usatvline Chapter 347 Giving Gifts
Chapter 347 Giving Gifts
Xie Ci'an did not hide the fact that Gu Jianchu was pregnant, and the news soon spread throughout the court and the country.
Now these ministers have no way to place people in the harem, so they can only use their wives to please the queen. Even if they place a pawn in, if it falls out of favor, it will be faster than pleasing the queen, and the pawn may also make enemies everywhere.
The next day, Gu Jianchu was sent back to Kunning Palace in a sedan chair.
Gu Jianchu hadn't returned to Kunning Palace for a long time, but the entire Kunning Palace was kept spotlessly clean, as if she had always lived here. However, there were some differences. Some places seemed to have been renovated overnight, and there were several pots of wintersweets in the yard. It was not the time for them to bloom yet, so the entire wintersweets looked bare.
Gu Jianchu turned his head and saw that a flower bed had appeared in the corner of the wall. In the bed was a pomegranate tree that hadn't lost all its leaves yet. "When did a pomegranate tree appear?"
Zhuxi supported Gu Jianchu from the side, fearing that Gu Jianchu would lose his balance and fall again. "Yesterday, the emperor sent people to build the flowerbed overnight and plant it overnight. The emperor said that the pomegranate symbolizes good fortune and fertility. The emperor also said that he doesn't hope that the queen will have many children and good fortune, but only hopes that the queen can give birth safely."
How come she didn't know when the emperor came out yesterday and even prepared such a surprise for her?
Could it be that he did it while she was secretly asleep?
Because of her sleepiness, she slept for nearly an hour yesterday afternoon. It must have been at that time.
Zhu Xi reminded her, "Your Majesty, it's cold outside. Let's go into the main hall. The Madam and the eldest daughter will be brought into the palace soon."
As Gu Jianchu nodded, Qiutou hurried forward and pushed open the door, and a stream of warm air instantly leaked out of the room.
The entire hall looked brand new, with thick carpets on the floor and the heating on. The whole room was warm, and both the chairs and the couches were covered with thick blankets. Even the bed had been made up and replaced with a thick quilt.
There was a vase placed on every table in the room, filled with flowers grown in the greenhouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which made the whole room full of warmth.
A desk had appeared in the side hall where she was resting. "What's going on with this desk?"
"The Emperor sent someone here yesterday to arrange for him to stay with the Empress and handle some official business. If any ministers come to see her, he can return to the Chuigong Hall. He can accompany the Empress without disturbing her rest. The Emperor is not only thoughtful, but also considerate to the Empress." Zhu Xi explained with a faint smile on his face.
"Thank goodness he is so thoughtful." Gu Jianchu couldn't help but feel touched after hearing this.
Gu Jianchu was indeed moved by what Xie Ci'an did. Not only did he send all the concubines out of the palace, he also always considered her. How could she not be moved? Moreover, Xie Ci'an was not afraid of the Gu family's military power. He also valued the Gu family in every way during the year. Although his father could not return to Liaodong now, he did not do anything to abandon his father.
Gu Jianchu's eyes turned and fell on the pile of gifts beside him. "What's going on with these? Could they also be sent by the emperor?"
"These are not the gifts. These are the gifts sent by the ladies of the various families to congratulate the Empress on her pregnancy. They were just delivered, and I haven't sent anyone to register them yet."
"Let Zhuxia pack it up and move it to the warehouse." These things must have been given to curry favor with the ministers, so she still needed to know who sent what.
"Your Majesty, would you like to sit down and rest for a while? The imperial physician said that your pregnancy is just beginning and the fetus is unstable, so you need to rest well." Zhuxi kept in mind what the imperial physician said.
"Okay." Gu Jianchu moved around for a while and was indeed tired and sleepy.
Zhu Xia supported her as she came to the soft couch. As soon as she sat down, Qiu Tao hurried in and announced, "Her Majesty Wen Zhaoyi is here."
"Let her in." She hadn't seen Wen Zhaoyi for some time.
Gu Jianchu poured a cup of tea and placed it directly on the seat opposite Wen Zhaoyi after she came in. After Wen Zhaoyi paid her respects, Gu Jianchu shook Wen Zhaoyi's hand and pulled her to sit on the seat opposite. "It's cold outside. Drink some hot tea to warm yourself up first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I haven't congratulated you yet. Finally, the clouds have cleared and the moon is bright. You are pregnant with the emperor's heir. As long as this child is born, he will definitely be a rare talent." Concubine Wen was also really happy for Gu Jianchu.
She originally schemed to enter the palace without telling her mother. She didn't like the emperor and just wanted to live a peaceful life in the harem, so she never took the initiative to compete for favor. Even when her family forced her to compete for favor, she only thought about currying favor with the queen and never thought about currying favor with the emperor.
She was an outsider who watched the emperor and the empress grow more and more affectionate, so seeing them living in harmony and now having a child, she was really happy for them.
"I don't want my child to be an outstanding person. As long as he can help the emperor deal with some affairs and grow up safely, that's enough." Gu Jianchu didn't have so many wishes. If she pushed the child too hard, the child would suffer a lot.
"I don't have anything to show off. I was bored in the palace a while ago, so I specially prepared some small clothes for your children. They are all made of fine fabrics. My status is low, so I can't get much good fabric. These are collected bit by bit. They can be worn by both boys and girls. I hope your Majesty will not despise them."
"I have heard that the Empress's embroidery is excellent, so my embroidery skills are just a show of my own in front of the Empress."
As Wen Zhaoyi spoke, the little palace maid following behind her naturally brought the small clothes on the tray to Gu Jianchu.
Gu Jianchu picked up the small dress and took a look. The workmanship and stitching were meticulously crafted. Even the fabric was of the finest quality, imported from the imperial court. Conspirator Wen probably hadn't been willing to use it herself after the Imperial Household Department sent it over. "How could she dislike it? This small dress is so fine! Zhuxi, quickly and carefully put it away. This saves me the trouble of making it."
"I know that Your Majesty will get pregnant sooner or later, so whenever I receive some good fabrics, I will use them to make a few pieces. This can be considered as a way to pass the time."
"I don't know what the Empress wants, so I made a few snacks that the Empress likes to eat and sent them to her." Concubine Wen waved her hand, and the palace maid brought the food box to Gu Jianchu and carefully placed the pastries inside in front of Gu Jianchu.
"This is osmanthus cake, drizzled with a little honey, and there's also mochi, but I put bayberry juice in it. I heard that the Queen has had no appetite lately, so I thought of using something sour to stimulate her appetite. Please try it and see how it tastes."