Xiao Huaishi didn't hesitate for a moment and simply nodded in agreement.
Concubine Chen curved her lips into a gentle smile. But where Xiao Huaishi couldn't see, that smile seemed rather strange.
After all, there was really no poison in the plum juice. But that didn't mean there was no poison elsewhere.
After watching Xiao Huaishi finish all the plum juice, Concubine Chen put the bowl back into the food box, tidied everything up, and then curtsied slightly to Xiao Huaishi. "Your Majesty, I won't bother you anymore. I'll take my leave first."
Xiao Huaishi nodded and watched Concubine Chen leave. But before her figure had completely disappeared from his sight, while carrying the food box, she suddenly stumbled and fell directly to the ground. Seeing this, Xiao Huaishi didn't hesitate and immediately told the servants beside him to help Concubine Chen up.
He rushed over anxiously and asked, "Rong'er, what's wrong?"
But Concubine Chen said nothing. She just covered her stomach, with beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked as if something terrible had happened.
Held in Xiao Huaishi's arms, Concubine Chen said weakly, "Your Majesty, I'm fine. I just accidentally sprained my foot."
Even when being protected in Xiao Huaishi's arms, Concubine Chen still tightly held her stomach, as if there was something extremely important there.
At this moment, Xiao Huaishi suddenly remembered that he seemed to have heard Concubine Chen mention this matter before. But since the fact that she was pregnant hadn't been confirmed, Xiao Huaishi had gradually forgotten about it.
Now he thought it was better to quickly summon the imperial physician.
Concubine Chen was placed on the soft couch beside. The imperial physician rushed over in a hurry with his medicine box.
After feeling Concubine Chen's pulse, the imperial physician knelt on the ground and said cheerfully, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Concubine Chen is indeed pregnant! But recently, Concubine Chen has been a bit depressed. Please allow me to prescribe some sedative medicine for her to recuperate."
Hearing this, Xiao Huaishi was overjoyed.
"Reward!"
Seeing this, Eunuch Li stuffed a small silver coin into the imperial physician's hand.
After receiving the silver coin, the imperial physician said a few more nice words before leaving.
Xiao Huaishi immediately sat beside Concubine Chen. He gently placed his hand on her stomach and said softly, "Rong'er, did you hear what the imperial physician just said?"
Although Concubine Chen looked a bit weak, she still nodded happily.
"I didn't expect that I'm going to have another child."
"It's my duty to bear children for Your Majesty," Concubine Chen said as she lay in Xiao Huaishi's arms.
"I wrongly blamed you last time. But I was also concerned about the face of the royal family. Rong'er, don't be angry."
At this moment, Xiao Huaishi suddenly brought up the matter of his encounter with the Queen in the imperial garden. It seemed that Xiao Huaishi understood the root cause of Concubine Chen's depression.
Mentioning this matter, Concubine Chen seemed to be greatly frightened. She buried herself deeper into Xiao Huaishi's arms. "How could I be angry with Your Majesty? It's just that I didn't protect the dragon heir in my belly well last time."
Hearing this, Xiao Huaishi's heart became as gentle as a spring of water.
"Maybe it was my fault last time. I wrongly accused the Queen. But at that time, I was only focused on the child in my belly and was a bit panicked. So I'm not sure if the Queen pushed me."
Time had passed. When bringing up the past again today, Concubine Chen looked guilt - stricken, as if she really wanted to apologize to the Queen.
"This matter has nothing to do with you. Don't worry. I'll protect you well," Xiao Huaishi said as he gently patted Concubine Chen's shoulder.
So an imperial edict was issued.
Considering that Concubine Chen was pregnant, she was specially allowed to move into the Serene Pavilion.
The Serene Pavilion was the closest place to the Emperor's sleeping quarters. Once the imperial edict was issued, everyone understood the situation.
Although the Fourth Prince was going to marry a princess from a foreign country and seemed to have little chance of inheriting the throne, unexpectedly, Concubine Chen was pregnant again. And the Emperor doted on her so much. It seemed that the outcome of the struggle for the throne was still uncertain.
Just like this, Concubine Chen lived peacefully in the Serene Pavilion. It seemed that the charming ladies who hadn't seen the situation clearly would even break the threshold of the Serene Pavilion.
But Concubine Chen didn't see anyone. She just liked to tend to her flowers and plants in the small courtyard. Her days were really comfortable.
But every afternoon, Concubine Chen would always come on time with a bowl of plum juice and wait for Xiao Huaishi at the door of the imperial study. This seemed to have become her habit.
If Concubine Chen was delayed by something sometimes, Xiao Huaishi would always feel a bit itchy in his heart. He didn't know why.
As time passed, everyone realized that Xiao Huaishi seemed to dote on Concubine Chen even more. As a result, in the court, the Second Prince was constantly criticized and scolded by Xiao Huaishi.
This made everyone feel that his position as the crown prince seemed to be in jeopardy. For a while, although the court seemed calm on the surface, in fact, there were undercurrents.
Granny Gui beside the Queen couldn't hold back anymore. Granny Gui had been accompanying the Queen. Usually, she only saw the Queen sincerely worshiping Buddha and seemed to turn a deaf ear to the outside world.
Anxious, Granny Gui had to say something outrageous beside the Queen. "Your Majesty! What on earth is going on with you? The Emperor's heart has been captured by Concubine Chen, but you're still here eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddha!"
After hearing this, the Queen wasn't angry. Her eyes remained closed, and the Buddhist beads in her hand kept spinning. She seemed to be completely unconcerned about the news that Granny Gui reported.
"Granny Gui, tell me how many years have I accompanied the Emperor?" the Queen asked calmly.
Hearing this, Granny Gui was stunned. She didn't know what the Queen meant by asking this question, but she still said the number as asked.
"Since the Emperor was still the crown prince, it must have been 28 years..."
The Queen let out a long sigh. "It's already been so long."
"But..." Granny Gui still wanted to persuade the Queen not to be careless and fall into Concubine Chen's trap.
But the Queen didn't care. Before Granny Gui could say anything, she scolded Granny Gui not to talk too much.
"Granny Gui, you've watched me grow up. Do you think the Emperor loves me?"