After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 310 I only wish to die

People can learn to behave; there's no one who can't be taught. It's just that some people are taught by their parents, while people like Yuan Zhaoyue are taught by society.

Before faking her pregnancy, she was such a spoiled person, but now she has actually learned to keep her composure.

Consort Jing was different. When she learned that she was infertile and that it was Imperial Physician Zhang who was acting on Consort De's orders, and that she had become pregnant again after being drugged, she was so angry that she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Dragging her shattered body, she went to find the Emperor to back her up, to seek revenge on Consort De. Granny Qu held her, tears streaming down her face, "Your Highness, my Lady, please calm down, please calm down! How can you seek revenge in this state? How can you find the Emperor to back you up?"

Consort Jing cried, "Why does everyone bully me? Why can they all bully me? I was the Empress back then! I was bullied by my older sister since I was a child. Whenever there was something good, she would only think of her, and no one would think of me."

"Even after I became Empress, they still think I'll pave the way for my sister. Every year I try every means to get money to subsidize her, but they're still not satisfied and want to scheme against me and my child. Consort De is just a concubine, yet she dares to scheme against me. Time and time again, I will not let her get away with it!"

Granny Qu cried, "It's good that you've figured it out, Your Highness. This is your life, and this is your health. She schemed against you, so we'll scheme back. Your Highness, please don't go looking for the Emperor, okay?"

"I will help you, I will go through fire and water for you, so don't think about asking anyone else for help. In this world, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself!"

Consort Jing hugged the nanny and cried bitterly, "Nanny, I regret it so much! Was I so stupid? How could I have ever thought of becoming his wife? He has never liked me, has he? Has he always thought I was stupid and clumsy?"

With tears streaming down her face, Granny Qu said, "Your Highness, it's all in the past. Don't think about those things anymore. Let's live a good life together once the Seventh Prince returns!"

The seventh prince was born on the 28th day of the fourth month of the eighth year of Yongxi. He is now one year and three months old, but he is weak and cannot walk yet.

Consort Guo brought him and the Third Princess to Qingyan Palace to play. The Third Princess chattered away, while the Seventh Prince lay in the nanny's arms, watching quietly, glancing at the Third Princess, then at the Empress, and then at his mother.

His eyebrows and expression resembled those of Prime Minister Pei, and his mouth and nose still bore some resemblance to Li Yuanke. He was very calm and composed. Seeing him was like seeing Prime Minister Pei reincarnated.

Shen Shixi clapped her hands at the Seventh Prince, "Come here, Little Seven, let me give you a hug!"

The old nanny hesitated before handing over the seventh prince, reminding him, "Her Majesty the Empress is heavy. Although the seventh prince isn't very heavy, he is still the legitimate heir and of noble birth. It wouldn't be good if he got hurt."

Shen Shixi said, "They're not that delicate. When I was traveling before, I saw many farm women working in the fields with big bellies, and they were fine."

Consort Guo hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. What is your status? How can you compare yourself to a peasant woman?"

Shen Shixi didn't argue with her about the concept of equality for all, because she might think she was crazy.

"I'm not saying it's for comparison or anything. I'm saying that pregnant women aren't that delicate. In fact, more exercise is quite good; it helps the baby grow strong and makes delivery easier."

The old woman said, "Your Majesty is right. If I may presume to say something, rural women give birth very quickly and easily, probably because they do a lot of farm work."

Shen Shixi said, "That's exactly right!"

She hugged the seventh prince and gave him a little shake. "Isn't our little seventh prince working harder now? He looks much better than before. Keep up the good work, young man! I believe in you, you can do it!"

The Seventh Prince, whether he understood or not, just smiled with pursed lips. Shen Shixi playfully flicked his nose. "What are you laughing at, you little rascal? You're quite amusing!"

Xiao Qi snuggled closer to her and touched her stomach.

The child was very thin, lacking the vitality and spirit of children his age. Shen Shixi handed the child back to the nanny and said to Consort Guo, "Whatever Xiao Qi lacks, have someone tell the Imperial Household Department. I will also instruct the Imperial Medical Academy to ensure the physicians take good care of Xiao Qi. We must all cheer for Xiao Qi!"

The next sentence was said to Xiaoqi!

Guo Fei nodded, her eyes red.

The old nanny also saw it all. She was the seventh prince's wet nurse, and they shared the same fate. She was also a kind person and often worried about the seventh prince. Now she breathed a sigh of relief and felt that the Empress was a really good person.

As the weather grew cooler, Shen Shixi's belly was much larger than usual. The imperial physician examined her pulse and said it was twins. However, given that Li Yuanke was currently experiencing significant emotional fluctuations, was overly anxious about the pregnant woman and the fetus, and was suffering from daily anxiety and frequent urination at night, Shen Shixi did not allow the imperial physician to tell the emperor that she was pregnant with twins.

Jiang Lingyou was dumbfounded. Putting aside whether a father has the right to know how many children he will have, is it even a crime to deceive the emperor?

"Your Majesty, this is probably inappropriate! Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you!" Jiang Lingyou deeply regretted not having brought Imperial Physician Zhang with him; otherwise, he could have made Imperial Physician Zhang defy the imperial decree.

"What's wrong with that?" Shen Shixi glanced at him. "Jiang Lingyou, don't forget, you gave me the prescription for contraception before, and you even made the pills for me."

Jiangling Youxin said, "If I had known you were going to the palace to become a concubine, I would never have made the pills for you even if you killed me. You only said you were going to get married, how was I supposed to know you were going to marry the emperor?"

"I'll be punished by death!"

"What do you think you would do if I told the Emperor about this?"

"I only ask for death!" Jiang Lingyou did not want to be cut to pieces by a dull knife any longer.

"Oh, I like making people wish they were dead. Do you want to try?" Shen Shixi said. "I didn't say you were plotting a rebellion. The Emperor won't ask me if I'm carrying twins or a single baby. If you don't tell me, what kind of deceiving the Emperor is that?"

Jiangling You was speechless. If only he had known this would happen, why did he do it in the first place?

But it was too late to say anything.

"Oh, by the way, Jiang Lingyou, do you have a girl you like?"

Jiang Lingyou was stunned by this direct approach. He looked at Shen Shixi with a mournful expression and thought to himself, "Are you even a woman?"

"If you have a girl you like, I'm willing to arrange a marriage for you!"

"No!"

Jiang Lingyou disregarded all etiquette and stormed out of Peach Blossom Village. Behind him came Shen Shixi's loud laughter. He faced the sun, and his mood brightened.

What is he afraid of? Someone like her is not the type to drag others down with her.

When he passed by Shuixin Pavilion, he saw ginkgo trees.

Yinxing was waiting for him there. She said, "Physician Jiang, I've come to thank you. Thank you for lending me your manuscript. I've finished reading it and I'm returning it to you!"

Ginkgo was still a little reluctant to leave, and she looked deeply at Jiang Lingyou.

Jiang Lingyou took it without a second thought, tucking it into his pocket. "You're welcome. If you learn this, it will benefit your patients in the future, which is also a good deed!"

Yinxing walked alongside him. "Imperial Physician Jiang, are you going to take the Empress's pulse?"

Jiang Lingyou glanced at her sideways. "Yes! Is there something you need, Miss Ginkgo?"

Ginkgo, observing this, pursed her lips and asked, "I wonder how Her Majesty the Empress's unborn child is? It should be alright, right?"