Chun Fei funeral rites soon ended. Since the court was busy and she was only a Consort, the procedure of the rites was fairly simple.
After sending her off, the scandal revolving around her death slowly died down and on the surface, the palace calmed down once more.
Another piece of news was dominating, not only the palace, but also the court: Yang Guifei’s pregnancy.
After ending the morning court, Jun Qian Che visited his mother to discuss the matter.
The Empress Dowager was a little unhappy to see her son, “Turns out Your Majesty still remembered you have a mother.”
“The court has been too busy lately. However, imperial son should have made time to visit imperial mother anyway. It is imperial son’s fault, please forgive me,” said Jun Qian Che self-deprecatingly. To tell the truth, he had neglected visiting his imperial mother because he did not want her to discover that he was injured. He might be able to hide it from others, but not his perceptive imperial mother. Whenever he came by, she would lament over his health and would sometimes check his arm to see if he had gotten thinner. To be honest, had it been up to him, he would have marched up here the very night he discovered the plot revolving around Yang Shi Han’s pregnancy, but because he didn’t want to get caught, he delayed it until this morning. This was the only way he could protect Mo Qi Qi.
Now that the injury had been healing well and Chun Fei’s death had been settled, he felt like it was time for him to speak to his mother.
The Empress Dowager regarded him in displeasure, “Even when busy, you still had managed to squeeze in time to visit the Empress over there. Looks like the relationship between the two of you has become more and more loving.”
Jun Qian Che only visited Mo Qi Qi every night to treat his wound, but he naturally could not say that out loud to his mother. He only said, “The Empress is pregnant, it is only proper for imperial son to care about her, so that she could give imperial mother a healthy grandchild.” He purposely brought up the pregnancy topic.
The Empress Dowager was even unhappier to hear that, “If aijia wants a grandchild, aijia could get it from other people. It is only a grandchild from Mo Qi Qi that aijia does not like. Now that Shi Han is also pregnant, Your Majesty should be with Shi Han more.” She knew that this was the reason her son was here this morning, so she went straight to the point.
Since his mother was being direct, Jun Qian Che decided to go for the same approach, “Imperial mother, imperial son thinks this matter involving Shi Han’s pregnancy is not proper.”
“What is so improper about this?” asked the Empress Dowager.
Jun Qian Che respectfully replied her, “Shi Han is faking a pregnancy. If this matter got out, it would bring danger to her and the entire Yang Clan.”
“As long as aijia and Your Majesty say that Shi Han is pregnant, no one will dare to say otherwise,” replied the Empress Dowager willfully.
“And what happens 10 months later? Do you really plan to bring a child from outside to pretend to be zhen’s child? Are you really planning to give the kingdom to some outsider?” Jun Qian Che did not expect his mother to take such an extreme measure just to counterattack the Empress’ pregnancy.
“So you still care about handing the throne to your bloodline? You still care about who gets to inherit the kingdom? If the child that Mo Qi Qi is carrying survives, the ruler of the kingdom might change surnames! Rather than letting that happen, aijia might as well take a child from outside. At least the ruler will still be surnamed ‘Jun,’” replied the Empress Dowager angrily.
“Imperial mother, the child that the Empress is carrying is son’s flesh and blood. He or she will be a true member of the imperial clan. Why is it so hard for you to accept the child?”
“Because he or she will also be carrying Mo Clan’s blood, and that is a threat to the imperial clan. This is the only thing that imperial mother can do to ensure that the future monarch will not be surnamed ‘Mo’, unless of course, you impregnate other consorts and have heirs. Once the Empress gives birth to her child, do you honestly think you can still control Duke Zhen? As a member of the imperial clan, imperial mother must do everything to make sure the seat of power remains with the Jun Clan. Otherwise, I will not be able to face your imperial father once I die,” said the Empress Dowager sorrowfully.
Jun Qian Che blamed himself when he saw the state of his mother’s emotion. However, he intends to protect Mo Qi Qi and their child. He turned to his mother, unwavering, “Imperial mother, son does not intend to touch any woman other than Mo Qi Qi in this lifetime. I’m afraid, the only grandchildren that you are going to get are going to come from Mo Qi Qi. Imperial son cannot guarantee that Mo Qi Qi’s child isn’t going to be the Crown Prince. This son can, however promise to protect the kingdom that our ancestors left us. If doing what you’re doing makes you happy, then feel free to continue. Imperial son has other things to tend to and shall leave first,” Jun Qian Che turned around and left.
He had listened to everything his mother said since he was young. He would just nod at her every request, and would agree to whomever she wanted to induct into the harem. After all, she’d had it hard too. She had paid too much price just to see her son sit on the dragon throne. He just wanted her to be happy. Besides, he did not even like those women. What difference would it bring, adding or removing another one? The back palace was big and could accommodate them anyway.
But now, she actually wanted him to kill his own child. Although people said that monarchs could afford to be heartless, he could not bring himself to be that ruthless. He knew he’s got enough power to protect his own wife, and yet his own mother kept goading him to hurt his own family. He really did not want to hurt his mother, but if filial piety meant he’d have to kill his unborn child, then his mother left him with no choice.
Seeing her son leaving, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the armrest. She frowned from the pain.
Lu Momo spoke up in worry, “Does your hand hurt, Your Ladyship?”
The Empress Dowager shook her head, “The pain in my hand is nothing compared to the one in my heart. The Emperor has always listened to aijia, yet this time, he actually went against aijia just for that Mo Qi Qi. Who knew what sort of tricks she has used to deceive him like this! He has completely lost it. The kingdom is going to go to ruins in his hand! Aijia will never let Mo Qi Qi give birth to that child! That will be as good as the Emperor handing over the seat of the kingdom to Mo Clan himself!”
Lu Momo tried to persuade her, “There is no need to go that far, Your Ladyship. It doesn’t matter whose daughter Mo Qi Qi is; the point is she is now the Emperor’s wife. Her child will be His Majesty’s flesh and blood. It will be your own grandchild. You were asking His Majesty to kill his own child; how could he possibly acquiesce to that?”
“Are you trying to say that aijia is too cruel? Mo Qi Qi is not good enough for the Emperor! The nature of her relationship with the 7th King prior to entering the harem is still unclear to this day. And then, after entering the palace, she terrorized everyone with her jealousy and possessiveness, and as if that wasn’t enough, she went and have an affair with another man! Aijia will never acknowledge such as a woman as the Empress! We don’t even know for sure if the child she’s carrying belongs to the Emperor! That’s why aijia wanted His Majesty to get rid of the child!”
“Your Ladyship, don’t you think His Majesty would know if the child belongs to him or not? He is not muddle-headed,” muttered Lu Momo thoughtfully.
“His Majesty has been so busy with the court, when on earth would he have the time to care about the back palace? As for the paternity of the child, he is being thoroughly captivated by Mo Qi Qi right now, he would believe anything she said. We cannot say for sure that he won’t be muddle-headed for her. It doesn’t matter who the child really belongs to, it is better to be safe than sorry. We must not taint the imperial bloodline. Aijia would rather have His Majesty hate me now than having to face our ancestors in disgrace later. Not only must we remove the child, we also need to get rid of the Empress. Otherwise, the Emperor will never look at anyone but her. Once she’s gone, His Majesty would be more open to looking at other women. Mo Qi Qi is nothing but a liability. A beautiful face will only lead to destruction,” said the Empress Dowager harshly.
Lu Momo originally wanted to speak more on behalf of the Emperor, but then, she decided to keep her mouth shut after seeing how furious the Empress Dowager was.
After leaving the Empress Dowager’s palace, Jun Qian Che’s heart was a mess. He did not like going against his mother either, but she left him with no other choice. He went to Luo Yue Pavilion and stood near the lake, calming himself down.
Today, Jun Yue Hen entered the palace to greet the Grand Empress Dowager. They invited Mo Qi Qi along to keep Grand Empress Dowager company.
The Grand Empress Dowager took them out of Shou Ning Palace to stroll around the back palace.
After walking around for a while, she rested under a pavilion, accompanied by Gong Ya Xian. Jun Yue Hen and Mo Qi Qi on the other hand, continued strolling around.
They leisurely walked around until they reached a deserted spot. Jun Yue Hen suddenly stopped walking and turned to Mo Qi Qi in worry, “Have you been doing well, Qi Qi?”
She nodded, “I’ve been doing fine. What’s wrong, Yue Hen? You seem anxious.”
“I took advantage of visiting imperial mother to see you. That’s why we invited you along. So many things have happened lately, I was worried about you. Chun Fei died so suddenly, I’m sure it’s not as simple as a sudden illness. I heard that Yang Guifei is also pregnant. I’m worried that His Majesty would no longer view kindly of your pregnancy. What if he decides to do something?”
Mo Qi Qi laughed elegantly, “You think too much, Yue Hen. Although Yang Shi Han is also pregnant, that does not change the fact that I’m carrying Jun Qian Che’s child. He will not be biased.”
He shook his head, “You are too innocent, Qi Qi. The fight for favor in the harem has always been vicious, especially once children are involved. The Emperor might have decided to keep your pregnancy at first because this will be his first child, but now that Yang Guifei is also pregnant, your pregnancy might no longer seem that important to him. What if he decided to something to your pregnancy just to keep Mo Clan in check?”
“I trust Jun Qian Che. He will not do that. This is his child, he will not be so cruel,” replied Mo Qi Qi firmly.
“Don’t forget that he is not just a father, Qi Qi.”
Mo Qi Qi looked at him oddly.
Jun Yue Hen felt a little conscious after being looked at like that, “Why are you looking at me like that, Qi Qi?”
“Tell me the truth, Yue Hen. Do you really wish to see my child born safely?” asked Mo Qi Qi as she looked at him.
He looked at her earnestly, “Of course I wish to see your child born safely. I can see that you love the child so much.”
“Thank you, I am very happy to hear that. I will do my best to make sure I’d give birth safely. I believe that Jun Qian Che will protect this child too, considering that he is the father.” A blissful smile flitted across Mo Qi Qi’s face.
Jun Yue Hen felt as though his heart had been pierced. He could not help from bitterly saying, “But you must not forget the carriage incident during the Qixi Festival. Although he decided to spare you in the end, it could not be denied that he had intentions to kill you and the child at first. Are you sure he would not have such thoughts in the future?”
“As you’ve said, although Jun Qian Che had the intentions to kill us, he decided not to, in the end. So, I should be able to trust him with the child. Let’s not talk about this, from now on,” it was possible that Jun Qian Che had wavered once, but she trusted that he no longer would, in the future.
“Qi Qi seems to trust His Majesty more and more,” Jun Yue Hen’s heart had this feeling of disappointment that he could not describe.
She smiled, “Because he promised to protect me and our child.”
“So you trust him?”
She nodded, “I trust him.”
Jun Yue Hen smiled, shrouded by bitterness.
“Are you sure Chun Fei died from sudden illness?” he changed the topic.
She shook her head, “Of course not. The Emperor told me she was killed. The perpetrator fed her with some sort of Wei Xin Poison.”
“Wei Xin Poison?” Jun Yue Hen looked at her in surprise.
Mo Qi Qi told Jun Yue Hen what she knew.
Jun Yue Hen was shocked to hear what she had to say. “I didn’t know there’s such a kind of poison in this world. The perpetrator is terrifying. Do you have any suspicions as to who the perpetrator is? Who is cruel enough to kill an unborn baby?”
“To be honest, I initially thought it was Jun Qian Che, but he said it wasn’t him. So, I don’t really have any suspect right now,” replied Mo Qi Qi truthfully. She really trusted Jun Yue Hen and wouldn’t hide anything from him.
“You believe him?” asked Jun Yue Hen.
Mo Qi Qi nodded confidently, “I believe that it’s really not him. If he really wanted to kill my baby, he wouldn’t bother to do it in such a roundabout way. There was no need to involve Chun Fei either, much less the need to kill her.”
“Perhaps His Majesty is trying to rope in Chun Fei’s father and brother. They do possess some power over the army,” guessed Yue Hen.
She looked at him in shock, “Why do you say that?”
He sighed, “I know you’d rather not believe that His Majesty would actually do something to your baby. After all, even if you two didn’t like each other, he is still the father of the child. If the child somehow survived and found up, it’d destroy him or her. But that doesn’t mean that you could just ignore certain things. Chun Fei’s father and brother were actually your father’s people. They were loyal to him. It was impossible for His Majesty to not know that. Mo Clan is already powerful on its own. If Mo Clan is supported by the He Clan who holds the power over the capital’s army, it’d pose too great a risk for His Majesty. His Majesty couldn’t just get rid of the He Clan without any reason; it’d not only displease the ministers, but it’d also be pointless because your father would definitely come to their rescue. So now the Emperor took advantage of Chun Fei’s death. She only died because she tried to poison you, so the He Clan must have resented you. They’d draw back their support from Mo Clan and would instead lean towards His Majesty, giving him more power. The court would be stable once again. That’s why he didn’t publicize what Chun Fei did. It’s not that he was benevolent. He only let them live because he didn’t want them to die. He wanted their loyalty and support. This is his biggest asset; his ability to manipulate. Very few people can win over the Emperor. So many princes tried to get their hands on the throne back then, and in the end, he was the one who was able to secure the spot. Qi Qi, I am only telling you this because I want you to be careful. What you see and what you hear may not necessarily be the truth.”
“What proof do you have to say all this, Yue Hen?” Mo Qi Qi still couldn’t bring herself to trust his words.
“I have no proof for now. His Majesty will not leave any loopholes whenever he does things. It’s alright for you not to believe me, after all, this is just a deduction. However, I still want you to be careful. This is the palace, every step you take will be frightening.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, Yue Hen. Don’t worry, I will judge everything rationally. If Jun Qian Che really did all those things, I believe that I will be able to find traces that lead it all back to him in the end.”
Jun Yue Hen nodded, “You’re right.”
Without realizing it, both of them reached Luo Yue Pavilion. They continued chatting happily by the lake.
Jun Qian Che who was resting underneath the pavilion took a deep breath and was just about to leave when he spotted the two of them. Jealousy quietly rose inside his heart as he watched them chatting without a care for the world. He walked over to them.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Yue Hen. I am so lucky I get to know you,” thanked Mo Qi Qi earnestly.
Jun Yue Hen smiled.
It was then that they saw Jun Qian Che walking over to them. They exchanged a look in shock.
“This official greets Your Majesty,” bowed Jun Yue Hen.
Mo Qi Qi smiled, “Chenqie greets Your Majesty.”
“Are you here to greet the imperial grandmother, 7th Uncle?” asked Jun Qian Che evenly.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Jun Yue Hen calmly.
Mo Qi Qi hurriedly explained, “Imperial grandmother is just over there! We walked with her for a while, but then she said she was tired, so Ya Xian is keeping her company at the moment.”
Jun Qian Che walked over to Mo Qi Qi and looked at her. He wiped her forehead with his hand, as he would to a spoiled child, “The day is hot, Empress. And you are pregnant. You shouldn’t be out in the sun for too long. Look at you, all sweaty.”
His unexpected public display of affection caught her a little off-guard, “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
He grabbed her by the hand, “Let zhen send you back to your chamber. 7th Uncle, please inform imperial grandmother that zhen is sending the Empress back to her palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Jun Yue Hen formally.
Jun Qian Che led Mo Qi Qi away, leaving Jun Yue Hen to stare at their retreating silhouettes in disappointment and concern.
After reaching Feng Yang Palace, Jun Qian Che sent all the servants away, leaving them alone in her chamber.
She looked at him anxiously before saying, “Please don’t misunderstand anything, Your Majesty. 7th imperial uncle and I were just chatting, we—-“
“Qi Qi—“ Jun Qian Che suddenly hugged her tight.
She was momentarily stunned by his action. “What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” asked her in worry.
“Don’t move. Zhen just wants to hug you,” muttered Jun Qian Che. There were so many words that he wished to say to her, but couldn’t. She was with child and he did not wish to worry her. Be it the pressure from the court or the pressure from the Empress Dowager, he could only keep it all to himself. Despite everything, he was still a mortal; even he felt tired. Even he yearned for affection every once in a while. The harem was big and was filled with so many women, yet not a single one of them could give him the warmth that he needed. Only when he was with her would he feel at peace and warm. Seeing her chatting with the 7th King made him so jealous, and so worried. He was worried that she would leave him, one day. Qi Qi, please don’t make me regret my decision. Zhen could disregard everything that imperial mother said, just, don’t disappoint zhen. Zhen really cares for you and our child.
The longer he kept quiet, the more worried Mo Qi Qi became.
“Did something happen at court, Your Majesty?”
