Chapter 273 - 116: Third-place Scholar
Feng Yi watched the expressions flit across Song Yunzhao’s face and assumed she was afraid. He squeezed her hand and said softly, "Don’t be scared."
’Men don’t have to give birth, of course they’re not scared,’ Song Yunzhao thought.
The Imperial Physician kept his head bowed, listening to the Emperor gently console Song Jieyu, and thought, ’The rumors of her immense favor are clearly true.’
Song Yunzhao collected her thoughts and extended her wrist, placing it on the pulse-taking pillow.
Xiangxue stepped forward and draped a handkerchief over Song Yunzhao’s wrist. Only then did the Imperial Physician place his fingers upon it.
Song Yunzhao watched the Imperial Physician’s expression, which remained completely unchanged, making it impossible to tell whether something was wrong or not.
After a good while, the Imperial Physician removed his fingers, stood up, and replied, "Replying to the Emperor, Song Jieyu is in good health. There is nothing amiss."
Feng Yi nodded, deeply satisfied. It was just as he thought; how could there be a problem when Song Yunzhao was always so full of life?
Song Yunzhao was a bit confused. Her body was fine, but her actual question hadn’t been answered. So she took the initiative and asked the Imperial Physician, "Imperial Physician, if my health is fine, why have I not yet conceived?"
The Imperial Physician immediately said, "Replying to the Concubine, based on the pulse, there is indeed nothing wrong."
Song Yunzhao: ...
Healthy but having trouble conceiving—there was simply no reasoning with that kind of situation.
Feng Yi looked at Song Yunzhao’s thunderous expression, suppressed a laugh, and waved the Imperial Physician away. Only then did he turn to Yun Zhao and say, "Haste makes waste. I’m not worried, so why are you?"
"How is that the same thing?" Now that Song Yunzhao knew there was nothing wrong with her body, she breathed a sigh of relief and mentally relaxed. She looked at the Emperor and retorted, "I have a constitution that makes it difficult to conceive. Getting pregnant is up to fate. Why should a kind person like me have to suffer such an ordeal?"
Feng Yi: ...
"Has there been some talk in the harem?" Feng Yi asked, looking at Song Yunzhao. Otherwise, why would she suddenly care so much about this when she hadn’t before?
"Not really." Song Yunzhao shook her head, denying it. ’It’s not that there’s nothing at all,’ she thought, ’but recently everyone in the palace has been focused on the cheating scandal. Who has time to stare at my belly?’
However, Feng Yi looked at her and was certain she was being dishonest. There must be some malicious rumors about her in the harem.
Thinking it over, he had exclusively favored Yun Zhao for the past few months, yet her belly showed no signs of life. It was indeed easy for people to get the wrong idea.
’What does having a child have to do with fate? It depends on whether I work hard enough.’ Having decided to put in the effort, the Emperor pushed Song Yunzhao into the bed curtains.
Song Yunzhao: ...
That night, Song Yunzhao felt the Emperor’s sincerity. He clearly had no intention of preventing her from having a child, so she had nothing to worry about. As for whether she could conceive, she could only do her best and leave the rest to fate.
’The Emperor is already working so hard, how could I have the nerve to slack off?’
In the days waiting for the Autumn Examination to end, the Emperor came to stay the night at Wangyou Palace almost every day, demonstrating his stance through his actions. Song Yunzhao began to wonder if the Emperor’s back could take it if this continued.
Even if the Emperor’s back could take it, she was starting to feel like she couldn’t.
She needed a break.
Fortunately, the students were released from the examination halls, and the Emperor became busy again, occupied with reading the exam papers.
Song Yunzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but in the next moment, she began to worry about her cousin’s and cousin-in-law’s results. Back home, she only knew that her elder cousin was a good student, but she had no idea *how* good. Thus, she couldn’t estimate how well he would do, which was a bit agonizing.
Having an examination candidate in the family truly made each day feel like a year.
It wasn’t just Song Yunzhao in the palace who was anxious. After Song Buran returned from the examination hall, he and his brother-in-law fell into bed and went straight to sleep, not even bothering to bathe or change their clothes.
The First Madam and Song Guiyi busied themselves having hot water and a meal prepared. Only after the two men had slept their fill and cleaned themselves up did they go to the rear courtyard.
The First Madam didn’t ask how the exam went, instead having the two eat first. Song Guiyi personally served her younger brother and her husband, saying with a smile, "You must be starving. Eat first."
They were indeed starving, so the two men began to eat. A short while later, Song Yexi also arrived. She greeted the two of them and went to sit beside her eldest sister.
Song Guiyi smiled at her younger sister. "What brings you over at this hour?"
"I heard that Brother-in-law and Big Brother were here, so I rushed over to see them," Song Yexi said. Although she knew her brother was a knowledgeable scholar, taking the exam was different from his usual essay writing, so she was naturally concerned.
The First Madam looked at her youngest daughter. "You’ve been getting rather close with Princess Ming’an lately. It’s not that you can’t go out for tea or shopping, but don’t cause any trouble."
That Princess Ming’an had a rather reckless personality.
"We haven’t been going anywhere else, just to Yuquan Building to listen to opera. Yuquan Building has a new play, *Peony Pavilion*, and lots of people love it," Song Yexi said with a smile.