The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 11

Ming Yi boarded the Gu family carriage. Gu Jinse took a package of hibiscus cakes from a hidden compartment inside and handed her a piece. “Are you hungry?”

“No,” Ming Yi replied, glancing at it but refusing to eat.

“You are afraid it is poisoned, aren’t you? After being tricked last time, you have stopped eating food from others.” Understanding her thoughts, Gu Jinse took a bite herself before offering it again. “I have tested it for you.”

Ming Yi did not take it. She even closed her eyes.

Feeling a bit awkward, Gu Jinse ate two more pieces herself. She had eaten three in total and could eat no more. She held it out to Ming Yi again and said, “I have already eaten two. If it were poisoned, I would be dead by now.”

The interior of the carriage was silent, and the light was dim. A single lantern swayed incessantly with the jolting of the carriage. The woman sitting opposite her seemed less cold and domineering than usual, revealing the intellectual grace of an ordinary woman. At twenty seven, she possessed a distinct feminine charm.

Ming Yi had a strong personality and a commanding presence. With just a simple glance, Gu Jinse stared intently at her, leaving Ming Yi feeling unsettled. Those fair hands waving in front of her, with their slender and beautiful fingers, reminded her of what had happened that day.

Those hands had wandered freely over her skin with an unprecedented boldness. Between every breath, Ming Yi felt a sense of torment. Gu Jinse spoke softly, “We are to be husband and wife soon. If you cannot even trust me, how will we live together in the future?”

“Gu Jinse, you are very noisy.” Ming Yi finally took the pastry and bit into it, feeling ill at ease all over.

Gu Jinse did not mind. She tapped her forefinger lightly against her chin. “Are you lacking in love?”

An orphan raised by the Emperor, to put it bluntly, she had been groomed by the Emperor to be the blade in his hand. She did the dirty work, while the Emperor took the credit for the good deeds. This was exactly why dissatisfaction with Ming Yi was rampant among the common people.

A blade, after all, brings no benefits.

Ming Yi did not respond. She lowered her eyes to avoid the other’s scrutiny and slowly ate the hibiscus cake. Just as she swallowed the last crumb, the carriage came to a halt.

Gu Jinse reached out to help her down. The moment they touched, Ming Yi felt a surge of heat rush through her. She hurriedly pulled her hand back, avoiding contact. “We are not that familiar.”

“Not familiar? We have slept together. I have touched every inch of your body, so how could we not be familiar?” Gu Jinse took her hand again and lowered her voice, “If you do not want people saying you were forced into this marriage, you had better play your part well.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ming Yi allowed Gu Jinse to hold her hand firmly as they walked together into Yongan Tower.

Yongan Tower was the largest restaurant in the capital, bustling with people every day like a flowing tide.

Before they even reached the door, the manager came out to greet them. The manager was a woman in her thirties, dressed in green, who smiled skillfully. “Scholar Gu, you are a rare guest indeed.”

Though it was Gu Jinse’s first time, the manager recognized her. It was clear that the face of the top ranking Tanhua scholar was known to every woman in the capital.

The manager’s name was Yinghui. Seeing their joined hands, she could not help but smile repeatedly. Gu Jinse released Ming Yi’s hand and asked the manager to step aside for a private word.

“This is an esteemed guest. Treat her well,” Gu Jinse whispered as a reminder.

Yinghui had served countless guests and did not need the reminder to notice. The woman carried an air of authority and wore magnificent clothes. She was clearly someone of high status. Given that there were only a few dozen female officials in the capital, she had to be one of them. Looking at her age, Yinghui thought of three women in the imperial court.

These were Zhang Mingqian of the Ministry of Personnel, Du Yan of the Secretariat, and Chancellor Ming Yi.

However, there was a major distinction among the three. Chancellor Ming was so beautiful she surpassed the three thousand beauties of the Emperor’s harem. It was rumored that the Emperor once wanted to take her into his palace, but she had refused. Some even said Ming Yi was a child born of an illicit affair between the Emperor and a minister’s wife before he ascended the throne. Because of this, the Emperor always held her in high regard.

The woman before her had a cold, noble temperament and exquisite features. Yinghui guessed she was Ming Yi and greeted her with a beaming smile. “Distinguished guest, please, this way.”

Yongan Tower was a lively place. In the main hall, songs and dances drew the eye, and the graceful movements of the dancers made the night feel endless.

Ming Yi paused, but Gu Jinse pulled her further inside. “I am hungry, the starving kind of hungry.”

Yinghui suggested, “How about I arrange some dishes for you, my lady?”

“Go ahead. I am hosting today, so do not hold back,” Gu Jinse said generously, her demeanor as gentle as water.

Yinghui stole a glance at this year’s Tanhua scholar. He was stunning enough to dazzle the world, and she found herself blushing slightly. It was not just her; even the great Chancellor of the dynasty might be bewitched by such male beauty.

They were led into a private room. Gu Jinse took a seat, and seeing Ming Yi standing still, she asked curiously, “Have you never been here before?”

“I usually do not frequent restaurants. The only time I did was the time I met you.” Ming Yi sat down across from her, her palms slick with a thin layer of nervous sweat.

Gu Jinse pulled a clean white handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to her. “Just act as if I am not here. Relax.”

Another woman entered, poured tea for them, and quietly withdrew.

Gu Jinse drank her tea first, then offered her own cup to Ming Yi. “Do you mind?”

She had tested it for poison. If anyone was to die, it would be her first.

Ming Yi looked down and noticed the two tea sets were different. Gu Jinse’s had a landscape painting, while hers featured peonies.

As the premier establishment in the capital, Yongan Tower was exquisite in every detail. She took Gu Jinse’s landscape cup, avoided the spot where Gu Jinse’s lips had touched, and took a sip. The aroma of the tea was exquisite.

Gu Jinse picked up Ming Yi’s peony cup and whispered, “I have bought a house. If you have any suggestions, feel free to mention them.”

“It should be simple. Just the two of us living there. I do not want anyone else.” Ming Yi held her tea, her expression composed, cold, and noble.

Gu Jinse knew what she meant but added anyway, “My mother is a very interesting person. She is obsessed with beauty. When she sees how beautiful you are, she will like you.”

“What do you mean by obsessed with beauty?” Ming Yi asked, puzzled.

Gu Jinse explained, “To put it simply, she judges people by their looks. Her maids must be beautiful. Otherwise, she would rather do the work herself than employ them. She disliked the singing girls Gu Jinhuan kept outside because she thought they were too ugly.”

Her mother was quite an eccentric. Her reason for rejecting the singing girls was simple. Gu Jinse remembered her reply at the time. She had said, “You are ugly. You are not worthy of my son.”

Gu Jinse had been so stunned she could not react for a long time. The Gu family had centuries of heritage. There were thousands of reasons not to let a singing girl enter the family, yet she chose the most bizarre one.

Ming Yi nodded and said, “I have met your mother. When I first entered the palace, she was not yet married. That time, she patted my head and said you are so pretty, you should marry my son in the future.”

“Marry her son?” Gu Jinse was shocked. Just how unreliable was her mother? She was arranging for a future daughter in law before she was even married herself.

Ming Yi smiled. It was like snow melting into spring. She looked less awkward and more natural as she said, “She had just become engaged to your father. She joked that she originally wanted me to be her sister in law, but unfortunately, her brother was not good enough for me. You share some resemblance to your mother around the eyes. The first time I saw you, I knew you were from the Gu family of Yuhang.”

“So that is how it is.” Gu Jinse did not know whether to laugh or cry. No wonder Ming Yi had asked her that day if she was from the Yuhang Gu family. She smiled and explained, “My mother will definitely like you.”

Ming Yi did not answer, simply sipping her tea. Yinghui entered with several attendants behind her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Please have some appetizers first.” Yinghui served the dishes personally, her eyes landing on the cup in Chancellor Ming’s hand. She was holding the Scholar’s tea.

Then she looked at Scholar Gu, who was holding Chancellor Ming’s tea.

Yinghui smiled thinly, introduced the dishes, and considerately withdrew.

Gu Jinse tried the food first. Finding it delicious, she used the serving chopsticks to give some to Ming Yi, describing the taste as she went.

Ming Yi had a small appetite and was soon full. While Gu Jinse continued eating, she asked about the situation at Ming Yi’s manor.

Ming Yi lowered her voice. “The manor is full of the Emperor’s spies.”

Gu Jinse’s movements froze. She instinctively looked up, met Ming Yi’s deep eyes, and understood instantly.

A blade is just a blade. It is not supposed to have feelings of its own.

Gu Jinse nodded, quick to state her intentions. “My home is mine to rule. You are the mistress of the house, so you can make the decisions too. I do not have much ambition. If the sky falls, you can hold it up. But rest assured, I will not pry into what you do, nor will I take the initiative to provoke you. Just think of it as moving to a different house.”

Ming Yi fell silent, staring at the young woman eating before her who was so unrestrained and free spirited.

Suddenly, she laughed, as if she had seen a monster.

And this monster was very beautiful.

Gu Jinse then asked, “That day, who set you up? Was it the Third Princess?”

Ming Yi sneered. “You are very clever.”

Gu Jinse did not notice her displeasure. She ate a jelly like dessert and said casually, “It is not that I am clever. It is just that everyone outside is saying so.”

Ming Yi’s mood soured. She wondered if the Third Princess had still not learned her lesson, even though the Empress had started behaving herself since losing the Empress Dowager’s support.

The Emperor’s in laws, the Li family of Marquis Yongping, were also the Empress Dowager’s family, but the Emperor was not the Empress Dowager’s biological son. Now that she was dead, the Marquis’s status had plummeted. Having been suppressed by the Empress Dowager for years, the Emperor felt no goodwill toward the Empress or the Zhao family.

After a moment of thought, Gu Jinse finished her meal and went to find the manager to pay.

Yinghui smilingly handed over two decorated stationery slips. “Would the young Master like to write a poem?”

Gu Jinse looked at Ming Yi, who remained silent. She declined, “No need.”

Yinghui was disappointed but did not show it, politely seeing them out of the building.

Gu Jinse sent Ming Yi back to her manor and instructed, “In a few days, I will send someone to formally propose the marriage.”

Ming Yi agreed. She lifted her skirt and entered the gates. The manor doors closed, and Gu Jinse turned back to board her carriage.

The following day, Gu Jinse entered the palace and ran into Vice Minister Gu. She shared her plan with him.

Vice Minister Gu was shocked. He looked at his nephew as if looking at a fool. He held his breath and did not make a sound. It took time to process such startling news.

After a few breaths, he gasped and hissed, “She is already twenty seven years old!”

Gu Jinse pulled her uncle to a corner to talk. “The girl I met the day I arrived in the capital was the Chancellor. I took care of her all night. Uncle, what do you think I should do?”

“You,” Vice Minister Gu could not catch his breath, his face turning red. He pointed at his nephew’s head, speechless for a long time.

Since there had been physical intimacy, responsibility had to be taken. As things stood, marriage was the only solution. If Chancellor Ming were displeased, not even the Gu family’s century old or even millennium old heritage would be enough to survive her wrath.

He sighed. Sunlight streamed from the corridor, landing on his nephew’s jade like face. This face was nothing but trouble. “I cannot make this decision,” he said. “I will write back to Yuhang first to ask your grandfather.”

If it were an ordinary girl, he could decide, but this was Chancellor Ming. He was afraid the old man would rush to the capital just to beat him.

Gu Jinse shook her head. Her grandfather would not agree. He would talk about the hen crowing at dawn being the ruin of a family and would despise Ming Yi. She rejected the suggestion, saying, “There is no time. You should go and propose first.”

“What do you mean there is no time? Wait!” Vice Minister Gu stormed off in a huff.

Gu Jinse sighed. She turned to enter the hall, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Third Princess walking toward her. She was the living ancestor who had framed Ming Yi.

Where could she hide?

The palace was magnificent. Aside from the halls used for politics, other chambers were for resting. She did not care anymore and ducked into one at random.

She quietly shut the door.

Zhang Mingqian’s eyes flickered. Her gaze fell on the Tanhua scholar’s back. Just as she was about to speak, Ming Yi reached out and covered her mouth. The two of them hid in the shadows, waiting to see what would happen next.