Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Ciyuan Hall

Princess Pingning held her breath as she watched Old Madam He take Empress Cao's pulse.

When she saw Grandma He withdraw her hand, she almost couldn't help but ask aloud.

Empress Cao asked with a hint of anticipation in her eyes, "How am I feeling?"

"Your Majesty the Empress!"

Old Madam He stood up and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty's health has indeed suffered from some hidden ailments due to the injury during pregnancy. If these ailments are not properly treated, it will be almost impossible for her to conceive a son."

Empress Cao clenched her hands tightly within her sleeves, suppressing her excitement, and asked, "Can it be cured?"

"able!"

Old Madam He said, "However, a woman's pregnancy is not a matter for one person alone. I can only guarantee that Your Highness's health will be well taken care of, as for..."

Qi Xuan, a duke, personally came all the way to invite her to Bianjing, which she found rather unusual.

Under her persistent questioning, Qi Xuan had no choice but to reveal the truth.

When Old Madam He learned that it was for the Empress's medical treatment, she was both worried and excited.

The concern is that even if she could cure these kinds of problems, she could only guarantee that Empress Cao's health would be fine.

Whether or not you can get pregnant depends on fate.

Many women damage their health by getting pregnant too early. Regardless of whether they give birth the first time, it is very difficult to conceive again.

She has treated too many patients like this, who, after being cured, still cannot conceive.

As time went on, the other party began to have doubts. Even if she explained beforehand that the other party had been unable to conceive and was mentally conflicted, and even if they initially agreed readily, how could they not have any thoughts at all?

For women, the issue of having children is related to their status in their husband's family, and they may even be divorced because they have no children.

Grandma He said she was cured, which gave them tremendous hope. But the psychological blow of not being able to conceive after all was unimaginable.

The reason why Old Madam He possessed such medical skills but they were not widely known was precisely because of this.

The women she treated, even if they later became pregnant, would never tell anyone.

Because this would greatly affect a woman's reputation, for example, when Old Madam Sheng asked her to treat Hualan, she also found a reason to call Hualan back to the Sheng family.

Later, Hualan became pregnant, but she never told anyone outside the family.

She herself was unwilling to mention it, partly to keep it a secret from those wealthy women, and partly because she was worried that she might encounter someone who was cured but couldn't conceive and thus retaliate against her.

The Empress was arguably the most honored woman in the land, and the Emperor's only son had also died young.

In this situation, who knows what the Emperor and Empress will do if she doesn't conceive in the end?

But after some hesitation, Grandma He agreed.

What she had always worried about was the succession of the He family. Her son had died young, and her grandson was still very young. Her daughter-in-law was not only frail and sickly, but also easily influenced and unable to manage the household.

If she doesn't live to see her grandson grow up, the He family's business will surely be seized by their own clan.

If Empress Cao is able to conceive, regardless of whether the child is a boy or a girl, the He family will enjoy decades of wealth and prosperity.

Even if her grandson is not yet able to take over the family business when she passes away, the family property will not be taken away by others.

"I understand!"

Empress Cao waved her hand and said, "Of all the concubines in the harem, less than one in ten can conceive the Emperor's child. I'm already quite old and have long since come to terms with it. Even if you can't conceive, I won't blame you!"

"Your Majesty, you are still young."

Princess Pingning comforted her, saying, "The Duchess of Yingguo was over forty years old, and she still gave birth to a daughter safely, didn't she?"

The Duke of England had two sons, one of whom died young, leaving him with only one son.

The Duchess of England felt that his bloodline was too thin, but she was unable to conceive for a long time, so she advised him to take a concubine.

However, the Duke of England resolutely refused to take a concubine, and the Duchess of England was moved but helpless.

She had given up hope, but unexpectedly, she became pregnant when she was over forty.

This age would be considered advanced maternal age even in later generations, let alone in ancient times.

The doctors all said it was very dangerous, and the Duke of England also advised his wife to have an abortion.

But the Duchess of England felt it was fate and insisted on giving birth.

At that time, many noblewomen in Bianjing secretly laughed at her for having blossomed despite her age.

"You're so good with words."

Empress Cao chuckled and scolded, then looked at Old Madam He and said, "I'll leave the rest to you."

…………

"Let's go, climb the Iron Pagoda at Kaibao Temple. I've always thought that the Iron Pagoda amidst the clouds is the most beautiful of the eight scenic spots in Bianjing," Qi Heng said with a smile.

Iron Pagoda Floating in the Clouds is one of the eight scenic spots. The Iron Pagoda refers to the Kaibao Temple Pagoda, which is also known as the Linggan Pagoda because the finial at the top of the pagoda emits light.

The tower's exterior is entirely inlaid with brown glazed bricks and tiles, giving it an iron-like appearance from a distance, which is why ordinary people call it the Iron Tower.

The tower is over fifty meters tall. Standing on the top floor, you can see the clouds drifting by, hence the name "Iron Tower Floating in the Clouds".

However, Qi Heng felt it was a bit exaggerated; over fifty meters was less than the height of a twenty-story building in later times.

Bianjing is located in the Central Plains and its altitude is not high, only about fifty meters. The clouds are not that low.

However, the buildings in Bianjing are not tall, so the view from the top of the tower, which is only about 50 meters high, is quite impressive.

"To receive such praise from Yuan Ruo, I'll have to take a good look later," He Hongwen said with a smile.

Still being young, he became much more at ease after Qi Heng took the initiative to befriend him.

The two walked out of Liang Garden and came to the place where the carriages were parked.

"Yuan Ruo!"

Just as Qi Heng was about to board the carriage, a pair of master and servants walked over from not far away.

Leading the way was a boy of eleven or twelve, dressed in fine clothes, with a warm smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Qi Heng asked, somewhat puzzled, seeing that the young man was unfamiliar.

The young man's expression didn't change at all because of Qi Heng's words. He bowed respectfully and said, "My name is Zhao Min!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng's eyes flickered slightly, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Heng greets Your Highness!"

He wasn't faking it. Although many members of the imperial family studied at the Imperial Academy, they were in a separate academy, just like the martial arts academy where the sons of nobles were enrolled.

Normally, he had absolutely no interaction with Qi Heng and the others.

The imperial clan system of the Great Zhou Dynasty severely restricted the imperial clan members, making them generally obedient.

After all, they weren't sons of officials, so even if they had ambitions, they had no chance.

Therefore, even though they were both at the Imperial Academy, they had no interaction with each other.

But he had heard of the other party's name before; Zhao Min was the only son of the King of Yan.

"Yuanruo, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhao Min smiled and said, "I didn't expect to run into you here. How about we take a walk together?"

"I'm really sorry, I have a friend to entertain," Qi Heng said.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

Zhao Min's expression remained unchanged. He greeted them, nodded to He Hongwen, and then led his entourage toward Liang Garden, as if he were genuinely there for a visit.

"Everyone says that Bianjing is full of high-ranking officials and nobles, but I never expected to run into a prince of the imperial family," He Hongwen exclaimed.

"A chance encounter?"

Qi Heng watched the other person's departing figure, but he didn't think it was a chance encounter.

However, although Zhao Min came intentionally, if he had to choose between supporting the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong, he would prefer to support the Prince of Yan.

The Prince of Yong was too stupid. Although the Prince of Yan was not much better, he was at least much better than the Prince of Yong.

As for Zhao Zongquan, forget about him. He's not like Gu Tingye, who can prepare for things in advance.

Even without the marriage to Princess Jiacheng, given Zhao Zongquan's later relationship with Empress Cao, the Qi family would not have been trusted.