CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 456: PRESSURING THE EMPRESS

The next day, Lin Yi, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, accompanied the young Emperor on a walk in the Imperial Garden.

At that moment, a three or four-year-old girl in a small pink qipao happily bounced over, chased by a panicked palace maid who grabbed her.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. This servant knows her wrongdoing and will take the little princess away immediately!"

Lin Yi quickly shielded the young Emperor behind him, "Such a flustered display, should you bump into His Majesty’s dragon form, how many heads do you have to chop off!"

Although she was still a meter away from the young Emperor, Lin Yi’s scolding terrified the palace maid, who immediately knelt down and kowtowed for mercy.

The young Emperor cleared his throat, feeling a warm current wrap around his heart, not expecting this scoundrel to also show such a considerate side.

"Rise. Since she is the little princess, then take good care of her, but how come I seemed to have never seen her before?"

The palace maid finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had been reborn after a calamity. The Emperor did not punish her; had it been in the past, she would have been publicly chastised as a warning to others.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this is the little princess of Fourth Prince Yong’an’s household. Rumor has it that a few years back, the Fourth Prince took in six concubines all at once to bear more sons, and yet he ended up with only one son and eight daughters. The girl here today is Princess Seventeen, who entered with her Lady."

"Oh, it seems my Fourth Imperial Uncle’s family is indeed flourishing."

After speaking, the young Emperor reached out and gently touched the little princess’s head, then let them go.

It seemed that the Emperor was in a good mood today.

Lin Yi carefully supported the young Emperor as if he were a fragile porcelain doll, fearing that any knock or bump could shatter him.

What should only be a few dozen steps, each one taken by Lin Yi was closely watched, giving off a somewhat obvious thing the more he tried to hide it.

Suddenly, the young Emperor felt as if he was just learning to walk, with a pair of large hands invisibly protecting him at all times. Unaccustomed to this, he stopped in his tracks.

"You are now the Great General Lin Yi, it’s not necessary to keep supporting me like this. I’ve walked this road for over 20 years."

Only then did Lin Yi realize he had been too nervous, solely focused on protecting his wife and the child in her womb, forgetting that being too ostentatious could draw unwanted attention.

Having sown the seeds of success, yet unable to protect his wife openly, Lin Yi suddenly felt a helpless sense of defeat.

But thinking of his beloved woman, who would have to endure nine months of pregnancy coupled with the pressure of concealing her identity, she was the one truly bearing the greatest hardship.

Lin Yi looked at the young Emperor with deep affection, a sense of respect welling up inside him, but in the next second, he was bowing again and holding the young Emperor’s hand.

"Your Majesty, in the battlefield, I am the Great General; by your side, I am always your little Lin Yi."

These few words brought a blooming smile to the young Emperor’s face. She covered her face and nodded slightly. As an Emperor, one must always control their emotions, but Lin Yi’s presence was one of the few things that made her break the rules.

And so, the two of them continued forward in silent understanding. Lin Yi was no longer meticulously cautious about the stone path underfoot, as if everything was the same as before the young Emperor was pregnant.

Watching the little princess’s retreating figure, the young Emperor subconsciously placed a hand on her small abdomen, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.

Suddenly, Lin Yi swept his sleeve and knelt on one knee, respectfully saying, "Today, the morning glow fills the sky, seemingly endless, I believe it is a favorable omen that our Daiyu will continue to prosper, and Your Majesty’s descendants will be unending."

The young Emperor was taken aback. What a rascal, hinting at you to keep a low profile, yet you speak so boldly, have you grown tired of living, believe it or not, I’ll skin you when we get back!

"Presumptuous!"

Lin Yi hurriedly knelt down.

[How did my perfectly polite words offend my little lady again? Oh dear, look at my mouth, my dear sweetheart, your belly carries my flesh and blood, please don’t be angry. My intention in speaking out was to pass the word to the Empress, to put pressure on her to share the burden of the Harem, otherwise how could my precious son be born?]

The young Emperor subtly curved a smile, thinking, well aren’t you a lothario, how do you know there’s a boy in my belly? But after thoroughly pondering Lin Yi’s careful thoughts, she suddenly had an epiphany.

Right, pressuring the Empress, filling up the harem, the prince must be born within the harem. This chess game indeed needs the Empress’ cooperation.

"Your Majesty is the True Dragon Emperor, the Heir is a matter of great importance to the state. Though you now hold the position of Great General, do not forget who you are. The Heir is not something you should discuss."

"This official knows the crime, I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

[The saying goes ’pregnancy makes a woman foolish for three years,’ is it true? My little darling, how come you are starting to get muddled now? Of course, I haven’t forgotten I’m a eunuch, but whether a real eunuch or a fake one, don’t you have a clue in your heart? Forget it, I’ll just keep kneeling, as long as it cools your anger, I can kneel for an entire day. Being angry isn’t good for the fetus. I must make sure to study up properly when I return.]

Hearing this, warmth filled the Emperor’s heart. This philanderer used to fantasize about her in secret, but how come his style has suddenly become so caring? She herself was somewhat unaccustomed to it now.

Fine, in light of your good attitude in acknowledging your faults, I will forgive you this time.

"Rise, if there’s a next time, Your Majesty will not be lenient."

Upon these words, the palace maids and eunuchs present were stunned. They had witnessed the Emperor’s mercy twice today—could it be that there is truly a joyful event in the palace?

"Summon the Empress to the Imperial Study Room, I have important matters to entrust."

After finishing, the young Emperor suddenly felt light-headed and nearly fainted had it not been for Lin Yi’s quick reflexes to steady her.

"Everyone leave, I will take care of escorting Your Majesty back to the palace."

The palace maids and eunuchs respectfully withdrew. Lin Yi was now the Emperor’s favorite, repeatedly favored despite his mistakes, no one dared to cross him for fear of offending the King of Hell himself.

Realizing that the Emperor might be experiencing pregnancy reactions, Lin Yi quickly helped her back to the Imperial Study Room.

On the other hand, the Empress, having heard that the Emperor had summoned her, and through the words of the eunuch messenger knowing it was about the Heir, couldn’t help but beat her own stomach forcefully.

"Mu Wanqing, oh Mu Wanqing, why can’t you be more formidable."

As the first to be favored by the Emperor, she blamed herself deeply for not being pregnant with the Heir, and now that the Emperor had personally stated the importance of the Heir to the state, herself being the Empress, she ought to take action.

The Emperor had not summoned her for a long time, likely busy with State affairs. The considerate Empress immediately took with her two bowls of ginseng soup and some Calming Tea to the Emperor.

A quarter of an hour later, the Empress arrived at the Imperial Study Room, where the young Emperor was reviewing memorial petitions.

"This consort pays respect to Your Majesty."

"The Empress has arrived, please be seated."

The young Emperor, despite feeling tired, was very polite to her Empress.

However, the sharp-eyed Empress immediately noticed that something was off with the Emperor’s complexion, most likely due to being busy with state affairs and not resting well.

"Your Majesty, this is the ginseng soup prepared by your consort, assuming that you stayed up late reviewing documents again last night. Our Great Yu is blessed to have such a diligent ruler like you, it is the fortune of our Great Yu’s citizens. Although your consort is ignorant and can’t help sharing your burdens, I can only simmer some ginseng soup, hoping Your Majesty will take care of your dragon body."

"The Empress is indeed the Mother of the Country, I am deeply comforted."

Had it been before, the young Emperor wouldn’t have craved this ginseng soup so much, but today, for some reason, she started to fancy it just by smelling it from afar.

The Empress brought over the ginseng soup, intending to feed the young Emperor herself, but Lin Yi took over the soup bowl.

"Empress, the ginseng soup is too hot, let me feed His Majesty instead."

[Heh heh, though both are my women, my first wife is pregnant after all, of course, I must personally attend to her.]