen Shixi touched the face of her daughter, a replica of Li Yuanke, and said, "A dragon fetus means that the mother has a younger brother or sister in her belly."
Xihe: "I want a younger sister!"
Dongjun: "I want a younger brother!"
The siblings got into a fight again after arguing over something.
Shen Shixi closed her eyes, pretending not to see.
At this moment, Li Yuanke couldn't care less about the two little ones anymore. He rushed over and hugged Shen Shixi, "Xi'er, Xi'er, you're pregnant again! Hahaha, I'm so amazing!"
If Dongjun and Xihe were Li Yuanke's long-awaited wish fulfilled, then Shen Shixi's pregnancy was a completely unexpected and joyous surprise.
Li Yuanke, with tears welling in his eyes, buried his face in her arms.
But Shen Shixi was too sleepy, so she nudged his fluffy head, "Li Yuanke, don't make noise, I want to sleep!"
Li Yuanke carried her back to the palace. The two little ones were still fighting fiercely, their fighting skills were improving. Bai Ping, Li Fude and the others quickly pulled one of them apart.
The two little ones are still fighting.
Dongjun: "Little brother!"
Xihe: "Sister!"
They struggled to hit each other, but couldn't break free.
The two children both wanted to go find their father, but he ignored them. So they quietly went over and saw him kneeling on the footstool, holding his mother's hand and kissing it.
The prince went over and touched his mother's nose. Oh, Mother is alright, she's asleep. He smiled and said, "Mother is alive!"
Shen Shixi was woken up, but didn't want to pay attention, so she turned over and went back to sleep.
Xihe whispered, in a barely audible voice, "Father, Mother isn't dead, don't cry!"
Then, she lay on her father's back, so sad that she almost cried.
"Dad didn't cry. Your mother is pregnant with a younger brother or sister. Dad is very happy."
The Empress became pregnant again, and Consort Jing's health deteriorated further. She didn't get out of bed all winter. As the New Year approached, she asked Granny Qu to invite Shen Shixi.
Shen Shixi's belly was very big, and it was most likely twins. After three months, she felt much better from being sleepy, but Li Yuanke started to have a reaction: nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to smells.
Shen Shixi's last menstrual period was in early July, and now it's the end of December. She is about five months pregnant and her pregnancy is very obvious. However, her waist has become thicker, and there is no difference between her and not pregnant.
On the contrary, sleeping well makes you look better.
Seeing her like this, it would be a lie to say that Consort Jing wasn't jealous. She slumped on the couch, looking like a frail old woman, and said, "You're still the same as when you first entered the palace. Over the years, only you haven't changed at all."