Chapter 85 Pregnancy

Just a few days later, there were reports from the Biquan Villa sneaking into the Palace.

They had already obtained the cement formula mentioned by Zhao Qing Qing, as well as information about the gunpowder and the distribution of the Fifth Prince’s power, all of which were revealed.

As the Crown Prince looked at the written content on the paper, he was shocked.

That night, the couple had a private conversation, and the Crown Prince told Shu Yuwan about the situation.

“Now, most of the valuable information from Zhao Qing Qing has been revealed. Under severe torture, she is barely hanging on. Shouldn’t we just end it? Keeping her alive is ultimately a risk,” the Crown Prince said softly.

Frowning upon hearing this, Shu Yuwan was curious about the 21st-century mentioned by Zhao Qing Qing.

“Your Highness, why not keep her for now? Perhaps in the future, we might be able to extract other useful information from her,” Shu Yuwan suggested.

Seeing the Crown Prince’s silence, Shu Yuwan added, “Aren’t you curious?”

The Crown Prince wasn’t particularly curious; he just felt that keeping Zhao Qing Qing alive was a variable.

However, thinking that his mother and Zhao Qing Qing might come from the same place, the Crown Prince eventually nodded, “Then let her live for now.”

Relieved, Shu Yuwan changed the subject, “By the way, Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with the Fifth Prince?”

Compared to Zhao Qing Qing, Shu Yuwan was more concerned about the Fifth Prince, as he was the one who ascended the throne in the previous life.

The Crown Prince pressed his brow.

Shu Yuwan’ heart skipped a beat, “Your Highness, you can’t bear to harm the Fifth Prince?”

Seeing Shu Yuwan’ nervous expression, the Crown Prince smiled, “No, I won’t hesitate to act. It’s just that the Fifth Brother is still young, not even of age to leave Palace, so it’s not easy to handle.”

“If he were to die at my hands, I fear that the Emperor would be displeased, even if the Emperor seems indifferent, the Fifth Brother is ultimately the Emperor’s son.”

Shu Yuwan understood the Crown Prince’s reasoning. From the Crown Prince’s life-threatening situation and the Emperor’s deep concern, even agreeing to her marriage into the Palace as the Crown Princess, but only sending the Second and Third Princes far away from the capital, it was evident that the Emperor truly valued the life of each of his sons.

Sighing, Shu Yuwan said, “Well, let’s take it slow. After all, now that I knows the true face of the Fifth Prince.”

The Crown Prince hugged Shu Yuwan, “Thanks to you, so you see, Master Liao Kong said that we are destined to be together, to help me overcome difficulties, it’s true at all.”

With that, he held her close, getting intimate.

Since the wedding, the Crown Prince and Shu Yuwan spent every day together.

A person who hadn’t indulged in pleasures for many years suddenly understood the joy of it and found it hard to stop.

Days passed by.

It had been over two months since Shu Yuwan married into the Palace, and the couple enjoyed their time together every day.

Even the Emperor couldn’t help but tease his son~

“Before, you refused to marry the Crown Princess, but now you see the benefits of having a Crown Princess, right?”

“In a year or so, I’ll choose some concubines and secondary concubines to be by your side, to expand the family sooner.”

The Emperor sighed; with the Empress gone, he was both a father and a mother, not only handling state affairs with the Crown Prince but also worrying about his harem matters.

The Crown Prince must understand the hardships he faced as the Emperor.

To his surprise, the Crown Prince gave the Emperor a cold look and said, “As long as I have the Crown Princess, I don’t need concubines or secondary concubines.”

The Emperor paused, “You are the Crown Prince; how can you have only one Crown Princess?”

The Crown Prince looked directly at the Emperor, “Why not?”

The Emperor told his son in a headache-inducing manner, “You need to expand the royal family~”

“The Crown Princess can bear children~”

The Emperor found the topic brought up by the Crown Prince to be a headache and waved his hand, saying, “Now that you’ve just gotten married, there’s no rush to take on concubines. This matter isn’t urgent, and I’m just mentioning it~”

“I won’t take any in the future,” the Crown Prince firmly stated.

The Emperor didn’t want to argue with the Crown Prince on this topic, saying, “You’ll understand once you’re in this position. Even as the Emperor, one can’t always do as they please. Alright, let’s not discuss this topic anymore.”

“What do you think we should do about the drought in the south?” The Emperor quickly changed the subject.

He knew that Shu Yuwan minded the numerous women in his harem~

The Crown Prince followed the Emperor’s lead and began discussing his thoughts on the drought in the south.

…

On this day, while having breakfast with the Crown Prince, Shu Yuwan suddenly felt nauseous.

Concerned, the Crown Prince asked, “What’s wrong? Did you catch a chill last night?”

Having already given birth to a child before, Shu Yuwan immediately had suspicions upon seeing her symptoms.

With many people in the hall, she suppressed her thoughts and nodded, saying, “It should be just a chill, nothing serious.”

“Ah Qing, please call Physician Zhang to come and check on the Crown Princess.”

Shu Yuwan didn’t object; Physician Zhang was under the Crown Prince’s command, so having him confirm wasn’t an issue.

After finishing breakfast, Physician Zhang arrived just in time.

Qing Dai placed a silk handkerchief under Shu Yuwan’ wrist, and Physician Zhang felt her pulse.

After examining her twice, Physician Zhang withdrew his hand with a smile, “Congratulations to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The Crown Princess isn’t suffering from a chill; she’s actually pregnant and has been for a month~”

Shu Yuwan thought to herself that it was as she suspected.

The Crown Prince leaned forward slightly, excitedly asking, “Really?”

Physician Zhang bowed to the Crown Prince before saying, “My joyous pulse diagnosis has never been wrong~”

“Someone, reward him!”

Physician Zhang knelt and thanked, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Shu Yuwan spoke up, “Please ask Physician Zhang not to spread the news for now. Let’s wait until the pregnancy is further along before announcing it.”

Understanding Shu Yuwan’ intention, Physician Zhang replied, “Rest assured, Crown Princess.”

After Physician Zhang left, the Crown Prince immediately approached Shu Yuwan, gently placing his hand on her belly, “Yuwan.”

Shu Yuwan smiled gently, looking at the Crown Prince at that moment, he seemed like an ordinary father eagerly anticipating his child, rather than a future monarch.

She felt a bit softer in her heart due to the sudden arrival of this child.

She smiled, “Your Jin Er, it’s only been a month; you can’t feel it yet.”

“I know.”

The Crown Prince looked at Shu Yuwan, “But the child is already in your belly, isn’t it?”

Indeed.

“For the time being, leave the affairs of the Palace to Ah Qing. For important matters, Ah Qing will report to you, so you can focus on taking care of yourself,” the Crown Prince instructed.

“Okay,” Shu Yuwan obediently nodded.

During her previous pregnancy, she wasn’t very comfortable, and she didn’t know how it would be this time. She had to take care of the unborn child and ensure they didn’t feel neglected.

Ah Qing was already accustomed to managing the internal affairs of the Palace, having taken over for just over two months. Letting Ah Qing take charge again posed no problem.

“Your Highness, let’s keep this matter quiet for now. Let’s wait for three months until the pregnancy is more stable before making it public. You’ll also need to inform Physician Zhang again later,” Shu Yuwan suggested.

The Crown Prince understood Shu Yuwan’ concerns and nodded, “Rest assured, during this time, I’ll have Ah Qing keep a close eye on all areas of Palace.”