My Beloved Concubine Only Wants to Eat Melons

Chapter 104

Just as his palm was about to rest on Yanshu's swollen belly,

Yuwen Lan was startled at first, but quickly composed himself and forced himself to stay calm.

Yes, what mattered most now wasn't letting her hear his thoughts.

Rather, he couldn't let her discover that he could hear hers.

Otherwise, she would surely be angry...

Having cleared his mind, he cheerfully agreed and placed his hand on her belly again.

Meanwhile, he tried hard to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.

Then suddenly, he felt something move beneath his palm.

Though gentle, the movement was distinct—like a soft rabbit or deer lightly kicking against his heart.

Yuwen Lan was stunned, followed by a rush of wonder and joy.

This was his child.

This was the first time he had felt the little one's presence.

Thinking back to not long ago, when it was only the size of a peanut or taro, and now it could play with him through its mother's belly?

He wondered what movement the little one had just made?

A kick? A wave? Or perhaps a somersault?

...

Having heard all these thoughts, Yanshu said proudly, "The baby has been moving for quite a while now, but Your Majesty never tried to feel it before."

Yuwen Lan smiled and hummed in agreement, appearing very good-natured, "I have been negligent."

Then he thought to himself, would the clothing make it harder to feel clearly?

So he tried placing his palm directly on her bare belly, hoping to feel more distinctly.

But the little one stopped moving.

However, the sensation under his hand caught his attention.

Hmm, smooth, just like before.

Well, since she became pregnant, he had strictly followed the doctor's orders and dared not touch her carelessly. Though they still shared a bed, he hadn't touched her like this for a long time.

Now he couldn't help but let his mind wander...

He suddenly missed those nights of intimacy before her pregnancy...

Speaking of which, it had been several months now—could they perhaps...?

Maybe he should ask Doctor Jiang later?

Yanshu, who had been secretly listening to his thoughts, went [???]

Why was he thinking about this?

She finally had a chance to read his mind!

Though, come to think of it, it was actually allowed now.

Doctor Jiang had said it would be fine after the first trimester, ahem.

Hmm?

Yuwen Lan's eyes lit up.

But before he could think further, Fu Hai suddenly announced from the doorway, "Your Majesty, the Northwest Governor seeks an audience at Qianming Palace."

Yuwen Lan snapped back to reality.

Oh right, it was still broad daylight, and he had rushed back from Qianming Palace to see her. There must be a pile of matters waiting for him to handle.

And there was still the matter of the Duke Qi's heir.

He had to withdraw his hand, coughed lightly, and said to her, "Rest well, I'll return early tonight."

Then he stood up and strode out of the hall.

Yanshu raised an eyebrow, pondering—

What did he plan to do by coming back early...?

He wasn't really going to ask the doctor, was he...?

Although... it was quite something to look forward to, ahem.

Of course, it was still early, and how could she be distracted by male beauty when there were important matters at hand?

The Duke Qi family affair couldn't just be told to the Emperor!

After all, their story could fill several novels!

Hehe, she would write it while the iron was hot.

Filled with righteous indignation, her creative juices flowing, Yanshu spent two days writing two novels.

However, she didn't rush to publish them, but first took the manuscripts to the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

Tsk, with so much gossip about Duke Qi's family, how could she not share it first with her number one fan!

However, when she arrived, before she could present the manuscripts, the Empress Dowager first inquired about her well-being.

"I haven't seen you for two days, are you feeling unwell?"

Yanshu was startled, about to speak, when she heard the Empress Dowager's thoughts while examining her carefully, [This girl hasn't visited for two days, could she have been upset by that old Duke Qi? Hmph, that old man has always been scheming, submitting a petition for establishing an heir at this time, his intentions are truly despicable!]

Hearing this, warmth filled Yanshu's heart.

She knew her number one fan cared for her the most.

Of course, this also showed how much the Empress Dowager disliked Duke Qi.

Indeed, as the Emperor's mother, she had the most right to worry about the Emperor's affairs. How could Duke Qi bypass her and submit a petition directly? How could anyone not find that annoying!

She quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. I've been well these past days, just busy writing novels and failed to pay my respects to you, which was truly remiss of me."

The Empress Dowager responded with an "Oh" and immediately showed interest, asking, "What novel have you written this time?"

Since there was no one else in the hall, Yanshu directly explained, "Actually, His Majesty received news a few days ago that Duke Qi's heir, Guo Zhenghai, had forcibly taken Lin Chengxian's eldest daughter as a concubine several years ago. Lin Chengxian was a commander of the right guard in Lu Prefecture. Within two years, Guo wanted to take his second daughter as well. When Lin refused and hurriedly arranged a marriage for his second daughter, Guo Zhenghai framed him for stealing and selling military provisions, landing him in prison. Now that Lin has just been released, Guo Zhenghai learned of it and wants to use the same trick to harm him again."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Isn't Guo Zhenghai over fifty? How could he still commit such outrageous acts?"

Yanshu quickly nodded, "His Majesty was also quite shocked at first and ordered an investigation. Not only was this incident true, but they discovered other matters in their household that were even more shocking. I felt these things should be made known to the world, so I wrote two novels about them."

The Empress Dowager responded, "You wrote two novels in just two days? Don't exhaust yourself."

Yanshu quickly nodded, "Don't worry, Your Grace, I'm not tired. I brought the manuscripts today—would you like me to read them to you?"

This was something the Empress Dowager enjoyed most, so she naturally nodded, "Since you've already written them, of course I want to hear them."

Yanshu agreed and took out the manuscripts to read to the Empress Dowager.

As she said, she had written two novels about Duke Qi's household. The first focused on Lin and his daughters, portraying a father who truly loved his daughters and protected them against powerful forces, until finally receiving justice from a wise emperor who cleared their names and punished the villains, leading to the family's reunion.

After listening, the Empress Dowager said, "It seems the Lin family was truly wronged. This Commander Lin is far better than those who use their own flesh and blood to curry favor with the powerful—he deserves praise. But this Duke Qi's heir went too far! Does he think the law belongs to his family? Arbitrarily framing good people for revenge!"

Yanshu quickly consoled her, "Don't worry, Your Grace. Since His Majesty has ordered an investigation, he will surely ensure the villains get what they deserve."

The Empress Dowager sighed, "Though that may be true, it's still pitiful that Lin's eldest daughter was violated by Guo Zhenghai!"

Then she asked, "What's the second novel about?"

Yanshu replied, "The second novel is about the inner court affairs of the Guo family." Then she began reading it to the Empress Dowager.

Compared to the first story, this one had more complex plots, starting with how Lady Wei, Guo Zhenghai's wife, had framed her cousin sister while still unmarried, then after entering Duke Qi's household, how she used her position as the main wife to torment the concubines. It thoroughly exposed all her crimes.

The Empress Dowager kept shaking her head in anger as she listened, "That woman always appears so proper and generous, who would have thought she was so vicious! No wonder the capital suddenly spread rumors about her cousin sister having a pockmarked face—it was her doing all along! Come to think of it, it's fortunate her cousin sister didn't marry into Duke Qi's household. Lady Wei and Guo Zhenghai truly are a perfect match, as they say: birds of a feather flock together."

Yanshu nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, indeed, they're truly a match made in heaven. It's just a pity for those women who were forcibly taken into their household."

The Empress Dowager also sighed, saying, "With such parents, how could they raise any good children?"

["Hmph, that old man has the nerve to petition for an Empress selection! Others must have the worst luck in eight generations to become in-laws with them!"]

Yanshu silently took in these words, nodding repeatedly in her heart like pounding garlic.

As expected of her number one supporter, even the criticism was so satisfying!

Speaking of which, she hadn't told the Empress Dowager about how Duke Qi's grandson was involved with his father's concubine.

This matter was particularly difficult to bring up, after all, it was an extremely private affair that couldn't be easily investigated.

However, these two incidents were enough.

She then said, "After thinking it over, the injustice of Officer Lin can be handled well now that the court is involved, but Lady Wei's actions are all domestic matters. I'm afraid they won't be easy to address, given that in their household, it seems no one will stand up for those poor women."

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You haven't released that story yet, have you?"

Yanshu quickly nodded, "His Majesty just sent people to Lu Prefecture, and the investigation is likely still ongoing. I dare not release it yet, fearing that if it gets out, Duke Qi's heir might silence people, which would be terrible."

The Empress Dowager nodded, "Well, let's wait two more days then. The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. Last time at the Golden Mirror Pool, the storytelling arrangement was quite good. This time at Jinbo Garden, we might as well have the Court of Imperial Sacrifices arrange another one."

Upon hearing this, Yanshu quickly nodded, "Of course!"

Hehe, as expected of her number one supporter, always thinking along the same lines as her!

Two days passed quickly, and soon it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

To welcome the palace nobles and guests, Jinbo Garden began preparations two days in advance.

As night fell, thousands of palace lanterns illuminated the garden, complementing the bright moon above, casting the pavilions and towers in magnificent splendor.

Seeing this scene, the guests couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, though they dared not linger to appreciate it.

This was because the palace nobles had arrived, and they needed to hurry to pay their respects.

Yanshu had slept well during the day to prepare for tonight's entertainment. Now she sat at the front of the hall with the Emperor and Empress Dowager, watching guests come forward one by one to pay their respects, feeling quite energetic.

Such an occasion naturally included royal relatives like the Grand Princess's family and King Ruyang's family, as well as court nobles such as the Marquis of Guangyang, Linwu Marquis, Marquis of Xuanping, and the Minister of Works.

Speaking of which, having not seen him for a while, that paper-eating Marquis of Guangyang had actually gained quite a bit of weight, with noticeably fuller cheeks and better complexion, quite different from his previously increasingly gaunt appearance.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager asked, "It seems the Marquis of Guangyang has recovered?"

Before the Marquis could speak, the Marchioness of Guangyang quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. The Marquis's appetite has improved greatly, and his meals are now regular."

The Marquis hastily nodded along, "Thank you for your care, Your Grace. I have indeed recovered."

Well, ever since discovering the miraculous food called pancakes at the water festival banquet at Golden Mirror Pool, he had found a new hobby.

This food had a texture similar to paper but felt much better in the stomach and was nutritious. It could be wrapped with various fillings, which finally helped him gradually abandon his strange habit of eating paper and return to a normal life.

He was truly grateful to whoever prepared the food at that water festival banquet - they were his savior!

Yuwen Lan silently listened, secretly glancing at Yanshu.

Meanwhile, Yanshu modestly nodded along with the Empress Dowager, saying nothing.

It was a small matter, not worth mentioning.

More familiar faces appeared afterward, and Yanshu recognized many of them from the various palace banquets she had attended over the past year.

However, perhaps due to Duke Qi's recent petition for the Empress selection, many families had brought their eligible young daughters tonight, all dressed in fine silks and looking splendid.

Yet Yanshu paid them no mind, as she was wholly focused on waiting for tonight's main characters - Duke Qi's family - to make their appearance.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before they appeared.

The white-haired Duke Qi led the way, followed by his son Guo Zhenghai, daughter-in-law Lady Wei, and their children Guo Jianguang and Guo Zhaorong.

Duke Qi led his family in paying respects to the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Yanshu, "This old subject and family wish Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Yi a peaceful Mid-Autumn Festival."

As he was an elder, Yuwen Lan naturally responded politely, "No need for such formality, please rise."

As soon as he spoke, he heard the simultaneous thoughts of the Empress Dowager and Yanshu in his mind--

Yanshu: [Look, this is that old scoundrel's family! We absolutely can't let them off tonight!]

Empress Dowager: [Hmph! So this is that family, it's not easy to have them all gathered today. If heaven has eyes, a bolt of lightning should strike them down.]

Yuwen Lan: "..."

Yanshu: "..."

Well, that's a good idea, but it's already August, so the chances of thunder are quite low.

Just as she was thinking this, Duke Qi's family had risen, and Lady Wei took the initiative to say, "As we entered the garden earlier, we saw the flickering lanterns, truly magnificent. It is our fortune to enjoy such scenery with the nobles today."

As she finished speaking, her daughter Guo Zhaorong quickly nodded in agreement.

The Empress Dowager spoke, "Consort Yi is now carrying the imperial heir, we cannot risk any mishaps. Having more lanterns makes the garden brighter, preventing anyone from accidentally stepping into any pits or ditches, which would be unfortunate."

Upon hearing this, everyone paused.

Well, the Empress Dowager's words... seemed to carry some hidden meaning?

Lady Wei also hesitated, only able to nod repeatedly, "The Empress Dowager speaks wisely."

Feeling too self-conscious to separately introduce her daughter for greetings, she quickly retreated to the side.

Seeing that all guests had arrived, the Mid-Autumn banquet began.

Tonight there was again singing and dancing for entertainment. As the music played, guests exchanged cups, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Many young noble ladies had prepared performances for tonight, waiting for their chance to show their talents.

However, at this moment, several palace servants brought out a table with a wooden clapper on it, followed by a man who appeared to be a storyteller.

Everyone immediately became curious - there would be storytelling tonight?

This was truly novel.

Then, the storyteller struck his wooden clapper and began to speak.

"I am honored today to tell you several new stories from the pen of the Carefree Young Master."

Oh? New stories from the Carefree Young Master?

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Especially the Minister of Works, Yanshu's number one fan, who immediately put down his wine cup and chopsticks, forgetting everything else to listen with full attention.

The storyteller's first story was based on Duke Qi's heir's wife.

Come to think of it, this was the same artist who had performed at Golden Mirror Pool, and after not seeing him for a while, his skills had improved even more. His vivid performance portrayed Lady Wei's malice even more incisively than Yanshu's original story.

When they heard about how the woman had harmed her sisters to marry into a noble family, then after marriage persecuted the concubines, and even disfigured and sold off or drowned in the lake any maids who had been harassed by her lecherous husband, everyone was furious to the extreme, almost wanting to flip their tables on the spot.

Fortunately, the storyteller then took a turn in the narrative, saying, "Finally, one day, the vengeful spirits of all those she had killed came to claim her life, possessing her son and daughter, making them go mad, smashing things at home, cursing and biting people. In her panic, she had no choice but to send for a Taoist priest to take a look. However, after examining the situation, the priest said that she had committed too many evil deeds, and now could only kowtow before the gods for redemption, for seven times seven, forty-nine days, before there might be a chance to dispel these vengeful spirits' harassment."

At this point, the Grand Princess couldn't help but ask, "Did she do it? Come to think of it, if forty-nine days of fasting and praying could really eliminate this woman's sins, that seems too easy!"

Everyone nodded, thinking that after this woman had committed so many evil deeds, if she could offset them just by fasting and praying, that would be too unsatisfying!

The storyteller smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't be hasty. Although the Taoist said this, the woman had no intention of following his advice. After all, doing so would confirm that she had indeed committed these evil deeds, and if word got out, wouldn't she lose all face? So she sent people from her household to search for an even more powerful expert who could suppress the haunting spirits. However, before such an expert could be found, the vengeful spirits in the mansion grew increasingly furious, compelling her own children one dark night - one pushed her into a well, while the other set fire to the residence."

The Grand Princess's eyes widened, "So the woman drowned in the end?"

The storyteller nodded, "Indeed. At the time, the house was engulfed in flames, and everyone was frantically trying to escape and extinguish the fire. By the time they managed to put out the blaze and remembered her, they discovered she had already drowned in the well. At that moment, all the vengeful spirits vanished, and peace finally returned to the mansion. However, the buildings had been reduced to ruins and became uninhabitable."

"Serves her right! Absolutely deserved it!"

The Grand Princess clapped her hands, "This is what we call karma! What a satisfying ending!"

As her words fell, everyone joined in the applause, nodding in agreement, "What a gratifying story!"

Amidst the chorus of praise, Yanshu glanced at the story's protagonist, Lady Wei.

She saw that Lady Wei's face had turned ashen, looking extremely uncomfortable.

She even seemed to be hesitating, appearing as if she wanted to leave her seat.

Hmph, how she loved seeing the panicked expressions of those who had done evil deeds.

Where was all that energy now, compared to when she had been so determined to set traps for her?

Just then, the white-haired Duke Qi suddenly spoke up, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Telling these fabricated ghost stories is rather inappropriate for the occasion."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

What's inappropriate about it?

This old man was the one being inappropriate - it was just a story, and unless one had done something to trouble their conscience, why fear ghost tales?

Of course, they could only feel angry but dared not speak up, as the old man's status was too high to challenge casually.

Fortunately, Yanshu spoke up promptly, addressing the storyteller, "In that case, tell us something else. Surely you have stories without ghosts?"

The storyteller immediately nodded, "Indeed, I do. Please be patient, everyone."

He struck his wooden clappers and said, "Let me tell you all a second story. In Lu Prefecture, not far from the capital, there lived a family where husband and wife were deeply in love and lived in harmony. They raised two wonderful daughters who were both very well-behaved, earning praise from all their neighbors. As time passed, the daughters grew more beautiful by the day. Soon the elder daughter reached marriageable age, and suitors were practically wearing down their doorstep."

"Just as the parents were carefully considering potential sons-in-law for their elder daughter, a powerful old man from the capital appeared. This old man, apart from his wealthy and distinguished background, had absolutely no redeeming qualities. He regularly bullied others and committed all manner of evil deeds. Despite being several years older than the girl's father, he set his sights on their elder daughter. Using various schemes, threats, and enticements, he eventually forced the good girl to become his concubine."

At this point, the storyteller deliberately paused, and a wave of angry voices arose from the banquet.

Perhaps due to the wine, or perhaps due to Duke Qi's earlier forceful interruption, everyone was harboring anger. They couldn't help but exclaim, "This old man's face is truly as thick as the city walls! He's even older than the girl's father, yet he has the nerve to force her to be his concubine!"

"Exactly! He has absolutely no sense of propriety or shame!"

Amidst the chorus of condemnation, Duke Qi's heir, Guo Zhenghai, appeared extremely uncomfortable, suddenly standing up as if trying to slip away unnoticed.

However, the Emperor spoke up to stop him, "Where is Lord Guo heading?"

Guo Zhenghai froze, then bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I suddenly feel unwell and wish to get some fresh air..."

Before he could finish, the Emperor replied, "There are imperial physicians in the garden today. Let them examine you."

Imperial physicians?

That would be disastrous if they actually examined him!

Guo Zhenghai was startled and quickly said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I wouldn't dare trouble the imperial physicians. I'm fine."

The Empress Dowager watched this exchange and sneered, "If you're fine, then sit down properly and listen to the story."

Guo Zhenghai had no choice but to respond and return to his seat.