Chapter 164 - 143: Pregnancy Dream
Nanny Qi had long heard of Gu Wanyi’s eccentric behavior.
She had thought she might be rejected outright.
But Jiang Xian didn’t. She mused, "I am always willing to hear the opinions of my subordinates. I’ll give you a quarter of an hour to convince me."
Nanny Qi was momentarily speechless.
It was common sense that a pregnant woman shouldn’t run. If the concubines who wished Gu Wanyi harm saw this, they’d probably laugh, thinking they wouldn’t have to lift a finger—the baby would miscarry on its own. "A woman with child should be more prudent," she finally said.
Jiang Xian replied thoughtfully,
"Since I’m carrying for two, I need to double my exercise."
"If Your Ladyship can’t bear to be idle, it won’t be too late to get moving again after you’ve given birth and finished your month of confinement." Nanny Qi was a shrewd woman. In her past two days of observation, she’d discovered the biggest difference between Gu Wanyi and the other concubines: she rarely sat idly by. Every moment she saw her, her hands were busy. "If Your Ladyship reallocates your morning running time to other things, it doesn’t mean you’re being idle. Otherwise, every step you take on your run is a step taken with the heads of every palace maid and eunuch in Bihua Palace hanging from your belt!"
"If Your Ladyship is truly set on moving, you could change your run into a walk. It’s good for the baby, and it will soothe your body and mind."
Jiang Xian listened and found the suggestion perfectly reasonable, agreeing to change her morning run to a slow walk.
She didn’t just want to maintain her activity level; morning exercise also boosted her energy for the entire day.
A Pamela workout was too intense. The last time she’d thought about doing one, her personal palace maids had all dropped to their knees in a flurry. ’They’re just here to work,’ Jiang Xian thought. She didn’t want to scare them into living in constant terror.
"It is wonderful that Your Ladyship is willing to listen to persuasion."
Nanny Qi looked relieved. "Now, you just need to relax. No matter who comes to visit Bihua Palace or what they say to you, you mustn’t take it to heart."
Nanny Qi had guessed correctly. Bihua Palace did indeed become bustling.
Lu Ronghua came to visit. She glanced at the remnants of chili in the recently finished bowl of Jade Cicada Soup on the table and smiled. "Sister, you even add chili to this? They say cravings for sour mean a boy, and spicy a girl. It looks like this baby of yours will be a princess."
In truth, Chen Changzai was the one who had eaten the spicy Jade Cicada Soup.
Once the pain in her rear subsided, Chen Changzai, though still too afraid to return to Changchun Palace, had developed a craving for chili peppers. In the Yan Chichao Dynasty, chili peppers were called *fanjiao*, a rare tribute from foreign lands. Most people in the palace weren’t used to the flavor; only Princess Consort Zhang was fond of them. A Changzai’s rations, however, did not include them, so she could only come to the main hall to ask Jiang Xian for some.
They had just finished eating, and before the dishes could be cleared, Lu Ronghua had arrived.
Jiang Xian listened with a placid smile. "A princess would be lovely as well," she said.
"My dear sister, you certainly know how to console yourself," Lu Ronghua said, laughing behind her sleeve. "Who doesn’t hope to give birth to a prince, to have someone to rely on for the rest of her life?"
’The schemes used against pregnant women in the harem weren’t nearly as dramatic as they were in TV shows.’
’For one thing, high-purity, reliable, colorless, and odorless poisons were hard to find. Given the state of medical technology, if someone could actually smuggle a substance like that into the palace, forget about causing a miscarriage. The rebel factions would be delirious with joy, and the Emperor would be dead in minutes.’
’For another, it was largely unnecessary.’
’Ancient times praised the virtue of women remaining cloistered in their homes. A girl raised as such, a homebody from the day she was born, would have a poor physical constitution. A simple fall or a bad fright was enough to cause a miscarriage. Besides, the concubines were all girls under the age of twenty, pressed into service before they had even fully developed, leaving their bodies weak.’
’Red flower and musk really did have abortifacient properties, of course. They were the timeless, classic tools of the palace-intrigue trade.’
’But using either of those was tantamount to a lethal attack. One would need the connections to procure them, and the means to get them inside Bihua Palace.’
’So, your average concubine could only resort to psychological attacks.’
’Had this been any other pregnant concubine, one poisoned by feudal ideology, she’d likely be a nervous wreck under the watchful eyes of the entire harem and this constant stream of visitors. The self-induced panic alone would be more than enough to handle.’
’This was precisely Lu Ronghua’s plan.’
’Regardless of its effectiveness, the point was to ensure Jiang Xian’s pregnancy wasn’t a peaceful one.’
Lu Ronghua proceeded to lecture Jiang Xian on the superiority of sons, but Jiang Xian only smiled and retorted, "Does Sister truly have no one to rely on for the rest of her life? I, for my part, have resolved to rely on the Emperor for the rest of my days. The Emperor is not yet thirty, still in his prime. For Sister to already be thinking about having no one to depend on in her later years... it’s a thought I wouldn’t even dare to entertain."
Lu Ronghua was visibly taken aback. Her face hardened. "Gu Wanyi, there’s no need to deliberately twist my meaning. I was merely worried about you. Who would have thought you’d be so ungrateful for my kindness? If I had known you were like this, I wouldn’t have said anything at all. Even about what once happened here at Bihua Palace... Never mind. Since you don’t want to listen, I won’t be the bad guy. Let’s just forget about it!"