Chapter 173 Yingpin's Ectopic Pregnancy
In the Jixiang Palace in the imperial palace of the capital, a palace maid carefully held a silver spoon and fed the cut watermelon into the mouth of Yingpin, who was half leaning on the soft couch. These watermelons were tribute from Liangzhou a few days ago. There were only ten in total, and the emperor specially rewarded one to the Jixiang Palace.
At this time, the maid Xiaoxi knelt beside her and gently beat Yingpin's calf. Xiaoxi had been serving Gu Qingying since she was a child, so Yingpin trusted her quite a lot.
Yingpin lazily leaned on the couch, enjoying Xiaoxi's service, and said, "Xiaoxi, get up. It's better for you to beat me. The watermelon this year doesn't seem to be sweet enough, you can eat the rest."
Xiaoxi quickly stood up and bowed to Yingpin to express her gratitude: "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. I heard that Liangzhou suffered from drought this year. Perhaps because of this, the quality of watermelons this year is not as good as last year."
Yingpin snorted lightly, with dissatisfaction in her tone: "These lowly people, they clearly know that watermelons are to be tributed to the palace, but they don't take good care of them. How hateful!" When there is drought, they don't know how to carry water to irrigate the land. These lowly people should be taught a lesson. "
"The emperor has arrived." A eunuch outside the courtyard shouted loudly.
When Concubine Ying heard that the emperor was coming, she immediately showed joy on her face and hurriedly ordered the palace maids around her to remove the snacks and fruits on the table and asked them to prepare a pot of Longjing tea, the emperor's favorite.
At this time, the emperor strode into the bedroom. As soon as he entered, he smiled and said, "Haha, Yingpin understands my feelings the best! This year's harvest is not good, and the production of Longjing has dropped significantly. I can only taste the authentic Longjing here at Yingpin's place."
Yingpin's uncle's family was an imperial merchant with strong financial resources and extensive connections. They collected many precious items for the Gu family. Longjing was one of them, and its quality was even better than the tea that local officials paid tribute to the emperor.
Yingpin smiled and saluted the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, good luck. If you like, I am willing to prepare Longjing tea for you every day."
The emperor took Concubine Ying's hand lovingly and said gently, "No need to be so polite, Concubine Ying." Then, the two of them walked into the hall hand in hand and sat on the chairs together.
At this time, Xiaoxi brought two cups of freshly brewed Longjing tea, placed them in front of the emperor and Concubine Ying respectively, and then quietly retreated.
Long Xiaotian picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and then slowly put the cup down. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was recalling something. Suddenly, he said, "I heard that Mr. Gu came to Jixiang Palace yesterday." His tone was calm, but with a hint of imperceptible coldness.
Hearing this, Yingpin's face suddenly changed. She was startled and quickly stood up and knelt down in panic. She lowered her head and said in a trembling voice: "I know my crime, please show mercy, Your Majesty."
The rules in the harem are extremely strict. People outside the palace are absolutely not allowed to enter the palace without being summoned, let alone enter and leave the harem at will. Men in particular are strictly prohibited from setting foot in the harem. Once such a thing happens, it is a big taboo. If it is discovered that someone has an affair with someone outside the palace, he will be charged with adultery and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment.
Long Xiaotian sat there quietly, stroking the teacup in his hand with his fingers, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he slowly said, "You also know the rules of the palace. I can protect you this time, but I'm afraid it won't be so easy next time. How can I stop the gossips of the world?"
Yingpin was so scared that her body was shaking and her lips were pale. She had never expected that the emperor looked so gentle and kind when he just came in, but he became so stern and fierce in the blink of an eye. Just yesterday, her eldest brother secretly took his father's token into the palace. She was also surprised when she saw her eldest brother. The eldest brother was carefully disguised and hid in the carriage. As soon as he entered the palace, he immediately asked the people around him to retreat, and then told her about Qingzhou Prefecture. Yingpin actually learned that she was pregnant a month ago. She had to think about the child in her belly, so she planned to win over General Zhan who had military power. However, she never expected that her brother would go there in person to do the job but failed. Not only did he lose his innocence, but he also brought back an ugly woman.
"Your Majesty, I have been having severe pregnancy reactions recently and I especially want to eat the sour wild fruits from my hometown, so my eldest brother took the risk and secretly sent some to me." Yingpin's ancestral home is Guangnan Prefecture, where people are good at pickling fruits into sour wild fruits. The taste is sweet and sour and delicious, which is very suitable for pregnant women to eat and can help them whet their appetite.
Long Xiaotian's face changed slightly, he was shocked and asked hurriedly: "Is Concubine Ying pregnant? This is great news! Please get up quickly, why didn't anyone inform me?" He showed joy on his face. After all, the emperor had no prince yet, only an eight-year-old princess born to the queen. So he was very happy to hear the news that Concubine Ying was pregnant.
The maid quickly helped Yingpin up. After she stood firmly, Yingpin brushed her body gently and said softly, "Your Majesty, I haven't asked the imperial physician to confirm it yet. It's just that the maid beside me knows a little about medicine, but I don't know if it is accurate, so I dare not disturb Your Majesty for the time being."
After hearing this, Long Xiaotian was slightly angry and rebuked, "Nonsense! This is a matter concerning the royal bloodline, how can you treat it so carelessly? Come, quickly call Doctor Hu over."
"Yes, I know I was wrong." Yingpin was so scared that she knelt down and admitted her mistake.
Not long after, Doctor Hu was brought in by the chief eunuch, Eunuch Zhao. Doctor Hu first knelt down to pay his respects to the emperor, then bowed to Concubine Ying, and then slowly stood up.
"Doctor Hu, please check Concubine Ying's pulse as soon as possible!" Long Xiaotian urged anxiously.
"Yes." Doctor Hu responded, and then walked quickly to Concubine Ying. At this time, a palace maid had already placed a silk handkerchief on Concubine Ying's wrist. Doctor Hu carefully felt Concubine Ying's pulse through the silk handkerchief. As time went by, his face gradually became heavier. He seemed a little unsure of his diagnosis, so he carefully felt the pulse again.
"Your Majesty, I dare not jump to conclusions. I hope the judge can come and check again." Doctor Hu stood up and reported to the emperor respectfully.
Long Xiaotian frowned and said in a serious tone: "Send it to the court for judgment."
About a cup of tea later, the judge arrived in a hurry. He followed the emperor's instructions and checked Yingpin's pulse. The judge looked very focused, repeatedly checking the pulse, and the whole room was filled with a tense atmosphere. After a long diagnosis, the judge finally spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, the queen's pulse is abnormal. I suspect it is an ectopic pregnancy."