Chapter Thirty-Five: Joyous News

Chapter Thirty-Five: Joyous News

Su'e and Qiaoqiao sat facing each other on small stools beside Fan Xueyao's feet. Between them was a small table with a silver platter adorned with dragon and phoenix patterns. Their hands, free from any rouge, were washed clean and still carried the fragrance of scented soap. Each held a large, fiery red pomegranate, peeling it carefully to remove the yellow inner membrane without letting the bitterness touch the seeds. Occasionally, they would place the freshly peeled, ruby-like pomegranate seeds into the silver platter before them.

Fan Xueyao leaned against the couch, reading a book while occasionally picking a few pomegranate seeds to eat. With a gentle bite, sweet juice filled her mouth. The pomegranate was large and red, its juice abundant and sweet with a hint of tartness, making it very delicious.

Huaping stood nearby, holding a purple-glazed beast-ear basin, her eyes constantly watching Fan Xueyao's mouth. As soon as she stopped chewing, Huaping would immediately present the basin for her to spit out the remaining seeds.

Fan Xueyao ate two pomegranates casually, feeling that her tongue was almost sore from the seeds. She waved her hand, "Enough."

Su'e and Qiaoqiao immediately stopped. Fan Xueyao glanced at the small mountain of red gems in the dragon-phoenix patterned platter and the half-peeled pomegranates in their hands. She lifted her chin slightly, her tone soft and languid, "They won't be fresh if left too long. You four should share and eat them. These pomegranates are quite sweet."

Huaping placed the basin on the table, her gaze lingering on the platter, lost in thought.

Fan Xueyao blinked. She had been engrossed in her book, blocking out the surrounding sounds. Now, Huaping's excited thoughts and the sweet praises from Su'e and the others flooded her ears, leaving her momentarily dazed.

"Beauty, shouldn't we invite a physician?... Beauty's monthly cycle is five days late, could she be pregnant?" Huaping asked, trying to keep her voice calm but still conveying her suppressed excitement.

Fan Xueyao recalled that her last menstrual period was on the third day of the month, and now it was the eighth, and it still hadn't come. Her periods had always been regular since her first, every thirty days without fail. Thinking this, Fan Xueyao lowered her head and gently touched her abdomen. Was she pregnant?

Although she had hoped to conceive later, now that it seemed likely, her first reaction was joy. This was her child, her first child in both lifetimes. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, and a warm, gentle smile graced her lips, enveloping her in a soft glow, sacred and beautiful.

"Take my waist token and go to the Medical Office to invite a skilled obstetrician." Whether or not she was pregnant needed confirmation from a physician, and even then, a formal diagnosis by a court physician and verification with the historical records were necessary.

Fan Xueyao instructed Huaping and Su'e to go to the Medical Office, reminding them to maintain their usual respectful demeanor and not to act arrogantly. They promptly agreed, took the waist token, and left Spreading Fragrance Hall, heading towards the Medical Office.

Estimating that she was most likely pregnant, Fan Xueyao moved inside the hall. Qiaoqiao and Zhuzhu hurriedly prepared for the physician's visit, arranging chairs and hanging curtains. Their faces were filled with joy, as if she was definitely pregnant.

Fan Xueyao spoke softly, cautioning them not to show arrogance. If she really was pregnant, it would be fine, but if it turned out to be a false alarm, their premature joy would become a laughingstock. They couldn't bring trouble to the beauty.

Soon, the physician arrived, accompanied by two little eunuchs. They stopped outside the hall. According to protocol, they could not enter the room and could only diagnose through the curtain.

Huaping quickly helped Fan Xueyao sit on a throne near the door. Fan Xueyao extended her hand through the curtain, and Huaping covered it with a thin veil. Physician Chen then began to take her pulse.

After a moment of silence, Physician Chen finished the examination and inquired about Fan Xueyao's complexion, tongue, and diet from the palace maids inside. Finally, he rose and knelt down to congratulate her, "Beauty Fan is indeed pregnant."

Fan Xueyao's face lit up with a radiant smile. She heard Physician Chen's thoughts: her health was excellent, her pulse strong and clear, and such vitality was rare among noble ladies who were often frail. Despite her joy, Fan Xueyao didn't forget her manners and asked Huaping to help the physician rise.

Huaping, elated, helped Physician Chen up and inquired about the dietary and living habits of pregnant women. She also asked, "Physician Chen, our beauty just ate two pomegranates. Is there any harm?"

Physician Chen, an expert in women's health, knew Fan Xueyao was the emperor's favorite concubine and now even more precious due to her pregnancy. He explained various precautions, what foods to eat, what to avoid, and what behaviors to refrain from, all in detail to Huaping and the other maids before taking his leave.

Fan Xueyao instructed Huaping to fetch some silver from the cabinet. A ten-tael silver ingot wrapped in a light blue silk pouch was given to Physician Chen as a reward. The two little eunuchs each received a two-tael silver ingot.

Physician Chen and the two eunuchs thanked her, and Fan Xueyao sent Huaping to Jiaofang Palace to inform Empress Xu of the news and confirm the dates with the historical records.

"Is it true, Beauty Fan is pregnant?" Empress Xu murmured, her expression somewhat wistful and distant.

She had given birth to a princess, but sadly, the child did not survive past infancy. It had been a long time since then, and she had tried not to dwell on it, believing another child would come. But until now, she had not conceived again.

Huaping, kneeling on the ground, could not see Empress Xu's face due to her bowed head. The silence above made her uneasy. Was the empress displeased with the news? After all, Empress Xu and the emperor were married for nearly a decade without children. It was understandable for her to feel uncomfortable with Fan Xueyao's pregnancy so soon after entering the palace. Huaping hoped the empress would be magnanimous and not cause trouble for their beauty. This was their beauty's first child, and any mishap would break her heart.

Empress Xu, accustomed to restraint, quickly regained her composure without prompting from her attendants. She remained dignified and composed, instructing her maids to fetch the historical records of the concubines' visits.

"How long has Beauty Fan been pregnant?" Empress Xu opened the green-silk-covered ledger and searched for the recent records.

Huaping and Physician Chen knelt below, with Physician Chen answering first, "Beauty Fan has been pregnant for about a month."

Huaping added, "In response to Your Majesty, Beauty Fan's last menstrual period was on the third day of last month, and it stopped on the eighth."

Empress Xu flipped through the ledger to the previous month's records, her finger lightly touching the eighth day, then moving down to the ninth (Wei Zhaoyi), tenth (Fan Xueyao), eleventh (none), twelfth (Fan Xueyao), thirteenth (Fan Xueyao), fourteenth (Jie Yu Jiang)...

Perhaps it was during those three visits that she conceived, Empress Xu felt a pang of sadness. If only it had been her instead... Then she smiled and said, "I wish to extend my congratulations to Beauty Fan. Bring keys to open my treasury, fetch ten bolts of silk, two hundred strings of coins, and a 'Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons' brocade quilt as a gift for Beauty Fan."

Huaping bowed her head to thank the empress on behalf of her mistress. An attendant and twelve palace maids from Jiaofang Palace brought the gifts back to Spreading Fragrance Hall.

"Beauty, what should we do with these gifts...?" Huaping looked at the pile of items in the hall, unsure of how to proceed.

Fan Xueyao knew the empress wouldn't tamper with the gifts, and she sensed no ill intentions from the Jiaofang Palace attendants. She said, "Record them in the ledger and store them in the treasury. We won't need them anytime soon." She spoke calmly, knowing that the silver and silk could be used eventually, but the brocade quilt would remain untouched.

Huaping diligently recorded the items and stored them away. Despite Fan Xueyao being a mere beauty, her treasury was well-stocked with valuable items, all gifts from Emperor Chu Nan, known for his generosity. Fan Xueyao often wondered if he had a compulsion to give gifts. On her first night, he granted her fragrant baths; on the second, a set of peach blossom stone jewelry.

She never asked for anything and never hinted at wanting anything. The only thing she actively sought was increased visits from her family. Every time Chu Nan saw her, an attendant would bring gifts to Spreading Fragrance Hall—a hairpin one day, silk fabrics the next. Over time, the gifts accumulated. She had only one body; how could she use so many accessories and fabrics?

The jewelry was fine, but the silk fabrics would age and lose their luster over time. Huaping and the others always urged her to turn the fabrics into new clothes to prevent them from becoming old and wasted.

Upon hearing the news of Fan Xueyao's pregnancy, Li Huairen was overjoyed, his face beaming. He rushed into Hongning Palace, where Chu Nan was practicing calligraphy. Without looking up, Chu Nan asked, "What is it?"

Li Huairen bowed respectfully, his voice filled with joy, "Your Majesty, a physician was summoned to Spreading Fragrance Hall. Beauty Fan is pregnant."

Chu Nan's hand trembled, leaving a black blotch on the white paper. He put down his brush and strode out of the hall, causing Li Huairen's robe to flutter. Li Huairen widened his eyes and hurried after him. My goodness, His Majesty is this happy! Even when the empress was pregnant with his first child, he wasn't this joyful. It seems Beauty Fan is truly favored by His Majesty. She is as beautiful as a celestial being, and now that she is pregnant, her position will surely elevate soon.