Pregnant Before the Royal Marriage

Chapter 850: Chapter 850: That Medicine_1

Doing foolish things like shooting oneself in the foot was something that the wise and martial Prime Minister Jiang would never do.

Regarding the Emperor’s favored concubine, even the Crown Prince could not rashly make decisions. Therefore, Liu Quan delivered both the statement and the petition to the Emperor’s hand.

The Emperor was in Concubine Zhu’s residence, watching a play with her.

Concubine Zhu held a small cotton mallet, massaging the Emperor’s leg.

The Emperor was peeling melon seeds, and would feed them to Concubine Zhu once he had a small handful.

Watching the seed kernels disappear into Concubine Zhu’s cherry-red mouth, the Emperor seemed to receive immense satisfaction, revealing a content expression on his face.

This contentment lasted until the arrival of the statement and the petition.

Upon seeing the contents of the statement, the Emperor angrily declared, “I have been the Emperor for years. I dare not compare myself to our ancestor, but I have worked diligently and never been negligent. Now, simply because I favor a woman more than others, have I committed some cardinal sin that everyone feels obligated to dissuade me?”

Upon hearing this, Concubine Zhu, realizing the matter concerned her, immediately dropped the mallet and knelt in silence.

The Emperor waved his hand: “Get up.”

Concubine Zhu lowered her head and kowtowed: “May Your Majesty take care of your health.”

“Take care of my health?” the Emperor was startled. “I am just playing chess, listening to plays, and having snacks here with you. How could this be neglecting my health?”

Concubine Zhu shed tears, “Your Majesty, your frequent visits have caused rumours that I am a curse, a calamity to our empire. I am just an ordinary woman and I cannot bear this heavy responsibility.”

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The Emperor looked somewhat helpless, extending his hand to help her up, “Even if I spend a lot of time here, it is not like I share a room with you every day. We have only been intimate three times. I am getting old and even if I want to, I simply lack the energy. It is a great injustice to you that outsiders do not understand this.”

Concubine Zhu’s eyes filled with tears, “I don’t feel wronged, I am also concerned about Your Majesty’s health. It’s better if you stop drinking that medicine.”

The Emperor stroked her arm, murmuring, “I am getting old, and how many days do I have left? I just want to spend more time with the woman I love.”

Concubine Zhu began to sob.

The Emperor laughed, “Why are you crying? I am fine. Rest assured, you need not worry about the ministers’ petitions. Did you see Prime Minister Jiang’s petition? It was sent back.”

“But, regarding the Crown Prince…”

Nowadays, the Crown Prince was acting as Regent, and any petition without his approval was quite like a scrap of waste paper.

The Emperor laughed, “The Crown Prince is unlikely to trouble a woman over such matters. In the next few days, I will return to the Crystal Frost Hall to rest, thus saving the ministers from making too much fuss.”

Concubine Zhu heaved a sigh of relief and knelt, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for considering me.”

The Emperor smiled, “Once I have recovered in a few days, I will come back to you.” He stroked Concubine Zhu’s tender cheek, whispering, “I hope you will bear a Prince or a Princess for me.”

Concubine Zhu blushed slightly, “I am unsure whether I am fortunate enough for that.”

“If I say you are, then you are.”

Having comforted Concubine Zhu, the Emperor returned to his chamber, and for several days in a row he did not go to the harem. It seemed as though Concubine Zhu had fallen out of favor.

When this news came out, the ministers all celebrated.

Though the Emperor did not agree with their request to depose Concubine Zhu, they were not truly naive, believing that a few words from them could make the Emperor depose his favorite concubine.

Furthermore, behind that favorite concubine stood Jiang Ruobai, a towering tree in the Great Sheng Empire.

Their ultimate goal was simply to persuade the Emperor to leave the harem, return to his chamber, and continue resting, not to waste his strength on the harem’s concubines.