Chapter 233 - Pregnancy Stories

After teasing Chu Junyi and getting rid of the worries caused by Baili Anqing, Shen Ninghua rested in a good mood.

The next day, when she woke up, the room was extremely quiet. She could only smell the fragrance of sweet pastries coming from the table.

Shen Ninghua stroked her belly, and her eyes were filled with a warm light.

Suddenly, a low voice came from outside, and there was a faint sound of someone moving.

Surprised, she got up and walked to the window. Before she could get close, Chu Junyi pushed the door open.

He had a delighted smile on his face and gave off a reassuring aura from the inside out. Shen Ninghua’s heart warmed up, and she felt exceptionally tranquil. “I heard a noise outside, so I wanted to open the window and take a look.”

Hearing this, Chu Junyi smiled more heartily. “Well, take a look.”

Sensing that his attitude was a little abnormal, Shen Ninghua didn’t pay much attention and directly pushed open the window. Then, she suddenly froze where she was.

There had been many flowers and plants in her courtyard. Recently, the weather was warm and there were many flowers blooming. Yet many of the flowers were still very tender and were not in full bloom. Now, the courtyard was filled with flowers in full bloom accompanied by lush green leaves. It was full of vitality, making people feel refreshed at a glance.

“Did you ask people to replant these?”

Chu Junyi stepped forward and hugged her from behind. “Ninghua, do you like them?”

Shen Ninghua felt warm in her heart, but she was embarrassed to admit. “You planted so many flowers in my yard. Aren’t you afraid that too much pollen will make me uncomfortable?”

Chu Junyi’s hands suddenly froze. “I only remembered to ask Uncle Chen if these flowers are harmful to your health but forgot about the pollen. Ninghua, quickly close the window, I’ll have someone remove the flowers.”

Shen Ninghua chuckled and leaned back against his embrace. “I’m just kidding. When Doctor Chen helped you choose flowers, he must have noticed that these flowers together have a light fragrance, very little pollen and bright colors. They’re all very suitable.”

Only then did Chu Junyi breathe a sigh of relief. “Ninghua, you mustn’t scare me like this in the future.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows. “Huh?”

“You’re pregnant, so you must not see, hear, speak or do inappropriate things. Only in this way can you set a good example for our baby.”

Shen Ninghua looked out of the window thoughtfully. “So, changing flowers in the yard is the first step to block inappropriate things out of my sight?”

“Yes.” Chu Junyi nodded.

Shen Ninghua suddenly felt that the next few months would be tough. However, looking at Chu Junyi’s excited face, she was reluctant to interrupt his fun of being a new father, so she nodded without making any comments. “I’m hungry. Let’s have something to eat.”

For the next few days, Shen Ninghua’s life was exceptionally calm, and all the trivial matters were handled properly before she knew them. All she needed to do was walking around the garden and eating.

“Eldest Sister!”

Shen Xuanlin ran over with a small bow in his hand and sweat on his forehead. The smile on his face was extremely bright. “Eldest Sister, look, I made a bow for my little nephew. When he is born, he will definitely be able to use it.”

Shen Xuanlin ran extremely fast and his voice was extremely loud and excited. However, when he was about five steps away from Shen Ninghua, he suddenly stopped and tidied his clothes. Only then did he carefully walk to Shen Ninghua step by step.

Shen Ninghua watched with amusement and beckoned him over. “Did you make the bow by yourself?”

“Yes.” Shen Xuanlin presented the bow to Shen Ninghua like a treasure. “I also made a wooden horse for my little nephew, but it’s not good enough. I need more practice.”

“Have you delayed your studies recently?”

“No, I didn’t delay my studies at all. I did these in my spare time. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Master Liu Yun. I did not slack at all.” He didn’t dare to slack. After all, there was still that kid Yun Chuan waiting behind him to catch up!

“Of course, I believe in you. I’m just worried that you don’t have time to rest.”

Shen Xuanlin looked at Shen Ninghua’s belly, and his eyes were full of curiosity and caution. He even slightly held his breath, afraid that he would hurt his little nephew if he breathed too hard. “Eldest Sister, how many more months do I have to wait before my little nephew comes out?”

“More than eight months.”

“Well, that’s enough for me to prepare a lot of things.” Shen Xuanlin’s eyes shone brightly as he leaned closer to Shen Ninghua’s belly and pretentiously coughed twice. “Little nephew, I’m your uncle. Don’t worry, I will study martial arts hard and personally train a docile pony for you. Hmm, you heard me, right? Be obedient in your mother’s belly and don’t make her tired. Otherwise…otherwise…well, you know.”

Hearing that he repeated “otherwise” several times without coming up with any concrete threat, Shen Ninghua couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.

Shen Xuanlin was rather embarrassed, probably feeling that he lost his face in front of his future “little nephew”. He left behind the words “I’m going to practice martial arts” and ran out in a hurry, causing Shen Ninghua to laugh even louder.

As soon as he walked out of the door, Chu Junyi walked in. Seeing Shen Ninghua laughing and covering her belly, he was shocked and scared. His entire body stiffened. “Ninghua, stop laughing. Be careful with your belly.”

After enduring for a while, Shen Ninghua stopped smiling and looked at Chu Junyi. “You are back from court. How’s the situation in the Palace?”

Because of the laughter, her face turned slightly red as if it was covered by a peach blossom. Her dark eyes were also glowing with light, making Chu Junyi want to lean over and kiss her. Chu Junyi’s heart lost a beat, so he hugged her and placed the plate of dessert beside her hand.

“The harem has been very restless lately. The Emperor is suspicious of the Empress. In order to gain his trust, the Empress could only sacrifice a lot of her people. You know, the Empress has been dominating the harem for so many years, and many concubines have been practically made obscure. These concubines surely want to seize such a good opportunity now.”

Shen Ninghua leaned against his embrace with a lazy expression. “The Empress is now trying to prove her innocence, so she naturally won’t take action to suppress the turmoil in the harem at this time. She might even add fuel to the fire, because the more chaotic it is, the more convenient it is for her to act in secret. Consequently, Father Emperor’s attention will be distracted.”

“Yes, the Empress’s very scheming. The people she eliminated were not just her own forces. Many of the people who were nurtured by other concubines were also purged. Even I lost a lot of people.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “Then you have to be more vigilant.”

Seeing that she was worried, Chu Junyi regretted it in his heart. He could handle this matter himself. Those words unnecessarily made Ninghua distracted. “Ninghua, you don’t need to worry about this. My men are extremely secretive and I seldom use them. There’s not much that the Empress can find out. This won’t cause much damage. You don’t need to worry.”

Shen Ninghua nodded. “That’s good.”

Seeing her brows relax, Chu Junyi felt relieved.

Bai Ruo knocked on the door and came in. “Miss, Master, Miss Yang is here and waiting in the flower hall.”

Chu Junyi frowned. “Yang Yingxue?”

“Yes.”

“Ninghua, it’s better not to see her at this time. I will let someone tell her that you are taking a nap.”

Shen Ninghua shook her head and stopped him. “There are still eight months before the baby is born. How can I avoid seeing people for such a long time? Furthermore, you can easily block my cousin, but what if the Empress summons me?”

Hearing this, Chu Junyi felt his heart tighten. They had caused the Empress to suffer a great loss this time. How could the Empress not take advantage of this opportunity to retaliate? Now that Ninghua was pregnant, the Empress could simply let Ninghua salute or stand for a longer time and that was enough to hurt her.

As he thought to himself, Chu Junyi’s eyes flashed with an extremely sharp cold light. He wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt his baby! It seemed that something must be done faster than planned.

Yang Yingxue sat on the chair in the flower hall. Her fingers gently caressed the lid of the cup, and her eyes were filled with unease.

Shen Ninghua’s expression changed when she saw Yang Yingxue. “Cousin, you’re here?”

She didn’t know if it was because Yang Yingxue had experienced many things, but compared to before, Yang Yingxue was much more modest, less jealous, less impulsive, and more relaxed, making her look even more outstanding.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“There’s no need to be so polite at home.” Shen Ninghua smiled and said, “Cousin, sit down.”

Yang Yingxue’s fingers unconsciously held onto the silk handkerchief in her hand, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

Shen Ninghua was more and more certain that she had something to tell her this time: “How is aunt?”

“Hmm? Hmm, good, everything is good about her.”

Noticing her absent-mindedness, Shen Ninghua did not beat around the bush and she directly said, “Cousin, you’re a little absent-minded. Is there anything you need to discuss with me?”

Yang Yingxue took a deep breath as if she had made up her mind. She looked up at Shen Ninghua and said, “Your Highness, I’ve come here to beg you.”

Beg her? Shen Ninghua’s eyes moved. “Cousin, you can just tell me what you want. Why do you have to use the word ‘beg’?”

Yang Yingxue shook her head and frowned slightly. “Your Highness, I’ve thought about it for a long time before coming to ask for your help. I know you’re expecting and I shouldn’t disturb you. But if I don’t tell you now, I’m afraid I’ll regret it for life.”

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes and guessed. “You’re here for Baili Jinchuan, aren’t you?”

Yang Yingxue suddenly trembled and swallowed her saliva before nodding. “Well, he is coming back from the battlefield soon. I heard from my father that the Emperor wants to make him a royal prince and wants to choose a wife and some concubines for him.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. “That’s right. I also heard that Father Emperor has such a plan. However, what kind of help do you want from me?”

Yang Yingxue stood up and walked to Shen Ninghua, kneeling on the ground and grabbing her hand. “Cousin, I know you will look down on me, but I have no other choice. I want to marry the Second Prince!”

“Cousin…” Baili Jinchuan’s personality was extreme, and even she couldn’t predict it. He really wasn’t a good choice.

As if afraid that Shen Ninghua would refuse, Yang Yingxue hurriedly explained, “I know my status is low and I can’t be the Second Princess. I don’t even dare to ask for the position of a first concubine. I just want to marry him and accompany him.”

“Cousin, why bother?”