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Chapter 608: Joy (I)

Cui Du had always been obedient to Jiang Shaohua, but when he heard this, he became anxious: "You are not feeling well, we must find the imperial physician to see what is going on."

Jiang Shaohua grabbed Cui Du's hand and let out a long breath: "I know my own body best. I'm not sick, I must be pregnant."

"What's the good news?" Cui Du reflexively took over the conversation, obviously not reacting: "You are so unwell, can you be considered happy?"

How silly.

Jiang Shaohua pursed his lips and chuckled.

Cui Du looked at the smile blooming in Jiang Shaohua's eyes, and then he realized something. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he tightly grasped Jiang Shaohua's hand: "You mean... you are pregnant? We are going to have a baby?"

"Well, it should be."

Jiang Shaohua had been pregnant and had children in her previous life, so she was no stranger to the symptoms of pregnancy. Calculating the time, her last menstruation was a few days before her wedding. After her wedding, her menstruation had not come. It had been three months since her wedding, so even if her menstruation was not regular, it would not be so late.

There is only one possibility left, she is pregnant.

Cui Du grinned with joy. After laughing for a while, he suddenly sighed: "With the current situation in the palace, this child came at a really bad time."

Jiang Shaohua had great ambitions. She had made great contributions in quelling the palace rebellion this time. She was just taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strive for a legitimate position. But she got pregnant at such a critical moment!
When a woman is pregnant, she is inevitably weaker than usual. Moreover, her belly gradually swells, making it inconvenient for her to walk and do things. A big belly will also make the court officials more aware of the difference between men and women.

This is extremely disadvantageous to Jiang Shaohua.

Jiang Shaohua and Cui Du had a tacit understanding. As soon as Jiang Shaohua heard what Cui Du was worried about, he smiled faintly and said, "The child came at the right time."

Cui Du was stunned and looked up.

Under the candlelight, Jiang Shaohua's eyes sparkled: "My cousin has been on the throne for three years, but he has been in mourning and has not been able to get married. He passed away suddenly without any offspring. Next, who will inherit the throne has become a problem. King Ping Jiang Hao is the closest blood relative, but he is too young and mentally deficient to bear the heavy responsibility of being the emperor. It will take at least eight or nine years for him to grow up, marry and have healthy children."

"And I am far superior to King Ping in every aspect. I am pregnant now, and will be able to give birth to a child in a few months. With a child, I will be considered an adult in the eyes of all the ministers."

This was the first time that Jiang Shaohua truly revealed his ambition to compete for the throne.

From the perspective of competing for the throne, those who have offspring do have an advantage.

Cui Du heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "So, the child won't interfere with your work?"

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly, his face a little softer than usual: "Of course not, don't think about it, I know it."

After a pause, he whispered, "My cousin's mourning period has not yet passed, so don't make this public for now. When my cousin is buried and my body can no longer be concealed, then let everyone know."

Cui Du nodded repeatedly, and couldn't help but move his eyes to Jiang Shaohua's flat belly. His eyes were so eager that he seemed to be able to see through her belly.

Jiang Shaohua followed his gaze and looked over. Thinking of a young life growing in the belly, in addition to joy, there were also some complicated and indescribable emotions.

In her previous life, she had raised an ungrateful son, which broke her heart. Now, she really didn't know if she could be a good mother anymore.

It was inconvenient to tell these old stories to Cui Du who was full of joy. She was alone with her thoughts, and fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

Tonight, she had another dream. Emperor Taihe entered her dream again. This time, he faced her, about six feet away. Just like the gossip in the palace in the past, his expression was relaxed: "Cousin, thank you for avenging me."

She whispered, "Jiang Yi is dead, but Zheng Chen escaped. Don't worry, cousin, I will catch him sooner or later, and I will kill him with my own hands."

Jiang Song was silent for a moment and said, "You reminded me time and again to be wary of the people around me. I was indeed on guard against Jiang Yi, but I never thought that Zheng Chen would betray me."

"Among the several companions, I trust him the most and value him the most. I thought about letting him go to the six ministries to gain experience in a few years. When he is honed, he will be of great use. Sooner or later, the position of Prime Minister of Daliang will be his."

"There is a bright future ahead of me, why would he betray me?"

Jiang Song's eyes were filled with pain and he was emotionally agitated. His face gradually twisted and he suddenly screamed, "Cousin, why did Zheng Chen betray me?"

She did not retreat in fear, but looked up and said, "Power is attractive. Zheng Chen is ambitious and can't wait to take power. He doesn't have the patience to wait for ten or twenty years. He just wants to get rid of you as soon as possible and support the ignorant Prince Ping to take the throne. By then, the Daliang court will become his world."

"If you hadn't arrived at the palace in time, his plan would have succeeded. Fortunately, you arrived in time, and he failed at the last moment. His ambition was exposed, and he had no choice but to escape from the palace."

Jiang Song's figure faded, his face gradually blurred, his voice floated in her ears: "Cousin, now only you can sit firmly on the throne, stabilize the court, and defend the country. Don't be soft-hearted, don't let anyone who should be killed go. Whoever prevents you from ascending the throne, you must kill him. When these opponents go to hell, I will deal with them again."

"Cousin, you can do it."

……

"Princess, Princess."

A familiar voice echoed softly in my ears.

Jiang Shaohua opened his eyes and saw Cui Du's familiar face: "What time is it now?"

Cui Du obviously did not sleep well that night. His eyes were red, but he was very energetic. "It is now the hour of Si. The Empress Dowager sent someone to urge me three times, so I finally woke you up."

It was the hour of Si and the sky was already bright.

Jiang Shaohua slept for five or six hours that night, and her strength had mostly recovered. After she got up, she changed into a clean plain dress, washed up, and had breakfast.

In the mourning hall, they could only eat steamed buns and drink cold water. In the palace, no one was watching, so the breakfast was more exquisite and delicious. Jiang Shaohua's appetite was still not as good as usual. He drank two bowls of porridge and ate three dishes of side dishes before putting down his chopsticks.

Cui Du glanced at Jiang Shaohua's stomach from time to time: "You eat less than half of what you usually eat. Can you really be full like this?"

Jiang Shaohua said, "I can't eat anymore. Let's go to the mourning hall first, and eat when I'm hungry. Also, don't keep looking at my belly. Everyone in the palace is a shrewd person, and they will notice something is wrong."

Cui Du nodded in agreement.

However, how can such things be easily controlled?

After entering the mourning hall, he knelt down at the same position as yesterday, very close to Jiang Shaohua. Cui Du couldn't control his gaze at all, and would look at Jiang Shaohua from time to time.

Fortunately, everyone's attention was not on him. Occasionally, if someone noticed it, they just thought that the Earl of Changning and the Princess of Nanyang were a loving couple.