Although Su Chengyu had a graceful demeanor as delicate as jade, he was quite the chatterbox; being unable to speak, and sitting opposite his Brother Yi, who exerted such tremendous pressure on him, he felt utterly miserable. He really yearned to open his mouth and have a chat.
Moreover, whenever he was alone with his Brother Yi in the past, wasn’t he always talking nonstop?
Now, this awkward silence, he was not used to it at all!
Time ticked away, bit by bit.
A quarter of an hour.
Just when Su Chengyu thought he was about to suffocate from holding in his words, Xiao Changyi, who had been silently and expressionlessly watching him, finally spoke again, "Chengyu."
Su Chengyu immediately responded reflexively, "Huh?"
"Your sister-in-law is pregnant."
"Then there’s nothing else." With that, Xiao Changyi got up to leave.
Watching Xiao Changyi leave without so much as a backward glance, Su Chengyu thought to himself, "...So you just watched me for nearly two hours, just to tell me something I already knew?"
An Jing’s pregnancy was a joyous occasion, and since so many people were aware of it, even if those in the Emperor’s court didn’t mention it, those noble ladies who had been waiting outside Fenghua Palace would surely tell their own families.
And so, the news spread.
Soon enough, the nobles, scholars and warriors alike all knew that An Jing’s alleged barrenness was nothing but a slander fabricated by Concubine Yu.
Actions speak louder than words; even though no one challenged Concubine Yu when she initially claimed that An Jing could not bear children, An Jing’s pregnancy slapped many faces. Some found it so painful that they didn’t dare to leave their homes for days.
When the news of An Jing’s pregnancy reached the Pingjun Prince’s Mansion, it was like a timed bomb, leaving the Prince of Pingjun and his company dumbstruck for quite some time.
Once they collected their senses, the Prince of Pingjun gave the Pingjun Princess a harsh slap across her face, and scolded her, "Didn’t you say An Jing was barren?"
It was precisely because the Pingjun Princess told him that An Jing could not bear children that he started plotting to marry off his youngest daughter Linghe to Xiao Changyi as a consort. If Linghe were to bear Xiao Changyi a son, she could ride on her son’s coattails, thereby providing better support for the Duke Mansion.
However, all his plans were wasted efforts. Not only was the Pingjun Prince’s Mansion reduced to a laughing stock, his youngest daughter Linghe was too embarrassed to meet anyone, and to make matters worse, An Jing was actually capable of bearing children—she was already pregnant!
By now, in everyone’s eyes, the Pingjun Prince’s Mansion was surely the butt of all jokes!
After being hit, the Pingjun Princess couldn’t even muster up tears for a cry, "It was my cousin who told me; she said the Emperor told her..."
"Your cousin has been demoted to a concubine because of her troublemaking and gossip! She has caused all this mess for our family! Look what she has done to us!" At this moment, the Prince of Pingjun wished he could kill Concubine Yu.
"And you, why didn’t you verify the truth of the matter back then?" Since he couldn’t scold Concubine Yu, the Prince of Pingjun could only rebuke the Pingjun Princess.
The Pingjun Princess could only cry.
Linghe was also present, and upon hearing the news of An Jing’s pregnancy, she remained exceptionally calm. Paying no mind to the Prince of Pingjun as he scolded the Pingjun Princess further, she turned and went back to her chamber.
And with each step she took towards her chamber, her heart filled with deeper hatred for An Jing.
Not until she entered her own chamber did her face contort completely, twisting into a ferocious scowl, as she gritted her teeth and hissed, "I have been reduced to hiding at home, too ashamed to see anyone, while you enjoy boundless glory and are now even pregnant? Weren’t you supposed to be barren? Hah... An Jing, this vendetta, I, Linghe, swear to avenge it against you!"