On the way, Guo Zimu held onto King Rong tightly, refusing to let go, and King Rong kept comforting him. After calming down, King Rong also felt some doubts. Why would the Emperor summon Guo Zimu to the palace at night, and why would the Empress not react? Moreover, the Emperor was being so blatant; wasn’t he afraid of criticism from the court? Based on what he knew about the Emperor, even if the Emperor had any thoughts about Guo Zimu, he should at least consider his status as the Emperor’s uncle. Even though Guo Zimu had not officially entered the palace, the imperial edict for their marriage had already been issued. Furthermore, Guo Zimu was the brother of Loyal and Brave Marquis, and the Duke had just left the capital. If the Emperor did such a thing while Loyal and Brave Marquis was away, even though Loyal and Brave Marquis might not have a strong case, Shao Yunan wouldn’t let it go easily. The Emperor shouldn’t be so reckless.

King Rong couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He expressed his thoughts to Guo Zimu and said: “Let’s not panic. Let’s see what the Emperor means after entering the palace. Don’t be afraid, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

Guo Zimu was genuinely scared. He had always been averse to entering the palace, and if it were the Empress summoning him, he wouldn’t mind. But if it was the Emperor, and at night, he was terrified.

The palace gates had already been closed, but with the Emperor’s order and King Rong’s privilege to enter and exit the palace at will, the carriage smoothly entered the palace and stopped at the gate of the inner palace. King Rong tightly held Guo Zimu’s cold hand and followed the palace eunuch who was going to report to the palace. Seeing the direction was towards the Emperor’s bedchamber, King Rong frowned inwardly. Guo Zimu wore a mask, and his face under the mask was pale. He didn’t know that the path under his feet led to the Emperor’s bedchamber. If he had known, he would have run back without hesitation.

No matter how unwilling he was, they arrived at the Emperor’s bedchamber. King Rong immediately saw Guo Xun waiting at the door. Guo Xun’s eyes brightened when he saw King Rong, and he hurriedly came forward to greet him with a bow. King Rong felt less nervous because Guo Xun didn’t show any embarrassment or wariness about his arrival. King Rong immediately asked: “Guo Xun, why did the Emperor suddenly summon my Consort to the palace at night? I’m worried, so I’ve specially accompanied MY Consort to enter the palace.”

Guo Xun hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the trembling little Zimu and immediately put on a smiling face, saying: “It’s not really an urgent matter. His Majesty had instructed not to trouble King and the Consort, but seeing how uncomfortable Empress is, His Majesty privately ordered someone to summon King Rong and the Consort into the palace. His Majesty spoke urgently, fearing that the messenger might not convey the message properly, which caused King to worry.”

Guo Xun could easily discern the meaning behind King Rong’s words. Guo Zimu was the intended Consort, the male spouse. It was inappropriate for the Emperor to summon him into the palace at night, both morally and logically.

“Empress wanted to eat sweet and sour fish today, and it was prepared by the imperial kitchen. Empress took a few bites but couldn’t finish it. He specifically wanted to eat the dish made by Wang main wife. Although the chefs from Yunlong Pavilion were brought in by His Majesty, they couldn’t replicate the taste Empress desired. Empress couldn’t even finish half a bowl of rice tonight. His Majesty knew that Empress was actually yearning for marquis Wang main wife cooking.”

Originally, His Majesty had planned to invite marquis Wang main wife to the palace to cook the sweet and sour fish for Empress, but Empress refused to trouble him. However, after Empres had trouble sleeping and His Majesty saw his distress, unable to bear it, he secretly ordered someone to summon King and the Consort. The messenger didn’t fully understand the situation, causing King and the Consort to worry.

As Guo Xun spoke, King Rong let out a long sigh of relief, while Guo Zimu felt weak with fear. King Rong subtly embraced Guo Zimu, who was trembling, and asked: “Can the Right Consort and I enter now?”

“Yes, yes, His Majesty is still awake, and Empres is feeling uncomfortable lying down and got up again. I’ll go deliver the message.”

Guo Xun delivered the message, and the eunuch who had gone to the King Mansion to deliver the message was promptly taken away. Guo Zimu was truly frightened, breaking out in a cold sweat. King Rong rubbed his hand and whispered: “I told you His Majesty wouldn’t do anything so rude. It seems it was just us scaring themself.”

Guo Zimu was breathing heavily, still not fully recovered from the shock.

Soon, Guo Xun came out, and King Rong followed him back into the bedchamber. Upon entering, they saw Emperor Yongming, dressed in a frost-colored dragon robe, expressing regret: “Imperial Uncle, it’s really inappropriate to have you and Imperial Aunt come into the palace at this late hour. Qiyu is feeling very uncomfortable.”

A figure emerged from the inner palace, dressed in a plain phoenix robe.

“Imperial Uncle, it’s truly inappropriate to have you and Imperial Aunt come into the palace at night. It’s because His Majesty saw me unable to sleep and, in his haste, forgot the proper etiquette.”

Both Emperor Yongming and the Empress spoke in a familiar tone, addressing Guo Zimu differently, which eased King Rong’s dissatisfaction a bit. The Emperor’s actions were indeed improper, but perhaps he was genuinely worried. The Emperor didn’t explain clearly, leading the messenger eunuch to say that the Emperor “individually” summoned the Consort. It couldn’t be ruled out that the messenger eunuch did it deliberately. King Rong also considered the possibility of a conspiracy, but he wouldn’t tell Guo Zimu too much about the dark side of things.

Guo Zimu, trembling, murmured: “Then, I’ll go prepare.”

“Guo Xun, accompany King Consort to the imperial kitchen.”

“Yes.”

King Rong squeezed Guo Zimu’s hand, then let go. Guo Zimu bowed to the Emperor and the Empress, then followed Guo Xun. As they left, the Empress Dowager reprimanded: “Emperor, you’ve been reckless.”

Emperor Yongming immediately apologized: “Imperial Uncle, I was impulsive. Please don’t be upset.”

King Rong smiled, appearing unbothered. Emperor Yongming immediately had tea and snacks brought for King Rong. After King Rong picked up the teacup, Emperor Yongming intentionally sighed: “Since Yunan left, both Qiyu and I have been unable to enjoy good food. The chefs from Yunlong Pavilion are just not as good as Yunan. Qiyu couldn’t even finish half a bowl of rice tonight. I knew Qiyu was actually thinking about Shao Yunan cooking.”

King Rong seized the opportunity: “Your Majesty, you are too kind. There is actually a slight request from Imperial Uncle. Little Zimu is saddened by the thought of this private kitchen. Imperial Uncle would like to ask Your Majesty to inscribe a few words for it.”

Emperor Yongming responded: “That’s easy. What is the name of Imperial Aunt’s private kitchen?”

“Qingyuan Private Kitchen.”

“Qingyuan… very well! I’ll inscribe it right away.”

While Guo Zimu was in the imperial kitchen preparing the sweet and sour fish for the Empress, Emperor Yongming inscribed words for Guo Zimu’s private kitchen as a compensation. When Guo Zimu finished cooking and Guo Xun brought the food, Emperor Yongming and the Empress were discussing some state affairs. The Empress Dowager remained quiet beside Emperor Yongming, seemingly lacking enthusiasm, though she ate with relish.

When Guo Xun entered, the Empress Dowager raised her head, and the aroma of the sweet and sour fish had already filled the room. Approaching the table with the tray, Guo Xun said: “Qiyu, King consort also made a few side dishes, all refreshing, and there’s soup too.”

The Empress Dowager responded: “You’re meddling again, aren’t you?”

Guo Xun tapped his own mouth: “I just mentioned that Qiyu hasn’t had much of an appetite these days, so I thought some light dishes might be good.”

Guo Zimu modestly said: “It’s nothing fancy, just something I made along the way. Aunt, please try it and see if it suits your taste?”

Emperor Yongming urged: “Qiyu, give it a try.”

The Empress got up and approached the table, her saliva already flowing at the scent. She took a piece of fish with her chopsticks, swallowed it, then took another piece. After swallowing again, she looked up: “Imperial Aunt’s cooking is really good.”

Emperor Yongming smiled, Guo Xun smiled, and he promptly served a bowl of rice. The Empress said: “Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt should also have some.”

“No need, we’ve already eaten quite a bit from the spread the Consort prepared earlier. Please enjoy, Your Highness, don’t worry about us.”

Empress might really be hungry, or maybe Guo Zimu’s cooking suited his taste too well. He continued to eat one bite after another, and he seemed to like the other four dishes made by Guo Zimu as well. Those four dishes were shredded lotus root, shrimp balls with sauce, cucumber slices with minced garlic, and stir-fried carrot slices with yam slices. The soup was a splashed vegetable and tofu soup. These dishes were not difficult to make, and they were also available at Yunlong Pavilion and the imperial kitchen, but Empress felt that Guo Zimu’s cooking tasted better, almost as good as Shao Yunan’s.

Seeing Empress finishing his meal, the Emperor visibly relaxed. Guo Xun said from the side: “Your Majesty, why don’t you have some too?”

Empress had no appetite, and the Emperor wasn’t very hungry either, but when Guo Xun said so, he felt a bit hungry. The fish was quite big, so the Emperor also asked for a bowl of rice.

At this moment, King Rong said: “Since Empress can eat now, Uncle can rest assured. If there’s nothing else, we’ll leave first.”

The Emperor immediately said: “It’s late, why don’t Uncle and Auntie stay in the palace? I’ll have Guo Xun go to the King Mansion to inform them.”

King Rong knew that Guo Zimu definitely wouldn’t want to stay in the palace, so he said: “No need, it’s not too late, let’s go back.”

“I really bothered Uncle and Auntie tonight.”

“Your Majesty is too polite. We’re all family, there’s no need to be formal.”

King Rong insisted on leaving, and the Emperor and Empress didn’t insist further. King Rong took Guo Zimu and left, while Guo Xun went to see them off. On the way, Guo Xun said: “Your Highness hasn’t had a good appetite these days. His Majesty couldn’t bear to see it tonight, so he secretly called Yunlong chef to the palace to cook for Your Highness. His Highness said it might be because it’s too hot, so he doesn’t have much appetite. When His Highness wasn’t feeling well, he always lost his appetite when it was hot. Unexpectedly, even when he’s feeling better, he’s still sensitive to heat.”

King Rong heart was moved when he heard this and asked: “How long has His Highness been like this?”

“For seven or eight days.”

“Is it that he can’t eat anything at all, or does he just want something sour?”

Guo Xun was stunned, and instinctively replied: “It’s not that he can’t eat anything at all, it’s just that he really wants something sour and sweet. But the chefs made it, and His Highness said it didn’t taste good, saying it’s not as good as what Wang main wife made.”

King Rong stopped in his tracks, amidst the confusion of Guo Zimu and Guo Xun. He stood there looking pensive. Guo Xun cautiously asked: “My lord?”

King Rong turned with Guo Zimu in tow: “I have something to discuss with His Majesty.”

The Emperor stopped eating after a bowl of rice, while Empress was already on his third. Seeing that he enjoyed it, the Emperor didn’t eat much more, leaving it for him to finish. If Empress wasn’t satisfied, the Emperor couldn’t possibly call someone back to cook again.

The Emperor planned to explain things properly after Empress finished eating. He genuinely had no intentions towards Guo Zimu. If he liked beautiful people, he wouldn’t have only kept Qiyu by his side all this time, nor would he have given the Immortal Fruit to Qiyu. Previous Emperor Kangsheng liked beauty, which caused turmoil in the country, and he, as a crown prince, had also been through life and death. So, in a sense, the Emperor was very wary of beauty.

But before the Emperor could explain, King Rong unexpectedly returned. Both the Emperor and Empress were visibly surprised. King Rong spoke first: “Your Majesty, is it just this Uncle that think His Highness might be pregnant?”

The Emperor’s expression froze, and Empress was similarly stunned. King Rong continued: “His Highness wants something sweet and sour, but he can’t eat it and feels uncomfortable. I remembered when Lin was pregnant with the Crown Prince, she was like this. She usually ate vegetarian, but when she was pregnant, she wanted to eat meat, but she couldn’t, and she cried a lot because of it. Let the imperial physician come and check on His Highness. If he’s really pregnant, then His Highness’s poor appetite might not be because of the heat.”

“Ah!!”

The Emperor jumped up as if suddenly pricked by something, shouting: “Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!”

Empress chopsticks fell, and he lowered his head, staring blankly at his stomach. Guo Xun was also in a panic, rushing over to take Empress bowl. King Rong and Guo Zimu couldn’t leave for the time being. Among those present, only King Rong had experience as a father, and that was because Lin could give birth to a child for him, so he remembered many details.

Empress had been pregnant before, but the situation was dangerous, and he miscarried due to poisoning shortly after, so he never had the chance to experience the signs of pregnancy. The Emperor had never experienced it either.

The room was in chaos as imperial physician hurriedly ran over with a medicine box. As soon as he entered, the Emperor shouted urgently: “Don’t bow, quickly check Empress pulse!”

Ignoring the sweat on his forehead, imperial physician quickly approached Empress to check his pulse. As imperial physician fingers touched his wrist, both Empress and the Emperor held their breath, and even King Rong couldn’t help but feel nervous. If Empress was indeed pregnant, it meant that the royal heir, the future crown prince, might be on the way! As a member of the royal family, King Rong also eagerly anticipated the birth of the legitimate eldest son.

Once imperial physician calmed his mind, he carefully examined Empress pulse. After a while, he released his hand and knelt before the Emperor: “Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! His Highness has a pulse of joy! It’s been over a month!”

The Emperor shouted in excitement, bending down to hug the stunned Empress: “Qiyu! Qiyu! We have a child! We have a child!”

Empress remained stunned. It’s not easy for a man to become pregnant. Although he had taken the Fruit of Immortality and subsequently the Fruit of Conception, he hadn’t expected to conceive so quickly. According to imperial physician diagnosis, he had likely conceived shortly after taking the Fruit of Conception. The fetal fruit on his body hadn’t fully receded yet.

The significance of this child to the Emperor and Empress was self-evident. King Rong and Guo Zimu had no way back now. The news from the palace, which the anxious Murong Prince had been waiting for, was brought by Zhuo Jin. As Empress often didn’t need him to attend to him in the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, Zhuo Jin wasn’t there at the time. Learning that the Emperor had summoned Guo Zimu just to make sweet and sour fish for Empress, and because Empress was pregnant, Murong Prince breathed a sigh of relief and was also happy for the Emperor. However, thinking of the gloominess when his father left and Guo Zimu’s fear when he left, the Murong Prince was also dissatisfied with the Emperor’s carelessness. If his father couldn’t control his temper, who knows what trouble might arise.

The news of Empress pregnancy spread throughout the palace that night. After the Emperor’s ecstatic celebration, he immediately issued several edicts to ensure Empress safety. Countless people hoped that Empress would safely give birth, and the Emperor had to be cautious. The Emperor also sent someone to Loyal and Brave Village to urge Wang main wife to return to the capital as soon as possible, while Loyal and Brave Marquis would continue to stay in Loyal and Brave Village. Empress only wanted to eat dishes made by Shao Yunan. Although Guo Zimu’s cooking skills were also good, his status was not appropriate, and coupled with Guo Zimu’s appearance, the Emperor wanted to avoid Empress jealousy and gossip as much as possible. Also incidents like tonight, if King Rong hadn’t accompanied him to the palace, might have caused even more trouble. Eunuch who went to deliver the edict was never seen again by King Rong afterwards—

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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