The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 19

The room fell silent. Gu Jinse’s posture gradually softened into a more yielding stance, while Ming Yi emanated a chilling frost.

“Go back to Yuhang,” Ming Yi said, her voice flat but sharp. “Tell Elder Gu that if he wishes to preserve the reputation of the Yuhang Gu clan, he had better keep a very close eye on Gu Jinhuan. Should he leave Yuhang, I will deal with him myself. Missing the Palace Examination and having a twin sister take his place. I imagine His Majesty’s fury would be more than the Yuhang Gu family can bear.”

The aide’s hands trembled as they remained clasped in a bow. He stayed silent for a long moment, and just as he managed to steady himself, the Prime Minister spoke again. “Elder Gu cherishes his reputation so dearly; would he really tolerate a grandson who could bring the entire clan to ruin?”

Gu Jinse was puzzled. Hearing this, her grandfather sounded like someone obsessed with hollow fame. It felt strange.

“I will relay your words to the Elder,” the aide managed to say.

Ming Yi’s gaze was icy. “You may leave.”

The aide fled without a moment’s delay.

Gu Jinse looked at her curiously. “Why are you back?” She remembered Ming Yi was supposed to be out of the city today, though she hadn’t asked why.

“There were assassins on the road. I came back.” Ming Yi’s hem was stained with something dark and messy. After saying this, she went to change her clothes.

Gu Jinse burned the letter in her hand. Watching the embers turn to ash, she felt as though things had reached a point far beyond her control.

For the next two days, Ming Yi was nowhere to be seen. Madam Gu eventually came to take her daughter home. Having stayed in someone else’s manor for a month, it was high time she stopped treating herself like an outsider.

As they packed, Chi Mei stepped in to stop them. “Your wound isn’t fully healed.”

Madam Gu replied, “Then Doctor Chi Mei shall accompany us back to the Gu residence. You’d have to come eventually anyway.”

Chi Mei corrected her, “My name is Chi Mei, not ‘Chimei’ as in ghosts and monsters.”

Madam Gu rubbed her ear sheepishly. “I heard it wrong, my apologies. Come with me to the residence; I’ll double your monthly salary.”

Chi Mei’s heart wavered—she did have a family to support, after all. Without much thought, she agreed.

As Gu Jinse boarded the carriage, her brow was furrowed. Madam Gu took her hand. “Are you traumatized?”

“A little, but I can overcome it.” Gu Jinse took a deep breath, a small smile playing on her lips as she whispered, “Mother, Prime Minister Ming told me many ‘interesting’ stories.”

Madam Gu showed little interest. What could such a serious person like the Prime Minister possibly have to say that was interesting?

Gu Jinse whispered, “So many! For instance, the Crown Prince is seeing the wife of the Heir to the Marquis of Yongping.”

Madam Gu gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. After a long silence, she stammered, “Is… is that true?”

The “gossip mode” was activated. Madam Gu’s interest spiked. “Suddenly, I think I quite like this daughter-in-law.”

Gu Jinse: “…” Is the mother-in-law relationship really this simple?

Back at the Gu residence, Vice Minister Gu was waiting at the entrance. A brazier was placed on the steps. He was all smiles. “You’re back! Cross the brazier first to burn away the bad luck.”

Supported by Madam Gu, Gu Jinse stepped over the flames, and a servant used unknown leaves to brush the dust from her clothes.

Once inside, Vice Minister Gu brought up her promotion and then asked, “I heard the Prime Minister is pregnant?”

Gu Jinse: “…” Where do these rumors even come from?

“No, Uncle. You must have misheard,” Gu Jinse denied.

The look in Vice Minister Gu’s eyes changed. He smiled knowingly, a depth of mystery in his expression. “The Prime Minister took a whole month off. You say she’s not sick or in pain, so why rest so long?” He didn’t dare say it aloud, but he assumed the Emperor had been cold-hearted enough to force her to terminate the pregnancy.

Gu Jinse was bewildered. Had she been so isolated that the news outside had become this ridiculous?

Vice Minister Gu remained convinced. He considered his Intel accurate: the Prime Minister was a workaholic who hadn’t taken a day off in years. If it wasn’t for that, why stay away so long?

Madam Gu, listening from the side, let her lip twitch. An abortion? What nonsense.

The guests soon left, and Gu Jinse returned to her room. The residence was filled with tonics from her colleagues after the assassination attempt and gifts from various manors celebrating her promotion.

She slept until dusk. When she woke, she felt refreshed. Some colleagues from the Ministry arrived to visit.

With guests in the house, wine was a necessity. Madam Gu arranged everything perfectly, only whispering one warning to her daughter: “Do not drink.”

About eight or nine people gathered, and the banquet began. However, the Gu residence had not prepared “entertainment.” In the capital, it was customary for households to keep performers to accompany guests at dinners.

The colleagues dropped hints, but Gu Jinse pretended not to understand. There was food and wine, but no women. The colleagues were disappointed but didn’t dare complain—after all, a higher rank carries weight.

By nightfall, they had all left. Gu Jinse went to rest, but Madam Gu sought her out. “Perhaps I should go buy some performers.”

“Mother, we are women too,” Gu Jinse shook her head, refusing.

Madam Gu sighed, feeling a blockage in her chest. “This is the capital. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

“No need,” Gu Jinse insisted. She loathed these rules. Why did a banquet require performers for “company”? Wasn’t it just a disguised way of playing with women?

Madam Gu poked her head in frustration. “If you’re this stubborn, they’ll ostracize you.”

“The Prime Minister is on my side,” Gu Jinse sighed. She felt a wave of nausea thinking about her colleagues’ behavior. Was visiting courtesans really this “normal”?

Gu Jinse kept two aides sent from Yuhang who were well-versed in the capital’s complex relationships. She needed her own network.

Upon taking them in, she told them, “You know exactly who I am here. And you know even better who stands behind me. I don’t care what happens in Yuhang, but while you are here, if you ever betray your master…”

“We understand.” “We understand.”

The aides immediately realized that in the capital, the Yuhang Gu family was nothing. This young master was their only path to a future.

They briefed her on the current situation: “The Emperor was heavily suppressed by the Empress Dowager, so he dislikes her family and the Marquis of Yongping. However, he relies heavily on the Crown Prince.”

Gu Jinse noted, “The Crown Prince is not the Empress’s biological son.”

An aide continued, “It’s a contradiction. The Marquis’s household is keeping their heads down, but the Second and Third Princes are starting to overshadow the Crown Prince. With the Prime Minister resting and the Prince stepping out of the Eastern Palace, the political winds are hard to read. It’s a balance of power now. The Prince tries to win over Prime Minister Ming.”

Ming Yi’s choice was the key.

At the mention of Ming Yi, Gu Jinse’s expression softened. “We shall see what the Prime Minister chooses.” She had a feeling Ming Yi wouldn’t choose the Prince.

After a few days of rest, Madam Gu went to the Ming manor to deliver the formal betrothal gifts. She was overjoyed, frequently going out with Tun-Tun for half a day at a time. It turned out they were just out gossiping. Tun-Tun was essentially the head of the paparazzi, and Madam Gu loved hearing about everyone’s business. They were a perfect match.

By the end of the fourth month, the weather turned hot. When the gauze was finally removed, a visible scar remained on her forehead. The “Top Scholar Gu” was now disfigured.

Ming Yi returned to court. Consort De repeatedly extended olive branches, the Crown Prince tried to woo her both openly and secretly, and the Noble Consort’s Second Prince “coincidentally” bumped into her often.

After about half a month of not seeing each other, Gu Jinse went to the Ministry of Revenue to begin her duties. There, she ran into Ming Yi.

The scar on her forehead marred her previous perfection. Madam Gu had given her a box of powder to cover it before she left, but Gu Jinse had tossed it aside. Being “disfigured” was fine by her—it might keep the Third Princess from obsessing over her.

When they met, the Minister of Revenue tactfully slipped away. Ming Yi smiled and reached out to touch the scar. Gu Jinse shot her a look. “Should we sign an agreement? You get to touch me whenever you want, but I have to apply for permission just to kiss you? Does that seem fair to you?”

Ming Yi’s finger paused, a smile playing on her lips. “You seem quite unhappy.”

“Would you be happy being touched at someone else’s whim?” Gu Jinse stood still, her face practically screaming: I am not amused.

Ming Yi let out a soft laugh. “What would you have me do?” The laugh faded, however, when her gaze settled back on the scar.

Gu Jinse gave a cold smirk and stepped forward, staring directly at Ming Yi’s lips. “Close your eyes.”

They were standing in the courtyard. There were countless eyes watching from the shadows—the Ministry of Revenue was a solemn place, the very lifeblood of the court.

Ming Yi obediently closed her eyes. Then, she felt a breath against her face—warm and sweet. She froze as she felt something touch the corner of her lips.

Soft.

She had been kissed? In broad daylight, she had been “trifled with.”

Opening her eyes, she saw the person who had just “trifled with” her looking utterly smug. Ming Yi wasn’t angry; instead, a strange, indescribable feeling rose in her heart.

Having succeeded, Gu Jinse turned and walked away.

The onlookers in the shadows were stunned. Supervisor Gu kissed the Prime Minister! And the Prime Minister didn’t get angry!

In fact, Ming Yi then hurried to catch up with Gu Jinse, and the two walked side by side, chatting without a hint of displeasure.

In an instant, the news of their intimacy spread through the entire capital.

The news did not escape the Third Princess. Still under confinement, she could go nowhere. In her rage, she smashed everything in sight and even beat the palace maids attending her.

These things remained secrets for now. Ming Yi’s biggest concern remained the scar on Gu Jinse’s forehead, but Gu Jinse treated it as nothing, even saying it was good for keeping the Princess away.

She truly was a big-hearted person. Ming Yi had always thought Gu Jinse took the most pride in her face.

Gu Jinse’s poise was like no other. Was it a lack of worry, or a profound calmness? For a moment, even Ming Yi couldn’t see through the young girl’s mind.

What are these young girls thinking?