Ye Shu spat out a mouthful of ginger tea and nearly choked.
The imperial physician hurriedly stepped forward to help him, but Ye Shu avoided him and said, "Don't move. You said I... Ahem, Concubine An is...what?"
"Pregnant," The imperial physician answered. "It has been nearly two months."
Cough, cough, cough!
Ye Shu coughed even more violently.
Pregnant??? Are they both hearing that same word???
As in pregnant, pregnant? Giving-birth-to-a-child, pregnant???
It took a while for Ye Shu to recover, and his hand subconsciously fell on his abdomen. Earth dragons were burning in the Hall of Yang Xin, creating a gentle warmth. Ye Shu was only wearing a thin inner garment, and beneath it, he could clearly feel a soft little bulge in his lower abdomen.
For the past two months, he had often been sleepy and nauseous, but he never knew why. The imperial physician only said that there was no problem, thus he didn't doubt it too much, let alone think about the possibility of being pregnant.
Nonsense! What ordinary man would think he was pregnant ah??!
Furthermore, why did this old fellow appear completely unfazed?
Just what kind of book had he really transmigrated into???
Ye Shu was tremendously befuddled. It was simply impossible to make sense of it. He first forced himself to calm down and asked the most logical counter question, "I...Concubine An is a man. Why would he be...pregnant?"
He bit down hard on those last two words, while physician Feng replied casually, "Concubine An is a Kunjun. According to conventional reasoning and common sense, why wouldn't it be possible for him to get pregnant?"
"Kunjun?" Ye Shu was puzzled. "Isn't a Kunjun a brothel boy?"
Physician Feng, "?"
Ye Shu, "......"
The two looked at each other. Ye Shu then held his forehead and said, "Just... go on, continue."
A few moments later, Ye Shu, with his head full of new terms he had never heard of, flopped face up on the small couch. He even thought that after all he had been through, he would no longer be surprised by any novel settings in this book, but what physician Feng said...was really beyond his expectations.
Qianjun? Kunjun? Faith incense? Why can men in this world get pregnant?!
"Young master?" Seeing that he had not spoken for a long time, physician Feng called him by the side, "Young master, this is no trivial matter. How do you plan to deal with Concubine An?"
Deal? I want to deal with you first!
This man would never dare to conceal from him the news of his own pregnancy. Since he didn't state it before, Jin Wang had definitely warned him. If he hadn't learned the truth by mistake using his identity as Concubine An, he didn't know how much longer this man would have continued to collude with Jin Wang to keep him in the dark.
Good thing he found out in time. What would happen if he had only found out when the child was about to come out?
These traitors!
Ye Shu glared viciously at physician Feng.
Physician Feng, "???"
The more Ye Shu thought about it, the angrier he became, until he suddenly thought of a plan and sat up. "This matter is tied to the imperial family's prestige. You must not inform His Majesty that you know about this."
Physician Feng was stunned. "Not inform His Majesty... Then..."
"Of course, we must not." Ye Shu sat cross-legged and said with a straight face, "Do you think that His Majesty won't be furious when he finds out about this and executes Concubine An? Not only execution, but in order to keep His Majesty's head from having worn a green... Ahem, in order to keep this news from getting out, wouldn't that mean he will silence all those who know?"
Ye Shu pretended to take things very seriously. "At that point, neither your life nor mine will be guaranteed ah."
Physician Feng understood and asked again, "Then the young master means..."
Ye Shu contemplated upon it for a moment and then asked in a low voice, "I want to know if it's too late to......abort this child?"
Physician Feng, "Young master wants to get rid of Concubine An's unborn child unnoticed and then inform His Majesty about it? In this way, not only will the matter be dealt with properly, but His Majesty's prestige will also be maintained. Young master is really good at this game."
Ye Shu looked at physician Feng blankly.
......What the hell did this man learn in the harem.
Ye Shu lightly coughed and said, "Yes, that's what I mean. Is there a way?"
"Naturally, there is." Physician Feng's tone was rather proud. "The fetus' heart is still unstable three months before conception, so it is not difficult to abort it. I have developed a pill that can let the fetus slip out without any pain or injury, but then, I'm afraid it will not be so easy for the parent's body to give birth in the future."
Ye Shu's eyes lit up. "That's it. I shall trouble the imperial physician to prepare the pill as soon as possible."
This matter must not spread. An induced abortion pill was no trivial matter and physician Feng still needed a few more days to prepare it.
Physician Feng soon left the bedchamber, and Ye Shu breathed a sigh as he lay back on the small couch.
Calm down and think. Following his transmigration into this book, there was indeed a thoroughly abnormal state of affairs here. But this was clearly a political intrigue novel about state wars and unifying nations as written in the book, only that he had already been here for two months and the main lead still hadn't gotten on with the main plot at all. And he, the cannon fodder that should have been executed at the beginning, not only slept with the main lead due to a strange combination of circumstances, but even got pregnant because of him.
What's more, these Qianjun and Kunjun settings were completely unheard of in the book.
Ye Shu had heard that some people on the Internet liked to write fanfictions for popular novels, could the book he transmigrated into be...
Ye Shu facepalmed.
If so, it explained why Jin Wang was so smitten with him.
Thinking of that dog emperor, Ye Shu's heart burst into rage once again. Fancy that he had thought that the dog emperor was kind to him recently and had even started to see him somewhat pleasing to the eye, only to receive such a big "surprise."
He absolutely would not give this bitch hole a child!
"...Bitch hole Jin Wang."
As Jin Wang entered the Hall of Yang Xin, he happened to hear Ye Shu's words spoken aloud. His eyebrows rose, not angry, but smiling as he questioned, "What has Gu done to you this time?"
Ye Shu turned to look at him, then turned his back on him. "...Hmp!"
"......" Jin Wang walked towards the small couch, leaned down, and took the man into his embrace. "What's wrong, who provoked you this time? Tell Gu so Gu will punish them."
Ye Shu didn't face him as he said, "If I'll say it, will Your Majesty find justice for me?"
"Naturally." Jin Wang sat down beside him. "Don't be angry. The physician said that anger is harmful to your body. You should not be like this now."
Ye Shu sneered in his heart.
Should not be like this now, this man really already knew.
This dog emperor had sold himself away with just one sentence. Ye Shu rolled his eyes and said in a low voice, "It's actually not that serious..."
Jin Wang put his arms around him and coaxed him in a gentle voice, "No matter. Don't hesitate to say it."
"Just suddenly wanted to eat white peach puff pastry, sophora japonica cake, jade crystal shrimp, rough skin sculpin soup..."
Ye Shu reeled off the names of ten or so dishes in one breath. Jin Wang got quite head spun as he listened and failed to commit any of them to memory.
But he didn't hesitate and softly responded, "Alright, Gu will ask the imperial kitchen to make them for you."
"No." Ye Shu turned to look at him. "I want to eat Your Majesty's cooking."
"......"
Jin Wang had never been in the kitchen all his life. He couldn't even tell the difference between firewood, rice, oil, and salt, let alone cook.
He paused for a moment, then said patiently, "But Gu can't cook."
"Just forget it if you refuse to do so ba." Ye Shu broke out of Jin Wang's embrace and curled himself into a ball with his back to him. "I don't want to eat anything but these."
Jin Wang frowned. "Ye Shu, don't be will full."
Ye Shu paid no attention to him.
Starving him was a small matter, but starving the imperial heir was a big deal. He doubted Jin Wang could bear it.
Sure enough, Jin Wang sighed and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "Alright. Gu will go and make them for you."
Jin Wang spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen.
Ye Shu was happy to torment him, he thoughtlessly stayed in the bed and took a nap, until he was awakened by the smell of food.
He opened his eyes in a daze. Someone lifted the drapery of the bed, leaned down, and touched his hair. "A-Shu, it's time to eat."
Suddenly Ye Shu could clearly see the person in front of him and he shot up, exclaiming, "I really can't have another!"
Jin Wang, "......"
Ye Shu was frightened. He had just had a nightmare, in which he and Jin Wang got married for real, and he even gave birth to a litter of pups for this dog emperor.
That litter of pups was making a raucous mess throughout his dream. And at the end of it, Jin Wang leaned down, touched his hair, and whispered in his ear, "A-Shu, you're pregnant again."
Ye Shu's scalp went numb with fear.
There was a moment of silence in the chamber as the two stared at each other, with blank expressions on both faces.
Ye Shu finally recovered and laughed dryly. "Did... Did I say something just now?"
"......No." Jin Wang was obviously also stunned by his startling whoop, and forced a smile. "You should eat first ba."
Exquisite tasty food was laid out on the table, excellent in all three aspects; colour, aroma, and taste, which assailed the nostrils.
Ye Shu's gaze swept across the table of dishes and was silent for a moment. "You made these?"
Jin Wang diffidently answered, "...No."
Ye Shu put down his chopsticks.
Jin Wang promptly explained, "Gu indeed did, but...only this one."
He pointed to a simple bowl in front of Ye Shu, who then lifted its lid.
It was not any of the food he had stated earlier, but rather a simple bowl of plain rice congee.
The rice congee was not well boiled. It was neither too thick nor too plain, and there was even a faint burnt smell.
Jin Wang was not lying when he said he couldn't cook. After all, he was still the emperor's son, even if he was not good enough, he never had the experience of cooking for himself. The original owner, however, when the two were really in desperate times, once snuck behind the cold palace to set up a fire to boil congee for him.
That was it. That rice congee even had a burnt smell.
Ye Shu's heart trembled slightly.
Quite strangely, it was clearly the original owner's experience which emerged in his mind at that moment, but he was inevitably flooded with a trace of sadness. It was as if...that was truly his own past with Jin Wang.
Jin Wang apparently also felt that this plain rice congee was too simple. He lightly coughed and said, "Gu will take note of the ones you wanted to eat. Let Gu take time to learn slowly. Today...... Today, eat something else first. Don't starve yourself."
Ye Shu took a deep breath and put the lid back. "Okay ba..."
"...I hope that Your Majesty will keep his word and won't make me wait too long."
"That's for sure," Jin Wang replied. "Gu was able to successfully boil raw rice into congee without a hitch the first time Gu cooked. It is only a matter of time before Gu can make those other ones."
"......" Ye Shu looked at Jin Wang's confident face. He held himself back before the words, "Isn't boiling raw rice into congee something just anyone can do?" could slip out of his mouth.
The two of them started to dine harmoniously, only Gao Jin, who was serving at the side, felt like crying.
What? His Majesty would still continue to learn?
......It seemed that the only remaining half of the imperial kitchen was also going to be insurable.
After the evening meal, Ye Shu had eaten his fill and was now leaning on the small couch to read a book, only to recall that things were not quite right.
He had intended to torment this dog emperor, how could he let him off so easily?
The dog emperor once again used this move to trick him into being soft-hearted. Really condemnable.
Ye Shu was very dissatisfied with his own performance today and decided to recover some lost ground.
Jin Wang was reviewing the memorials at the table, when he instinctively felt a cold chill on the back of his head, and looked up to see Ye Shu carrying a tea tray towards him.
Ye Shu then poured a cup of tea with a gentle smiling expression on his face, saying, "I brewed this myself. Your Majesty, please drink it."
If his memory served him right, the last time Ye Shu brewed tea for him had resulted in him being paralyzed for half a day, and this man directly running away, leaving no trace behind.
Jin Wang, shuddering in retrospect, shook his head decisively, and said, "No need."
Ye Shu's eyes drooped. "Your Majesty hates me."
Jin Wang, "......No, Gu does not."
"If not, why did you refuse just now?" Ye Shu put the cup on the table and, fuming, "...Don't drink, forget it."
Jin Wang, "......" This man's acting today really smothered him.
The physician said that a Kunjun would be temperamental when pregnant, irritable and on a short fuse, and that he shouldn't take offense and should coax him.
Jin Wang convinced himself. He put down the memorial and took the man into his embrace. "A-Shu, are you upset?"
Ye Shu was not just upset, he was about to burst with rage.
But he didn't show it.
Ye Shu gave a small smile as he leaned obediently in Jin Wang's embrace and looked up at him. "No. Your Majesty personally cooked for me today. I'm happy and wanted to repay Your Majesty."
Jin Wang's eyes softened and he asked in a low voice, "How do you want to repay Gu?"
A hint of shyness appeared on Ye Shu's face. "I also wonder what kind of repayment would Your Majesty...desire?"
Jin Wang's heart thumped.
The torso in his embrace was so soft and docile, and the collar was slightly loose, revealing a white collarbone, finely shaped and smooth as porcelain.
Ye Shu's arms hooked around Jin Wang's neck, his eyes clear and penetrating, with a few hints of desire in them.
Jin Wang's ears reddened as he came to understand what he meant.
A/N:
Ye Shu: No, you don't understand.