The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 22.1

The man who burst out was a complete mess. His outer robes were gone, his trousers discarded, and his inner shirt hung wide open, exposing his bare chest.

He was tall and gaunt. As he charged out, he faltered for a second before lunging directly at the person closest to him: Gu Jinse.

Still dazed by the heavy incense, Gu Jinse saw the world in overlapping shadows. The man grabbed her in a tight embrace; she tried to break free, but his strength was overwhelming.

As she struggled, a group of people stormed in, led by the Third Princess, who froze at the sight. Consort Gui let out a sharp command: “Pull him off her, quickly!”

The eunuchs rushed forward, seizing the man’s arms and throat, and with a collective heave, they violently dragged him away.

Gu Jinse collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, her hair disheveled. Consort Gui’s eyes darkened as she covered her nose and mouth. “Hurry, open the windows! Move the Prime Minister and Young Master Gu outside.”

The Empress, who had arrived with them, barked, “Hold on! Meeting a man in private within the palace violates imperial law. Seize Ming Yi!”

Consort Gui’s lips curled into a smirk. “Empress, is your eyesight failing you today? Do young couples usually ‘secretly meet’ a man together?”

“This is Ming Yi’s palace!” the Empress snapped.

Ming Yi leaned against the divan, her eyes half-closed. She felt a slight sense of weightlessness, and the cacophony of voices made her head throb. She stood up and commanded, “All of you, shut up.”

Even in danger, she remained unruffled. Squinting at the blurry figure of the Empress, she said in a low voice, “Do not forget, Your Majesty, that I am a high-ranking official of the court. You have no authority to dispose of me. As for this man…” she paused. “If this were truly a private tryst, he should be dragged out and beaten to death. As for my alleged ‘crimes,’ the Emperor alone shall judge them. You… lack the qualification.”

The Empress’s face paled from the humiliation. Consort Gui mocked her further, “Your Majesty seems to have forgotten—she is indeed Ming Yi, but she is also the Prime Minister. She has held her post for a long time; we should show her some respect. Consort of the Second Prince, help your ‘elder sister’ out to rest.”

Min-shi, the Second Prince’s wife, stepped forward. Catching a whiff of the potent fragrance, she instinctively covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Even with the windows open, the air felt like boiling oil in one’s chest. Being an experienced woman, she recognized the aphrodisiac incense immediately. She supported Ming Yi and led her out, then looked at her husband. “Quickly, help Young Master Gu out. If he stays in there much longer, he’ll be pouncing on anyone he sees.”

The Second Prince stepped forward. “Young Master Gu, can you walk?”

Gu Jinse closed her eyes. With the scent fading, she asked, “Is there cold water?”

“Yes. Fetch some water!” The Second Prince shouted to the attendants.

The splash of cold water cleared some of the dizziness and heat. Gu Jinse reopened her eyes, revealing a pair of crystalline pupils. The breeze in the corridor felt fresh and life-giving. She nodded, stood up on shaky legs, thanked the Prince, and slowly walked toward the exit.

Meanwhile, the man—now dressed—lay slumped on the ground, twitching with a flushed face.

Consort Gui shielded her eyes with an expression of pure disgust. “Having spent so much time with the Emperor, any other man is an eyesore.”

The Second Prince: “…” Talk about collateral damage.

Ming Yi had recovered somewhat after a cup of refreshing tea. “I haven’t lived here for six months, and the maids have all been replaced. Your Majesty, I have one question: Why did you replace my palace maids?”

The Empress trembled but kept her chin up to save face. “Their time was up; they were sent out of the palace to be married.”

Ming Yi nodded. “Seize all the maids currently in this palace and send them to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. I must give Supervisor Gu an explanation for today. For a wife, chastity is of the utmost importance.”

A recovered Gu Jinse blinked and chimed in, “I know the Prime Minister is innocent. That man lunging at me was clearly premeditated. Every time I enter the palace, I am led by eunuchs and must pass through checkpoints. Who this man is and how he got in can be easily traced. It will prove the Prime Minister’s innocence.”

“Innocence?” the Third Princess sneered. “Why didn’t she think of innocence when she was ‘playing dragons and phoenixes’ with others day and night? If you ask me, the Prime Minister hates the Imperial Grandmother and chose this anniversary to perform filthy acts out of spite. Or perhaps she simply couldn’t control herself. Supervisor Gu, you’re new to the capital; don’t be fooled by our ‘sister’s’ true nature.”

The foul words made Gu Jinse frown. As a modern woman, she found it loathsome to use a woman’s chastity as a weapon. For a princess to be so shameless—she wondered how the Empress had raised her.

She spoke calmly: “The Princess is too kind to worry. Thanks to your ‘blessing,’ I have learned that the Prime Minister is a woman as gentle as water.”

Gentle as water? Consort Gui’s eyebrows shot up. When Ming Yi first entered the palace, she used her martial arts to beat the princes until they lay on the ground crying for their father. Was that gentle as water? Last year, when Ming Yi purged the court and had heads rolling like watermelons at her feet, she had smiled. Was that gentle as water?

Supervisor Gu wasn’t just in love; she was blind.

Consort Gui turned to her own son and daughter-in-law—one cold as frost, the other looking like she’d rather be anywhere else—and sighed. She turned back to watch the show.

“She’s ‘gentle as water’?” the Princess exploded. “Gu Jinhuan, are you blind?”

Gu Jinse, her face still slightly flushed from the incense, gave the Princess a look. “I am a scholar personally ranked by the Emperor. To question me is to question His Majesty.”

“You…” The Princess turned cold. “Gu Jinhuan, I’ll give you one chance: break off the engagement so you aren’t pointed at for the rest of your life.”

“Break the engagement to marry you, Princess?” Ming Yi asked serenely. “If he married you, people would tell him his wife was ‘well-acquainted’ with such matters since she was fourteen, taking seven men in a single night. Don’t you think he would feel even more ‘wronged’ then?”

Consort Gui couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “A-Yi, don’t exaggerate. It wasn’t seven, just two. The Emperor’s elder princesses keep countless male companions; our Third Princess is simply learning from her elders. Little Three, stop talking.”

Gu Jinse, weak but suppressing a laugh, stole a glance at Ming Yi and saw the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

The Empress was livid. “Consort Gui! Is this how you speak of your juniors?”

“Don’t be angry, Your Majesty. I’ll be quiet. A-Yi belongs to the Emperor’s circle; you cannot touch her anyway. We should wait for the Emperor to wake from his nap. The priority is to seize every servant in this palace before they disappear. The Prime Minister won’t even need to speak to prove her innocence.”

The Empress, suppressing her temper, ordered her own maids: “Seize that scoundrel!”

“No need to trouble yourself, Your Majesty,” Ming Yi interjected immediately. “I will have the Ministry of Justice investigate.”

Consort De, silent until now, suddenly remarked, “That scoundrel was hugging Supervisor Gu just now; it had nothing to do with the Prime Minister.”

Everyone had their own agenda. The Princess turned beet red with fury. Consort Gui laughed, “Supervisor Gu, so you’re the one who likes men!”

The Princess stomped her foot. “This is Ming Yi’s palace! Only a fool would commit adultery in their own home.”

“True,” Consort Gui mocked. “So today’s scene is quite strange. Is a Prime Minister really so stupid as to cheat in front of her fiancé? It seems more like someone’s deliberate scheme. Tsk tsk, such tricks are common in the palace. I say, don’t bother investigating. Beat the servants to death and as for that man…” she smiled coldly, “skin him alive to ensure no one dares try it again. Empress, when the Princess drags men to bed, you only scold her. But when it’s someone else, you want to kill? It seems a bit unfair.”

Once things calmed down, Ming Yi said, “The Ministry of Justice will handle it.”

“Palace matters are my responsibility,” the Empress stated venomously. “The Prime Minister needs to save face, as does the Gu family. Beat the witness servants to death and chop the man up for dog food.” It was clear she wanted to silence everyone.

Gu Jinse watched the Empress’s vicious expression—there was no trace of the morning’s grief, only a desire to eliminate the evidence. The Empress was aggressive, Consort Gui was playing both sides, and Consort De was playing it safe. They were all monsters.

As for the Third Princess? She was just a lustful idiot.

The princes remained silent, not wanting to get involved. A minor scandal wouldn’t end Ming Yi’s career, and no one would believe the Princess’s ramblings anyway.

The battle hadn’t really hurt Ming Yi. So, what was the mastermind’s goal? Gu Jinse couldn’t figure it out.

Consort Gui approached her. “Supervisor Gu is truly handsome. The Emperor often praises you, and I didn’t see it before—after all, everyone has two eyes and a nose—but seeing you today, I can’t look away. If you were born twenty years earlier, I might not have been so desperate to marry the Emperor.”

Gu Jinse blushed. “Your Highness flatters me.”

“Custom dictates that elders should invite the younger generation for a visit. I’ll take the liberty of inviting you both to my palace soon. I am the Emperor’s foster daughter’s elder, after all. And don’t worry, a scene like today’s will never happen there. I swear it on the Second Prince’s life.”

The Second Prince: “…” What does this have to do with me?

Gu Jinse wanted to laugh. Consort Gui was hilarious—why didn’t she swear on her own life?

Everyone eventually left. Gu Jinse, with a splitting headache, noticed her clothes smelled foul. She looked at Ming Yi.

Ming Yi was looking back. “Wait here. I’ll have someone get fresh clothes from the Gu residence. You should bathe.”

“Okay,” Gu Jinse smiled shyly.

The palace maids were all gone, leaving the hall hollow. Shortly after, Consort Gui sent two maids over. Ming Yi asked for bathwater. Since both still had traces of the aphrodisiac in their systems, Ming Yi tactfully avoided the inner hall and waited out on the veranda.

Gu Jinse took a nap while the water was prepared. When the tub was full, the maids left, only to see the Prime Minister sitting outside watching the view.

“Leave us. Do not approach unless summoned,” Ming Yi ordered. She was guarding the door closely.

Ming Yi sat watching the clouds, feeling a rare sense of leisure—even if it was just acting as a doorkeeper. She smiled to herself.

Gu Jinse finished her bath quickly. Finding no clothes yet, she wrapped herself in a large, towel-like cloth she found.

“Are you… finished?” Ming Yi asked through the door.

Gu Jinse answered, and Ming Yi entered. Gu Jinse was draped in a thin blanket, her skin like snow. The blanket was wrapped around her chest, leaving her shoulders and delicate collarbones exposed.

Ming Yi looked at her quite openly. Gu Jinse, busy adjusting the wrap, didn’t notice the intensity of the gaze at first. When she did, she shot Ming Yi a look and turned her back.

“Go through that door to the inner bedchamber. I’ve had the bedding changed; it’s all clean.”

Gu Jinse moved like a cautious little rabbit, shuffling toward the room. Ming Yi smiled faintly.

Once in the bedroom, Gu Jinse collapsed onto the bed. Ming Yi followed, now wearing a simple green skirt and a pink vest, she looked like a gentle elder sister.

Gu Jinse burrowed into the quilt, leaving only her head visible. Ming Yi sat beside her and peeked into the quilt. Gu Jinse shot her a warning look.

Remembering their “unfair agreement,” Gu Jinse slowly extended a hand from under the covers. Her fingers slid over Ming Yi’s shoulder and rested on her chin.

“I remember the treaty.  Can I kiss you now?”

Ming Yi’s gaze pulled back, landing on the bed. She looked genuinely surprised by the question, taking a deep breath and slightly furrowing her brow. Gu Jinse asked tentatively, “Does the ‘leap’ in our agreement no longer count?”

Ming Yi: “…”

“No, it does not,” she refused.

Gu Jinse felt a bit slighted and moved to lie down, wrapping herself in the blanket. Suddenly, Ming Yi spoke: “We can exchange.”

Gu Jinse sat back up, meeting Ming Yi’s smiling eyes. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, half-expecting Ming Yi to give her a shove.

The light in the hall was dim. Shrouded in the shadows, Ming Yi’s smile held a touch of coldness—she was smiling, yet it made one’s heart tremble. Ming Yi was a strange woman who kept her facial expressions perfectly controlled; it was as if she wore a mask, appearing less candid than she had on the day they first met.

Gu Jinse stared blankly at her, her lips moving slightly. Her gaze fell upon Ming Yi’s ruby-red lips. As if pushed by an unseen hand, she blurted out, “Exchange for what?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She lay back down immediately. “Never mind. Forget the exchange.”

“Forget it then,” Ming Yi echoed softly, her voice lacking its usual chill. She sounded like a child who couldn’t have her candy.

A child? Gu Jinse shivered under the quilt. Her thoughts were getting too strange—how could a figure like Ming Yi be a child?

After refusing, Gu Jinse began to regret it again. She felt restless and parched, licking her lips. She wanted to ask: Can I change my mind? Wrapped in the thick quilt, she began to feel hot, a wave of restless heat rising in her chest. She touched her neck; it was slick with a layer of sweat.

Neither of them spoke. Ming Yi sat in silence, and Gu Jinse lay in silence. Outside, the sounds of the little palace maids walking back and forth echoed through the hall.

After an unknown amount of time, the clothes from the Gu residence arrived. Ming Yi went to fetch them, again strictly ordering the maids to stay outside and not enter.

The maids obeyed.

Ming Yi brought the clothes in. The morning’s outfit had been jade-colored silk; the new ones were a set of pale green robes. The color was remarkably similar to Ming Yi’s own dress, though the style was different—they almost looked like a “couple’s set.”

She set the clothes down. Gu Jinse dragged herself out of bed, and Ming Yi turned and left.

By the time she was dressed, the sky was darkening. They headed toward the sacrificial hall, encountering Consort Gui and the Second Prince’s wife along the way.

“Oh, look at you two! A handsome man and a beautiful woman. Those clothes were well chosen—I’m practically dying of envy,” Consort Gui teased, stepping down from her carriage to walk with them.

The night breeze blew, making their hair flutter. The Second Prince’s wife watched the “affectionate” couple, her heart suddenly feeling a bit unsettled.

Consort Gui chattered on, asking about the young couple: when they met, when they started liking each other. Ming Yi didn’t hide anything, candidly admitting they met on the Shangsi Festival after she was ambushed by the Third Princess.

“Oh my, so that’s how it was! She really shot herself in the foot,” Consort Gui chuckled. The Third Princess was obsessed with Scholar Gu, yet the Prime Minister had beaten her to it. Now the Princess could only swallow her pride and stay quiet.

Consort Gui laughed all the way there. When they met the Empress, she went out of her way to tell the story again. The Third Princess happened to be there too; her face turned beet red with rage as she glared at Gu Jinse like a jilted woman.

Gu Jinse was terrified and quietly hid behind Ming Yi. Ming Yi instinctively stepped in front of her, casting a cold, distant gaze toward the Princess.

Then the Emperor arrived. Everyone tactfully stopped talking. They followed the Emperor in the rituals, kneeling for a long time as the monks chanted.

By the hour of the Pig (around 9-11 PM), everyone headed home. Gu Jinse escorted Ming Yi back to the Prime Minister’s manor before heading home herself. With Tu-Tu following her, the journey was peaceful.

Back at the residence, Gu Jinse was exhausted. She didn’t dare tell her mother about the day’s dangers, instead sharing only the “interesting” bits—specifically how Ming Yi had shut people down at the banquet.

Madam Gu raised an eyebrow. “The eldest Zhao daughter was a very gentle woman, the epitome of a lady from a great house.” Such a gentle person, yet she died so mysteriously. Madam Gu sighed, her eyes clear. “Ming Yi’s personality must have been forged in the palace. Se-er, if you encounter difficulties in the future, consult her. My experience is shallow compared to hers.”

“Why so humble, Mother?” Gu Jinse asked.

Madam Gu exhaled slowly. “I was a frog in a well. I used to think I was something special, but after meeting her, I realized how high the heavens truly are. She has done things many women wouldn’t dare. Which woman in the inner chambers doesn’t want to break those shackles? She actually did it.”

“She is indeed remarkable. Officials like Du Yan and Zhang Mingqian are also very impressive,” Gu Jinse praised. It was a pity they were all unmarried and subjected to gossip.