I’m Pregnant with the Regent’s Baby
I’m Pregnant with the Regent’s Baby Chapter 11.1

Chapter 11

Xiao Heng was retracing the route, trying to figure out Chu Zhaoyou’s escape route and where he himself had fallen, in an attempt to make sense of the events of the past three days. He called out to Chu Zhaoyou, “Your Majesty, why did you leave the palace and how did you leave the capital?”

Chu Zhaoyou looked at him steadily, thinking to himself that it was all because of Xiao Heng.

“I heard that there are many theater troupes in the common folk, but the Regent wouldn’t allow them to enter the palace, so I had to leave,” Chu Zhaoyou replied.

At the mention of theater troupes, a hint of impatience flashed across Xiao Heng’s face, but he quickly concealed it. He had previously expressed his aversion to theater troupes, and the young emperor had seized the opportunity to leave, and the guards had not stopped him as a result.

It was clear that the higher one’s position, the less one could show any personal likes or dislikes.

Xiao Heng observed Chu Zhaoyou’s expression, and seeing the innocence in his eyes, he reluctantly believed that it was a spontaneous decision rather than a deliberate one.

“How did you leave the city?” Xiao Heng inquired.

Chu Zhaoyou responded, “As soon as I left the palace, I encountered a notorious bandit from the rivers and lakes. He was attracted by my appearance, thinking that I must be wealthy, and he had malicious intentions. He abducted me and took me out of the city. However, after leaving the city, he discovered that I was actually a man and had no money. He then beat me and left.”

It was impossible for him to voluntarily reveal the truth. Xiao Heng didn’t remember anything, and he still disliked the Emperor so much. Did Chu Zhaoyou have to force himself to say that they had once had a relationship—oh, or that it was Xiao Heng who had initiated it?

Both Xiao Heng and Xiao Hei had always disliked actors, and this remained consistent.

Chu Zhaoyou had his dignity and self-respect.

If he were to be completely honest, Chu Zhaoyou was afraid of seeing a disgusted expression on Xiao Heng’s face.

“The capital is under martial law, and it’s difficult for ordinary thieves to escape. What does this notorious bandit look like? Your Majesty, should we issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest?” Xiao Heng was unusually concerned about the existence of this notorious bandit.

Unbelievable?

Was he treating him like a criminal to be interrogated?

Chu Zhaoyou’s fair face flushed slightly, his eyes widened, and he looked like a steamed bun about to burst, glaring at Xiao Heng’s right hand, which was always kept behind his back, as if there was a shameful secret there.

“Who am I, and how could I remember the appearance of a disrespectful thief?” Chu Zhaoyou retorted.

You can forget, but I can’t forget.

“If Your Majesty wants to be angry, then hold it in, don’t bring it up again in the future,” Xiao Heng said coldly.

The Regent’s words were final. When he said “hold it in,” he meant it. From now on, if Chu Zhaoyou felt increasingly resentful and wanted to vent his anger by capturing the thief, it was not allowed.

Surprisingly, Chu Zhaoyou easily provoked Xiao Heng. Xiao Heng was slightly surprised and took a deep breath, speaking indifferently, “The son of a noble family should not act recklessly. Your Majesty, please conduct yourself with dignity and refrain from leaving the palace without permission.”

I’ll just sulk.

Chu Zhaoyou lowered his eyes. “I forgot. After all, when I left, martial law had not yet been imposed.”

The conversation ended on a sour note. It was clear that Chu Zhaoyou and Xiao Heng couldn’t communicate. Their exchange was filled with barbs, leaving those around them too intimidated to even breathe.

Eunuch Xue was particularly anxious, fearing that the Regent might arbitrarily detain Chu Zhaoyou and become the de facto ruler.

In the past, the Emperor had always been submissive to the Regent, and his words were often hesitant. Today, he dared to confront the Regent after being caught trying to leave the palace!

A eunuch hurried over, holding a yellow scroll, but when he turned the corner and saw Chu Zhaoyou, he abruptly stopped.

Chu Zhaoyou and Xiao Heng both turned to glare at the unfortunate eunuch.

The eunuch was on the verge of tears. How did he end up running into both of them at once? He was carrying an imperial edict, which appointed Xie Chaoyun’s sister as a princess and requested Zhang Huiji to stay in the capital for two more days.

The imperial edict had to be read from the main gate of the palace.

It was clear that the eunuch was here to find the Regent.

Chu Zhaoyou felt a bit embarrassed. It was obvious that the imperial edict he had issued needed to be reviewed by the Regent before he could leave the palace. It was the first time he had issued an imperial edict, and it felt as if someone had read his diary without permission, making him feel uncomfortable.

Xiao Heng remained calm and reached out to accept the imperial edict without any hesitation.

As he read through it, he furrowed his brow, closed the edict, and was about to destroy it on the spot.

Chu Zhaoyou stopped him. “Hold on.”

Xiao Heng stared at Chu Zhaoyou’s hand gripping his own, mocking, “Can’t Your Majesty make up your mind?”

“I’m not an idiot,” Chu Zhaoyou muttered under his breath. Xiao Heng’s expression changed at his words, despite the low volume.

“I’ve been missing for three days, and I’ll handle the trouble I’ve caused,” Chu Zhaoyou snatched the imperial edict and handed it to the eunuch. “You go now.”

The eunuch glanced at the Regent, who remained composed, and didn’t dare to act presumptuously.

Xiao Heng remained silent, and the eunuch didn’t dare to leave. Chu Zhaoyou was on the verge of losing his temper and wished he could just nod Xiao Heng’s head.

“Go,” he finally said, and the eunuch ran off as if granted a pardon.

Xiao Heng didn’t know how Chu Zhaoyou intended to resolve the situation, and he wasn’t particularly interested. After all, Xie Chaoyun’s sister would not go through with the marriage, and the Empress Dowager’s ten edicts were all invalid.

The names in the imperial edict were in recognition of the military achievements of Xie’s own brother. Setting aside the intentional bestowal of titles for the marriage alliance, it was also a good reward for the Xie family.

Chu Zhaoyou went straight to the side hall where Lu Huai was staying. Lu Huai was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, with a steaming cup of tea by his side, emitting white vapor.

“I request an audience with Your Majesty,” Lu Huai said.

“Please rise,” Chu Zhaoyou replied, taking a seat without hesitation. He got straight to the point, “I would like to borrow a few of your men.”

“Your Majesty, if you don’t have the seal of authority, I can’t help you,” Lu Huai replied, stroking his beard.

Chu Zhaoyou chuckled inwardly. The old fox. If he didn’t want to help, why would he be willing to stay in the capital, waiting for him with a cup of tea?

He discreetly slipped a metal object into Lu Huai’s hand from his sleeve. “Is this true?”

Lu Huai was surprised. It was clearly the half of the seal of authority that the Regent had. Chu Zhaoyou could tell from his expression that he had stumbled upon Xiao Hei’s seal of authority by accident. What was this, some kind of trade?

With a slight movement of his sleeve, Lu Huai felt something else in his hand, as if it were wrapped in paper.

“What is this?” Lu Huai asked.

Chu Zhaoyou first inquired, “Are there any people around?” It was normal for a puppet emperor to have someone accompanying him.

“No one,” Lu Huai replied.

It seemed that the Regent held Lu Huai in high regard.

Chu Zhaoyou lowered his voice, “I am treading on thin ice in the palace and find it difficult to protect myself. These two items are particularly important to me. I entrust them to you for safekeeping.”

Lu Huai was taken aback. As a general with a strong military force, when was the last time he had seen such complete trust in the eyes of a monarch? It seemed like it had never happened before, or else he wouldn’t have been so cautious.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

@

error: Content is protected !!