Chapter 154 - 134: A Happy Event
Jiang Xian closed her eyes and threw herself forward.
With the system’s Fetal Protection Pills as a safety net, she wasn’t afraid of harming the fetus. She even deliberately suppressed her instinct to dodge. Otherwise, she would have put on a show for everyone, performing a series of graceful, three-and-a-half front somersaults before landing. Fortunately, she was more experienced than anyone at suppressing her instincts and managed to perfectly portray an unsuspecting victim.
Jiang Xian already had the entire process planned out: how to accuse the culprit, win the sympathy of the boss and the crowd, and secure her ’workplace injury compensation.’ She quickly opened the System Mall, purchased a Fake Fainting Pill, and was just about to pass out safely and painlessly.
"Gu Pin!"
The Emperor and the Noble Consort reacted at the same time, rushing to save her.
However, the Emperor had been standing closer to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, so the Noble Consort got to her first. But the Noble Consort, who favored ornate heels that accentuated her graceful figure, twisted her ankle in her well-intentioned attempt to catch Jiang Xian. Instead of saving her, she ended up falling right on top of her. Shrieks filled the air.
In a split second, Jiang Xian reacted, trying to brace the Noble Consort with her arm. But under the other woman’s weight, her arm buckled with a sickening, grinding sound.
This time, she really did faint from the pain.
[Faked a fall, genuinely fainted, and framed another concubine. Palace Fighting Points +100]
Consort Zhang: "..."
Seeing Gu Pin and the Noble Consort topple over like dominoes, her blood ran cold.
She swore it. She had just seen her aunt praising Gu Pin while completely ignoring her, and on a momentary impulse, she’d given Gu Pin a little shove.
She had pushed with all her might, but Gu Pin’s frame was far sturdier than expected; she hadn’t budged an inch. And yet, the next moment, Gu Pin had pitched forward with the force of a young bull ramming into her from behind.
’That’s not right. Was there a delay on that fall?’
Consort Zhang swore she hadn’t managed to push Gu Pin at all!!
’I’ve been framed!!!’
...
At first, Jiang Xian had fainted.
But after she was moved to a couch, her faint turned into sleep.
Once her body was no longer constrained by her stubborn consciousness, it finally succumbed to its true exhaustion. While she slept, blissfully unaware of anything, the world around her descended into chaos. Song Yuanzheng finally managed to get to the couch, take her pulse, and report back to the Emperor. "Emperor, from her pulse, it appears Her Ladyship was merely frightened. There is no major issue, but her arm seems to have been fractured in the fall. She will need a period of rest to recover."
Song Yuanzheng had originally intended to say it was fractured from being crushed.
But then he thought of the Noble Consort, and of his own family. ’Forget it,’ he thought. ’The Noble Consort meant well.’ And so, he changed his wording to "in the fall."
"If there’s no major issue, then why isn’t she waking up?"
Xie Che’s brow was furrowed.
He had never seen someone get knocked unconscious from a simple fall.
Song Yuanzheng paused, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Her Ladyship... has likely fallen asleep."
A silence fell over the room.
At that moment, Song Yuanzheng knelt before the Emperor again. "Emperor, I have another matter to report."
Xie Che’s thoughts were entirely consumed by Gu Pin. He waved his hand absently, telling him to speak.
"Previously, we feared that with the Emperor just recovering from a serious illness, any news causing great joy or sorrow should be avoided. Her Ladyship suggested I conceal this matter for now and wait until the situation was stable to report it. In my humble opinion, the Emperor’s condition has now greatly improved..." Song Yuanzheng cupped his hands together. "Lady Gu is with child. She is nearly two months along."
Xie Che was stunned for a moment, then overcome with ecstasy. "Is it true!?"
The Empress and Empress Dowager, standing to the side, were also shocked.
"Lady Gu has always been in excellent health, and the signs of pregnancy appeared quite early this time," Song Yuanzheng said, sneaking a glance at the Emperor’s face. "While I agreed with Her Ladyship that the Emperor’s health was paramount and we should delay the announcement, I did ask Doctor Sun to look after Her Ladyship while she was attending the sick, taking her pulse daily for reassurance. I beg the forgiveness of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
For an Imperial Physician to divide his attention to care for someone else while attending the sick was a punishable offense.
"These were urgent circumstances that called for discretion. Song Yuanzheng, you handled this appropriately. Quickly, summon Doctor Sun. I want to ask about Gu Pin’s condition."
The Empress Dowager said "Good!" three times in a row, tears already streaming down her face. "Heaven bless my son!"
Doctor Sun had barely finished his formal greeting upon entering when he was bombarded with questions.
He kowtowed respectfully, and his report was much the same as Song Yuanzheng’s.
However, he added, "Although Lady Gu is more robust than the average person, she is now with child. It is truly inadvisable for her to overexert herself. A situation like in Weiyang Palace, where she served by the Emperor’s side around the clock... I must be so bold as to state that this absolutely cannot be allowed to happen again!"
The Empress Dowager wiped away her tears. "The poor dear. If I had known she was with child, I would never have permitted her to volunteer to attend the sick!"
She was filled with both regret and belated fear.
Then again, she thought, the pregnancy was less than two months along. What could a physician possibly diagnose from the pulse at only one month? Gu Pin had always been healthy and rarely summoned an Imperial Physician, so there had been no opportunity for a diagnosis. If she had miscarried from exhaustion while attending the sick, it would have been a terrible shame, but no one could have possibly predicted it.
Xie Che felt a storm of emotions, as if his very insides were burning. Seeing his Mother Empress in tears, however, he had to comfort her first. "Gu Pin is a fortunate person blessed by heaven. Now that the worst is over, I will certainly never allow her to be overworked again..."
The Empress Dowager ignored him, dabbing the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "Was Gu Pin truly so overworked in Weiyang Palace?"
When questioned directly by the Empress Dowager, Song Yuanzheng didn’t dare hide anything. He spilled everything about how hard Gu Pin had worked these past days.
There was no need for embellishment. A simple, straightforward account of what Gu Pin had done was enough to stir anyone’s heart.
"While the Emperor was unconscious, he would occasionally vomit. Someone had to be by his side constantly, or else he could choke, which would be extremely dangerous. Her Ladyship dislikes delegating such tasks and refused to leave the Emperor’s side. Even when she slept, she would only doze while slumped over the edge of the bed."
"Gu Pin proposed that all of Weiyang Palace be disinfected daily with boiling water. She would personally appear to inspect the Palace Attendants as they boiled the water, preventing anyone from slacking off or failing to clean thoroughly."
The medical knowledge of the era was primitive, and the palace maids and eunuchs had no concept of such things. Jiang Xian had even seen one Palace Attendant chanting sutras at the boiling water, as if trying to magically enchant it to ward off evil spirits. When it came to disinfection, she could only be at ease if she personally supervised it.
"Her Ladyship personally prepared all the Emperor’s meals. When his sores burst and his clothes needed to be changed, she was the one who took care of it."
She had even thoughtfully considered the issue of ventilating the Emperor’s room.
Before Gu Pin arrived at Weiyang Palace, the palace maids and eunuchs were in a state of utter chaos.
The three-shift rotation she implemented, with two-person posts for mutual supervision and a work schedule detailed down to the hour, had effectively reduced their panic. The Palace Attendants feared execution, but as long as they were given tasks, it meant their masters still needed them and would spare their lives. It gave them hope for the Emperor’s recovery. Order was the most powerful weapon against fear and rumor.
The Empress Dowager had only known the gist of all this, not the full extent.
After Song Yuanzheng finished speaking, her expression softened, and her gaze toward Jiang Xian on the bed grew warmer and more affectionate. "Gu Pin is utterly sincere and dedicated, and her work is both meticulous and reliable. I would feel very confident making her the mistress of her own palace. In the future, she could be of great help to the Empress." In just a few words, she had paved the way for Jiang Xian to be granted authority over an entire palace. "For now, however, she should focus on resting well."
The Empress said, "Mother Empress is absolutely right."
The thought of holding a grandchild brought a look of delight to the Empress Dowager’s face, but it was immediately followed by a sharp realization. "There was something suspicious about Gu Pin’s fall. The Emperor should investigate this thoroughly."