Shao Yunan only invited people from the Eldest and Second Houses for a simple reason. He didn’t intend to improve relations with the Lu Mansion, but after all, the Lu Mansion was his uncle’s “maternal home”. Inviting the two sons of the Duke of Lu was giving face to the Duke, which could be considered a gesture. Since his uncle came from the Second House, inviting the legitimate son of the Second House also indicated his attitude towards the Second House. As for the Third House, it had nothing to do with him, and this was also speculated by madam Su and Su Jinan.

The next day at noon, Su Jinan, accompanied by Su Jincheng and Su Jinyu, arrived punctually for the appointment. Before this, the head of the Third House hoped that Su Jinan could bring the legitimate son of the Third House, but the Duke of Lu personally intervened, stating that they were still unsure of Shao Yunan’s temper, and it wouldn’t be good to bring someone without informing him first. Everyone knew how Shao Yunan dealt with the former Duke of An’s Mansion, so even if the Third House complained, they could only endure it. As for Ru Shuhan, Duke Lu didn’t comfort his sister and nephew. He talked to his mother, and Madam Su also stopped advocating for Ru Shuhan. Not to mention how Shao Yunan would react if she caused trouble, which would only displease the Empress and be detrimental to her daughter and grandson.

Shao Yunan laid out a table of delicious food in the Bright Moon Room for the three cousins, and he directly brought up the matter of Ru Shuhan booking a table at “Qingyuan.” “Qingyuan” was opened by Guo Zimu, so Ru Shuhan’s actions not only embarrassed King main wife but also him. Shao Yunan made it clear that if he set this precedent, then in the future, anyone could use this relationship to make things difficult for Guo Zimu. After the meal, Shao Yunan gave each of them a “Qingyuan” gold card, which was a genuine gold card, thin but made of pure gold. In the future, they could dine at Qingyuan with a 10% discount.

Su Jinan, Su Jincheng, and Su Jinyu gained a lot from this meal. Not only did they strengthen their relationship with Shao Yunan, but they also obtained such a card. This type of gold card hadn’t been officially released yet, and Qingyuan would only issue a hundred gold cards, but they each got one. Not to mention anything else, Su Jinyu’s gold card alone could elevate his status in the Lu Mansion significantly.

Various rumors from the Lu Mansion spread in the capital, but Shao Yunan was only concerned with the joy of the Eldest and Second Houses. He believed that after this incident, the Lu Mansion would no longer allow anyone to act like Ru Shuhan. Six months later, Madam Ru remarried, but Ru Shuhan, who had been determined to change his surname, ultimately failed to achieve his wish. This time, the old lady no longer listened to his cries, and Duke Lu forcefully married off his sister, sending her far away from the capital.

The storm that almost erupted in the Lu Mansion was quelled by Shao Yunan’s three invitations. It could be said that the Duke of Lu himself was very satisfied. With the Lu Mansion’s example, other families with marital or other close relations to the Dai family also began to restrain their younger generations. But these were stories for another time.

After having dinner with the Lu Mansion’s three, the next day at noon, Shao Yunan was still in the Bright Moon Room when he met with the unexpected visit of Wu Di, a wealthy merchant from the Great Mountain Tribe. This time, the unexpected visitor turned out to be him, but it turned out that Wu Di was just an intermediary, and the person who really wanted to see him was Uzhen, the daughter of Great Mountain Tribe’s king, Wuhai. The Great Mountain Tribe was composed of dozens of tribes of all sizes, and the king was the elected leader of all the tribes, the highest authority.

After the news of Emperor Yongming and the Empress rejuvenating spread to the Great Mountain Tribe, Uzhen secretly came to the capital of Great State of Yan, wanting to meet Shao Yunan. However, she had never found a suitable opportunity until now. Finally meeting Shao Yunan this time, Uzhen presented abundant gifts from the Great Mountain Tribe, and her request was to implore Shao Yunan to save her father.

“I knew she was in the capital, and I guessed her request, but I didn’t expect that instead of coming to me directly, she managed to see you.”

Shao Yunan said: “She didn’t ask me for the medicine or immortal water. She simply asked me to find a way to save her father. She knows that Senior Brother Kang’s aunt’s husband recovered from my solid yuan paste and Honey Grapefruit Tea. She must think that I have a solution other than the medicine and immortal water.”

The Empress asked: “She wants you to make solid yuan paste?”

“Not exactly, just asking me to find a solution.”

The Empress raised an eyebrow: “Do you have a solution?”

Shao Yunan said: “From her description, her father seems to have a serious illness in his liver. Medicine or immortal water would surely save his life, but all we have now is the root of the immortal fruit. I told her that I’m not a doctor, I only know how to make some health products, but she insisted. Uncle, what do you think?”

The Empress said: “The Great Mountain Tribe has always been friendly to our Great State of Yan, and King Wuhai is also a wise ruler. If Wuhai can continue to lead the Great Mountain Tribe, it will be greatly beneficial to our Great State of Yan. If we can save his life, it will be beneficial to both our Great State of Yan and to you. Moreover, the Emperor can take this opportunity to propose an alliance with the Great Mountain Tribe and jointly resist the Kingdom of Huhar.”

Shao Yunan said: “Then we can’t just ignore it. Uncle, do we still have any of that Grapefruit Tea left? The leaves of the immortal fruit are in it, and it’s the most effective now. If we don’t have any, I wonder how effective the root water I have on hand will be.”

With the consent of Emperor Yongming, the Empress handed over two bottles of Honey Grapefruit Tea to Shao Yunan. Before giving it to Uzhen, Shao Yunan added some diluted Spirit Milk to it. With these two bottles of Honey Grapefruit Tea, Uzhen rushed back to the Great Mountain Tribe overnight with her people. Shao Yunan didn’t know what consequences his actions would bring to the Dai family.

Shao Yunan told the Empress that Wuhai had a liver problem, and he suspected it was liver cancer. Once liver cancer started to develop, the death rate was very high, and he hoped Uzhen could make it in time. After resolving the matter of the Great Mountain Tribe, Shao Yunan returned to the palace.

In the Imperial Palace’s Royal Pond, the Empress invited Shao Yunan and Su Chenyi to bathe. The Empress’s fetus was already two and a half months old. Shao Yunan couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the Empress’s belly. It still looked relatively flat now, but when he thought of the heavily pregnant men he had seen on the street, his body couldn’t help but shiver in the hot water. A handsome man like the Empress with a big belly, that image…

“What are you looking at?”

Shao Yunan quickly regained his composure and smiled knowingly at Su Chenyi on the other side: “This child must want to see the child in the Empress’s belly.”

The Empress touched his smooth belly and asked: “My belly hasn’t gotten big yet, is there anything wrong?”

Su Chenyi said: “No, it won’t start showing until three or four months. When I was pregnant with Yunan, it wasn’t until over four months that it showed.”

Shao Yunan used the movement of wiping himself to conceal his goosebumps.

The Empress looked at Shao Yunan: “You, as a husband, are so afraid of having children.”

“Hehe.”

“Empress, help me persuade him. No matter what, he has to have a child.”

Shao Yunan felt his scalp tingling: “I… I’m going to swim. It’s been a long time since I swam.” As if he was being chased by a wolf behind him, his body slid forward and swam away. Su Chenyi was very annoyed, but the Empress patted his hand, telling him not to be impatient. Both of them looked at Shao Yunan, Su Chenyi blinked his eyes, and the Empress was stunned.

Su Chenyi said: “Yunan, what’s wrong with your waist?”

“Huh?”

Shao Yunan stopped and stood up, looking back: “What’s wrong?”

“Why is there a red mark on your waist, did you hit it?”

Su Chenyi walked over, and Shao Yunan tried hard to turn his head, but he couldn’t see any red mark on his waist. Su Chenyi walked over, bent down to look carefully, and felt a little stunned. After a long time without hearing Shao Yunan speak, Su Chenyi continued to turn his head and try to see: “Little Uncle?”

Su Chenyi had an obvious distraction, raised his hand, and rubbed the red mark on Shao Yunan’s waist, the size of a peach pit, his heart beating faster and faster: “Here, there’s a red mark.”

Shao Yunan still couldn’t see it, so he reached back and touched: “Didn’t hit anywhere, it’s not swollen, doesn’t hurt, I don’t feel anything. Maybe I hit somewhere and didn’t remember.”

At this time, the Empress also came over, he bumped into Su Chenyi and Su Chenyi said: “Oh, maybe.”

The Empress touched the red mark and looked mysterious: “Looks like a birthmark.”

Shao Yunan said: “No, I don’t have a birthmark on my waist.”

“There’s a mirror over there, go take a look.”

“I’ll take a look.”

Shao Yunan climbed out of the bath and walked to a full-length copper mirror, wiped away the moisture on the mirror with his hand, turned around and looked.

“When did I hit it, I don’t even remember.”

There was indeed a red mark on the left side of his waist, still quite red. In the pool, the Empress whispered to Su Chenyi: “Let’s not say anything for now.”

Su Chenyi took a few deep breaths, afraid he had jumped to conclusions.

Shao Yunan didn’t feel much about the red mark on his waist, probably because he didn’t pay attention when he bumped into something. But Su Chenyi had been feeling a bit strange all along. However, during the conversation between the Empress and Shao Yunan, Shao Yunan didn’t notice anything unusual about Su Chenyi.

After finishing the bath, the Empress immediately summoned Imperial Physician to “check the injury” for Shao Yunan. Shao Yunan felt it was a fuss over nothing, but under the Empress’s insistence, he could only comply. Following the Empress’s instructions, Imperial Physician carefully examined the red mark on Shao Yunan’s waist, even “exaggeratingly” taking his pulse. Then, with Shao Yunan’s “I told you it’s nothing” gaze watching him, Imperial Physician left calmly, expressing before leaving that it was indeed a bruise and would disappear in a few days.

But after the Empress and Su Chenyi left Shao Yunan’s place, the Empress summoned the Imperial Physician again in the Palace of Quiet Solitude, and even the Emperor was there.

Imperial Physician knelt down and said: “Your Highness, Lord Shao is pregnant, and the red mark on his waist is a fruit embryo, it’s been over a month.”

Su Chenyi stood up in shock: “Chief Physician Ning, Yunan is really pregnant?!”

“Your Highness, Lord Shao is indeed pregnant, but…” Imperial Physician was puzzled: “Lord Shao seems unaware that he has taken the pregnancy fruit, otherwise he should know that the red mark is a fruit embryo.”

People who take the pregnancy fruit are informed that they will have red fruit embryos on their bodies after taking it.

The Emperor laughed: “Is Yunan even unaware that he’s taken the pregnancy fruit? Could it be that the Loyal and Brave marquis secretly gave it to him?”

Su Chenyi also speculated the same, but the Empress shook her head: “The Loyal and Brave marquis is known for being fearful, and Yunan is extremely averse to the idea of pregnancy and childbirth. I think the Loyal and Brave Marquis probably wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.”

Su Chenyi didn’t care about that much, he was extremely excited: “Yunan is finally pregnant, whether he likes it or not, this child has to be born. Chief Physician Ning, is the child okay? Yunan didn’t know he was pregnant, afraid it might hurt the child!”

Imperial Physician: “The fetus is extremely healthy, Lord Shao doesn’t need to worry, nor does he need to take any pregnancy-preserving medicine.”

“That’s great, that’s great.” Su Chenyi clasped his hands together, grateful to the heavens and ancestors for their blessings.

The Emperor laughed heartily. This was getting interesting. He decreed: “Summon the Loyal and Brave marquis to return to the capital immediately, and the matter of brewing wine shall be handled by the magistrate of Yongxiu County. Imperial Physician, this matter must not be divulged.”

“I obey the decree!”

After dismissing Imperial Physician, the Emperor stroked his chin: “If it wasn’t the Loyal and Brave marquis, then who could have made Yunan eat the pregnancy fruit without his knowledge?”

Su Chenyi thought of something and shivered. He remembered his son telling him privately after returning to the capital that Sha Dahu had fed him something sticky and tasteless. Pregnancy fruit had no taste and indeed felt somewhat sticky. If it was mashed up, wouldn’t it be sticky? He told the Emperor and the Empress about this, and they burst into laughter. If Sha Dahu had indeed fed Yunan mashed pregnancy fruit, it was a stroke of luck.

Shao Yunan being pregnant probably made the Empress even happier than Su Chenyi. Their children would be born one after the other, what a wonderful thing.

And five days later, Wang Shijing, busy in Loyal and Brave Village, received a secret letter from the palace. When he saw the letter, he was dumbfounded for a full ten minutes, and then the whole courtyard of the Loyal and Brave marquis mansion heard a loud scream from Wang Shijing, scaring everyone.

 

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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