Chapter 20: Pregnant
At the same time, Chen Baolin, who had entered the palace with her, still hadn’t made any progress.
What made people even more envious was that on the third day, the Emperor issued a decree and granted Wu Baolin the title “Li,” giving her an official rank.
This wasn’t some lowborn woman like the Wei girl; Wu was a legitimate daughter from a Duke’s household.
Although the title “Li” wasn’t overly dignified, it was still considered a good one.
For a moment, Consort Yi’s expression turned very unpleasant.
This meant that the days when she was the only one with a formal title were over.
Of course, this wasn’t unexpected. Eventually, all the women in the harem would be granted titles.
For now, though, Li Baolin was clearly favored.
Several more days passed before it was finally Chen Baolin’s turn to attend to the Emperor.
But she didn’t share the same good fortune. After one night, she received a reward, but no special decree.
Things in the front court became busier, and the Emperor didn’t enter the harem for another seven or eight days.
On the 29th of June, something else happened in the palace.
Wei Gengyi fainted in the Imperial Garden after being punished by Caocairen to kneel.
Ever since she fell out of favor, Wei Gengyi had not seen the Emperor again. Feeling frustrated, she went for a walk in the garden.
A Gengyi was only slightly better than a palace maid—she wasn’t even allowed a personal servant anymore.
Although the current Emperor had only recently ascended the throne, there were already a few Gengyi among the women.
Now that she had fallen this far, everyone was more or less in the same boat. No one ostracized her anymore. But Caocairen wasn’t willing to let her go.
Perhaps she simply wasn’t used to being on the losing side after a few good days.
This fainting spell wasn’t a big deal in itself, but it wouldn’t do to just leave her lying there.
She was carried to a pavilion in the garden, and a physician was summoned to examine her. To everyone’s surprise, she was diagnosed as being pregnant.
About a month along—it must have happened after her first time attending the Emperor.
Caocairen was stunned—equal parts furious and terrified.
Furious because her own child had been lost, and yet this wretched woman was pregnant.
Terrified because if anything happened to Wei Gengyi’s baby, she herself would surely be implicated.
The Empress and the others weren’t too shaken by the news.
The Empress calmly ordered for Wei Gengyi to be brought back to Zilin Pavilion. Then she sent someone to seek the Emperor’s instructions.
The child was definitely to be kept—there were few imperial heirs at present.
Qiyi Xiu was surprised as well, but he issued a decree raising Wei Gengyi’s rank to Yunü and ordered her to remain in Zilin Pavilion to rest and care for the pregnancy.
“Well now, talk about a dramatic turnaround,” Yao Baolin said in Cuiyun Pavilion, shaking her head. “That kind of luck isn’t something just anyone has.”
“Indeed, who would’ve thought,” Shen Chuliu agreed.
“The other day Consort Yi gifted An Baolin some tonic. I wonder if she’ll also reward this new Yunü,” Yao said with a chuckle. “This Wei woman really has gone through quite a few rank changes for someone who hasn’t been in the palace long. If she manages to regain favor with this pregnancy, it’ll be a miracle.”
“I don’t think so,” Shen Chuliu shook her head. “If she’d stayed low-key at the Gengyi rank, she might’ve had a peaceful old age. But now she’s been dragged into the spotlight again...”
There was no way Wei would be allowed to raise the child herself. It would definitely be taken away.
But to which consort? And which consort would allow Wei to live after that?
Most likely the baby would be raised by palace staff. Better that than letting Wei raise it—she absolutely had no right.
“Ah, in this harem, nothing’s certain until the very end,” Yao Baolin sighed.
“You’re right, Sister Yao,” Shen Chuliu said with a smile.
They weren’t too concerned about all this. That afternoon, a eunuch from Taiji Palace arrived with a message: “This servant greets the two mistresses. The Emperor invites Shen Xiaoyi to accompany him at Taiji Palace.”
“Oh? Is it urgent? May I change into something more appropriate first?” Shen Chuliu asked with a perfectly timed smile.
“No rush, no rush. This servant will wait for you. Please take your time,” the eunuch replied with a flattering smile.
He thought to himself: no wonder the Emperor had chosen her to accompany him—there really was something about her.
He wasn’t sure how to explain it. He didn’t have the education for that.
He only knew that with so many women in the harem, some concubines were only suitable for bed. Anything else would be inappropriate.
But Shen Xiaoyi was different. Naturally, she could serve in bed—that was expected. But she could also do much more.
Shen Chuliu changed into a comfortable yet elegant outfit.
On top, she wore a cream-colored short jacket; below, a pleated skirt in soft goose-yellow, styled in the high-waisted ruqun fashion.
She left her hair unbound, styled into a loose, simple begonia bun. Her jewelry was all pure gold, delicately crafted, with only a few pieces that suited her well.
As usual, she carried a round fan. She followed the eunuch, bringing the new maid Jimei along, and headed to Taiji Palace.
Inside Taiji Palace, Qiyi Xiu was in the imperial study, and Shen Chuliu was brought straight there.
After she greeted the Emperor, he called her closer. “Come here. Do you know how to grind ink?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I do. Though I don’t know how well I’ll do, I’ll certainly try. It’s my first time grinding ink for Your Majesty, so I hope Your Majesty won’t be too strict?” Shen Chuliu approached with a cheerful, flattering smile.
Qiyi Xiu had expected to see the tiny black dot at the corner of her eye that had occupied his thoughts for days, but it wasn’t there.
Shen Chuliu knew exactly what he was thinking. She grinned mischievously. “Your Majesty’s eyebrows are especially handsome today. Do you think mine look good today?”
Qiyi Xiu gave her a sidelong glance, thinking how different she was from other women—so lively.
He gave a casual “Mm.”
Shen Chuliu didn’t say more. After washing her hands, she rolled up her sleeves a little and prepared to grind ink.
On her wrist was a twisted gold bangle, which she took off and set aside.
Then she picked up the ink stick.
Naturally, the Emperor’s ink stick was of the finest quality. Shen Chuliu added a bit of water to the inkstone, then held the ink stick vertically and began to grind it slowly.
A quality ink stick, handled gently, would make no sound. Any loud grinding either meant poor ink or poor technique.
This was a simple skill, but Shen Chuliu, as a well-bred noblewoman, was naturally good at it.
She focused on grinding the ink without trying to do anything else, which pleased Qiyi Xiu.
Any woman brought into his study must not be frivolous.
When her arms got tired, Shen Chuliu didn’t force herself. She would pause and massage her wrist.
There was tea beside her—served earlier by the eunuchs.
She would take a few sips, then continue grinding when the ink level got low again.
It wasn’t really tiring—just a few hours of standing.
As the stack of memorials on Qiyi Xiu’s left grew thinner, and no new ones were brought in, the sun began to set. It was nearly time to finish for the day.
Shen Chuliu also stopped grinding.
When Qiyi Xiu finished reading the last memorial, he looked at Shen Chuliu. “My dear, are you tired?”
“Not really. I’m not that rigid—I stopped to rest my wrist every so often. I haven’t ground ink in a while, but luckily I haven’t lost the feel for it,” she said with a completely natural smile.
What made people even more envious was that on the third day, the Emperor issued a decree and granted Wu Baolin the title “Li,” giving her an official rank.
This wasn’t some lowborn woman like the Wei girl; Wu was a legitimate daughter from a Duke’s household.
Although the title “Li” wasn’t overly dignified, it was still considered a good one.
For a moment, Consort Yi’s expression turned very unpleasant.
This meant that the days when she was the only one with a formal title were over.
Of course, this wasn’t unexpected. Eventually, all the women in the harem would be granted titles.
For now, though, Li Baolin was clearly favored.
Several more days passed before it was finally Chen Baolin’s turn to attend to the Emperor.
But she didn’t share the same good fortune. After one night, she received a reward, but no special decree.
Things in the front court became busier, and the Emperor didn’t enter the harem for another seven or eight days.
On the 29th of June, something else happened in the palace.
Wei Gengyi fainted in the Imperial Garden after being punished by Caocairen to kneel.
Ever since she fell out of favor, Wei Gengyi had not seen the Emperor again. Feeling frustrated, she went for a walk in the garden.
A Gengyi was only slightly better than a palace maid—she wasn’t even allowed a personal servant anymore.
Although the current Emperor had only recently ascended the throne, there were already a few Gengyi among the women.
Now that she had fallen this far, everyone was more or less in the same boat. No one ostracized her anymore. But Caocairen wasn’t willing to let her go.
Perhaps she simply wasn’t used to being on the losing side after a few good days.
This fainting spell wasn’t a big deal in itself, but it wouldn’t do to just leave her lying there.
She was carried to a pavilion in the garden, and a physician was summoned to examine her. To everyone’s surprise, she was diagnosed as being pregnant.
About a month along—it must have happened after her first time attending the Emperor.
Caocairen was stunned—equal parts furious and terrified.
Furious because her own child had been lost, and yet this wretched woman was pregnant.
Terrified because if anything happened to Wei Gengyi’s baby, she herself would surely be implicated.
The Empress and the others weren’t too shaken by the news.
The Empress calmly ordered for Wei Gengyi to be brought back to Zilin Pavilion. Then she sent someone to seek the Emperor’s instructions.
The child was definitely to be kept—there were few imperial heirs at present.
Qiyi Xiu was surprised as well, but he issued a decree raising Wei Gengyi’s rank to Yunü and ordered her to remain in Zilin Pavilion to rest and care for the pregnancy.
“Well now, talk about a dramatic turnaround,” Yao Baolin said in Cuiyun Pavilion, shaking her head. “That kind of luck isn’t something just anyone has.”
“Indeed, who would’ve thought,” Shen Chuliu agreed.
“The other day Consort Yi gifted An Baolin some tonic. I wonder if she’ll also reward this new Yunü,” Yao said with a chuckle. “This Wei woman really has gone through quite a few rank changes for someone who hasn’t been in the palace long. If she manages to regain favor with this pregnancy, it’ll be a miracle.”
“I don’t think so,” Shen Chuliu shook her head. “If she’d stayed low-key at the Gengyi rank, she might’ve had a peaceful old age. But now she’s been dragged into the spotlight again...”
There was no way Wei would be allowed to raise the child herself. It would definitely be taken away.
But to which consort? And which consort would allow Wei to live after that?
Most likely the baby would be raised by palace staff. Better that than letting Wei raise it—she absolutely had no right.
“Ah, in this harem, nothing’s certain until the very end,” Yao Baolin sighed.
“You’re right, Sister Yao,” Shen Chuliu said with a smile.
They weren’t too concerned about all this. That afternoon, a eunuch from Taiji Palace arrived with a message: “This servant greets the two mistresses. The Emperor invites Shen Xiaoyi to accompany him at Taiji Palace.”
“Oh? Is it urgent? May I change into something more appropriate first?” Shen Chuliu asked with a perfectly timed smile.
“No rush, no rush. This servant will wait for you. Please take your time,” the eunuch replied with a flattering smile.
He thought to himself: no wonder the Emperor had chosen her to accompany him—there really was something about her.
He wasn’t sure how to explain it. He didn’t have the education for that.
He only knew that with so many women in the harem, some concubines were only suitable for bed. Anything else would be inappropriate.
But Shen Xiaoyi was different. Naturally, she could serve in bed—that was expected. But she could also do much more.
Shen Chuliu changed into a comfortable yet elegant outfit.
On top, she wore a cream-colored short jacket; below, a pleated skirt in soft goose-yellow, styled in the high-waisted ruqun fashion.
She left her hair unbound, styled into a loose, simple begonia bun. Her jewelry was all pure gold, delicately crafted, with only a few pieces that suited her well.
As usual, she carried a round fan. She followed the eunuch, bringing the new maid Jimei along, and headed to Taiji Palace.
Inside Taiji Palace, Qiyi Xiu was in the imperial study, and Shen Chuliu was brought straight there.
After she greeted the Emperor, he called her closer. “Come here. Do you know how to grind ink?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I do. Though I don’t know how well I’ll do, I’ll certainly try. It’s my first time grinding ink for Your Majesty, so I hope Your Majesty won’t be too strict?” Shen Chuliu approached with a cheerful, flattering smile.
Qiyi Xiu had expected to see the tiny black dot at the corner of her eye that had occupied his thoughts for days, but it wasn’t there.
Shen Chuliu knew exactly what he was thinking. She grinned mischievously. “Your Majesty’s eyebrows are especially handsome today. Do you think mine look good today?”
Qiyi Xiu gave her a sidelong glance, thinking how different she was from other women—so lively.
He gave a casual “Mm.”
Shen Chuliu didn’t say more. After washing her hands, she rolled up her sleeves a little and prepared to grind ink.
On her wrist was a twisted gold bangle, which she took off and set aside.
Then she picked up the ink stick.
Naturally, the Emperor’s ink stick was of the finest quality. Shen Chuliu added a bit of water to the inkstone, then held the ink stick vertically and began to grind it slowly.
A quality ink stick, handled gently, would make no sound. Any loud grinding either meant poor ink or poor technique.
This was a simple skill, but Shen Chuliu, as a well-bred noblewoman, was naturally good at it.
She focused on grinding the ink without trying to do anything else, which pleased Qiyi Xiu.
Any woman brought into his study must not be frivolous.
When her arms got tired, Shen Chuliu didn’t force herself. She would pause and massage her wrist.
There was tea beside her—served earlier by the eunuchs.
She would take a few sips, then continue grinding when the ink level got low again.
It wasn’t really tiring—just a few hours of standing.
As the stack of memorials on Qiyi Xiu’s left grew thinner, and no new ones were brought in, the sun began to set. It was nearly time to finish for the day.
Shen Chuliu also stopped grinding.
When Qiyi Xiu finished reading the last memorial, he looked at Shen Chuliu. “My dear, are you tired?”
“Not really. I’m not that rigid—I stopped to rest my wrist every so often. I haven’t ground ink in a while, but luckily I haven’t lost the feel for it,” she said with a completely natural smile.
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