Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 362 Your Majesty, the Empress is Pregnant!

The music inside the hall suddenly stopped.

"Your Majesty, I am indeed feeling unwell." Meng Shu lazily raised her eyes, her voice tinged with weariness, and gave this dry reply.

The Empress was speechless for a moment before saying, "...Since you are not feeling well, you shouldn't force yourself to stay awake. We should summon the imperial physician to take a look."

The Emperor frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Meng Shu's pale face for a moment: "Physician He is on duty outside the palace."

He winked at Jingming, "Go and summon him in to take Meng Jieyu's pulse."

Meng Shu rose and curtsied, "Your Majesty, I just feel a little weak. I'll be fine after a rest. There's no need to trouble the imperial physician."

Jingming glanced at the Emperor's expression and saw the Emperor nod slightly. He immediately strode down the steps and hurried to the side hall.

Just then, Qu Baolin, who had been silent until now, said, "Is Consort Meng sick because she has been preparing congratulatory gifts for Consort Chun for days?"

She blinked innocently, "The two ladies and their servants... have such a deep sisterly bond, it's truly enviable."

Upon hearing this, Qu Cairen, who was sitting next to her, turned deathly pale.

She grabbed Qu Baolin's sleeve, lowered her voice, and said hatefully, "If you want to die, don't drag Uncle down with you. If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute. Haven't you learned your lesson the last two times?"

Qu Baolin's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his usually docile cousin, his chest heaving: "Qu Qingge, who do you think you are? Do you think your high rank gives you the right to lecture me? Tomorrow I will send a message to Mother and Brother..."

"Enough!" Consort Qu interrupted sharply. She caught a glimpse of Consort Chun's gaze out of the corner of her eye, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.

Just as Meng Shu was about to speak, Consort Chun gestured for her to stay still, then coldly said to Consort Qu, "Consort Qu and Consort Qu are indeed cousins, but they seem to be at odds?"

Qu Cairen immediately stood up, and as she turned around, she "accidentally" knocked over the teacup in front of Qu Baolin. The tea spilled onto Qu Baolin's skirt, instantly spreading a dark water stain.

"You—" Qu Baolin exclaimed softly, but fortunately Fuling stopped her in time, thus preventing her from behaving improperly in front of the palace.

"My cousin had an extra drink earlier and is a little drunk."

Consort Qu curtsied, her voice carrying just the right amount of apology: "Your Majesty, please forgive me; Your Majesty the Empress, please forgive me. I will accompany my cousin to change her clothes first."

Without a word, she took Qu Baolin's arm, her fingertips exerting a subtle pressure, yet her face still wore a gentle smile.

Seeing that Jingming had been gone for a while but hadn't returned, the Empress gave Xingyu a wink. Xingyu quietly withdrew and followed Consort Qu out of the main hall.

Inside the side hall, the scene was now quite different.

Xiao Nianzi stood in front of Doctor He, her voice trembling: "Lord He...you must be right...this servant can't bear the shock."

He Yizheng held a jade comb with a peony pattern in his hands, gently stroking the comb teeth with his fingertips, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"This jade comb... if I am not mistaken, it is indeed a medicinal comb. It's just that the fragrance masked the original faint medicinal smell because it was soaked in rose dew."

He looked up at the crowd surrounding him, his expression complex.

He was peacefully on duty in the warm pavilion when this young man dragged him over. He said there were two paintings of waterfalls among the congratulatory gifts, which would be a good opportunity to admire them. He came along with great interest, but little did he know that the aunt by Consort Chun's side would pull him over to inspect the gifts, and he was unwittingly drawn into this mess.

It was also his fault for being so excited that his mouth moved faster than his brain; as soon as he touched the jade comb, he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Jingming walked into the side hall and happened to witness this. He dared not be negligent. Seeing that Jian Zhi was also there, he immediately looked at him and said, "Imperial Physician Jian, could you please also examine this comb to see if there are any hidden dangers?"

Upon hearing this, Doctor He quickly handed over the hot potato.

Jian Zhi never expected that, at Consort Chun's birthday banquet, under the watchful eyes of everyone, a problem could actually be found in the birthday gifts!

He took it and examined it closely, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the peony scroll pattern on the back of the comb.

This jade comb is pure white with a delicate texture, but there are a few strange brown marks faintly visible deep within the patterns.

He brought the jade comb close to his nose and hesitated, saying, "It seems to have been soaked in a blood-activating medicine such as Curcuma zedoaria and Ligusticum chuanxiong. The medicinal properties have seeped into the texture of the jade. I'm afraid we'll have to take it back to the Imperial Medical Bureau for a detailed examination to determine the exact type of medicine."

Doctor He continued, "These kinds of medicinal combs generally have the effects of breaking up blood stasis, promoting qi circulation, eliminating stagnation, and relieving pain. They are a commonly used method for treating headaches..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jingming's expression turned serious—everyone knew that Consort Chun had never suffered from headaches. He carefully put away the jade comb and bowed to Physician He, saying, "This matter will be put aside for now. Consort Meng is unwell; His Majesty requests that Physician He come to examine her."

Seeing that things were settled, Green Willow quietly retreated back to the main hall and whispered a few words in Meng Shu's ear.

Meng Shu nodded slightly, her gaze as cold as an autumn pool, sweeping over Xie Meiren as if she were looking at a dead person.

Jingming also came over at this time and asked her to move to the inner hall for a consultation.

Just as Meng Shu was about to get up and take her leave, the Emperor spoke first: "I will accompany Shu'er to the inner palace."

The inner hall of Linde Hall.

Doctor He took out a pulse pillow from his medicine box and placed his hand on Meng Shu's outstretched wrist. The moment his fingertips touched her pulse, his heart skipped a beat.

He held his breath and focused intently as he examined the patient again.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened? Is Consort Meng alright?"

Physician He was kneeling on the ground, his face full of joy: "Your Majesty, I congratulate Consort Meng and Your Majesty! Your Majesty's pulse is smooth and rapid, like pearls rolling on a plate. According to the pulse, you are more than a month pregnant."