Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapters 127 - 128

Empress Dowager Yang lay in bed to recuperate from her illness, surrounded by emptiness. She was confined in a dim bedroom all day, unable to see sunshine, as if waiting for death. Facing the desolateness, Empress Dowager Yang couldn't help reminiscing about her son who died young. This caused her to feel even more depressed, which in turn hindered her recovery.

When the palace servant announced that Dou Xiyin was here, Empress Dowager Yang was really surprised. Although Dou Xiyin was the wife of the Second Prince, a Wangfei was different from a Crown Princess. Both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess lived in the palace, but other princes and their wives were granted a separate manor and lived independently outside. This looked like freedom, but in fact, it distanced them from the power center in the palace.

Naturally, it was not easy for outsiders to enter the palace. The Second Prince attended the morning court, but Dou Xiyin, as a woman, had no reason to frequent the palace. Thus, despite her position as a daughter-in-law and grandaughter-in-law, Dou Xiyin was not required to pay respect to the Empress and Empress Dowager every day. Except for the compulsory visit with the rest of the inner palace's members on the first and fifteenth of every month, Dou Xiyin never went to Empress Dowager Yang's palace.

So Dou Xiyin's arrival at the Cining Palace today was totally unexpected.

When Dou Xiyin entered the Cining Palace, she was choked by the strong smell of medicine. Empress Dowager Yang was an elderly person who lived alone and was still ill on top of that. The air in her palace naturally would not smell good. It was the mix of medicinal smell and dampness which made people feel heavy, as if the whole palace was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere of decay.

Dou Xiyin held back from exposing her displeasure and tried her best to show a smile as she greeted Empress Dowager Yang, "Empress Dowager, are you feeling better today?"

Empress Dowager Yang glanced at Dou Xiyin with a sneer, "It seems I have disappointed you. Unfortunately, I'm not dead yet."

Being attacked so suddenly, Dou Xiyin let out an awkward laugh, "It seems you have gotten better. This granddaughter-in-law is relieved to see it."

Empress Dowager Yang smiled coldly, showing a clear alienation. Dou Xiyin reminded herself of her intention to come today, so she resisted the discomfit atmosphere and leaned forward to gently massage Empress Dowager Yang's legs, "Your Majesty, this grandaughter-in-law recently learned about something by accident and was deeply troubled by this matter. I don't know if it is appropriate for me to expose it or not."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Yang's interest was piqued, and she finally gave Dou Xiyin a second look: "What is it?"

Dou Xiyin laughed inside. Deliberately putting on the aura of mysteriousness, she leaned closer and whispered: "This grandaughter-in-law accidentally got the news that the Crown Princess seems to be pregnant with twins."

Empress Dowager Yang's rigid face finally fluctuated, "Twins?"

"That's right." Dou Xiyin was very satisfied with herself, "The Imperial Physician Zhao has always been in charge of checking the Crown Princess' pulse, and even her pregnancy was diagnosed by him. Today, Imperial Physician Liu accidentally saw the prescription that Imperial Physician Zhao had dropped by mistake. Among the prescribed medicines, he found a few supposed to be given to women pregnant with twins. The Crown Prince cares so much about the Crown Princess, so how could Imperial Physician Zhao dare to prescribe medicines to the Crown Princess with no basis? Your Majesty, you see..."

Empress Dowager Yang understood. Regardless of the method Imperial Physician Liu used to take a peek at Imperial Physician Zhao's prescription, the fact that Cheng Yujin was pregnant was twins was basically certain. At the same time, she also had a realization. No wonder Li Chengjing covered up the news about Cheng Yujin's pregnancy so tightly, and no wonder the Eastern Palace still didn't announce the good news even after the most critical three months period had passed.