Chapter 70
Ever since returning from the Imperial Mausoleum, the young emperor hadn’t seen Ji Qingzhou for quite a while.
Today, upon hearing that Ji Qingzhou had entered the palace, he immediately ran over from Fu’an Palace to Yinghui Pavilion. The eunuchs serving in Yinghui Pavilion hadn’t expected his sudden visit—barely managing a quick bow, they hadn’t yet had the chance to report it when he had already burst into the bedchamber. They couldn’t stop him forcefully, and that’s how he ended up overhearing the conversation between Li Zhan and Ji Qingzhou.
“Zhouzhou, I missed you so much…” The young emperor clung to Ji Qingzhou, pouting as he complained, “Imperial Uncle leaves the palace every day after court and never takes me with him. I know he must be sneaking out to see you, right?”
Ji Qingzhou glanced at Li Zhan, and Li Zhan was also looking at him.
“Wang Ye has a lot of state affairs to handle…” Ji Qingzhou quickly tried to console the young emperor.
“What about you? Do you also have a lot to do?” The young emperor tilted his small face up and asked seriously, “Can you live in the palace and not leave? I miss you when I don’t see you, and Imperial Uncle won’t take me out with him.”
The young emperor spoke with the tone of someone lodging a complaint to Ji Qingzhou, which made Ji Qingzhou chuckle. “I can’t say for certain in the future, but for now, I’ll be staying in Yinghui Pavilion for a while.”
“Really?” The young emperor’s eyes lit up at those words, and he immediately beamed with joy.
Seeing how the child kept clinging to Ji Qingzhou, Li Zhan worried that Ji Qingzhou might get tired, so he stepped forward and gently pulled the young emperor to the side. “You can’t keep pestering him like that, or you won’t be allowed into Yinghui Pavilion anymore.”
“I wasn’t pestering Zhouzhou…” The young emperor wriggled out of Li Zhan’s arms and ran back to Ji Qingzhou, this time moving much more gently. He nervously rubbed his small hands together and asked Ji Qingzhou, “Can I touch your belly?”
Ji Qingzhou nodded, and the young emperor cautiously reached out and gently touched the small swell of his abdomen.
After a moment, the young emperor looked back at Li Zhan in amazement. “The baby just moved!”
“He’s saying hello to you,” Li Zhan said with a smile in his eyes.
The young emperor was thrilled. He touched Ji Qingzhou’s belly again, then eagerly asked, “Zhouzhou, can I be his friend when he grows up? I’ll be really nice to him—I’ll even share my sugar candies. I can give him half… or all of them.”
Ji Qingzhou smiled and said, “Sure, as long as you don’t mind him being too mischievous.”
“I won’t! Your baby must be just like you—really good-looking and… and someone who likes me!” The young emperor grinned.
In his heart, Ji Qingzhou was one of the few people he liked most besides his imperial uncle. Though still young and not fully capable of discerning people’s hearts, he instinctively knew who treated him with warmth. Ji Qingzhou had always been there for him, quietly making up for what Li Zhan couldn’t offer.
After all, Li Zhan was far too rough when it came to caring for children, lacking Ji Qingzhou’s tenderness and attentiveness.
And because Li Zhan was close to Ji Qingzhou, the young emperor had naturally come to treat Ji Qingzhou as someone intimate as well—never once seeing him as an outsider.
“It’s okay even if he’s naughty. I was naughty when I was little too, but now I’m all grown up and sensible,” the young emperor declared solemnly.
Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help but laugh at his use of “when I was little,” but the warmth in his heart deepened. After all, by blood, the child and the baby in his belly were cousins—very close family. If they took a liking to each other, it would save Li Zhan a lot of trouble in the future.
The young emperor lingered around Ji Qingzhou for quite a while—touching his belly now and then, laughing at Ji Qingzhou, occasionally making faces at Li Zhan. It was clear he was in excellent spirits.
When Li Zhan finally had the chance, he pulled the child aside and said seriously, “Cong’er, for now, Imperial Uncle doesn’t want others to know about this…”
“I know!” the young emperor covered his mouth with a hand and promised, “I won’t tell anyone that Imperial Uncle is going to be the mommy!”
Li Zhan nearly choked but didn’t bother correcting him.
Suddenly remembering something, the young emperor added, “But I can only keep one secret at a time. Now that I have a new secret, does that mean I can tell Zhouzhou the old one now?”
Li Zhan: …
He didn’t quite follow what the child meant.
But Ji Qingzhou’s curiosity was piqued. “What old secret?”
The young emperor, seeing that Li Zhan didn’t object, took that as permission. He leaned over to Ji Qingzhou’s ear and whispered—but loud enough for all three of them to hear, “There was this one time when you were holding me while sleeping in Fu’an Palace… I saw Imperial Uncle sneak over and try to kiss you… hee hee!”
Ji Qingzhou froze and turned to look at Li Zhan.
Li Zhan cleared his throat awkwardly, a rare trace of discomfort flashing across his face.
That must have been a long time ago—when Ji Qingzhou had dozed off with the young emperor in his arms at Fu’an Palace. He never would have guessed that even back then, Li Zhan had already harbored such feelings toward him…
The young emperor clung to Yinghui Pavilion the entire day and refused to leave, even as night fell. Li Zhan was worn down by his persistence and had no choice but to let him stay the night.
Later that night, the young emperor insisted on sleeping with Ji Qingzhou but was eventually carried off by Li Zhan to a side chamber.
That evening, even after the young emperor had fallen sound asleep, Li Zhan still couldn’t sleep.
Tang Shu’s words from earlier that day weighed heavily on his heart. Although Ji Qingzhou had acted like everything was fine, it brought Li Zhan no comfort. This child had come into their lives so unexpectedly. At first, Ji Qingzhou hadn’t planned to keep it, but it was because Li Zhan had expressed his desire for it that Ji Qingzhou decided to go through with the pregnancy.
Now, with such an unexpected turn of events concerning the baby, the blow to Li Zhan was overwhelming.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine—if something were to happen to Ji Qingzhou because of this child, how would he ever face it…
Li Zhan spiraled into anxious thoughts until the second half of the night before finally feeling a trace of drowsiness.
But the moment he drifted off, he had a nightmare…
It was chaotic and disjointed, yet every scenario played out the very things he feared the most.
When Li Zhan jolted awake, he didn’t dare go back to sleep. Instead, he got up and went into the main hall.
A single candle flickered in the corner of the room, casting only a faint light—just enough to make out the outline of the person lying on the bed. Li Zhan crept closer and, under the dim glow, gazed at the sleeping Ji Qingzhou for a long time. Then he quietly lay down beside him, pulling him gently into his arms.
Ji Qingzhou was sleeping soundly and wasn’t disturbed. But even in his sleep, he shifted slightly and instinctively wrapped his arms around Li Zhan, nestling his head into the crook of Li Zhan’s shoulder, finding a comfortable position to continue sleeping.
Li Zhan held him like that, never once closing his eyes again.
Ji Qingzhou, after a full night’s rest, was woken up by hunger near dawn. Still groggy, he blinked open his eyes and realized that Li Zhan—who had supposedly been sleeping in the side chamber—had somehow ended up beside him, and he was currently wrapped around him like an octopus.
“When did you come over? Where’s His Majesty?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“I propped a pillow against him and arranged for someone to keep watch. He won’t fall,” Li Zhan replied.
Only then did Ji Qingzhou notice something was off about Li Zhan. “Your voice sounds a bit hoarse. Don’t tell me… you didn’t sleep all night?”
Li Zhan didn’t answer the question. Instead, he leaned in and rubbed his forehead gently against Ji Qingzhou’s. “It’s still early. Sleep a little more.”
But just as he finished speaking, Ji Qingzhou’s stomach let out a loud grumble. Li Zhan understood immediately, got up from the bed, and brought over a plate of pastries.
Ji Qingzhou could sense that something was off with his mood and suddenly had no appetite.
“What’s wrong? Tell me, or I’ll worry,” Ji Qingzhou said softly.
Li Zhan reached out to stroke his cheek, kissed him gently on the lips, and replied, “It’s nothing. I just couldn’t fall asleep.”
“You had a nightmare, didn’t you?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“Mm,” Li Zhan murmured in response.
Ji Qingzhou had long suspected that the matter still weighed heavily on Li Zhan’s heart. Earlier that afternoon, the young emperor had interrupted them, so they hadn’t had the chance to really talk. Now, seeing Li Zhan like this, Ji Qingzhou realized that the burden he carried was even heavier than expected.
“Are you worried that Doctor Tang’s skills aren’t good enough?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“I just can’t wrap my head around the things he said…” Li Zhan replied.
Ji Qingzhou said, “Don’t worry. I have a lot of questions I want to ask Tang Shu too. Let’s bring him in again and have him explain everything in detail. Maybe once you understand everything, you’ll start to believe him and won’t be so afraid anymore.”
Most fear came from not understanding. Once you understood something, the fear usually diminished.
Take Ji Qingzhou for example—he was also somewhat afraid of a caesarean section, but because he had lived in modern society, he knew that C-sections were quite common. So his fear stemmed only from the idea of being cut open, not from the kind of primal dread that Li Zhan felt… To Li Zhan, being cut open meant death.
“It’s all my fault…” Li Zhan suddenly said.
Ji Qingzhou paused for a moment and said, “Don’t say that—unless you’re about to tell me that you regret it.”
Hearing that, Li Zhan looked at Ji Qingzhou but didn’t respond. However, there was a trace of sorrow in his gaze.
Ji Qingzhou reached out and rubbed the bridge of his tall nose, then leaned in and took the initiative to give him a light kiss.
Ji Qingzhou rarely acted so proactively. Li Zhan’s heart stirred, and he instinctively wanted to respond.
But Ji Qingzhou’s kiss ended the moment it began. He didn’t give Li Zhan any chance to go further…
“Actually, there’s a secret I’ve never told you,” Ji Qingzhou said seriously, looking at Li Zhan. “I was afraid it would scare you, and also afraid you wouldn’t believe me. Once this child is safely born, I’ll tell you.”
Li Zhan froze at those words and subconsciously asked, “What secret?”
“I just said I’ll tell you after the child is born. Don’t ask now,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
There was a faint smile in Ji Qingzhou’s eyes. Li Zhan was momentarily dazed and, as expected, had his attention successfully diverted.
While they were speaking, it was already time for morning court. Outside, the palace attendants called out the hour through the screen.
In the side hall, the young emperor had also been woken. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw Li Zhan wasn’t there, he came running over. The attendants didn’t dare stop him and had no choice but to let him in.
“Imperial Uncle, you sneaked over here again!” the young emperor said with a hint of grievance.
As he spoke, he propped his hands on the edge of the bed and tried to climb up, but Li Zhan scooped him up and said, “Wash up and get dressed. Time for court.”
“Can I skip court today? I want to talk to Zhouzhou…” the young emperor asked.
Li Zhan pinched his little face and replied, “I’d rather skip it more than you do!”
Ji Qingzhou, listening to this uncle-and-nephew exchange from the side, suddenly had a random thought pop into his head: From this day on, the monarch shall no longer attend morning court.
He raised an eyebrow and forcibly suppressed that strange notion, preparing to get out of bed.
“You don’t have to get up. Sleep a bit longer…” Li Zhan began, but then suddenly remembered that Ji Qingzhou might be hungry. The pastries he had brought earlier hadn’t been touched. So he changed his words mid-sentence: “I’ll have them bring some food over. Eat a little to fill up, and if you’re still sleepy after that, go back to bed.”
With that, Li Zhan carried the young emperor outside. The palace attendants rushed to help them wash and dress.
Ji Qingzhou used to accompany the pair to court each day. Now, with just the uncle and nephew heading out and him staying behind to eat breakfast and go back to sleep, it truly felt like he was “living a life even more carefree than the emperor.”
That carefree life continued for several days. At first, Ji Qingzhou felt a bit guilty, but later he got used to it.
During this time, Tang Shu came by every day to check Ji Qingzhou’s pulse. Ji Qingzhou would always ask him about the details of “performing a cesarean,” partly out of curiosity—like how to prevent infection, how to avoid massive bleeding—and partly because he wanted to clearly explain the process to Li Zhan to help dispel his fear.
It turned out this approach worked somewhat. Li Zhan, though nervous and full of questions each time, slowly began to accept the idea.
Later, someone outside the palace sought Tang Shu’s surgical help. Tang Shu specially arranged for Li Zhan to disguise himself as his apprentice and follow him to observe. Although Li Zhan waited outside the whole time, he saw the patient still alive afterward, and that made him begin to believe in Tang Shu’s “shocking and unconventional” skill a little more.
Not long after, the day came for Ji Qingzhou’s parents’ graves to be relocated.
After court that morning, Li Zhan personally escorted Ji Qingzhou out of the palace, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Rites.
According to custom, officials’ family burials didn’t warrant the presence of the Ministry of Rites, but the circumstances around Grand Tutor Ji were special. With Li Zhan giving the command himself, the Ministry didn’t hesitate in the slightest and made all the arrangements with care.
It took most of the day. First, they exhumed the coffins from their previous burial site. Then, following the formal rituals for grave relocation, they conducted every rite meticulously. When the coffins were reburied in the Ji family’s ancestral grounds, another complete set of rites was performed…
The entire ceremony followed the standards reserved for a “national scholar,” yet none of the attending officials raised objections. In truth, based on Grand Tutor Ji’s personal integrity and scholarly merit, as well as his service to the court, a burial with national honors was perfectly justifiable—especially considering the injustice he had suffered during his life.
That night, upon returning to the Ji residence, Li Zhan told Ji Qingzhou’s siblings everything about their relationship—and about the child.
Ji Qinglan didn’t appear particularly shocked. She had long suspected that the relationship between Ji Qingzhou and Li Zhan wasn’t ordinary. Even learning that Ji Qingzhou was pregnant only made her slightly surprised, and she quickly accepted it. She even felt happy about the fact that she was going to be an aunt.
The one who did not take it as well was Ji Qinghuai. From beginning to end, his expression remained dark, and he didn’t say a word.
He had guessed there was something going on between the two, but he hadn’t expected that Ji Qingzhou was already pregnant.
“You two go out. I have something to say to Wang Ye,” Ji Qinghuai said to his siblings.
Ji Qingzhou instinctively glanced at Li Zhan. Li Zhan gave him a faint smile, signaling that it was fine. Ji Qingzhou had no choice but to leave with Ji Qinglan.
Once the room held only Ji Qinghuai and Li Zhan, the atmosphere grew even colder than before.
“May I ask, Wang Ye, was everything you did for the Ji family… for Qingzhou’s sake?” Ji Qinghuai began.
Li Zhan thought for a moment before answering, “When I collected the bodies of your parents, I didn’t feel anything for him yet. Even when I decided to reverse the charges against them, I had only just met him. If anything I did was for him… perhaps it was just having the Ministry of Works repair your house. That expense came from my personal funds.”
Ji Qinghuai was visibly surprised. He had asked because he feared Li Zhan might use his help as leverage—but Li Zhan had made it quite clear he wouldn’t.
“In that case,” Ji Qinghuai said, “allow me to speak plainly.”
“Go ahead,” Li Zhan replied calmly. “Since I came here today, I’ll listen no matter what you say.”
Ji Qinghuai looked at him with slight displeasure, then said coldly, “A man being pregnant is extremely dangerous. A man as knowledgeable as you must surely know that.”
Li Zhan frowned. The truth was, he hadn’t known before.
If not for Tang Shu’s warning, he would probably still be lost in the joy of becoming a father.
“He chose to be with you, and as his older brother, I don’t have the right to blame you,” Ji Qinghuai continued. “If there’s blame to be had, it’s mine—for failing to protect him, for not being there while he faced all of this alone in the deep palace…”
Li Zhan replied, “Qingzhou is far more composed than you imagine. Even without any special treatment from me, he would have managed to take care of himself.”
“You mean to say that, as his brother, I don’t understand him as well as you, an outsider?” Ji Qinghuai retorted.
Li Zhan could tell that Ji Qinghuai was venting his anger rather than trying to pick a fight, so he remained silent.
Ji Qinghuai was generally calm by nature. Even when angry, he never went overboard. Seeing that Li Zhan didn’t argue back, he managed to suppress his temper.
“I only have one question for you,” Ji Qinghuai said. “Have you ever used your position to pressure Qingzhou into anything?”
Li Zhan answered without hesitation, “I have not.”
Hearing that, Ji Qinghuai’s expression finally eased a bit. After a long pause, he sighed and said, “The child’s already here. I can’t stop him from seeing you anymore. What you two plan to do from here on—whether you live together or go your separate ways—is your own business. But I have one condition…”
Ji Qinghuai looked solemnly at Li Zhan and said, “I don’t care what happens with the child. But if anything goes wrong when my brother gives birth—”
“There won’t be any accidents,” Li Zhan cut in.
Ji Qinghuai looked at him again. Seeing his expression was utterly sincere, he said no more.
Outside, Ji Qingzhou had been waiting anxiously. When he saw Li Zhan emerge with a calm expression, he finally felt somewhat at ease.
“What did my brother say to you?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“Nothing much,” Li Zhan replied. Then, on a whim to tease him, he added, “He just said I must go through the full three letters and six rituals, and carry you into the Prince Residence in a grand eight-lift bridal sedan. Otherwise, I’m not allowed to see you again.”
“Huh?!” Ji Qingzhou panicked at once. “I’m not some maiden—how could I be carried into the Prince Residence in a bridal sedan?”
Li Zhan held back a laugh and, pretending to think seriously, said, “Then how do you want to enter the Prince Residence? Tell me, and I’ll have the Ministry of Rites do it your way.”
Ji Qingzhou caught sight of the laughter in his eyes and realized he was being teased.
“Heh…” Ji Qingzhou raised a brow. “Did someone say they wanted to marry you?”
There was a smile in Li Zhan’s eyes, but he didn’t push the matter further…
The days passed, and Ji Qingzhou’s belly grew visibly larger.
According to Tang Shu’s calculations, once the baby reached seven months, and as long as the pulse showed no abnormalities, they could begin preparing…
Living in Yinghui Pavilion still felt somewhat restrictive—after all, it was within the palace, where there were too many eyes. So after discussing it with Li Zhan, Ji Qingzhou eventually moved to the Prince Residence to rest and care for the pregnancy.
Moving into the Prince Residence along with Ji Qingzhou were Xiao Shan, Guo Zi, and Tang Shu.
And of course, the young emperor, who “clocked in” at the Prince Residence every single day, couldn’t be left out…
The young emperor’s reason was that he needed to start bonding early with his future little brother or sister. Otherwise, once the child was born, it might not be close to him.
After hearing this excuse, Ji Qingzhou finally understood why Li Zhan hadn’t turned him away—because this excuse was not just similar to one Li Zhan had used before, it was practically identical. As expected of a pair of uncle and nephew!
Ji Qingzhou’s days of pregnancy care were exceptionally leisurely. All he had to do was follow Tang Shu’s instructions.
When to eat and drink, when to go for a walk or have a chat—Ji Qingzhou didn’t have to worry about any of it himself.
The only person in the entire Prince Residence who had a headache during this period was Tang Shu.
But his troubles didn’t stem from caring for Ji Qingzhou directly—it came from everyone else who was “worried” about the situation…
Why?
Because everyone who learned that he planned to perform a cesarean for Ji Qingzhou had the same reaction that Li Zhan initially did.
No one thought he was trying to save Ji Qingzhou—they all thought he was trying to kill him.
No matter how Tang Shu explained, they remained anxious, and it was driving him to the brink of a breakdown!
“Doctor Tang, these few medical texts are from my late father’s collection. Some of them mention cutting open the abdomen to remove internal tumors. Since it’s the same kind of incision, I thought they might be useful to you, so I brought them over,” Ji Qinghuai said. “I’m not well-versed in medicine and can’t understand much of it, but if you don’t mind, I’d be willing to read through them with you.”
Ji Qinghuai had come to the Prince Residence in a wheelchair pushed by Tu Dayou, bringing along several medical books.
Tang Shu glanced at the stack with a forced smile and asked, “You didn’t go out looking for wandering miracle doctors or semi-famous street healers, did you?”
Ji Qinghuai was caught off guard. “You… how did you know?”
He had sent people out to find a few, but once he met them, they all seemed like frauds, so he dismissed them.
“How did I know, ha,” Tang Shu chuckled bitterly. He reached over and pulled out a stack of medical books from the side, placing them in front of Ji Qinghuai. “Wang Ye has already brought me dozens of books just like these. A few of them even overlap with yours—it seems your family’s collection is quite impressive.”
Aside from books, Li Zhan had also sought out quite a few so-called miracle doctors—and naturally, most turned out to be swindlers.
“Doctor Tang, please don’t take offense. I didn’t mean to insult you…” Ji Qinghuai said hurriedly.
“I understand… you’re worried about your younger brother. No need to explain—I’m not that petty. But there’s really no need to leave these books here, Young Master Ji. Please take them back with you. I’ve already got more than I can handle,” Tang Shu said with a weary smile.
Ji Qinghuai looked rather embarrassed. After offering another round of apologies, he finally took his leave.
But just as Tang Shu saw Ji Qinghuai out, Qin Zheng and Qi Jingchuan arrived at the door.
The moment Tang Shu saw what Qin Zheng was holding, he said quickly, “If you’re here to deliver more medical books, I’m afraid I’ll have to shut the door in your faces!”
“How did you know we—” Qin Zheng had just started to speak when Qi Jingchuan yanked him back by the arm.
The look on Tang Shu’s face said it all—he knew he’d guessed right. He looked utterly exasperated. He was this close to being driven insane by these people. But he wasn’t truly angry. After all, his method was indeed highly unorthodox, and it was understandable that others found it hard to accept.
“We’re just here to say hello,” Qi Jingchuan said quickly.
Tang Shu shot him a glance, his eyes resting briefly on Qin Zheng, and asked, “Young Master Qin, how about I take your pulse while you’re here?”
“No, no, I’m fine!” Qin Zheng waved his hands furiously and hurriedly dragged Qi Jingchuan away with him.
Tang Shu watched them go, raising an eyebrow, then turned around, gathered up all the medical texts on his desk, and dumped them into the cabinet—out of sight, out of mind.
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