CHAPTER 584: CHAPTER 383: DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING CALLED FAME? _2

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the palace cannot be without a mistress for a day. To this date, the empress’s position has been vacant for nearly two years, and the Emperor shows no sign of wanting to appoint one. I reckon, given the Emperor’s character, he might never change his mind," Xiao Song came to this conclusion after listening to debates from Lord Jun Ji and others, paired with his personal experiences.

Similarly, his wife could only be Ran Yan.

"What do you plan to do?" Ran Yan always felt that Xiao Song leaned towards retreating in face of danger and safeguarding himself wisely, but as easy as it sounds, it was actually the hardest thing to do.

"Wait a little longer," Xiao Song said, "Let’s observe for now. Even if we make a choice when the real crisis happens, it won’t be too late. Besides, the new ruler will likely eliminate his opponents. A neutral person might not be favored heavily but won’t be troubled excessively. However, the premise is, the new ruler cannot be Li Tai."

Xiao Song had refused Li Tai several times, and given his personality, it wasn’t safe from personal vendetta.

While talking, Xiao Song reached inside Ran Yan’s clothing, drew closer to her, and whispered, "Lady, let’s continue what we didn’t finish before..."

"Xiao Yuezhi, don’t go crazy in the dead of night," Ran Yan held his hand.

Xiao Song didn’t force her, but merely rose to extinguish the nearby lamp before coming back to hold her in his arms.

The night had deepened, and since coming to this place with no work, Ran Yan had gradually grown accustomed to going to bed early. She felt sleepy in the darkness soon after lied down, but the person next to her kept moving, making it hard to settle.

After a while, she reached down with her hand, sighed, and initiated a kiss.

Xiao Song chuckled and responded very passionately.

In the darkness, amidst rustling sounds, Ran Yan let out a soft moan and said, "Xiao Yuezhi, tomorrow night I want to sleep in separate covers with you."

Such a cover made it too easy for sparks to fly.

Xiao Song hummed comfortably, not in a rush to oppose, for tomorrow’s matters could wait until tomorrow.

The dim light from the stove reflected inside, revealing the intimacy under the mosquito net.

...

The next morning, Ran Yan moved her body in the bedding and felt sore all over. The side next to her was already empty. Ran Yan looked up and, seeing no official uniform, remembered he had court duty today.

"Wan Lu?" Ran Yan called out.

Footsteps quickly approached from the outer room, and Wan Lu entered, saying, "My Lady, would you like to get up?"

"Yes, what hour is it?" Ran Yan rose.

Wan Lu drew the curtains, bringing a chill air with her, and answered, "It’s almost noon. My lord instructed me not to wake you."

"I want to go to the bathroom." Last night, because it was too late, she had only cleaned up briefly and had not taken a bath.

Wan Lu covered her mouth and laughed, "No wonder!"

Ran Yan coughed dryly and got out of bed, letting Wan Lu help her dress. Once dressed, she turned around and saw a maid tidying up the sheets, catching a glimpse of the disarray, which made her cheeks flush. Before she had experienced intimate relations, she used to be very open about this subject, even capable of discussing it unflinchingly in front of hundreds of men if the job required it. However, she somehow felt more embarrassed about their privacy being exposed as their intimacy with Xiao Song increased.

Just then, Wan Lu said, "My lord treasures the Lady so much; perhaps we will soon have a little young master!"

A few maids nearby seemed to suppress their giggles.

Ran Yan felt embarrassed but maintained her composure. She was about to reply when suddenly she paused and discreetly took her own pulse.

The pulse felt fluent and smooth, like rolling a bead. It was the pulse of pregnancy!

Ran Yan was slightly taken aback, her menstruation had always been irregular, and it only improved a bit after some treatment over time. It had been forty-five days since her last period, and coupled with such a pulse... she really was... pregnant!

"Lady, what’s wrong?" Wan Lu saw Ran Yan lost in thought and couldn’t help but ask.

"Go call Liu Qingsong." Ran Yan said. She was relatively inexperienced with traditional Chinese pulse diagnosis, and it was even harder to be sure since she was taking her own pulse.

It was only a few days before her first wedding anniversary with Xiao Song, although there was a long period in the middle when they hadn’t shared a room for various reasons, but they had been intimate for about four or five months afterwards. At first, he almost wanted her every day, so it was reasonable to be pregnant.

Seeing that Ran Yan was a bit off, Wan Lu didn’t ask what was wrong and hurriedly ran to fetch Liu Qingsong.

Soon, Liu Qingsong was dragged over by Wan Lu, his appearance disheveled.

"Ran Yan, you need to discipline your maid better, what kind of young lady goes pulling a man out of his bed!" Liu Qingsong clamored upon seeing Ran Yan.

Ran Yan didn’t respond, instead, she stretched out her hand, "Liu Qingsong, take my pulse."

Liu Qingsong scratched his messy hair and yawned as he sat down across from her, casually grabbing her wrist, "Are you sick?"

Ran Yan remained silent.

Liu Qingsong closed his eyes, and after a while began to yawn again. But this time, he stopped halfway through a yawn, suddenly opened his eyes, and after examining carefully, exclaimed, "You’re pregnant!"

As soon as he spoke, Wan Lu stepped forward, grabbing him with joy, "Doctor Liu, really? Is the Lady truly pregnant?!"

"Good heavens, don’t make me dizzy now," Liu Qingsong released Ran Yan’s wrist, saying, "Pregnant indeed, I stake my reputation on it."

Wan Lu paused, frowning, "So, it’s not certain?"

Ran Yan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Qingsong glared at Wan Lu.

Wan Lu uncertainly said, "Reputation... do you have one?"

"You girl, are too vicious!" Liu Qingsong said resentfully, complaining to Ran Yan, "You need to discipline Wan Lu well. She kicked open my door early this morning, saw all of me, dragged me out of bed, and now she slanders me like this!"

Ran Yan said with amusement, "Oh, so you’re not satisfied yet?"

In other words, this was exactly the result of her discipline.

Liu Qingsong stared at her for a long while, waved his hand and said, "Not funny at all."

"And it’s hardly early, it’s already noon." Wan Lu muttered.

"Seriously though, how long have I been pregnant?" Ran Yan asked.

Liu Qingsong said, "More than a month, probably around thirty to forty days."

Ran Yan thought to herself how lucky she was, that nothing had gone wrong these days, and felt extremely relieved. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)