Chapter 42: I Can’t Get Pregnant
“Long live the Emperor!!!”
“May the Great Wei mountains and rivers endure forever…”
The soldiers below the reviewing stand were now arrayed neatly. The number of soldiers from the Northern Garrison was far greater than at the grand court meeting at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the reviewing stand had sound-reflecting boards.
The roar of the crowd almost knocked Wei Wanlan off his feet.
Wei Wanlan’s wide eyes scanned the crowd, his lips slightly parted. He had never seen so many people bowing down at once in his life.
It was almost New Year’s Eve, and he felt that it was taking years off his life. So many people were rather scary. Everyone was tall and strong in heavy armor; standing at the highest point, he clearly lacked confidence.
How was a military review supposed to be conducted?
Was it like military training?
Should he stand on the platform and wave his hands, saying, “Comrades, hello, comrades, you’ve worked hard”? That wasn’t how it was done in ancient times, was it?
Ten thousand soldiers of the Northern Garrison awaited orders. A moment of silence hung over the training ground.
Wanting the Regent King to quickly raise the people from the ground, Wei Wanlan turned his head and was surprised to see that the Regent King had also knelt down before him; this was the second time he saw Su Jingzhi’s noble head.
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? QAQ…
The villain was making him cooperate in acting again!
He hadn’t given any prior warning!
This was the Great Wei emperor’s social death scene. He wasn’t good at public speaking.
He couldn’t go down and help each soldier up. He could only turn around to help the Regent King, thinking that if he pulled the big villain up, then the villain’s soldiers would follow suit, right?
However, as soon as Wei Wanlan’s hand touched Su Jingzhi’s shoulder, he found that he couldn’t move him.
Su Jingzhi’s lowered brows and eyes were fixed on the ground.
His voice, clear and cold, drifted into Wei Wanlan’s ears: “Your Majesty must say, ‘Rise.’”
Amazing!
Wei Wanlan was shocked. Did acting require a complete set of actions?
As expected of the Regent King, he was good at concealing his emotions. Even the main male lead could do surface work.
He could only stammer, “Rise,” his small voice lacking confidence. Su Jingzhi suddenly stood up, his tall figure towering next to him.
When he drew near, Wei Wanlan instinctively shrank his neck, like a small snail retreating into its shell.
Su Jingzhi simply gestured for him to look down at the reviewing stand, then stood behind him on the right, saying softly, “Just review them; anything will do.”
The socially anxious Wei Wanlan whispered, “What if I say something wrong?”
Su Jingzhi, hands behind his back, replied, “Those in high positions have no faults.”
Great male lead! So domineering!
Wei Wanlan was stunned. The big villain was indeed a big villain. Such arrogant words spoken by someone else would definitely result in a beating. In this book, only Su Jingzhi dared to say such things.
Therefore, Wei Wanlan dared not.
If he were to continue acting like a big bad wolf, in the future, if anyone joined him to overthrow the powerful minister and felt displeased, they might also eliminate him, this arrogant emperor.
Wei Wanlan cleared his throat, raising his voice to politely address the soldiers on the reviewing stand:
“It’s cold today, and it’s a holiday. It’s not easy for everyone to be stationed here. I’m grateful for your protection of Chang’an City. Please all get up.”
“—Thank you, Your Majesty!”
He didn’t use flowery language or ornate phrases.
But compared to the formal language that was always somewhat distant, the young emperor who was willing to lower himself and come to the camp, willing to communicate sincerely with the soldiers was somehow more approachable than the late emperor, who had been immersed in debauchery and had never appeared before the court.
But Wei Wanlan’s face was red, and he couldn’t think of what to say next.
He stole a glance at the big villain. The big villain remained silent, hands behind his back as if watching him make a fool of himself. He couldn’t just let the moment go silent.
“I…”
Everyone waited for him to continue speaking.
“Uh, I came in a hurry, and I didn’t prepare any good food for everyone. But the Regent King must have already treated everyone on my behalf.”
Wei Wanlan racked his brains, feeling that he was merely making up things to say; he was extremely embarrassed.
But as the Regent King said, no matter what he said, the soldiers below would listen attentively. This, in turn, encouraged Wei Wanlan, making him unwilling to perfunctorily dismiss the situation and trying to speak as much as he could.
“I haven’t personally governed and am unfamiliar with court affairs; I can’t promise the soldiers promotions or salaries.”
“I seem to have a private treasury, although I don’t know where the key is, but I’ll look for it and allocate some money from my personal funds to reward the brave fighters in the Northern Garrison…”
“Right, this is called a special scholarship, no, a special reward fund!”
This concept existed in universities but not yet in the Great Wei.
In the Great Wei, rewards were given based on military merit, the amounts allocated by the Ministry of War, and the standards were uniform.
But throughout history, no emperor had ever placed his personal treasury in a specific camp as a reserve fund to encourage the soldiers there to fight bravely.
This was the supreme glory of the Northern Garrison, and it was the Emperor’s unique favor toward them.
All the soldiers of the Northern Garrison were enveloped in warmth in the cold night, their voices as unified as thunder:
“Your humble servants are willing to die for Your Majesty, to give our lives for you. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years; may the mountains and rivers of Great Wei endure forever!”
…
The visit to the Northern Garrison was thrilling but ultimately safe.
At about the ninth hour, they left the military camp.
A carriage carried Wei Wanlan and the Regent King back to the palace.
It was the Emperor’s golden carriage, spacious and comfortable enough. Since the powerful minister wanted to sit, Wei Wanlan didn’t dare to chase him away.
Between the afternoon and evening, Wei Wanlan was both frightened and electrocuted, maintaining a state of high tension for several hours. Upon returning to the carriage and being warmed by the brazier, his entire body felt weak, and he could hear the creaking of his bones when he stretched.
But Wei Wanlan did not dare to completely relax.
Because Su Jingzhi was still sitting next to him.
The big villain had never ridden in the same carriage as him before. To say nothing of other things, his posture was impeccable; his jawline was slightly retracted, and his back was straight.
If he became lazy, he would be afraid that the big villain would suddenly glare at him or lightly cough.
Wei Wanlan took a deep breath, stiffly sitting as if on pins and needles. It was a bit boring.
Tonight, 404 had also been silent for a long time. He didn’t know what was wrong with it; was it going to electrocute him again? Should he hold onto a conductor at all times…
The sound of the wheels rolling. The air was filled with the woody fragrance of the big villain, fresh and slightly bitter, like cedar wood that had been sun-dried.
Wei Wanlan was quiet, but his eyelids felt heavier and heavier.
At this moment, the carriage shook!
The carriage seemed to roll over a stone, causing a jolt. Wei Wanlan flinched and bumped his head; when he opened his eyes again, he found that his head had hit Su Jingzhi’s shoulder. It hurt badly.
How could someone be so hard? Wei Wanlan pouted, feeling that his forehead was probably bruised. But, with a strong desire to survive, he said:
“I… didn’t hurt Your Highness, did I?”
Su Jingzhi: “The key to the private treasury is in An Ruyi’s hands; remember that.”
“Oh.” The little puppet-like obedience.
“The special reward fund you mentioned earlier can be allocated to the Northern Garrison by An Ruyi. He’s someone I’ve personally selected; he’s of good character.”
Wei Wanlan nodded, his head bobbing like a chick pecking at rice. This meant that he would finally have some spending money?!
So tragic. He had only just received his back pay as an emperor. QAQ
Wei Wanlan’s eyes flickered: “Then how much money do I have?”
“Check the accounts yourself.”
Bad guy, speaking half-truths.
Wei Wanlan gnashed his teeth secretly; the stone the carriage had run over had almost made him vomit. He had already been feeling unwell today, and he hadn’t had lunch. He covered his mouth with his sleeve, feeling nauseous.
The Regent King noticed his expression:
“…”
The big villain watched him silently in the carriage, his gaze complex. Wei Wanlan hastily covered his stomach instead of his mouth:
“I’m not pregnant! I’m just hungry! I won’t think I’m pregnant with your Su family’s child again!!!”
The Regent King’s complex expression became even more complex.
Wei Wanlan realized something was wrong. It seemed that his explanation was making things worse, and it was becoming increasingly suggestive.
Shocked and ashamed, Wei Wanlan quickly brought the conversation back a little, weakly adding:
“Anyway, I can’t get pregnant…”
The neighing of horses could be heard outside the carriage.
Tang Tuan couldn’t help but cough several times. Even this master who could hear everything couldn’t help but eavesdrop. He felt that whatever was happening inside the carriage, the boss was enjoying himself again.
Wei Wanlan’s face flushed crimson.
Covering his cheeks with his sleeves, he felt clumsy and tongue-tied, but he stubbornly tried to pull the conversation back:
“If Your Highness doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, even if I could get pregnant, I will never bear Your Highness’s child, okay?”
Su Jingzhi took a deep breath.
An even stronger sense of danger permeated the carriage.
It was as if a vortex had formed in the carriage, bringing down black water. Su Jingzhi’s fingers tightened slightly on his knees.
Frightened, Wei Wanlan hastily covered his mouth and lowered his head: “I think I shouldn’t talk anymore, QAQ.”
Otherwise, the big villain would inexplicably get angry.
It was past midnight when they arrived at the Purple Forbidden City.
It was late at night in the palace.
There were no even insects chirping on a winter night. Wei Wanlan was too tired to even open his eyes. In a daze, he felt the carriage stop. He rubbed his eyes and stepped out of the carriage, not knowing who was supporting him. He had somehow made it from the carriage to the ground.
His last memory was hearing An Ruyi’s voice, feeling his wrist being taken by Physician Fang to check his pulse, and hearing the big villain’s final words: “After handling the court affairs tomorrow, I will come to see you again.”
He said he was coming again tomorrow.
Why was he coming again tomorrow?
Wei Wanlan was so tired.
He wearily turned to his side and slept on his side in the bed.
When he was soundly asleep, Wei Wanlan suddenly realized he was having a nightmare. He was conscious, but he couldn’t wake up. He was immersed in a hazy dream.
In the dream, he seemed to hear the long-lost voice of 404.
But 404 lowered its electronic voice, sounding like an interrogation:
【—Host, you deliberately threw the voodoo puppet out of your sleeve, didn’t you?】
Wei Wanlan suddenly woke up from the nightmare!
He sat up abruptly, covered in cold sweat.