Chapter 165 - 143: Fetus Enters the Dream 2
She rose to her feet, flicked her sleeves, and swept out.
Chen Changzai emerged furtively from behind the screen. "What happened in Bihua Palace?"
Nanny Qi moved to stop her from bringing the matter up.
But in Bihua Palace, only two things were impossibly fast: Gu Wan Yi’s stride and Chen Changzai’s mouth. The latter was unstoppable. Nanny Qi said anxiously, "Chen Changzai, since there is a pregnant woman in the palace, you should be mindful of what you say..."
"Either someone had a miscarriage, or someone died here. What else could it be? She wants me to get curious, go asking around in a panic, and then lie awake at night after seeing everyone’s cryptic reactions. She’s dreaming," Jiang Xian said, casually finishing what Lu Ronghua had left unsaid.
’So what if someone died at my "workstation" before?’
’A cog in the harem’s machine isn’t afraid of something like that.’
Seeing that Jiang Xian had some nerve, Nanny Qi felt a bit more relieved. In contrast, Chen Changzai, who had been so quick with her question, now shrank back. "He Xiang, I’m scared. Tonight, I will reward you by letting you sleep foot-to-foot with me."
He Xiang nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head.
Bihua Palace was on guard day and night, but they couldn’t stop Jiang Xian, who loved to go out. On one occasion, a plot was set against her: an agitated cat leaped out from the roadside bushes, startling her palanquin bearers and causing the conveyance to fall to the ground.
But before the palace maids could throw themselves down as human cushions, they saw their mistress had already landed gracefully on her feet. She even had a spare moment to steady Zhenqiu, who was about to be pinned by the toppling palanquin. She herself was completely unscathed.
Jiang Xian turned back and smiled at Nanny Qi.
"To forge iron, you have to be tough yourself. Wouldn’t you agree, Nanny?"
The nanny didn’t understand, but she was utterly stunned.
* * *
Thanks to her physical fitness, the first three months of her pregnancy passed without incident. It was only during a pulse reading that Doctor Sun noted with a focused expression, "The fetal pulse isn’t as pronounced as it was, but overall, the royal baby is very healthy. Your Ladyship can rest assured. After three months, the fetus will be stable, so your diet won’t need to be so strict."
"That’s the one thing I’m not worried about," said Nanny Qi. Her face had grown slightly gaunt after three months in Bihua Palace. "The only thing Her Ladyship is truly obedient about is her diet. She follows the doctor’s orders and listens to my advice on that front."
’In her opinion, Gu Wan Yi was a truly peculiar person.’
’Judging by her actions, she was willful and reckless.’
’But when it came to personal comforts, she was extremely easygoing. She would eat plain congee and simple side dishes without complaint. She had no foods she disliked, nor any she particularly loved. Judging by her beauty and temperament alone, she truly did resemble an Immortal, untouched by worldly desires.’
"That’s good, then. In my opinion, Lady Wan Yi is indeed doing an excellent job of nourishing her body."
With the fetus-protecting medication she had redeemed from the System, Jiang Xian was spared the usual discomforts of pregnancy. Her appearance was much the same as before, except her figure had become even more exquisitely curvaceous, a graceful form her gowns could no longer conceal.
As a result, the Emperor had been suffering immensely these past few days.
His darling’s figure had grown more voluptuous, but he could only look, not touch.
Xie Che longed for her constantly, but he hardly gave the fetus a thought. It is the woman who carries a child for ten months, so only she can form that natural bond with the life connected to her by flesh and blood. Xie Che’s feelings toward this imperial heir were rather complex.
On one hand, the birth of an heir would prove he could father children, which would further secure his throne.
On the other hand, he felt no real affection for a child he had never met. To him, this baby was no different from any other child in the imperial clan; the reality of being a father hadn’t sunk in at all.
Jiang Xian was well aware of this, so she did her best to pull him into her prenatal education routines, hoping he would witness the baby’s daily growth and develop a bond.
But it wasn’t very effective.
Xie Che was more than willing to attend these "prenatal education" sessions, but that was only because he was happy to accompany his Xian’er.
He also promised he would give the heir the very best.
Boy or girl, they would be the most exalted Prince and Princess in all of Yan Chi. If the child proved to be intelligent, outstanding, and capable, he would be groomed to become a Great General or the next Emperor. If he was idle and fond of worldly pleasures, there was plenty of wealth to let him live a life without a care. If she were a Princess, she would be matched with the finest of men and guaranteed a life free from a husband’s temper.
It couldn’t be called love, maybe a little fondness, and definitely not hate. His attitude was shamelessly self-interested, plain and simple.
Jiang Xian: [System, I’ve realized something. The way the baby’s father feels about the baby is pretty much how I feel about him.]
Jiang Xian: [Full marks for actions, zero for attitude.]
’What goes around, comes around, and now it was her baby’s turn.’
Jiang Xian tried being even nicer to the Emperor. She successfully increased his affection level, but it all went to her, with nothing for the baby.
’Normal methods weren’t working. It was time to think of some extra moves.’
She browsed the System Mall but found nothing she could use. She could only make a suggestion to the System: [System, I want the fetus to be able to enter the Emperor’s dreams to cultivate their father-child bond ahead of time. See if you can request a consumable item like that, will you? I can even write up a project proposal.]
System: [...]
She actually wrote it, and the System actually submitted it.
The System’s superior AI hadn’t expected such a request. The fetus wasn’t even born yet and already had to personally manage its fragile father-child relationship. [To achieve the effect the host desires requires highly advanced technology. However, taking humanistic care and humanitarian concerns into account, we have set a very favorable price.]
And as it happened, Jiang Xian had a fair bit of money on hand.
Her pregnancy had netted her a huge bonus in Palace Fighting Points, and every time someone tried to harm her, she could reap another windfall. That was why she had used the excuse of "not wanting to alert the enemy" to stop Nanny Qi from reporting these incidents to the Empress Dowager—you had to harvest the leeks slowly. How could you just burn the whole field at once?
’This was what one might call sustainable development within the harem.’
[Name]: Dream Entry (Parent-Child Version)
[Type]: One-Time Use Consumable
[Function]: The life form in the host’s abdomen is able to enter the dreams of its biological father.
[Note]: New item in beta testing.
Jiang Xian enthusiastically purchased ten of them.
The next day, she casually asked the Emperor if he had dreamed at all.
Xie Che, still looking shaken, replied, "Yes. We dreamt We were in an empty clearing, surrounded by a white void. On the ground, a palm-sized, blood-red monster was chasing Us. It was utterly terrifying."
Jiang Xian: "..."