Marrying the Crown Prince

"Yes, this servant will pour it for the Crown Princess right away." Wei Yi's face stiffened, and she answered quickly.

He thought to himself: Tsk, the Crown Princess hasn't been drinking tea lately, how could I have forgotten about that?

Wei Yi silently thought to herself, but Empress Chu was different. She said directly, "I don't think I've seen you drink tea at all these past few days since I came here."

You should know that the people of Chen Kingdom are fond of elegance, and almost everyone loves things like tea ceremony and tea tasting.

There are only two types of people who don't drink tea for such a long time.

First, he was taking medicine just like Emperor Chenze; ​​second, ...

Empress Chu's eyes swept over Zhou Zhou again and again, and finally she confirmed one thing, "You're so busy every day, but I feel like you've even gained weight?"

Upon hearing her words, Emperor Chenze also looked towards Zhou Zhou.

However, he had been in a coma lately, sleeping soundly, so even after looking at Zhou Zhou repeatedly, he still couldn't tell whether Zhou Zhou had gained or lost weight.

However, if the Empress Chu said she had gained weight, then she must have gained weight.

He nodded and said, "You have indeed gained weight."

Seeing that they had all noticed, Zhou Zhou no longer hid it and said, "Your subject is more than two months pregnant."

Actually, she didn't hide it, but she was too busy and didn't feel any physical discomfort, so she didn't say anything.

Legend has it that the fetal spirit prefers quiet and is easily startled.

Therefore, women in the Chen Kingdom would choose to keep their pregnancies a secret for the first three months until the fetus was stable before revealing it.

Empress Chu's eyes widened in surprise and delight.

Emperor Chenze threw his head back and laughed heartily, "Good, good, good! Heaven bless my Great Chen! Heaven bless my Great Chen!"

In imperial families, offspring are always the most important thing.

Thinking of his son Li Ziyan and daughter-in-law Zhou Zhou's temperament and talent, Emperor Chenze grinned again—if the two of them as parents are so intelligent, their child will surely be blessed with both wisdom and talent!

One of his worries has finally been resolved.

You should know that Emperor Chenze has been thinking about something these past few days.

He was thinking, if Li Ziyan really couldn't have children, then which child from the imperial clan should he register under his name?

The primary target was the children of the Prince of Chong'an, because the two of them were so prolific.

The second tier consists of the Xuanping Prince's family.

The reason is quite simple: firstly, Li Zichen is of royal blood and is also Zhou Zhou's cousin; secondly, Princess Consort Wang Qingwu of Xuanping is intelligent and is a close friend of Zhou Zhou.

From any perspective, Prince Xuanping's path is also a suitable one.

Emperor Chenze was still hesitating, pondering and thinking about how to bring this up with Zhou Zhou. But before he could figure out how to say it, he exclaimed, "Oh, the Crown Princess is pregnant!"

At this critical juncture, in these most difficult days, a life is about to be born. Would you say this isn't an immense blessing? Would you say this isn't divine intervention?

"Has the imperial physician been summoned to take your pulse?"

"Yes, Chief Physician Zhang took my pulse and said that my pregnancy looks very good and the baby in my womb is very healthy."

"So, very good."

Emperor Chenze originally thought he wouldn't be able to sleep after hearing the news, but to his surprise, the effects of the medicine kicked in and he was able to sleep anyway.

Perhaps because he had less worry in his heart, Emperor Chenze slept for a whole day.

After taking the emperor's pulse, Chief Physician Zhang sighed heavily, shook his head, and said, "I'm afraid His Majesty's health won't hold up for much longer."

Although everyone was prepared, they were still taken aback when the news came out of his mouth.

Cabinet ministers also began to stay overnight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, guarding Emperor Chenze's bedside.

Emperor Chenze would occasionally wake up, but the time he was awake was really short.

He would ask every time—

Has the Crown Prince returned?

"We've already sent someone to urge them on."

Has the Crown Prince returned?

"still on the way."

Has the Crown Prince returned?

"It will be soon, Your Majesty."

Each time he heard these answers, Emperor Chenze's eyes filled with regret, and he closed them again, falling into a deep sleep once more.

One day, two days...

Everyone anxiously counted down the days in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, waiting for reports from the front lines and for His Highness the Crown Prince to return.

Finally, on the eighth day after Emperor Chenze's condition worsened, Li Ziyan appeared at the palace.

Chief Zhang took out thin, long silver needles and inserted them into various parts of Emperor Chenze's head and body.

He lay there quietly, his body already emaciated, his chest rising and falling softly and slowly, with only a faint breath remaining.

Zhang Ling once said that it was a miracle that the emperor was still alive.

Zhou Zhou knew that Emperor Chenze was holding on to his last breath in order to see Li Ziyan one last time, and that he was using his last bit of strength to maintain the dignity of the country.

He was afraid that if he left without giving any explanation, the vassal kings would become disloyal and the court officials would be thrown into disarray.

Time passed slowly, and Zhou Zhou, who could at first watch Zhang Yuanshou give acupuncture, eventually couldn't bear it anymore and silently turned her back, unable to watch any longer.

After the acupuncture was finished, everyone stared intently at the person on the bed, holding their breath.

After a cup of tea, Emperor Chenze opened his eyes.

Everyone knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Emperor Chenze looked at the person kneeling at the front, a slow smile appearing on his face, his voice soft and weak, "You're back..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

Li Ziyan hurriedly grasped his withered hand, his mouth feeling as if he had swallowed a bitter gall, the bitterness reaching his heart. "Yes, Your Majesty, I am an unfilial son, making you wait so long."

Emperor Chenze's chest heaved as he breathed heavily, his pale, bloodless lips moving with difficulty. His throat bobbed, and a hoarse voice came out, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

After he finished speaking, he struggled to sit up.

Li Ziyan hurriedly got up, wanting to help Emperor Chenze up.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Chenze stubbornly propped himself up on the edge of the bed and sat up.

After doing all this, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his deep-set eyes shone even brighter, a calmness and shrewdness unique to the elderly.

Emperor Chenze took a breath before speaking.

This time, the voice was no longer weak and powerless, but rather resolute from the inside out: "Crown Prince."

"Your subject is here." Li Ziyan knelt back down.

"Although the Ling Kingdom often harasses the border, their land is barren and their treasury is empty. They may want to launch a large-scale invasion of the Northern Region, but they do not have the strength to do so."

"Moreover, the Duke of Dingguo and my soldiers in the Northern Region are not to be trifled with."

"Therefore, the danger to our Chen Kingdom lies in the southwest."

"The rulers and ministers of Yunqin are united and the country is prosperous. They are ambitious and have been planning this for a long time."

"Our Chen Kingdom has been peaceful for too long. Seeing the country in peace and prosperity, we thought we could rest easy. We failed to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace. This is my fault."

Hearing this, Li Ziyan raised his eyes, "Father..."