Spring arrives and the land smiles

Qi Shen felt Qing Yan's pulse, remained silent for a while, and then looked up at Qing Yan again.

"Just say it!" Qingyan urged.

Qi Shen remained silent.

"Is it too early in the pregnancy to feel it?" Qingyan asked again.

Qi Shen shook his head.

"You felt it? Are you more than a month pregnant?" Qingyan immediately became happy.

Qi Shen shook his head and immediately poured cold water on Qing Yan's enthusiasm: "Qing'er ate too much glutinous rice with eight delicacies last night. She had indigestion and was also exposed to some wind, so it's normal for her to vomit."

What? It was a huge misunderstanding.

Qingyan let out a deep sigh, her high spirits immediately plummeting.

Upon seeing Qingyan's distress, Ningyuan and Yunxuan offered words of comfort. Even Lanzhen, who had just arrived, patted Qingyan's head reassuringly after learning the situation.

"You will have a child."

Perhaps it was because the word "child" was too easy to trigger Qingyan's emotions at this moment, Qingyan pointed at Qi Shen and scolded: "Didn't you say that frequent sex would result in a child? For the past month, as long as my body allowed, you haven't let me rest. It's been this frequent, and where is the child?"

“This—” Qi Shen glanced at the people around Qing Yan, then at Qing Yan herself, seemingly a little guilty, “Perhaps, perhaps it’s not frequent enough.”

"Qi Shen, do you want to listen to what you're saying?" Qing Yan was furious. She rolled out of bed and shoved Qi Shen hard.

Seeing that Qingyan was truly angry, Qi Shen was so frightened that he stammered, "That, yes, he told me to say that," Qi Shen pointed at Yunxuan, "that it was for the benefit of everyone."

"It wasn't me, it was him." Yun Xuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately pointed at Lan Zhen.

"Hey, why are you turning the tables on me?" Lan Zhen quickly hid behind Ning Yuan, muttering guiltily, "You're the one who said we can't always let Ning Yuan have it all, we have to share the spoils equally."

"I was just speaking for everyone; the idea was yours," Yunxuan retorted, not to be outdone.

Lan Zhen: "I was just saying that. You deliberately brought Qi Shen here to deceive Xiao Yan'er."

Yunxuan: "You weren't idle either. It was you who persuaded Luo Qing that gave me this opportunity."

Lan Zhen: "I, I, then I can only be considered an accomplice."

Yunxuan: "You came up with the idea, you're the mastermind."

……

"stop fighting."

The two argued fiercely, and Qingyan, annoyed, kicked them out, leaving only Qi Shen behind.

"Tell me honestly, is my body incapable of getting pregnant?" If so, then I'll have to adopt my brother's child.

"No," Qi Shen answered with certainty, "it just requires some extraordinary methods."

"So, frequent sexual activity isn't entirely a joke?" Qingyan asked seriously.

Qi Shen nodded: "That's only one aspect. In addition, both men and women need to take the Pregnancy-Preserving Pill."

Qi Shen paused for a moment and then continued, "The process of making Liu Zi Dan is complicated. A year ago, Luo Qing wrote to the Immortal Physician Granny to ask for the medicine. Some time ago, the Immortal Physician Granny wrote back that the medicine had been made, so Luo Qing set off to pick it up."

"Luo Qing knows that you are reluctant to let everyone use their bodies as medicine to help you get pregnant, so that's why you asked the Immortal Physician Granny."

"However, it would be time-consuming and laborious to keep Zidan, and the situation in the court was complicated at that time. We didn't want you to worry about this matter, so we said something ambiguous. Luo Qing was thinking that if keeping Zidan failed, she would use herself as medicine."

Qingyan looked at Qi Shen and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she pursed her lips, reached out her hand for him to help her sit on the soft couch.

"Do they know about Liu Zidan's matter?"

Qi Shen shook his head.

"Don't tell them yet, wait until Luo Qing comes back."

Qingyan dismissed Qi Shen and sat down to ponder:

The officials in the court are openly submitting memorials requesting offspring, but they are merely testing my bottom line.

Yunxuan and Ningyuan always represented powerful and influential families. If their offspring were born to them, it would inevitably arouse the desires of the Fu and Ning families. Even loyal and patriotic officials for generations could not avoid having ambitious members in their families.

Lan Zhen is a prince of an enemy country, and a prince who commands a large army and is skilled in both literature and martial arts. If the child is born to him, Nanxia will definitely have inappropriate thoughts.

Although Qi Shen comes from the Qi family of Sichuan and has no connection with my court, his official identity is that of the Deputy Envoy of Sichuan.

Sicheng is a prince from Sichuan, so it's even less likely he'll be chosen.

After much deliberation, if the court wanted stability, the child could only be Luo Qing's.

Especially if a son is born, it is even more important to prevent the crown prince from having powerful maternal relatives.

Qingyan was lost in thought when she reached for the teacup and accidentally knocked it to the ground, wetting her dress.

Upon hearing the sound of shattering, Si Cheng quickly moved in front of Qing Yan and carefully separated her from the broken porcelain shards.

Upon seeing Sicheng, Qingyan's eyes flickered: He's arrived so quickly; he's already performing his duties as a bodyguard again.

"Didn't I send you to reorganize the Listening Wind Pavilion these past few days? When did you return?"

"Your Majesty, I have been back for more than half a month."

More than half a month has passed. Qingyan was stunned for a moment.

"So, you've been following me for over half a month?"

With her husbands all being highly skilled, Qingyan never set up any more secret guards. Sicheng's actions can be considered an open act of disobeying orders.

"Your subject dares not." Si Cheng quickly knelt down on one knee, but did not notice the broken porcelain shards on the ground, which injured his knee.

"What are you afraid of?" Qingyan grabbed Sicheng's wrist, pulled him up, and pushed him to sit down on the soft couch next to her. She then instructed Zhuier to bring him medicine.

"My palace has no secret guards. You openly disobey my orders. What else wouldn't you dare to do?"

"Do you enjoy spying on me all day long?"

"Still—" Qingyan gripped Sicheng's neck, applying some force, "I'm still feeling incredibly sad inside, yet I dare not reveal a word."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty dares not." Si Cheng's eyes were filled with panic, and he was having difficulty breathing.

Qingyan let go of his hand, recalling the night Qi Shen came to find her, saying that Si Cheng had many concerns and had no choice but to take the lead. She felt a sense of helplessness and disappointment.

"You really enjoy watching me all lovey-dovey with them while you hide in the shadows, heartbroken to death?"

"If that's the case, then leave. Don't get in my way."

"Your subject, Your subject takes his leave." Si Cheng lowered his eyes, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He secretly looked up at Qingyan, then turned away with extreme reluctance. The conflict in his eyes was like poison, spreading throughout his body and making his movements sluggish.

Just as he was about to leave, Si Cheng's gaze, which had been fixed on Qing Yan's collarbone, suddenly intensified. The faint red mark on her collarbone instantly aroused him.

With a heavy heart, Si Cheng strode forward, pulled Qing Yan up from the soft couch, grabbed her waist, and kissed her fiercely.

This sudden action took Qingyan quite a while to react, so she pounded his chest to make him stop.

Unexpectedly, Si Cheng became even more audacious. He released Qing Yan's lips, but then carried her in his arms and walked towards the inner chamber.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not harm you. The Listening Wind Pavilion has taught us how to serve others."