126: Emperor: How did you get pregnant?

"Quick, prepare the carriage, I am going to leave the palace!"

Empress Shen instructed the maids to take out the ginseng and bird's nest stored in the storehouse, while simultaneously telling Qingzhu: "We must return before dark. Also, have Imperial Physician Zhang, the expert from the Obstetrics Department of the Imperial Hospital, accompany me to the Estate!"

"Your Majesty, even if you are overjoyed, please do not lose your composure," Qingzhu said, her face beaming with smiles. "I truly never expected that The Two Highnesses would become pregnant so quickly. In the future, when Their Highnesses become mothers themselves, they will surely be able to understand your hardships, right?"

"Hehe, if that were true, it would be for the best. I just hope they don't turn out like my mother." Although Empress Shen was happy, she still harbored a faint sense of worry. "Qingzhu, tell me, if I go over and tell Yong'an and Yongning that after they give birth, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, they should send the child to Kunning Palace for me to personally look after, do you think they will agree?"

"This... Your Majesty, I fear that would be inappropriate," Qingzhu said with a frown upon hearing this.

"Not to mention that The Two Highnesses have only just conceived and have a long time to go, but when they do give birth, they will naturally want to spend time as a family. The son-in-law is in the prime of his life, and The Two Highnesses are not ordinary, delicate women. To abruptly propose bringing the children to Kunning Palace for you to care for..."

"You do not understand, I am worried. If not for The Emperor, and to ensure that the sisters could have a smooth and satisfactory future and marriage, I would never have agreed to send them to the Northern Territory."

Whenever this was mentioned, Empress Shen felt immense regret, but now that it had already happened, no amount of regret could change anything.

"Sending Yong'an and Yongning to the Northern Territory to be cared for by my mother, and yet these two children... sigh." Empress Shen sighed.

"I cannot let my grandchildren follow the same path as the sisters. Currently, the son-in-law's state is also truly not quite right. Regardless of whether they give birth to a boy or a girl, I must prevent such a thing from happening again."

Qingzhu gave a bitter smile internally; she did not think this was something that Empress Shen's discipline could fix. Everyone had thought Luo Yongan and Yongning were quite normal at first, but later? When they went crazy, they were even more terrifying than Nangong Wumeng!

"I know what you are thinking, Qingzhu." Empress Shen could naturally think of this as well.

"Influence is subtle. If Yong'an and Yongning had stayed in the capital from the beginning, I fear that with me there, it wouldn't have... But if that were the case, they would never have met the son-in-law."

Thinking of this, Empress Shen's hand, which had been holding a gift, slowly dropped. Sometimes she wondered if her daughters had always been mad, or if the appearance of Mo Yingqi had provoked them, driving them to such madness?

"Heh, come to think of it, if I were Yong'an or Yongning, I fear I could hardly guarantee that I wouldn't fall for the son-in-law myself, right?"

"Tsk, Empress, that is a very dangerous thought!"

The Emperor had just walked in from outside and heard Empress Shen's exclamation. Although he understood that his wife was merely sighing, hearing it still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Look at you, at your age, and you are still jealous of your own son-in-law?" Empress Shen rolled her eyes.

"It is true, though. Nantian, tell me, if you were a woman, would you also fancy our precious son-in-law?"

"I wouldn't dare. If I were a woman and fancied our son-in-law, wouldn't our two daughters eat me alive?"

In this entire inner palace, the only ones who could address The Emperor as such were Empress Shen and the Grand Empress Dowager. The Grand Empress Dowager, naturally, went without saying; she was The Emperor's legal mother and had cared for him deeply since he was a child.

As for Empress Shen, her relationship with The Emperor was completely different from that of the other concubines. In The Emperor's heart, those concubines were merely concubines to be treated with courtesy, not his wife, and they could never be his wife.

"Are you trying to empty out Kunning Palace?" The Emperor looked at the mountain-like pile of gifts in the main hall and couldn't help but frown. "They have only just conceived; aren't you being a bit too nervous?"

"What are you saying? This is our daughter's first pregnancy, after all. I don't use these things in my daily life, so it is better to send them to the sisters to nourish their bodies." Empress Shen looked at her husband with some dissatisfaction. "What, are you not willing?"

"I just cannot understand it; how did they get pregnant?"

The Emperor truly found it impossible to fathom; he understood his daughters' personalities all too well.

It was only because Mo Yingqi was currently staying obediently by their side; otherwise, even a dog passing by would likely get slashed twice. Given the sisters' temperament, The Emperor truly did not believe that the two of them were willing to have children.

"Men marry and women wed, isn't having children normal?" Empress Shen did not immediately grasp what was going on.

"Alright, Your Majesty, do not worry too much. Yong'an and Yongning sent word that they will be resting peacefully at the Estate during these days, which is why I was thinking of bringing some things to visit them."

"That is good. If they can avoid coming back, then let them stay there for now." The Emperor waved his hand. "Over at the old guy's place, he may be unable to hold back and is likely planning to make a move."

Empress Shen's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she signaled to Qingzhu. Qingzhu quickly understood her meaning and led the maids to withdraw.

"In the last few days, there have been frequent visitors to the Grand Chancellor's residence. Some are officials from the other five ministries besides the Ministry of War, and some are officials who have returned to the capital from the provinces to report on their duties." The Emperor's voice lowered slightly. "Although he has caused me quite a bit of trouble before, it was merely sending people to deliver messages. I fear this old thief is up to no good."

"Tsk, Nantian, you..."

"Oh, I know what you mean. I have rarely been foul-mouthed lately." The Emperor smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I fear the old guy still has some evil schemes to squeeze out. I have already informed Minister Shen, and my father-in-law is also prepared. I really want to see what else he can do."

"That is good, that is good." Empress Shen understood that the sooner this matter was dealt with, the sooner everyone could be at peace.

"Since that is the case, after I leave the palace, I will convey Your Majesty's meaning to Yong'an and Yongning, but the son-in-law..."

"We shall see. If the son-in-law truly still wants to intervene, and if Yong'an and Yongning are at ease with it, I will not stop him." After The Emperor finished speaking, he stood up and prepared to leave. "I will just have to put in more effort to protect them. It doesn't matter if others die or get hurt, but the son-in-law must not be harmed."

"Your Majesty is leaving already?"

"There is no other way. The imperial court has many affairs, and they just drop their responsibilities whenever they please. They think that without the butcher Zhang, one can only eat pork with the hair still on it; they are overestimating themselves."

The Emperor had only walked two steps when he suddenly stopped and patted his forehead. Then, with a silly grin, he took a brocade box out from his robes: "Here, thank you, Empress. This is a small token of my affection; consider it a gift for my two granddaughters whom I have yet to meet."

"You, you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart..."

"Haha, they are my daughters, after all. No matter how crazy or rowdy they are, I still have to dote on them, don't I?"