Chapter 69: Only You

“What did you say?” Xia Tong exclaimed, her eyes wide. She lowered her gaze to her abdomen and cautiously placed her trembling hand on it, feeling as if a string in her mind had snapped, buzzing loudly.

“I don’t think I made a mistake, but just to be safe, let’s invite a physician tomorrow for a proper diagnosis,” Fang Yu replied, smiling as she glanced at her again. “If the prince finds out about this, he’ll be overjoyed.”

After a moment, Xia Tong slowly regained her composure, staring blankly at her flat abdomen. Despite hearing Gu Qin and Qing’er talk about having children every day, when the moment arrived, she felt a surge of panic.

“Go ahead, I want to rest,” she said, furrowing her brow with mixed emotions. After Fang Yu hesitated and then left, Xia Tong returned to bed, feeling restless and disbelieving as she gazed at the canopy above. Was she really pregnant?

On her first day here, her goal was to avoid the villain, but unexpectedly, she ended up marrying him and even conceiving his child.

It felt like heaven was playing a joke on her. However, perhaps it was all a twist of fate. Gu Qin had been talking about children daily, and surely this would make him happy, right?

Perhaps due to her tense nerves, she tossed and turned all night, only waking up around noon the next day. Fang Yu had already summoned the imperial physician, and her mother and the butler had received the news, their faces beaming with joy.

Once she finished washing up, Xia Tong allowed the physician to come in to check her pulse. By that time, her father and Gu Qin had not yet returned. After the late emperor’s passing, the palace was likely overwhelmed with affairs, and she didn’t know if they would come back today.

“Congratulations, Princess. You are indeed half a month pregnant. However, your body is somewhat cold, so you should take some nourishing herbal medicine regularly. I will prescribe you a few doses of stabilizing medicine. One dose a day will suffice,” the physician said, smiling broadly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Liu released a deep sigh of relief, her eyes sparkling with joy. Still, she remembered the period of mourning for the late emperor and did not dare show too much happiness. She quickly had Qing’er escort the physician out.

“Congratulations, Princess! Should I send someone to inform the prince?” the butler asked earnestly, bowing slightly. Such a joyous occasion would surely please the prince.

Hearing this, Xia Tong pondered for a moment and then shook her head. “No need, I’ll go to the palace later.”

No matter how busy palace affairs were,she needed to return home for a reunion dinner. He wasn’t ascending the throne, there was no need to make such a fuss. Today, she had to bring her father back.

“This is indeed a great piece of news, we must inform the prince as soon as possible. You should be careful entering the palace alone, now that you are pregnant. Don’t act recklessly like before. If you startle my grandson, you’ll be in trouble,” Madam Liu said, her brows furrowing with concern after her initial joy, fearing something would happen to her.

Xia Tong pouted, letting out a light huff. “You only have your grandson in your eyes, your daughter is not important anymore.”

Seeing her putting on more clothes, Madam Liu couldn’t help but scold her with a smile. “This girl only knows how to be stubborn.”

Once she dressed warmly, Xia Tong and Fang Yu took a carriage to the palace. The streets were mostly empty on the first day of the new year, as most people were at home enjoying family reunions, with only patrolling guards passing by occasionally.

The palace was on high alert, and after showing the guards her token, their carriage proceeded steadily inside. With the late emperor’s passing, the wives of officials with ranks of third class or above had to keep vigil, and Xia Tong and her mother were required to attend tomorrow. However, she had no intention of going. Standing vigil for someone who added to her troubles while dying in the cold was out of the question. She couldn’t believe Gu Qin would let her kneel in the mourning hall all day while pregnant.

“Master, we’ve arrived at the Council Hall. The prince should be inside,” Fang Yu called from outside. Xia Tong adjusted her fox fur coat, lifted the carriage curtain, and carefully stepped down with Fang Yu’s help.

A cold breeze hit her face as she entered the Council Hall, where many officials were coming and going. After the late emperor’s passing, the court must be swamped with matters; these people likely hadn’t slept all night.

Treading through the light snow, she approached the entrance of the hall. Just as she was about to step inside, a gentle and friendly voice suddenly came from behind her.

“Are you here to see the prince, Princess?”

Xia Tong paused and turned around to see two familiar figures, immediately bowing. “May the Emperor and Princess be well.”

The visitors were dressed in mourning attire, their once restrained demeanor now evident. The aura of nobility around them made others hesitant to approach. After all, becoming emperor changed everything.

“No need for such formality,” the Emperor said lightly.

Before her stood a woman clad in a plain embroidered gown, her hair adorned with minimal accessories. Her natural beauty remained striking even without makeup, she always carried herself in a calm manner.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Xia Tong replied.

Once she stood up, Xia Tong glanced at the rather annoying Princess Changyang, slightly nodding. “The prince hasn’t returned home for a night, so I came to visit.”

After she finished speaking, Princess Changyang merely blinked her eyes slightly and said in a gentle voice, “The Prince Regent has been busy handling state affairs for Your Majesty, and he must be quite exhausted. However, with a capable wife like you, I believe the prince will find things much easier.”

At this point, Xiao Jing suddenly glanced at her and said, “You will also marry into the Regent’s residence in the future. Be sure to learn from the princess and avoid any reckless behavior.”

“What are you saying, brother?” Princess Changyang suddenly lowered her head, her face turning red, appearing shy.

Xia Tong felt increasingly uncomfortable but maintained her calm expression as she followed the two into the Council Hall. Upon their arrival, everyone inside knelt and shouted, “Long live the Emperor!”

Xia Tong immediately spotted the man seated at the head of the table. He wasn’t dealing with state matters at all. Instead, he was leisurely playing chess with her father. While her father would at least pretend to pay attention to the newcomers, Gu Qin didn’t even bother to put on an act and didn’t greet anyone.

As she approached, Xia Tong shot him a fierce glare before standing behind her father. If he didn’t clarify the situation with Princess Changyang, she vowed to ignore him completely.

“The Prince Regent must have had a tiring night,” Xiao Jing remarked, seemingly oblivious to the chess game on the table. He then turned to Gu Qin and said, “I think tonight, the regent should stay in the palace for a family banquet. After all, you will be marrying Princess Changyang in the future, we’ll be family.”

Xia Tong: “…”

She glanced at the man coldly. If he dared to stay, she would go back to her parents’ home from now on!

Princess Changyang also kept her head down, her face slightly flushed, her delicate features resembling a beautiful peach blossom that made one want to cherish her.

Seeing the woman acting petulantly, Gu Qin’s lips curved into a slight smile. He adjusted his sleeves and slowly stood up to look at Xiao Jing, saying calmly, “Unfortunately, I have a family banquet at my residence tonight, so I must decline Your Majesty’s kind offer.”

At his words, the officials below exchanged glances, unsure of what to make of the situation. This new emperor was not like the previous one, the regent prince held immense power and commanded a strong army. Given the emperor’s temperament, how could he allow anyone to overshadow his authority?

“It’s fine, it will be the same in the future,” Xiao Jing said, seemingly unfazed. He then fixed his gaze on Xia Zhian, “I’ll leave the arrangements for my father’s funeral in your capable hands.”

Xia Zhian was the regent’s father-in-law, so why would the emperor entrust such an important task to him? The officials couldn’t comprehend this for a moment.

“I will certainly not let Your Majesty down,” Xia Zhian quickly knelt to express his gratitude.

Xia Tong frowned, feeling displeased. Her father was already of an age where he shouldn’t be burdened with such tiring matters. Managing funeral arrangements during the New Year left him with no time to rest.

They didn’t linger long in the Council Hall. Once Xiao Jing left, Xia Tong finally took her father away. He was too honest, such matters could easily be delegated to others. As a senior official, he only needed to make key decisions at crucial times.

Upon exiting the Council Hall, she ignored Gu Qin and chose to ride in the same carriage as her father. However, just as she was about to get into the carriage, someone suddenly grabbed her arm. Without needing to look, she knew who it was. She turned away and pulled her arm back, her face clearly unhappy.

“You are an adult, why are you still acting like a child?” Xia Zhian looked at his daughter with a reproachful look on his face.

Xia Tong pouted as if she wanted to say something, but suddenly, someone tightly grasped her wrist, pulling her into a warm embrace. Before she knew it, she was half-lifted and half-carried into the dark wooden carriage.

Xifeng outside hurriedly whipped the horse whip to drive the carriage, wondering if the prince could coax the princess today.

Inside the carriage, there was an eerie silence. Xia Tong struggled for a while but couldn’t break free, so she settled into his embrace, closing her eyes and refusing to speak.

Seeing her pouting face full of grievances, the man’s brow furrowed slightly, and he spoke in a low voice, “Are you jealous?”

“No!”

Xia Tong denied his words without a second thought. But when she met his teasing gaze, she huffed again, her lips pouting as if they could hang a pot, “You could have three thousand beauties, and I wouldn’t care!”

“Is that so?” Gu Qin raised an eyebrow and grasped her delicate hand, gently rubbing it with his thumb. “If that day comes, I only hope you will stay by my side.”

As their gazes locked, the depths of his eyes reflected only her image. Xia Tong’s heart skipped a beat; the accumulated grievances she felt began to fade away at that moment.

The carriage fell silent once more. She bit her lip, letting out a soft huff, and clenched her small fist, giving him a gentle punch on the shoulder. “I don’t believe your sweet talk! Who knows if you’ll just turn around and marry another woman?”

It was indeed a sleepless night. Gu Qin rubbed his temples in fatigue, one hand still wrapped around her waist as he spoke calmly, “Why would I marry a dead person?”

Xia Tong: “……”

She widened her eyes in disbelief at the calm man before her. She had forgotten that he was a ruthless villain capable of murder without batting an eye.

“When the chaos broke out, and Princess Changyang was mistakenly killed, what’s wrong with that?” His gaze flickered, as if discussing the most ordinary matter. After saying that, he looked down into her clear eyes and spoke in a low voice, “I thought you understood that there would be no other woman close to me in this world.”

Her cool little hand was enveloped in his warm palm. Watching the stern-faced man before her, Xia Tong felt inexplicable ripples in her heart, and her lips unconsciously formed a slight smile.

However, hearing his words made her wonder if more trouble would arise in the palace soon. She didn’t ask any further and instead thought about why she had come to the palace. But just as she was about to speak, Xia Tong hesitated.

Lowering her head, she slowly tugged at his robe, her voice tiny as a mosquito’s buzz, “Actually… I came to the palace to tell you that the imperial physician said… said… I’m pregnant.”