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"Just reply as I said! Her Majesty the Empress is unwell and needs to rest, so it is inconvenient for her to go to Qingshou Palace!"

“Your Highness…” Wang Ji’en’s face turned extremely ugly. The Emperor’s summons to the Empress today was the best thing for him. Although the rumors about Prince Jin and the Empress in the court were not serious, they would certainly not be of any benefit to Prince Jin in the future. It would be best to resolve them as soon as possible.

"Lan'er, stop talking, I'll go." Empress Song, already dressed and made up, stepped out of the inner palace with Yuan Niang's help.

The two people facing off turned to look at her at the same time. Wanlan pursed her lips, quickly made up her mind, and turned to Wang Ji'en and said, "Since it is a family banquet, then as the Princess Consort of Qin, shouldn't I be able to attend?"

Wang Ji'en was taken aback, "...The Emperor only summoned the Empress—"

Wanlan's expression turned cold. "I must go!"

She couldn't let the Prince of Jin discover the true parentage of the child in the Empress's womb. Although she knew history couldn't be changed, what was wrong with making appropriate adjustments? In any case, she just needed to ensure Zhao Guangyi eventually ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong of Song. Perhaps… perhaps nothing would happen tonight…

Chapter 64, Looking Back, All is in Vain (2)

Qingshou Palace is located to the east of Anfu Palace and to the north of Zichen Hall.

Wang Ji'en led the way, with Wanlan and Yuanniang supporting the Empress on either side and following behind. Six silent palace maids followed behind. The group walked for about a quarter of an hour before arriving at the Qingshou Hall of Qingshou Palace.

A round table with intricate carvings was set out in the center of the hall, and more than a dozen dishes were laid out on the bright yellow tablecloth.

Wang Ji'en bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress and Princess Qin have been summoned."

As Wang Ji'en finished speaking, Wanlan looked up and was immediately confronted by Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin. His face, which was slightly more rugged than that of the Prince of Jin, was covered with a beard, and his piercing eyes were fixed on her, the uninvited guest.

This was Wanlan's first time meeting the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. She had never had the chance before. Although she had been used by the man in front of her and transferred from Luoyang to Kaifeng, she had never been fortunate enough to meet him. However, the current situation did not allow her to think about anything else.

Zhao Guangyi sat to Zhao Kuangyin's right, and Zhao Dezhao to his left, with an empty seat in the middle, presumably reserved for the Empress. Zehua, who was sitting to Zhao Guangyi's right, immediately stood up and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her appear with the Empress:

"Wanlan?"

Wanlan smiled slightly at him and stepped into the palace with the Empress. The Empress withdrew the hand that Wanlan had been holding and pulled her to kneel down and bow to Zhao Kuangyin: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Wanlan followed up: "Deqing greets Father Emperor."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Zhao Guangyi, only to see him staring quietly at the Empress with his eyes slightly raised. Wanlan gritted her teeth and looked away, secretly praying that Zhao Guangyi wouldn't notice anything different about the Empress, and that even if he knew she was pregnant, he wouldn't think too much about it.

Just now in the Funing Palace, she instructed Yuan Niang to change the Empress into looser clothes so that no one could tell the size of her belly. In her opinion, the Empress was at least three months pregnant, but she had to deceive Prince Jin so that even if he found out, he would not guess that the child was already that big.

Just as Wanlan was lost in thought, Zhao Kuangyin raised his hand and said with a smile, "Since Deqing is here too, let's sit down together."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

The two took their seats as instructed. Wanlan naturally sat next to Zhao Defang, directly opposite the Empress who sat between Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Dezhao. Looking at the Empress's stiff, pale face, she felt a pang of unease and a sense of pity.

I just hope to get through tonight safely.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin." Zhao Kuangyin picked up his chopsticks and started the meal, considerately serving the Empress a dish. Wanlan looked at this scene in surprise. How come she never knew that Emperor Taizu of Song was such a considerate person?

The intense feeling of being stared at made Wanlan shift her gaze to Zhao Dezhao, who was sitting next to the Empress. He was staring at her with a half-smile, and when her eyes met his, he gestured for her to look away. Wanlan almost did not resist at all, and looked at the Prince of Jin on the other side as he prompted her, then suddenly froze.

Prince Jin's face turned somewhat pale. He tried to remain calm, but his excessive restraint made him appear distorted. His eyes were fixed on the Empress, who kept her head bowed.

Wanlan unconsciously gripped Zhao Defang's hand tightly at her side, drawing Zhao Defang's attention. He leaned closer to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked away and met his bright eyes, forcing a smile. "It's nothing." Prince Jin, please calm down. You should know that this woman never belonged to you. You should have seen the truth long ago.

Their subtle movements drew a curious glance from Zhao Kuangyin. He calmly looked at Wanlan for a moment, and just as everyone at the table was about to pick up their chopsticks to "eat as ordered," he suddenly put down his chopsticks and laughed loudly, "Oh, right! I almost forgot to tell you some good news."

The other three men at the table simultaneously put down their chopsticks, which they hadn't even fully picked up yet, and stared intently at the smiling Zhao Kuangyin. However, Wanlan was terrified and wide-eyed. She quickly glanced at the Empress across from her, who was completely petrified, then fixed her gaze on Zhao Kuangyin, who was about to speak. She urgently stood up abruptly and shouted:

"Father!"

Both pairs of Zhao brothers stared at her in astonishment, completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on with her.

Zhao Defang hurriedly reached out and pulled her to sit down. "Wanlan! Sit down!" This is the palace, and the person sitting at the same table as her is the current emperor. How can she be so inconsiderate?

Zhao Dezhao maintained a half-smile, completely with an expression of watching a show.

Zhao Guangyi noticed something was wrong from Wanlan's unusual behavior. He slowly turned his gaze back to the unresponsive Empress and became suspicious of her deathly pale face.

"Does Deqing have anything to say to me?" Zhao Kuangyin asked with a smile.

Wanlan pried open Zhao Defang's fingers that were tightly gripping her arm one by one, stood up again, and looked at him fearlessly. "My mother has been feeling unwell these past two days. I think I should go back with her to rest."

As she spoke, she left her seat and walked around the table, placing her hands lightly but firmly on the Empress's shoulders. During this time, her gaze never left Zhao Kuangyin. She tried to see through the man's scheme, but it was all in vain.

Her attempt to help the Empress up was abruptly stopped by Zhao Kuangyin's gentle touch. Wanlan's lips trembled slightly, and she released her grip on the Empress, slowly withdrawing her hand.

"You need to eat something before you can rest!" Zhao Kuangyin said casually, turning to the Empress and asking, "What do you think, Empress?"

"Your Majesty, I... obey your command."

Wanlan bit her lip and took a step back.

Could it be... that something terrible is really going to happen tonight? What will Prince Jin's attitude be if he finds out about his mother's pregnancy? Is the Emperor doing this on purpose? Did he deliberately choose this moment to bring it up? Or... did the Emperor invite them here in the first place just for this scene?

"What I wanted to say is—" He paused, then burst into laughter, "The imperial physicians have examined her carefully, and the Empress is pregnant!" Overjoyed, he looked at Zhao Defang and repeated, "Defang, your mother is pregnant!"

Zhao Defang was just getting up to walk around the table to help Wanlan when he heard this. He was stunned and stared at him for a long time before turning to Empress Song and smiling slightly. "Congratulations, Father."

Zhao Dezhao's attention had been focused on Wanlan, who was standing to his side and behind him. He was stunned when he heard the emperor's words. However, he suddenly looked at Zhao Guangyi, his lips slightly parted in surprise for a long while, before he smiled strangely and said, "Father, this is indeed a joyous occasion!"

The three people who were unable to react were Wanlan, the Empress, and Zhao Guangyi, who was holding a wine glass with his eyes half-closed and seemingly lost in thought. Wanlan was trembling behind the Empress because she was unable to stop them in time, while the Empress remained stiff and motionless since she sat down.

After the two words of congratulations, the scene fell silent.

Then--