The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 16

Ming Yi left with a beaming smile.

Madam Gu entered the room to look after Gu Jinse. Seeing her daughter wearing a long face, she couldn’t help but find it strange. “What is the matter now?”

“It’s nothing, Mother. Is there any news from home?” Gu Jinse pushed herself up into a sitting position. The candy in her mouth was slowly melting; with the sweetness masking the bitterness, she felt much better.

Life was just like that, a mixture of bitter and sweet; it could never be entirely smooth sailing.

Gu Jinse closed her eyes as a headache throbbed, grumbling under her breath, “Mother, you tell me… I can see her, but I can’t touch her, and I can’t kiss her. This is just…”

Madam Gu couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. She quickly covered her mouth to maintain her noble composure and patted her daughter’s head. “She is older than you, after all, so she naturally has to be more reserved. You must understand that older people carry more internal pressure; they fear that if they let their feelings show, they might end up being rejected by you. In my opinion, if you like her, you should be the one to take the initiative.”

Gu Jinse hugged her quilt, her eyes wide with surprise. “Mother, why aren’t you against this?”

“In the bureaucracy, a higher rank can crush a soul. The Prime Minister is the head of all officials; how could I possibly oppose her? Since I can’t stop it, I might as well see you happy. Besides, you like her too, don’t you?” Madam Gu sighed, her voice tinged with resignation. “Prime Minister Ming is truly stunning. I have seen so many women in my time, yet she is uniquely beautiful.”

Gu Jinse realized her mother’s obsession with beauty had been triggered. She whispered, “Actually, the moment I first saw her, I thought she was gorgeous. What do you think?”

In truth, Ming Yi had many candidates to choose from, yet she had chosen her specifically because of what happened that day.

To outsiders, it seemed Gu Jinse was being coerced, but she didn’t feel that way. From the first glance, she felt Ming Yi was different. If she were to marry someone else, she might never find anyone better than Ming Yi.

In this world, the Sovereign suppresses with power, the Father imprisons with filial piety, and the Husband binds with chastity. Since men take multiple wives and concubines, it seemed safer to choose a woman. Furthermore, the Prime Minister was a woman of immense power; although the Empress was noble, she could not compare to Ming Yi.

Ming Yi held actual power; her status was effectively higher than the Empress’s.

Madam Gu said, “As long as you are happy. Even if you don’t marry for the rest of your life, the Gu family can support you.”

The Gu family of Yuhang was a large clan with many branches. Gu Jinse had a paternal aunt who had married over ten years ago with a lavish dowry, only to die mysteriously later on.

How did she die?

She had been murdered because of that rich dowry. The Gu family had gone to demand justice and filed a lawsuit. Lawfully, when a woman died, her dowry was supposed to go to her children. But the aunt had no children, and her husband wanted to swallow the dowry for himself. Eventually, the Gu family used their connections to reclaim it.

Legally, the Gu family was in the right. However, the husband’s family went so far as to threaten to dig up the aunt’s coffin if the dowry was taken away. Faced with such unreasonable cruelty, the Gu family had no choice but to relinquish half of the dowry to settle the matter.

Madam Gu harbored deep concerns, fearing Gu Jinse might encounter such an irrational family. Having raised and pampered her daughter for years, she couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering even a hint of injustice.

Prime Minister Ming was noble and, from what she could see so far, a good choice.

Fate is a strange thing.

After eating some porridge and taking her medicine, Gu Jinse drifted back to sleep.

Someone arrived from the Eastern Palace with a message from the Crown Prince, accompanied by a eunuch. The eunuch confessed, but before his family could even be dealt with, Hanlin Official Gu was attacked.

It was clearly an attempt at deflection.

Ming Yi wanted to go to the palace to see the Emperor, but then she remembered she was currently “ill” and it wasn’t a good time to appear. She felt that being in a lowly position might make it difficult to shake the Empress’s standing.

Unable to enter the palace herself, she detained the messenger and wrote a formal memorial to the Emperor explaining the situation.

Gu Jinse continued her recovery. As her headache faded, Madam Gu was invited away by the wife of Vice Minister Gu, leaving the maidservants to attend to her.

That day, the weather was clear, and the Emperor arrived.

When the Emperor visited the Prime Minister’s manor, Ming Yi went personally to receive him. In his youth, the Emperor had been handsome and carried himself with distinction, but illness had since broken him. Now, he had dark circles under his eyes and a sallow complexion.

However, he still loved beauty. The concubines in his palace were each more beautiful than the last. He enjoyed summoning Gu Jinse to attend to him precisely because of her looks.

During his visit today, Ming Yi personally led him through the gardens.

The Emperor asked about various things, and Ming Yi answered with practiced patience. Finally, arriving at the pond, the Emperor sighed, “Where is that eunuch?”

Ming Yi smiled thinly. “Has Your Majesty decided to depose the Empress yet?” Even if the Empress hadn’t personally struck the blow, the act was certainly done on her behalf.

Since meeting Gu Jinse, the focus of Ming Yi’s life had shifted. she found herself increasingly losing patience with the Emperor. She found him tiresome and had even begun to speak back to him sharply.

The Emperor weighed her words. “Are you angry?” And very angry, at that.

In the past, when Ming Yi’s rank was lower, she had been patient and yielding, especially with the Empress Dowager around. After the Empress Dowager died and Ming Yi became Prime Minister and then met Gu Jinse her attitude had changed noticeably.

The Emperor sensed her mood and felt a bit unsettled.

Ming Yi laughed. “Your Majesty, if someone wants to kill your court officials, what would you do?”

The Emperor didn’t answer. He looked at the lotus leaves budding in the lake, catching a glimpse of Ming Yi from the corner of his eye. The smile on her lips wasn’t as gentle as it used to be. She was twenty-seven now; while her appearance had matured, her smile remained incredibly vivid and spirited.

“Must you force me?” the Emperor asked helplessly.

Ming Yi replied, “It is the Empress who is forcing me.”

“If I depose the Empress, the Crown Prince’s position will be unstable,” the Emperor fretted.

Ming Yi gave a faint, cold smile. “Is it my doing that the Prince’s position is unstable?”

Emperor: “…”

Ming Yi’s temper was getting worse; he wondered if it was an age-related thing.

He turned to face the woman before him. “Forgive her this once.”

Ming Yi remained silent, refusing to answer. The Emperor’s plea met a void. He stared at the water for a moment longer before leaving in a fit of gloom.

Ming Yi returned to the bedroom. Gu Jinse was awake, sitting by the window looking out at the courtyard. She had a gauze bandage on her forehead, and her dark, bright eyes looked adorable.

“You’re back!” Gu Jinse waved at Ming Yi from across the room.

Ming Yi walked in and said, “I’ve chosen two guards for you.”

Gu Jinse knew these were the ancient equivalent of bodyguards. She asked curiously, “Are they men?”

“No, girls. A few years older than you. Their names are Tun-Tun and Tu-Tu.” Ming Yi sat down beside her. “This time, it was Tu-Tu who failed you. She was following you but didn’t act in time. You may punish her.”

This was Ming Yi’s way of expressing her guilt.

Gu Jinse laughed instead. “Why would I punish her? Besides, if you give them to me, what will you do?”

“Tun-Tun’s martial arts aren’t the best, but she has roamed the capital for years. In street terms, she has ‘heavy connections.’ Tu-Tu is the expert fighter and will stay by your side daily. However, their monthly salary is high—one hundred taels a month,” Ming Yi explained.

Gu Jinse’s eyes nearly popped out. “That much?” In modern terms, that was like a multi-million dollar annual salary. What kind of bodyguards were these? She asked Ming Yi suspiciously, “Are you sure you aren’t just pushing them onto me because their salary is too high for you?”

Ming Yi found this amusing. “The Gu family has vast assets; surely you aren’t that stingy? Tun-Tun is a master of social circles. She knows the inner workings of every manor and the secrets of every backyard—who is taking a concubine, who is remarrying, and plenty of… interesting stories. She knows it all.”

“Like a father-in-law having an affair with a daughter-in-law? That scandalous?” Gu Jinse’s eyes lit up, and she leaned closer to Ming Yi. “Tell me some, will you?”

She had leaned in very close. As the daylight hit those mischievous eyes, Ming Yi lowered her head and leaned into her ear. With a breath as sweet as orchids, she whispered, “There are many ‘interesting’ stories.”

Gu Jinse’s long-dormant gossip-loving heart suddenly began to boil. The warm breath against her ear felt like a sultry breeze, making her heart itch. She sucked in a breath and shrank her neck back slightly.

Ming Yi carried a faint, elegant fragrance.

Gu Jinse took a deep breath. Ming Yi’s eyes sparkled with charm as she whispered a few more sentences. Gu Jinse froze. “Really?”

Ming Yi nodded. “Really. It’s just that no one else knows.”

Gu Jinse’s eyes were glowing now. This was so scandalous! She asked again, “Any more?”

“The Crown Prince is hooking up with a married woman. Do you want to hear about that?” Ming Yi sat up straight, arching an eyebrow with a rare, playful expression. It was as if a celestial being from the heavens had finally landed on the dusty earth.

She seemed much more “down to earth” now!