Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 271 Their Children

Ultimately, Xie Jiu decided to verify it further.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had Qingfang left than Zhao Xingjin arrived.

"What are you doing? You look a little haggard." Zhao Xingjin looked her over, frowning slightly. "I haven't come to see you for seven or eight days. Have you not been eating properly again?"

Xie Jiu smiled helplessly, "I really don't have much of an appetite. Maybe it's because we've been eating a lot of oily and greasy food in the winter, and I'm tired of it."

This is not a lie. About seven or eight days ago, she felt nauseous at the smell of oily food, didn't want to eat meat, and only wanted to eat some light vegetables and fruits. She couldn't eat rice, but she could drink some porridge.

Congee can only be plain white congee; I don't like chicken congee or lean meat congee.

At first I thought it was because I caught a cold or had an upset stomach, but now I think that's probably not the case.

Zhao Xingjin hadn't thought about it that way yet, and sat down with Xie Jiu in his hand.

"I also find the food in the palace a bit too rich after a while, but you're still recovering from your injury, so you should eat more nutritious food."

"Your Majesty, I understand." Xie Jiu nodded, then looked at him with tender eyes. "Your Majesty, please don't just talk about me. You've been very busy these days, with the Xichi matter and the end of the year approaching, with officials from all over the country reporting on their duties. I'm afraid you haven't been able to eat on time every day. Look at Your Majesty's eyes, they're even a bit bruised. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xingjin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, the harvests in various places this year are quite good, and there are more tributes from foreign lands. The musketeer battalion is also developing very well. However, the iron ore mining situation this year is still unsatisfactory. It is still not as good as the smelting technology of the West, and its output is still 20% less than theirs."

Don't underestimate these two percent. If they catch up, Dajing will be able to basically be self-sufficient in ironware, which is a major event for both military development and agricultural progress.

Xie Jiu pursed her lips. "This is indeed a big deal."

Finally, she said softly, "Your Majesty could try to learn from Xi Chi. Gao Sui has just ascended the throne and still relies on our dynasty's military strength, so he is inevitably somewhat weak. Perhaps he would agree to teach our craftsmen about mining and iron smelting. Our dynasty's weapons are also more refined, so this can be used as an exchange. Besides, when Princess He Yi got married, we gave her a lot of craftsmen who knew how to grow Chinese medicinal herbs as a dowry, which can be considered as a gesture of goodwill."

"Yes, I have already instructed the envoy. I hope Xichi can give me a satisfactory reply." Zhao Xingjin's brows were still slightly furrowed. "After all, it is better for the two countries to live in peace. War is a waste of resources and manpower."

Zhao Xingjin would not easily mobilize troops unless absolutely necessary, or if he was absolutely certain of a great victory.

The Great Jing Dynasty still needs to recuperate. In earlier years, that corrupt emperor of the previous dynasty really messed up the country. In the last two years, it has only been recovering.

They can fight and win, but it takes a lot of effort.

“It would be better if the world were at peace.” Xie Jiu nodded in agreement.

Zhao Xingjin then took the initiative to say, "This time, I also let He Anshi join the delegation and go to Xichi. It's a good opportunity for him to gain experience and let me see just how capable he is. He has become quite famous in the Censorate during this period."

"What's all the commotion about? I haven't heard anything about it," Xie Jiu said curiously.

"You have no idea how good he is at cursing. He can curse without using any vulgar words, but every word he says is like a knife to the heart."

Zhao Xingjin smiled, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Some powerful and influential people in the court have dirty hands. Other censors dare not speak out, but he dares. He has written several articles, and everyone in the court knows about them. It doesn't take much effort. Those people have become much more honest and are cleaning up their own messes very quickly, for fear of being scolded to the point of being ashamed to face people."

"Is that so?" Xie Jiu's eyes lit up. "If Your Majesty has the time, you must let me see how he wrote that article."

Zhao Xingjin nodded, and then added, "And your brother, having grown closer to him, has become more shrewd. He uses his eloquence to his advantage, and whenever someone in the court impeaches He Anshi, he helps to refute them. The two of them work together very well, which has saved me a lot of trouble. Now, everyone in the court is behaving themselves, afraid of being scolded or criticized."

"That's really something." Xie Jiu laughed along.

I never imagined my older brother would become so enlightened in this way.

This casual conversation caused Xie Jiu to forget her important business. It wasn't until Qingfang brought the imperial physician back that Xie Jiu suddenly remembered what she had planned to do. Just as she was about to have Chunrong quietly leave and send the person away, the enthusiastic Yang Zhian spoke up.

"Oh, Miss Qingfang has brought back the imperial physician. Your Majesty, shall we invite him in?"

Zhao Xingjin looked up at Xie Jiu, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Hmm, I feel like my stomach and spleen aren't in harmony. I'll have someone come and take a look." Xie Jiu could only reluctantly agree.

At this moment, she had two thoughts in her mind. First, she hoped that she was not pregnant and that it was just a problem with her spleen and stomach, plus irregular menstruation. Second, she hoped that Zhao Xingjin would be able to accept that she was pregnant.

Even now, Xie Jiu is still afraid; she is unsure how much Zhao Xingjin truly cares for her.

However, if she is really pregnant, she will protect her no matter what.

"Then call her in and let Consort Jin have a good look at her." Zhao Xingjin didn't notice Xie Jiu's unusual behavior and just gave the order in a deep voice.

The imperial physician quickly entered the room. Now that things had come to this, Xie Jiu naturally wouldn't hide. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and stretched out his hand.

The pulse-taking session was short, but Xie Jiu had never been so nervous before.

"Your Majesty, may I also take your pulse in your other hand?" the imperial physician said.

Xie Jiu's heart skipped a beat. She silently stretched out her other hand; she already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

Sure enough, after a short while, the imperial physician's brows relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Consort Jin is pregnant! She has been expecting for almost two months!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu's eyes lit up for only a moment before he subconsciously tightened his grip on his sleeve.

She didn't dare to laugh much; she also had to keep an eye on Zhao Xingjin's attitude towards the child.

Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Zhao Xingjin was stunned.

But after a moment, disbelief seemed to appear in his eyes. "What did you say? Is it true?"

"Your Majesty is indeed pregnant!" the imperial physician replied.

For a moment, the palace servants of Jingming Palace present couldn't help but cheer quietly for the news.

Only Yang Zhian looked slightly unpleasant.

That's not right. He served tea to Consort Jin every single time, and the last time Consort Jin served him was at the hunting grounds, where he handed the tea to the Emperor.

Is it
Upon realizing this, Yang Zhian immediately looked up at Zhao Xingjin, who happened to be looking at him at the same time.

The master and servant exchanged glances and instantly understood.

Zhao Xingjin didn't know how to describe his feelings for a moment.

This was entirely his doing; no one else is to blame.

He hadn't planned for Xie Jiu to get pregnant, but unexpectedly, on this day, for some reason, after the initial surprise and nervousness, he felt a little joy.

He looked away, then subconsciously glanced at Xie Jiu's lower abdomen, his expression complex.

"Your Majesty," Xie Jiu pursed her lips, her eyes filled with suppressed joy, along with a hint of fear and caution, "Is Your Majesty unhappy?"