The eunuchs at the side were all trembling in fright.

This Empress, how could she hit so hard? How is His Majesty supposed to show his face like this?!

Besides, His Majesty is so damn vain; in front of others he always puts on his imperial airs, not allowing even a sliver of the royal dignity to be lost!

"How long will it take for the swelling to go down?" Xiao Luming asked.

"In reply to Your Majesty, if nothing unexpected happens, the swelling should subside in seven or eight days," the Imperial Physician hastily answered.

Xiao Luming’s expression darkened another shade.

Looking at his own flawless handsome face being ruined like this in the copper mirror, he was so furious he could barely breathe!

He had thought his martial arts were quite impressive, yet he hadn’t expected to be subdued by Xie Qianyun.

Of course he knew the Inner Palace Experts who sparred with him would always let him, but he hadn’t realized they were letting him that much.

Which led him to believe that his martial arts were truly formidable!

"Announce it: starting tomorrow, due to ill health, I will not attend morning court," Xiao Luming ordered.

"Yes, this servant will immediately send someone to announce it to the ministers."

"Keep a close watch on the Empress. Every ten days, she is absolutely not allowed to step even half a pace out of Jingxiu Palace," Xiao Luming said through gritted teeth as he mentioned Xie Qianyun.

"This servant obeys."

The eunuch thought to himself, if the Empress weren’t of such noble birth and weren’t under the Empress Dowager’s protection, she would have died at His Majesty’s hands a hundred times over by now!

...

Xie Qianyun was put under house arrest.

She was almost suffocated with frustration.

Every day she just paced back and forth in that vast Jingxiu Palace.

It was simply killing her.

By the fifth day, Xie Qianyun started feeling physically unwell.

Early in the morning she began to vomit for no apparent reason.

Someone who loved food as much as she did suddenly had no appetite for anything.

Her whole demeanor was listless; she looked terribly uncomfortable.

"My Lady, let this servant ask an Imperial Physician to take a look at you. You can’t go on like this," Qiu Yin said anxiously.

Even though she was under house arrest, no one had said that people couldn’t come in to see the Empress.

If Her Ladyship’s body suddenly developed some problem and something happened, what would they do?

"No need," Xie Qianyun waved her off. "This body of mine is sturdy. I just kicked off the quilt last night and chilled my stomach, so my chest feels a bit uncomfortable. I’ll be fine in a couple of days."

She had been easy to raise since she was a child.

She was rarely ill; even if she really fell sick, she’d recover on her own in a day or two.

Qiu Yin still wasn’t at ease.

She suddenly shivered, as if she’d been frightened by something.

Xie Qianyun frowned. "Did you see a ghost?"

"No, My Lady, could it be that you’re pregnant? That you’ve conceived His Majesty’s child?" Qiu Yin exclaimed.

Xie Qianyun froze.

Qiu Yin’s words made her feel a bit flustered for no reason.

"You and His Majesty shared a bed on the wedding night, counting from then it should be about the right time... Thank heavens, My Lady has finally conceived the imperial heir—thank heavens," Qiu Yin was so excited she nearly jumped up.

If Her Ladyship was with child, maybe she’d finally calm down.

Her own days had been spent in constant fear.

"My Lady, this servant will immediately go invite the Imperial Physician. Please lie down on the bed and don’t get up. The first three months are very delicate, My Lady must be careful," Qiu Yin spoke so fast her tongue almost tied itself in knots.

She hurriedly sent someone to fetch an Imperial Physician.

She also hastily sent someone to quietly inform His Majesty.

In no time at all, the entire Imperial Palace knew that Xie Qianyun was pregnant.

When a Palace Attendant came to report to Xiao Luming, he was in the middle of drinking tea.

Upon hearing that Xie Qianyun was pregnant, he directly spat out a mouthful of tea.

Before he could speak.

The chief eunuch and the attendants by his side hurriedly knelt to the ground. "Congratulations to Your Majesty, on the joyful news of an imperial heir."

"..." Xiao Luming’s face turned pitch-black.

Is Xie Qianyun stupid or what?!

They hadn’t done anything at all—what pregnancy is she having, what egg is she carrying?!

"Your Majesty, do you want to go to the bedchamber and take a look at Her Ladyship yourself? It’s said that during these days of house arrest Her Ladyship’s mood has been rather poor. This servant heard that women must keep their minds and bodies cheerful during pregnancy, only then can..."

Before the eunuch could finish.

Xiao Jinxing strode out.

The eunuch quickly followed.

He wanted to say something at that moment, but in the end said nothing.

The group quickly arrived at Jingxiu Palace.

By then the Imperial Physician had already rushed over to take Xie Qianyun’s pulse.

His brows were tightly furrowed.

He looked unusually anxious.

Just as Xiao Luming arrived, An Ning also hurried over with a group of Palace Attendants.

She truly hadn’t expected Qianyun to conceive Luming’s child so quickly.

Her heart was, of course, a bit elated.

The entire rear hall was packed with people, all waiting for the Imperial Physician’s diagnosis.

The Imperial Physician examined her for a long time, not daring to let go of Xie Qianyun’s wrist, not daring for a long while to report his findings.