“Oh, great.” Li Changyu groaned to himself.
Newly released from his Palace confinement, he was on his way to the Grand Empress Dowager’s residence when he met with a gaggle of Harem members were in the center of the courtyard that branched to the older Palaces.
Meimei confirmed a week ago that by now, all of the Harem knew that he was pregnant. From his Mother’s calculations, he was just a little over one month along. This meant he’d have five more months before he actually gave birth. Unlike alpha and beta women who had a typical ten month* pregnancy, omega men and women had six months. This was one of the reasons the Harem coveted omegas, because the likelihood of an heir would be high. It wasn’t that they were too rare of a designation, but in smaller areas, there were significantly less omegas.
Six months can’t come fast enough. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t that Li Changyu disliked being pregnant – it was perfectly fine except for throwing up at night and being starved during the day. But he had seen politics first hand, and he knew that he had a giant target on his back.
Shen Pei leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Yanhe, would you like me to carry you on the rooftops?”
Li Changyu waved a hand to brush off her concerns, “I’ll have to face them sooner or later.”
He remained largely unnoticed as he approached until two servants who were with the group turned and whispered to Chen Ziyin, one of Jin Xiyan’s Consorts. During his confinement, Li Changyu took it upon himself to read the Harem records to better understand his new ‘family’.
Chen Ziyin got the attention of the others and they turned towards him. Beside Chen Ziyin was her twin Brother, Ziwei, who had the status of Consort alongside her. Likewise, he was a beta, and only served one purpose in the Harem. It was interesting that a toy boy got such a high status.
Along with Chen Ziyin and Chen Ziwei, there was the Huang Guifei Qin Yuze, a few Beauties that really didn’t mean much as they were ranked so low on the pole, and several servants. None of them had pleasant faces on by the time he stopped a few meters from them. He paused and waited for them to greet him first, but only the servants and concubines did by bowing and saying Your Highness. The two Consorts and Huang Guifei looked off to the side and merely said good morning.
“Good morning Brother and Sisters,” Li Changyu gave a smile that dripped with sarcasm. It was likely that this trio were the ones that bullied the other concubines and servants to ignore him.
Except for Song Rushen, who did frequently talk to him. It seemed that he was the one bullied before he arrived, and given that the poor boy was so shy and soft spoken, he probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate the behavior like Li Changyu could. Truthfully, he could care less about their lack of respect for his title. They were like insubordinate soldiers, which meant they just needed to be knocked down a peg or two in order to manage them.
“You’re late for the morning greetings to Royal Mother,” Qin Yuze’s smile was as cool as his snow white hair. “I am certain His Highness must have been displeased with your absence, now that you are let out of your cage.”
“Mmm, I don’t know about that,” Li Changyu smirked, “I am sure it was plenty enough of a zoo at the Tranquil Lotus with all of you in attendance.”
“You!” Chen Ziwei’s slim, sharp brows lowered with his glare. His sister wore a matching expression. “You think that just because you’re pregnant you are exempt from the rules?”
“Nope,” Li Changyu exaggerated a shrug. “I disregarded them even before I was pregnant. Why would it be any different now?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qin Yuze’s jadelike demeanor cracked and he pressed his red lips together in a line, “I am sure you are unused to the ways of civilized people given the rabble you have associated with all these years. Still, this doesn’t excuse your boorish manners.”
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In the reports, he found out that out of the seven children Jin Xiyan already had, not one of them came from Huang Guifei. It also revealed that Huang Guifei not once had a pregnancy either. For someone who was once Wang Fei and married to the Emperor the longest, it was strange not to. It seemed that Qin Yuze did something that must have been beneficial in order to be such a favorite of Jin Xiyan’s. He suspected that the Empress Dowager was also behind that as well.
“Your Highness,” a familiar, gentle voice called to him. Li Changyu turned and saw Zhao Lanhu, and he sighed in relief. Saved by Brother-in-law!
Everyone greeted the First Prince, but Zhao Lanhu was quick to put his hands on Li Changyu’s shoulders to stop him.
“There is no need for formalities, you are pregnant.” Zhao Lanhu’s smile was reserved and slight, but his fairy-good looks made it look radiant. His eyes were as dark as coals, and hair as black as Li Changyu’s. “I came looking for you on behalf of Royal Grandmother. She says you have an appointment with her?”
“This one humbly thanks you, Your Highness.” He glanced back at the rest of the Harem before commenting off hand. “Please, after you, First Prince.”
—–
“So that’s how his accident happened?” Li Changyu frowned at his reflection in the cup of tea.
From what the Grand Empress Dowager shared, Jin Xiyan was found floating face down in the lotus pond behind the Guard Barracks – the very one they would spend their time together. It was in the beginning of winter, and that pond was not normally drained like the others, so he fell into ice cold water.
Grand Empress Dowager nodded solemnly and held her cup up to enjoy the aroma of the tea that Zhao Lanhu poured for her. With no servants around, they served one another and could talk freely. “That is how I understand it. Of course, there were no witnesses, so one cannot be certain. It was a miracle that some of the young trainees found him.”
“It is, indeed.” Li Changyu continued to quietly contemplate this information to himself.
According to the coroner’s report that Ping Feng shared with him, Xu Wei died a month before this incident. It would be perfectly reasonable to suspect that maybe a snake was seeking the warmth inside one of the personal apartments on the barrack grounds, but it didn’t sit right with Li Changyu. There was no one appointed Commander in the interim, which was strange. And the person in charge of those appointments, under the Ministry of Personnel?
Third Prince Uncle, Zhang Wenru.
“I was away when this happened, and I had no idea.” Zhao Lanhu’s normally pretty features were marred by a slight frown. The distress on his face was evident. “Do you suspect foul play?”
“I do not know, dearest,” Grand Empress Dowager sighed. “It was not something we could send by letter. This Grandmother is sorry for keeping this from you – both of you. That was never my intention, but keeping it secret for so long that it became second nature.”
“…Just how much of his memory is affected?” Part of Li Changyu didn’t want to know, but…
Though she was hard on her Grandson, Li Changyu could see the sadness in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes. She did, afterall, love him. “When he woke up, we were blessed that he could read, write, and walk. He remembers some childhood things. Functions, manners, facts about our world were all still there. Initially, he knew all our names, but early on in his recovery there were occasional bouts of him forgetting who we were when he interacted with us, but he’s overcome that now. If there is an Official he is unfamiliar with because he interacts so little with them, Su Ao is the one who reminds him who they are.”
So all in all, he’s pretty much a hundred percent functional save for a few things. One of which was forgetting Li Changyu.
Li Changyu continued to ignore his tea, “What I don’t understand is what was he even doing there in the first place?”
His Royal Grandmother’s frown turned up into a sad, nostalgic sort of smile. Her sunset colored eyes turned their gaze onto him, “Since you left, he would frequently go there to think and skip rocks. He forbade anyone from disturbing him, and I think it was his favorite spot in the whole Palace.”
His heart stopped for just a moment, but roared back to life with heavy thuds as the information sank in. Was he there…because of me? Li Changyu lifted his fingers and lightly touched his lower lip as he recalled their kiss. He wasn’t an idiot back then, he knew it was a kiss. Li Changyu also knew that their stations in life were completely different, and nothing could ever come from it. He’d already hardened his heart to that fact even though he kept seeing Jin Xiyan when they were children. Being called to the military by his Father shortly after was a blessing, because if Jin Xiyan reciprocated those feelings like he thought he did…it would have made things a lot harder.
I thought that, after I left, he would just…Perhaps, like Li Changyu, Jin Xiyan kept a flame in his heart for him? He quickly dismissed the fluttering in his stomach as the baby and not some emotion being stirred.
“That should be a good sign, no?” Zhao Lanhu tilted their head. “He said that he doesn’t remember you, but maybe deep down he does?”
He didn’t want to hope that perhaps the reason he agreed to the marriage was in part some deep seated memory of him. But he did. Li Changyu tucked a few strands of his hair behind his ear and screwed up his lips to hide his grin.
A thought burst his bubble, “But wait. Why isn’t Huang Guifei the Empress? He was Jin Xiyan’s Wang Fei before he ascended, wasn’t he?”
“One of my Emperor Son’s final edicts confirming Jin Xiyan’s ascension was that Qin Yuze would not be Empress. He was a political marriage, but bless our Fallen Emperor that he was very wise. In terms of ruling power, Qin Yuze would have as much financial backing as you do with the military. He is the nephew of the Sui King.”
This was news to him and it made his eyebrows rise. That made Qin Yuze more of a threat if one looked at the logistics. He and Qin Yuze would be considered evenly matched if one were concerned about the throne. Li Changyu was ahead of the race now, since Qin Yuze hadn’t had a child yet, but if both of them had a potential heir, it could be a battle royale when Jin Xiyan passed.
The throne! Li Changyu’s thoughts circled back, “If Jin Xiyan died that day, who would inherit the throne?”
“My son is technically eligible,” said Zhao Lanhu. His son was a male alpha and from a direct royal bloodline from the Fallen Emperor and Empress.
Grand Empress Dowager also chimed in, “More than likely though, it would be the Fallen Emperor’s Cousin.”
Li Changyu vaguely recalled that the distant relative was a cousin and currently served as a Chancellor in some vassal state. He couldn’t recall what he looked like, but he had to be about a few years younger than the Grand Empress Dowager’s age.
“And of course,” Grand Empress Dowager continued, “My other Royal Son, Zhang Wenru.”
His stomach lurched, and for the first time he felt sick in the morning. Li Changyu turned his head, shut his eyes, and covered his mouth with a fist. A chair scraped nearby and Royal Grandmother clucked her tongue.
“Look at us, gossiping and meddling with Court affairs. This is nothing good for the baby.” Though she was scolding them, she couldn’t hide the obvious delight in her voice. He could hear her shuffling about and a door open. “Biyu, please fetch a remedy for a pregnant stomach from the physician.”
Li Changyu cracked his eyes open and caught his Brother-in-law’s wry grin. He suffered a similar kind of doting, and if memory served Li Changyu correctly, there was also…
“And I have already picked a few of these things up as well!” She clapped her hands together and went to fetch a small wooden jewelry box.
Royal Grandmother was a very superstitious woman, and though magic and spells were strictly forbidden in the Imperial City, her Husband was very lenient. Subsequently, so was her Son, and apparently her Grandson followed suit. She set the box down and proceeded to take out several different objects and explain in great detail what their purpose was and how to use them. She had no limit, either. Be it Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Daoism, or any other belief – if some charm existed promising a good life or luck, she would take it.
He and Zhao Lanhu shared a look and Li Changyu had to push the tea away before his stomach churned again.
“And this here is a stone taken from the bottom of a river that was blessed with properties of birth and rebirth.” She held up a small flat silvery pebble that was no larger than his thumb print tied with a red chord. This actually caught his fancy, as he wasn’t normally one to wear jewelry but the simplicity of it was something that suited him.
She urged him to lean forward and he did, lifting up his hair in the process. She slipped the fine red silken chord over his head and carefully laid the stone to rest over his heart. He let his hair fall which she fussed over it lightly by straightening it just so and he smiled up at her.
He didn’t remember his real Grandmother, but the Grand Empress Dowager always felt like she regarded him as one of her own. For that, he couldn’t fault her over eagerness to protect him with charms and trinkets.
“Royal Grandmother, how much did you pay for such a tiny thing?” Zhao Lanhu arched a disapproving brow.
“Nothing at all!” She huffed and tidied up Li Changyu’s half bun while she still stood beside him. “The Monk said that this was an object of fate and good fortune and that it was supposed to be in my hands. He refused any money for it! I knew immediately who to give it to when he offered it.”
Li Changyu touched the stone between his fingers, surprised at how warm it felt. He didn’t have any thoughts about some mysterious Monk or if this little rock could protect him, but he definitely knew what his fate was when a fresh wave of nausea hit.
“Grandmother…I need a bucket – fast!”
I really hope Jin Xiyan could recover his memories soon.
Thanks for the chapter!
You are welcome! It will still be a while yet, but do know, when it happens it will be a big bang.
Woah looking forward to it even more now!!
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
you are most welcome!
thanks for the chapter <3
<3 thank you for reading!
I found this story today and im already obsessed, i love LCY too much 😩 hope nothing happens to him but for the tags …. sigh everything is so suspicious, it’s strange that Qin Yuze hasn’t gotten pregnant after so long 🧐 is there something strange about it? maybe he’s infertile, doing it on purpose or …. is actually a beta
Hmmm we have a detective on the case!
I am glad you found the story and are enjoying it so far!
Yep. I suspect the same. And JXY’s mother is in on it. Using reaction toward the pregnancy news when he should be excited was suspicious. There’s something not right about how even tho he was the only one to have a legit alpha he was still treated so poorly. (If I understood that correctly.) Either way, don’t like him. I’ll trust Grandma’s look of alarm anyday.
Sus. Everything is sus…
Jin xiyan no memories…
Qin yuze no baby but hve power..
Mother empress seems tht he cant hide his intentions..
Zhang wenru… Fishy af ᕙ (° ~ ° ~)
Im little bit afraid about baby