The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 59

In the seventh year of Yuan Ning, just as spring began, Liu Qingtang heard the news that Wei Zheng's wife was pregnant. During court, it was a rare sight to see Minister Wu, Wei Zheng's father-in-law, give him a pleasant look. Wei Zheng, who had finally regained his usual stern and serious demeanor, began to act as he had when he was first betrothed, his face filled with an unpleasant, foolish smile. Fortunately, everyone was used to it and almost never looked at the smug Wei Zheng during court, lest they find it unpleasant. Even Liu Qingtang couldn't be bothered to look at him.

This news wasn't the most shocking thing; what truly stunned Liu Qingtang was that after returning to Cixi Palace, Qin Shu told her that Princess Chun, Yang Sujin, was also pregnant.

In other words, her close friend Yang Sushu, who was disguised as a man, was pregnant. Upon hearing this news, Liu Qingtang hadn't quite grasped the situation and glanced at Qin Shu, asking, "Pregnant? Sushu?"

"That's what the news says over there." Qin Shu nodded, quite calmly, not at all surprised by the news. Of course, this was largely due to his focus solely on Liu Qingtang's affairs; he had no interest in what anyone else was doing.

He wasn't interested, but Liu Qingtang was very interested. She stood up and turned around a few times, then said, "Let's go take a look at the Plain Book! Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we left the palace. The jujube paste cake you bought me last time tasted pretty good. After we finish reading the Plain Book, let's go eat some?"

Qin Shu never refused her requests, so he immediately nodded, made some arrangements in Cixi Palace, gave the orders, and then quietly led Liu Qingtang out of the palace.

This wasn't the first time they'd sneaked out of the palace like this. As Qin Shu, the Grand Eunuch, became increasingly adept and capable, managing everything impeccably, he had made the already heavily guarded Cining Palace even more impenetrable. Originally, after returning from the Imperial Water Villa last year, they had to sleep separately, but now, Qin Shu would occasionally stay in Liu Qingtang's palace. Only when he was dealing with official business late and didn't want to disturb her rest would he return to his own bedroom.

Qin Shu wanted to handle almost everything concerning Liu Qingtang himself. If Liu Qingtang hadn't felt that he would be tired doing so much by himself and hadn't forbidden him from doing it personally, he probably would have taken over everything that Tao Ye Zhuiyi had been doing. Even so, Qin Shu would often gather things and send them to Liu Qingtang—food, drinks, household items, toys—anything he thought she would like, he would bring to her.

People say that a couple's initial infatuation will gradually cool down after a few months, but Liu Qingtang and Qin Shu are only getting closer. Even after all this time, they still wish they could be together all the time. One of them finishes something and rushes to the other's side, seemingly without doing anything special, just talking can fill an entire day. Sometimes, Taoye and Zhuiyi, watching from the side, find their conversations incredibly boring and wonder how they can talk for so long.

With Qin Shu by Liu Qingtang's side, Tao Ye and Zhui Yi had more free time. Aside from spending time with Liu Qingtang when Qin Shu wasn't around, they spent the rest of their time tending to the Cining Palace with a group of young maids. They planted flowers one day and transplanted trees the next, setting up a charming grape trellis. They even specially cultivated a corner for melons and beans from ordinary people's vegetable gardens. Naturally, there were also plenty of various flowers.

Perhaps due to a change in mindset, Liu Qingtang increasingly disliked the solemn and dignified layout and meticulously arranged plants of the former Cining Palace, and instead developed a fondness for the vibrant flowers that grew freely. Qin Shu then found countless flower seedlings and seeds for her, which Tao Yezhuiyi, who had plenty of free time every day, led the flower servants and palace maids to plant.

Day by day, Cixi Palace transformed into a lavish and luxurious garden. Taoye once jokingly remarked that history had a story of keeping a mistress in a golden house, but their Chief Steward Qin was going to keep her in a flower-filled house instead. Liu Qingtang simply smiled without saying a word, pulling Qin Shu on a stroll through the garden-like Cixi Palace, and even watering the vegetable patch in the corner a few times.

Liu Qingtang herself was living a carefree and happy life, and naturally hoped that her friend was doing the same. However, she never expected that her friend would become pregnant. The kind of thing that could cause pregnancy—the Pure Prince…would he? Or was it actually her friend's initiative? In a sense, Liu Qingtang's curiosity and desire to see the drama unfold almost overwhelmed her worry for her friend.

They went to the Yang residence excitedly, and Uncle Liao greeted them with a broad smile, his wrinkles crinkling together. Of course, he wouldn't be so overjoyed by their arrival; it could only be because of Su Shu.

Liu Qingtang confirmed it again and couldn't wait to see her friend and satisfy her curiosity.

“Sushu~ I heard you… umm?” Liu Qingtang said, while giving her a meaningful look at her belly, which didn’t reveal anything.

Yang Sushu knew what she was thinking as soon as she saw her arrive, and nodded helplessly, "It's true." Then, as if venting her frustration, she lightly tapped Xiao Huaiyu on the head, who was cutting herbs beside her. Xiao Huaiyu was cutting herbs slowly and meticulously; if you looked closely, almost every piece was the same size. Suddenly being tapped in anger, he slowly and somewhat blankly looked up at Yang Sushu. Yang Sushu could only sigh, then patted his head and told him to continue cutting the herbs.

"Hey~ Su Shu, tell me, did you... force yourself on me?" Liu Qingtang wanted to bump her friend's shoulder, but remembering that she was pregnant, she couldn't touch her. So she just moved closer to her and asked in a low voice.

"No, it's... sigh." Yang Sushu said angrily, then stopped, blushing as she buried her head in her medical book, ignoring Liu Qingtang. Liu Qingtang had only heard the beginning, and seeing that she was not going to say anything more, she wouldn't let it go. But no matter how much she pleaded, Yang Sushu remained silent, so Liu Qingtang had no choice but to give up on the matter and instead said, "You can at least tell me how many months pregnant the child is."

When Liu Qingtang asked this, she smiled on the outside but sighed inwardly. After being happy for her, she remembered something. This year was the seventh year of Yuan Ning, the year of the plague in Yu Jing. It was currently March, and the plague was expected to break out in July, leaving four months to go. She still didn't know why the plague had occurred, and therefore didn't know how to prevent it. What annoyed her most was that she hadn't even remembered the pharmacy. The prescription was developed by Su Shu, and she was needed to develop it again this time. But she was pregnant, and it would be a long way off then. What if she overworked herself and something went wrong?

Even if she were reborn, she couldn't calculate everything. Now, she only hoped that Su Shu's pregnancy was in its early stages, and definitely not into her eighth month. There's a saying that a woman's childbirth is a matter of "seven months to give birth, eight months to die," meaning that the baby is safe at seven months, but giving birth at eight months is considered unlucky. Liu Qingtang had no experience and didn't know this, but since it had been passed down, there must be some truth to it, so she had no choice but to believe it.

"It's only been a little over a month. I only realized it was wrong after I took my pulse."

Hearing Yang Sushu say this, Liu Qingtang calculated that it would be about six months by July, which should be fine. She breathed a sigh of relief and seriously grasped Yang Sushu's hand, saying, "Sushu, no matter what, you must take good care of yourself these next few months. As a doctor, you should know more than I do. In short, you must take good care of your health. I will give instructions to the Imperial Hospital that you stay with Prince Chun and your sister to rest during the pregnancy, and that no irrelevant people will disturb you."

“You seem even more nervous than Uncle Liao.” Yang Sushu shook her head with a smile, squeezed her hand and said, “I will. When the baby is born, I’ll have him recognize you as his godmother.”

“Then Qin Shu is my godfather!” Liu Qingtang immediately added with a smile.

"Of course we won't forget him. In the future, our godson can take care of you two as godparents." Yang Sushu lowered her head and touched her belly, then glanced at Xiao Huaiyu, who was meticulously cutting medicine beside her, her expression gentle.

As she was leaving, Liu Qingtang couldn't help but ask one last question, "Sushu, what if this child is like Xiao Huaiyu..."

“Parents can’t change how a child is born, but I would never deprive him of his right to be born because of that possibility. Besides, even if he is like this, with his godparents, he can surely live a worry-free life,” Yang Sushu said, making a joke as she spoke.

"Alright! So that's what you were planning. But for the sake of our years of friendship, I won't hold it against you. It's settled then. Hurry up and give me a healthy godson or goddaughter, and we'll protect him/her in the future."

Leaving the Yang residence, Liu Qingtang became unhappy again in the carriage, "I still don't know what's going on between Su Shu and Xiao Huaiyu."

"I asked Uncle Liao, and he's the one who drugged her to make this happen," Qin Shu said calmly, smoothing her hair as he spoke.

Liu Qingtang sat up abruptly, her face full of surprise. "So that's what you were doing just now! Come and tell me in detail!" Qin Shu was indeed becoming more and more understanding and considerate of her.

After learning a lot from Qin Shu, Liu Qingtang was greatly satisfied with her curiosity. Finally, she stroked her chin and sighed, "As expected, the old fox is shrewd. It's not surprising that Liao Bo would do this after all these years of waiting for the birth of a young master in the mansion. It's just a pity for Su Shu, who can't get angry at Liao Bo, whom she regards as her father, and she can't get angry at Xiao Huaiyu either."

Whether with schadenfreude or pity, Liu Qingtang sighed for a while, then prepared to go with Qin Shu to eat pastries at a teahouse, as originally planned. Unfortunately, she was intercepted halfway there by her older brother, Liu Qingrong.

He wouldn't come looking for her unless it was something important, Liu Qingtang knew. She quickly tried to guess what it was. Her father should be in good health, so could something have happened to the woman in the manor who was to be sent to the palace?

Liu Qingtang guessed and guessed, but she never expected that her brother, who had taken up her time alone with Qin Shu and kept her here looking worried for a while, would tell her that he had fallen in love with a man?!

"What did you say?! Say it again if you dare!" Liu Qingtang slammed her cup down. Qin Shu, who had automatically retreated to the outer room due to the commotion, came in to take a look. Suppressing her anger, Liu Qingtang said to her brother, who looked heartbroken and foolish, "Tell me in detail what exactly happened."

Then Liu Qingtang listened as her brother, in a voice that was sometimes sweet and sometimes troubled, vaguely recounted how he had fallen in love with Xi Lan.

If it weren't for the fact that he was already quite old and only just beginning to experience romantic feelings, Liu Qingtang would have really wanted to smash the teapot in his face. It was one thing for him to like men, but he also ruined Xi Lan's life. Xi Lan had saved her father; she was, after all, a benefactor of the Liu family. The Liu family would never do something like harming someone to the point of childlessness and repaying kindness with enmity.

To be honest, if her brother really liked men, she would be angry for a while but wouldn't object much. After all, she knew what it felt like to like someone, and love was the most unattainable thing in the world. However, if he liked Xi Lan, she wouldn't agree. Besides, judging from his behavior, Xi Lan clearly didn't like him, so she wouldn't let her brother pester her.

“We practiced martial arts and calligraphy together, and in our spare time we would ride horses together to see the scenery in the suburbs and visit the night market. In spring we would enjoy flowers, in summer we would go to the lake, in autumn we would go hiking, and in winter we would look for plum blossoms. I thought he liked me too. Three days ago, I finally made up my mind to tell him clearly that I had fallen in love with a man. As a result, after hearing my hint, he looked ugly and left in a huff. He has been avoiding me for the past three days and doesn’t want to see me. Sister, what should I do?”

Liu Qingtang patiently listened to his rambling, useful and useless, before finally letting out a cold laugh. "Xi Lan understood your hints but is avoiding you, which shows he doesn't like you. Since forcing it is useless, you should just give up." She added, still somewhat hesitantly, "If you really like men, I'll agree to find others, just don't pester Xi Lan. Doing so will only make you more miserable."

"I don't actually know if I like men or not, and I don't have those feelings for other men. I just like Xi Lan, and I only like him. If he doesn't want to be with me, I don't want anyone else either." Liu Qingrong said this with her eyes downcast, her face full of sadness, which made Liu Qingtang feel bad. It was the first time she had seen her brother so upset.

“You… why don’t you talk to your father and ask him what Xi Lan thinks? Perhaps you’ve misunderstood him. If not, it will help you give up. I won’t force you to marry anymore.” Liu Qingtang sighed and hugged him like she did when they were children. “You are the brother-in-law of the Southern Dynasty, of noble status, and a top scholar, skilled in both literature and martial arts. What will people think if they see you like this?”

Liu Qingrong hugged her younger sister back, but before she could say anything, Qin Shu looked over from the doorway with a sinister gaze, and she couldn't help but chuckle. He was already in so much pain, yet he wouldn't let her hug her sister? What was with that sinister look in Qin Shu's eyes! Feeling further provoked, the Imperial Uncle felt even worse and finally returned to the Liu residence listlessly.

He decided to listen to his sister and talk to his father first, even though he could already foresee his father taking out the sword from his study and giving him a good beating.

However, things did not turn out as he had imagined.

"Xi Lan is a woman, didn't she tell you?" Duke Liu said calmly after patiently listening to his son's words.

Liu Qingrong: "...Huh?"

When Liu Qingtang learned of this, her first reaction was, "Why is there another woman disguised as a man?" She already thought Su Shu was unique, but now there's another one. Her second reaction was that she felt incredibly foolish for sharing her brother's sorrow and silently worrying about him for so long. Thinking this way, her brother's and Wei Zheng's equally radiant faces were incredibly upsetting. Liu Qingtang decided to ignore this mess and let Xi Lan, disguised as a man, handle how he successfully marries her himself.

By June, Liu Qingtang's anxiety was becoming increasingly palpable. The plague would break out in just one month. In her previous life, they had all been safe, but in this life, she was terrified of what might happen. Her father, brothers, Qin Shusu, Wei Zheng, Tao Ye, Zhuiyi, and everyone else—she didn't want anything to happen to any of them.

She had considered temporarily leaving Yujing to avoid the plague spreading throughout the city and surrounding areas, but this thought was quickly dismissed. As the Empress Dowager, she held the reins of power, and the people were watching. At this time, she had even more reason to remain in Yujing; there was no reason for her to seek refuge there. Even if the country fell, she would die here. Besides, she had things she had already arranged to do.

She couldn't leave, nor could she persuade the millions of people in this Southern Dynasty capital, which had stood in this place for a thousand years, to leave based on an unfounded guess. Furthermore, without knowing the cause of the plague, if these people left, what if they were carrying the virus and it spread to other prefectures and counties? Wouldn't the situation be even worse?

Plague is a word that evokes fear just by hearing it, and even Liu Qingtang is no exception. If you were to ask if she was afraid, how could she not be? It's just that, as before, no matter how afraid she was, she had to grit her teeth and persevere, pretending to be calm.

She knew all along, but she was powerless to stop it and could only watch it happen, which was incredibly painful.

At the end of June, Qin Shu suddenly fell ill.

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[Hehehe, finding a place where I can directly copy is so easy! Thanks to the girls who threw in the grenade, everyone's gone to so much trouble~ Please accept my 'grown love again today'~ (what the heck) Anyway, thank you girls~ By the way, I'm still asking for your comments, opinions, and feedback on Weibo!]