novelraw Chapter 148 Pregnancy Pulse
Chapter 148 Pregnancy Pulse
The sun was not scorching, and a gentle breeze occasionally swept through the room.
The pomegranate tree in front of the steps was covered with fiery red buds, making the bluestone slabs shine.
Song Shuangning was having lunch. On the table were crab roe tofu, jade shrimp dumplings, and the imperial kitchen's specialty, squirrel mandarin fish. The fish was fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a sweet and sour sauce.
She smelled a fishy odor, but didn't pay attention.
As she picked up a piece of food, a wave of nausea surged up, and she quickly covered her chest.
Upon seeing this, Tinglu immediately brought over a spittoon.
Song Shuangning gagged a few times at the spittoon, but nothing came out.
Tingyu patted her back, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Song Shuangning caught her breath, picked up the cup of tea beside her, took a sip, and waved her hand, "This squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is too fishy, let's take it away."
Tingyu said, "Your Majesty, this fish doesn't taste fishy."
If the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish had a fishy smell, the chefs would have been kicked out of the palace long ago.
Tinglu frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly her eyes lit up. She quickly stepped forward and whispered in Song Shuangning's ear, "Your Majesty, your period seems to be... delayed again."
Song Shuangning was startled; her period had indeed not come.
Her mind raced.
Counting the days, it has been delayed by more than half a month.
Even though my periods were irregular in the past, apart from that misunderstanding last time, they had never been delayed for this long.
For the past two weeks, the Emperor has been suffering from a cold, and she has been attending to him and taking care of him. After returning to the palace, she also has to deal with the concubines. With all this busyness, she has no time to pay attention to anything else.
She composed herself and quickly ordered, "Go and fetch Physician Zhang. Remember to do this discreetly. If anyone asks, say that I caught a chill last night and am feeling a little unwell."
Fifteen minutes later.
Physician Zhang entered Yaohua Palace with hunched shoulders and a stooped back.
That timid and hesitant demeanor made Song Shuangning furious.
Song Shuangning coldly rebuked, "I'm sitting here perfectly fine, why are you acting like a walking corpse? Did I ever say I would punish you, or threaten your mother and daughter? Why are you so trembling?"
Physician Zhang knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, I have no face to see you again. I wanted to atone with my death, but I have failed Your Majesty's trust. One must have a conscience. Your Majesty has been so good to me, my mother, and my daughter, yet I still betrayed you."
Song Shuangning was speechless: "The Emperor forced you that day, which is understandable. I don't blame you. Stop talking nonsense and come here to take my pulse."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Physician Zhang wiped away his tears of gratitude and guilt, and moved shakily to the bedside, placing his fingertips on Song Shuangning's wrist pulse.
Song Shuangning kept quiet about her delayed period and simply observed him.
Physician Zhang focused intently on taking Song Shuangning's pulse, his brows gradually furrowing. He secretly glanced at her, his fingers twitching slightly, even switching fingertips, as if unsure, and repeatedly tested her pulse several times.
Song Shuangning saw through all these subtle actions.
She was getting impatient and asked in a low voice, "How is it?"
Imperial Physician Zhang looked up and asked cautiously, "Has Your Majesty's period not come yet?"
Song Shuangning answered bluntly: "Yes."
Physician Zhang truthfully reported: "Your humble servant detected a faint, almost imperceptible pulse, but the pregnancy is still very early and the fetal energy is still weak, so the pulse is unstable. Your humble servant dares not make a definitive conclusion."
The reason he hesitated was because he knew that Consort Yuan had taken contraceptive pills, and he thought that Consort Yuan did not want to conceive the emperor's child.
Although this pulse is still faint, it is most likely a pregnancy pulse. I dare not make a definitive conclusion because I am wary of the remaining 10% risk of misdiagnosis.
Song Shuangning stared blankly as she pondered Zhang Taiyi's words, each one carrying a heavy weight.
A strange feeling welled up in her chest, a feeling she couldn't quite describe—whether it was surprise or joy—a subtle, trembling sensation.
She's going to be a mother.
A tiny life is quietly growing inside her.
It felt so strange, yet so sacred.
She was speechless for a moment, and helplessly stroked her lower abdomen.
She originally thought that after taking the contraceptive pills, she would have little chance of having children, and even if she stopped taking the pills, she would have to wait a year or two. She never expected it to be so quick.
As it turns out, Xiao Yan wasn't talking nonsense; "doing more" really does work.
This should have been a joyous occasion, but a somber and stagnant atmosphere permeated the hall.
Tingyu and Tinglu dared not show the slightest joy, their hearts filled with unease as they cautiously observed Song Shuangning's expression.
It wasn't until Song Shuangning slowly raised her eyes and gave them a faint smile that she finally understood.
Tingyu and Tinglu breathed a sigh of relief and curtsied, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Song Shuangning waved her hand, "We're not entirely sure about this yet, so let's put it aside for now and discuss it again after the pregnancy is more stable in three months."
Listening to the rain and dew, he nodded quickly.
"Keep it from the Emperor for now. I know you obey the Emperor's orders without question, but we are not entirely certain about this matter, and I don't want to disappoint the Emperor."
Physician Zhang immediately replied, bowing deeply: "Your Majesty, I understand. Rest assured, I will not divulge a single word of this matter."
Song Shuangning nodded.
She continued to rub her lower abdomen, and the strange sensation became clearer and clearer.
It turns out that a woman's mindset changes after she becomes pregnant. Before, she was filled with fear about childbirth, but when the little life arrives, she is filled with tenderness and affection.
Of course, besides that, another thought slowly rose up—
She wants to earn a bright future for this child and protect him from all worries.
*
When Xiao Yan arrived tonight, he was not as relaxed and carefree as usual; instead, he appeared somewhat solemn.
As soon as he entered, he stared at Song Shuangning and asked, "I heard you summoned the imperial physician today; are you feeling unwell again?"
Song Shuangning lowered her eyes and smiled gently, replying softly, "Perhaps I caught a chill during the day, and my head feels a little heavy. It's nothing serious."
Xiao Yan didn't say much. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, letting her rest her head on his lap. He gently rubbed her forehead with his palm and whispered, "You've always been weak. From now on, have your two palace maids take good care of you."
Song Shuangning snuggled closer to him and said softly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Then, she raised her hand and gently smoothed the wrinkles between his brows, asking softly, "And Your Majesty, what troubles you?"
Xiao Yan helped her sit up, his expression solemn: "I will be going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple in two days to perform the Great Sacrifice Ceremony, where the ancestral tablets of all generations will be gathered. This is a grand ceremony of the nation, and I cannot be absent."
"I have heard about it."
Xiao Yan held her hand. "I don't want to hide it from you. There have been many rumors circulating in the previous dynasty, all of them slanderous and lewd."
"About me, is that right?"
Xiao Yan nodded.
"I will take this opportunity to clean things up, but I am really worried about you after I leave the palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, he called out loudly, "Come in."
Li Fuquan entered with a brocade box in his hands, bowed, handed the box to Xiao Yan, and then bowed again before retreating.
Xiao Yan opened the brocade box, and inside lay a lustrous jade seal, with a lifelike dragon carved on it.
Song Shuangning subconsciously held her breath.
"This is the Emperor's treasure; seeing this jade seal is like seeing the Emperor himself."
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and stared at the jade seal in his palm.
On the surface, the Empress Dowager only allowed members of the imperial clan and important officials to accompany him to the sacrificial ceremony, thus putting pressure on him.
However, what worried him more was Ningning's safety during the three days he was away from the palace.
He was once assassinated. On the surface, the Empress Dowager sent several letters to dissuade him, but secretly she sent people to assassinate him, wanting him to die on his way back to the palace.
Therefore, he was worried that the Empress Dowager would harm Ningning.
He had to be fully prepared, as these three days, though not long, were enough to cause countless troubles.
"I will leave it in Yaohua Palace. During the three days I am away, if anyone dares to disrespect you or tries to cause trouble, just show it."
Song Shuangning waved her hand: "No, the Imperial Seal is a royal treasure."
Xiao Yan gently patted her head reassuringly, "All I want is for you to be safe and sound."
"Furthermore, I will issue an edict to the public stating that you need to recuperate in peace and are temporarily confined to Yaohua Palace."
Xiao Yan pinched the tip of her nose. "Don't let your mind wander. This is my instruction to you, and also my way of protecting you."
Song Shuangning threw herself into his arms, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your Majesty, I understand. I won't overthink things."
Xiao Yan gently stroked her long hair.
"I will handle everything for you; I will clear away all obstacles."
Song Shuangning was not idle either. The next day, she wrote a letter and sent it to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence to inquire about the recent situation in the court from her father.
Marquis Zhenbei had been keeping an eye on things, but the Empress Dowager suppressed the matter of Zhaohua Sha, so he naturally couldn't find out much inside information. He only knew that the civil and military officials were very dissatisfied with her.
After reading the letter, Song Shuangning's eyes darkened.
The unease in her heart lingered. She could not sit idly by and wait for her death, nor could she rely solely on the emperor. She should make plans for herself as soon as possible.
On the day Xiao Yan left the palace, the Empress Dowager swiftly set up an altar in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
The palace was full of Song Shuangning's spies, and her confinement was just a cover-up, so the news naturally reached her ears very quickly.
The sudden establishment of an altar in the Wanfo Hall is most likely related to her.
Xiao Yan left the palace at 3:45 AM the following day.
The Empress Dowager rode in her phoenix palanquin straight to Yaohua Palace. Once the palanquin came to a stop, she said in a deep voice, "Open the gate."
The palace guards bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Consort Yuan is currently under house arrest and cannot receive guests."
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, her tone carrying an unyielding authority: "I wish to see her, do you dare to stop me?"
The guards, however, refused to yield an inch.
These people were not ordinary palace guards, but trusted confidants whom the emperor had specially left behind before leaving the palace.
They bowed again, their attitude respectful yet their stance firm: "Your Majesty, please forgive us."
The Empress Dowager shouted sternly at the eunuchs behind her, "Even if you have to break it down, break the door open for me!"
Before the words were even finished, the guards had already drawn their swords, their cold glints gleaming. The scene instantly became tense, on the verge of exploding out of control.