RNP Chapter 300 Life and Death
Chapter 300 Life and Death
Shen Shixi had no intention of returning to the palace, but the Empress Dowager insisted on holding the family recognition ceremony at Cining Palace in order to elevate Li Yuanyin.
There was nothing else to do, so Shen Shixi had to go back with Li Yuanke on the day of the event.
The wedding was said to be very grand. Li Yuanke and Shen Shixi both gave gifts, but there was no reason for them to attend the ceremony. Shen Shixi only heard from Chao Yu that the imperial relatives must have all gone, but not many court officials went, especially the important officials who sent their own nephews and nieces to send gifts and attend the banquet.
This shows a lack of respect!
After spending the night in the palace, Li Yuanyin and his wife went to the palace the next day to express their gratitude, and then served tea and recognized each other in the Cining Palace.
Shen Shixi couldn't get up in the morning. She had moved to Qingyi Garden and had even skipped the traditional greetings on the first and fifteenth of each month, too lazy to bother with those formalities.
Originally, the Empress Dowager had the Imperial Observatory determine the time for serving tea to be 8:30 AM.
Shen Shixi would have to get up at six o'clock. She still needed to do her makeup. She couldn't dress too casually for this occasion, or the Empress Dowager would hold a grudge for life. She didn't want to hand over any leverage to the other party.
Li Yuanke objected, saying that he wanted to attend court, but did he intend to just sit for a while and then leave?
Just to arrange for Li Yuanyin to be recognized as a relative?
The Empress Dowager had no choice. The Imperial Observatory was quite adept at changing its tune, saying that the early morning hours were actually better, as it would ensure many offspring and be beneficial for having children. Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager didn't argue with Li Yuanke anymore and said, "This time is perfect. After the tea ceremony, it will be lunchtime."
She then instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch at the Cining Palace, so that all the imperial relatives could gather together.
When Li Yuanke returned from the morning court session, Shen Shixi was still in bed. After waiting a while, he asked the kitchen to prepare some food.
Shen Shixi woke up as soon as she smelled the aroma; she was also very hungry.
Li Yuanke was enjoying his meal when, upon seeing her, he felt nauseous and vomited.
Shen Shixi laughed so hard, then came over and leaned on his back. "Li Yuanke, why are you doing this? I'm pregnant, what does it have to do with you? If you're not feeling well, just stay away from me. I don't need you to do anything."
"Your pregnancy has nothing to do with me? I'm his father, how dare you say it has nothing to do with me!" Li Yuanke felt uncomfortable whenever he thought about whether Shen Shixi was also trying to conceive with him.
Fortunately, he stopped vomiting when he got angry.
Shen Shixi sat down and finished what Li Yuanke hadn't eaten. The small kitchen still needed serving, but she waved her hand, "No need, we'll have a big meal at Cining Palace later!"
Li Yuanke panicked upon hearing this, "It's still early, serve the Empress more!"
He whispered to Shen Shixi, "Eat more. When we go to Cining Palace later, try not to eat or drink anything if you can avoid it."
Shen Shixi's eyes widened, and she reached out to touch his forehead. "You don't have a fever, what nonsense are you talking about? It can't be that bad, can it? You're like someone who's been bitten by a snake once and is now afraid of even a rope for ten years. Li Yuanke, don't scare yourself. If this gets out, what will the world think of you?"
Li Yuanke held her in his arms, saying, "I don't care what the world thinks. Do they dare say it to my face? Besides, haven't I been fooled before?"
He touched Shen Shixi's belly, "In the harem, you can never be too careful. Sometimes, you can't even guess what others are thinking, not even your own mother."
I don't want anything to happen to you, especially now that you have a child. If something were to happen, what good would it do to kill everyone in the harem?
[This bastard has gone mad! The Empress Dowager is acting like a monster; look what she's done to this dog. So this is how imperial paranoia comes about? A stress response left over from being hurt by a loved one?]
Shen Shixi touched his face and kissed his cheek. "Li Yuanke, I believe that the Empress Dowager really didn't know about what happened with Yang Tingyue last time. If she had known, she would never have allowed such a thing to happen."
It's not just a matter of being undignified, nor is it just about damaging your authority. She is your mother, and she may favor Li Yuanyin and Yang Tingyue, but that's understandable.
"You are the emperor, the Great Zhou belongs to you. In her eyes, you possess the world, and it's understandable that she would compensate her youngest son and niece. But she absolutely does not want to see you suffer such harm."
"At the time, I was waiting for her to deal with Yang Tingyue, but she did not. Instead, she sent Yang Tingyue out of the palace, simply because she was afraid that someone in the palace would take action."
At that time, if Yang Tingyue had dared to stay in the palace, someone would definitely have tried to take advantage of her in order to curry favor with the emperor.
In fact, Li Yuanke blamed the wrong person. When such an incident occurred, the most suitable person to take action was Consort Jing. Yang Tingyue was a palace concubine who dared to poison the emperor. As the empress at the time, she should have punished her according to palace rules.
It's only natural for her to protect the Emperor!
Regardless of whether it was true or false, the Emperor had to consider the bond between mother and son, but she had no such consideration. However, the Empress acted like a coward and did not stand up to say a word.
With the passage of time, Shen Shixi could no longer drag the person out and lash out at their corpse!
She stroked Li Yuanke's nape like petting a cat, and it worked wonders, instantly calming him down. "Don't be afraid! It was really just an accident, it won't happen again. You don't need to be so nervous. I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"
"Of course you're not afraid! When have you ever been afraid? You've never been afraid of death!" Li Yuanke said, quite dissatisfied.
Shen Shixi laughed, "Don't wrong me! How could I not be afraid of death? I just believe that no matter how reckless I am, you won't let me die! Li Yuanke, I won't let you die either, at least not before my son grows up! I don't want you to die!"
Li Yuanke laughed, "You dog, can't you say a few nice words to coax me?"
Shen Shixi kissed him on the lips. "Don't be afraid, Li Yuanke. In this life, I hope to die before you. I'm afraid of being abandoned, so I will protect you!"
"You bastard, stop talking nonsense!"
Li Yuanke's eyes reddened, and he immediately covered her mouth with his own, kissing her fiercely, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
After kissing for a while, Shen Shixi pushed him away, "No, Li Yuanke, don't seduce me, really!"
Li Yuanke laughed in anger, "Where did I seduce you? If you dare say such things again, I'll punish you!"
Shen Shixi clung to his neck, burying her face in his chest. "Li Yuanke, you don't understand! A pregnant woman's emotions are a bit unstable. To tell you the truth, right now, when I look at you, you're like a walking aphrodisiac. I want to pounce on you all the time. I've really been holding back!"
Let's talk about hormones. Nowadays, who even has that concept?
Li Yuanke was so frightened he almost dropped her; his legs were trembling. "Are you...are you alright? Xi'er, don't forget, you're pregnant!"
Shen Shixi held him tightly. "Li Yuanke, don't lie to me. Don't you want it yourself?"
Li Yuanke grabbed her wrist. "Let go!"
Shen Shixi then relaxed.
She was afraid that if they held hands any longer, neither of them would be able to control themselves.
"After you give birth..."
"I can't wait!" Shen Shixi sighed and got off him. She was now just waiting for the three months to pass before she could have a meal with Li Yuanke.
Li Yuanke was also in pain. After a while, he felt better, but he was also on guard. What was that bastard plotting now? He was in danger. How could he remain chaste with his wife? This was harder than climbing to heaven.
The couple didn't dwell on the matter, mainly because Li Yuanke was unaware of her tactics.
Shen Shixi still ate a hearty breakfast and went to Cining Palace in a palanquin with Li Yuanke.
Previously, the two of them always rode together in the imperial carriage, but today Li Yuanke dared not sit with her, fearing that his "walking aphrodisiac" might poison her. More importantly, he was also somewhat unable to control himself, and if he were to harm the imperial fetus, he would truly feel like committing suicide.
The Empress Dowager and the members of the imperial clan were all waiting, and the newlyweds had also arrived long ago. Zhu Shouchun's eyes lit up when he saw the two of them enter.
The Emperor and Empress came forward to pay their respects. The Empress Dowager, seeing Shen Shixi, did not offer to dispense with the formalities. The Emperor then pulled her aside, preventing her from bowing, and performed the bow himself, saying, "The Empress is pregnant and unable to pay her respects to Your Majesty, so I will do it on her behalf!"