The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 9

Gu Jinse left the Du residence and turned back to glance at the plaque above the gate, feeling an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

‘Du Yan’ seemed nothing like her mother neither in temperament nor appearance.

Upon returning home, Gu Jinse found that an envoy from the palace had arrived. The emperor had appointed her to a position in the Hanlin Academy.

The role of a Hanlin official was somewhat delicate, they were responsible for drafting highly confidential documents issued directly by the emperor, wielding considerable influence. Of course, this came with one crucial condition: the emperor’s trust. Originally, this duty fell under the purview of the Secretariat. However, the previous emperor believed that the Secretariat’s drafting system was inadequate for safeguarding secrets and meeting urgent needs, so he gradually began favoring the Hanlin Academy.

In short, the Hanlin Academy was steadily replacing the Secretariat.

Fate seemed to have pitted her and Du Yan against each other, what a predicament.

Though she had just received her official appointment, she still had a few days of leave before reporting for duty. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she picked up her brush to write a letter back to Yuhang, briefly explaining the situation to her parents. Gu Jinheng had caused her immense trouble she felt as though she were on the verge of collapse.

There was one more thing she couldn’t figure out: at the Qionglin Banquet, why had the Crown Prince, seemingly out of his mind, insisted on plying her with drink?

Just as Ming Yi stepped out of the palace hall, a trusted aide approached and reported, “Today, Hanlin Gu visited the Du residence and sent a cartload of gifts.”

A faint smile tugged at Ming Yi’s lips. Du Yan had gotten off easy. She nodded slightly and said, “I understand.”

A cartload of gifts just how many were there? Gu Jinheng had once squandered a fortune on a courtesan, so Gu Jinse was likely not one to be stingy either. The Gu family was immensely wealthy, no less affluent than the prominent noble families in the capital.

Meanwhile, Du Yan had just returned home from her official duties when her mother sought her out, handing her the gift list. “Scholar Gu is truly an outstanding talent refined and distinguished.”

Du Yan was puzzled. “Why would they send me gifts?”

“They said they met you at the examination hall. Wasn’t it love at first sight?” Lady Du asked, confused but somewhat relieved that her daughter had finally caught someone’s attention and a handsome young man eight years her junior, no less.

What mother wouldn’t be delighted?

“Love at first sight?” Du Yan was stunned. She had never even exchanged a word with Hanlin Gu where did this idea of love at first sight come from?

She quickly explained, “Chancellor Ming has taken an interest in Hanlin Gu. Hanlin Gu’s actions are likely motivated by the chancellor.”

“Chancellor Ming? I don’t think so. Hanlin Gu seemed absolutely delighted when they mentioned you.” Lady Du couldn’t understand clearly, the other party was interested in her daughter. What did Chancellor Ming have to do with it?

Du Yan stared at the thick gift list, and a strange thought suddenly crossed her mind: Was Hanlin Gu trying to have their cake and eat it too?

She crumpled the gift list in her hand and said to her mother, “Mother, I need to see Chancellor Ming.”

Lady Du refused, grabbing her daughter’s arm. “He’s exceptional, a zhuangyuan at seventeen, handsome and accomplished. Are you really going to let him slip away?”

“If he’s involved with Chancellor Ming and is now pursuing me, do you still think he’s a suitable match?” Du Yan sighed.

Lady Du was dissatisfied with her daughter’s reasoning and insisted on her own view: “How old is the chancellor? He’s ten years older Hanlin Gu might have been coerced.”

Du Yan suddenly laughed. “How old am I, Mother? There’s only a two-year age difference between Chancellor Ming and me.”

Lady Du was utterly disappointed and stubbornly insisted, “I think he’s a good match gentle and courteous. Besides, Chancellor Ming is domineering. I’ll send someone to inquire with Assistant Minister Gu’s wife. Perhaps Hanlin Gu truly has feelings for you.”

Du Yan replied, “Only someone blind would take a liking to your daughter.”

“You…” Lady Du was too furious to speak. “I don’t care, I’m sending someone to test the waters.”

Ever since this daughter began serving at court like a man, no one had visited their home for years. Faced with the prospect of growing old alone, when a literary star suddenly appeared halfway, how could she not seize the opportunity?

Moreover, she paused and said, “Prime Minister Ming and His Majesty, I’ve heard, and I feel there must be something wrong with this matter.”

Outsiders all said that Ming Yi obtained her position as prime minister through an improper relationship with the emperor. Otherwise, how could a female prime minister appear so unprecedentedly? It must be that Tanhua Gu couldn’t stand Prime Minister Ming and thus came seeking to marry her daughter.

Unable to see eye to eye, Du Yan covered her ears and walked away. She had intended to seek out Ming Yi for an explanation, but matters of the heart were too delicate and prone to misunderstandings. It would be better to wait until she encountered Hanlin Gu another day and clarify things with him.

Gu Jinse had recently been studying the laws, academy regulations, and the rules of the Hanlin Academy. Minister Gu had probed several times, asking if she had any intention of marrying, but she had refused each time. He wanted to bring up the matter of Prime Minister Ming, but after all, they weren’t family.

She hadn’t gone out and was at home memorizing texts. At only seventeen and still unmarried, many noble families were willing to form marriage alliances with the Gu family.

Gu Jinhuan had gone quiet not even sending provocative letters. Gu Jinse, fearing that “Du Yan” might harm someone, sent someone to the Du residence to inquire about Minister Du’s whereabouts.

The Gu family kept a close watch on the Du family, and Madam Du used this as a reason to visit Madam Gu, the wife of Minister Gu.

Madam Gu was taken aback. She had never met Hanlin Gu, that child disliked crowds and spent most of her time studying in her own residence. Her husband had said she was exceptionally good-looking.

Even if she weren’t good-looking, she wouldn’t be interested in a woman seven or eight years her senior. Smiling, Madam Gu said, “To be honest, I’ve never met that child. Whether she’s good or bad, I really don’t know.”

Unable to get any answers, Madam Du left disappointed.

One day, when Gu Jinse was accompanying the emperor for the first time, Du Yan came to see His Majesty, and the two crossed paths. Du Yan confronted her, “Hanlin Gu, what exactly is going on between you and Prime Minister Ming?”

“Your humble servant and Prime Minister Ming?” Gu Jinse was baffled. “I’ve never met Prime Minister Ming no, I’ve never spoken to Prime Minister Ming.”

“You’re lying. That day, before the flower-adorned procession, when you were changing clothes, she entered your dressing room,” Du Yan retorted.

Gu Jinse was shocked. “That was Secretariat Du, what does that have to do with Prime Minister Ming?”

Du Yan laughed in frustration. “Are you truly blind? I am Du Yan. What exactly did you mean by sending gifts to my residence multiple times?”

Gu Jinse flushed with embarrassment and hurriedly explained, “She said she was Du Yan.”

Now it was Du Yan’s turn to be confused. “She said she was Du Yan?”

Gu Jinse nodded, her heart racing with shock. She had been completely fooled. Ming Yi and Du Yan were around the same age, and when standing together, one wouldn’t dare casually ask who was who. She had almost gone to the Du residence to propose marriage…

Du Yan was so angry her chest hurt. Glaring at the young woman’s celestial beauty, she turned and walked away.

Well done, Ming Yi, using my name to fool around outside.

After walking five or six steps, she turned back and told Hanlin Gu, “I will return all the gifts sent to the Du residence during this time. I hope Hanlin Gu remembers to accept them.”

Realizing she had made a mistake, Gu Jinse quickly agreed, “Your humble servant understands.”

Du Yan strode away.

Under the corridor, alone, Gu Jinse broke out in a cold sweat. As she pieced the whole incident together, a question arose: if that person really was Ming Yi, how had she been drugged during their first encounter?

Gu Jinse stood tall and graceful, feeling inexplicably flustered. This Minister Ming was far more complex than Du Yan. She had been brought back by the Emperor from the temporary palace years ago. At the time, she was only eight or nine years old, and the late Empress Dowager was still alive. The Emperor named her Ming Yi.

The surname Ming symbolized a clear and enlightened world.

The character Yi meant beauty and grace.

Ming Yi was placed among the princesses, growing up alongside them and studying with the princes. Everyone assumed that when she came of age, she would become a consort. Unexpectedly, the Emperor had her enter the court alongside the Crown Prince, starting, it was said, from the Hanlin Academy.

For thirteen years, she remained by the Emperor’s side, until this year when she was appointed as Chancellor. While the Empress Dowager was alive, the Emperor was constrained by others. After her death, the Emperor tasked Ming Yi with purging the Empress Dowager’s faction.

To put it plainly, Ming Yi was the sharpest blade in the Emperor’s hand.

On the surface, Hanlin Academy compilers were tasked with editing, but most of the time, they stayed by the Emperor’s side, drafting documents.

They had a designated waiting area where they would sit together and chat idly.

A colleague handed Gu Jinse a cup of tea and asked what she was doing. The colleague said, “They’re talking about Minister Ming.”

Gu Jinse’s hand trembled as she took the tea. “What about Minister Ming?”

“On the day of the Shangsi Festival, Minister Ming disappeared for an entire day. Rumor has it she was abducted by ruffians even the steward of her residence couldn’t find her. She missed the court assembly the next day and only apologized to the Emperor by dusk. The Emperor didn’t blame her and even granted her two days off to rest.”

“Everyone’s speculating about how she disappeared. If she was abducted by ruffians, how did she return completely unharmed?”

“Also, I heard the Third Princess doesn’t get along with Minister Ming.”

The conversation drifted to matters between women, and Gu Jinse perked up, listening to the gossip. It turned out the Empress was the Empress Dowager’s niece. Ming Yi’s purge of the Empress Dowager’s faction had subtly suppressed the Empress. Naturally, the Third Princess was displeased and often caused trouble for Minister Ming.

They speculated that the disappearance that day was likely connected to the Third Princess.

The timeline matched perfectly. Gu Jinse was certain that the person she had encountered was Ming Yi. How infuriating, she had been deceived!

Gu Jinse stewed in silent anger while the men around her chatted about scandalous gossip, mostly revolving around the long-standing ambiguous relationship between the Emperor and the Chancellor.

Gu Jinse rolled her eyes. Ambiguous, my foot! Minister Ming was clearly pure and innocent.

Wait, no one else knew, but she alone was aware that Ming Yi was a maiden, with no improper relationship whatsoever with the Emperor.

Besides, the Emperor was old enough to be Ming Yi’s father. If someone claimed Ming Yi was a lost pearl of the Emperor, she might believe it.

After finishing a cup of tea, it was time to leave work. Today wasn’t Gu Jinse’s shift, so she tidied up and prepared to go home.

As she stepped across the hall’s threshold, she looked up and saw Ming Yi’s gloomy expression.

Gu Jinse’s anger flared instantly. She glared at her and spat, “Liar.”

Hanlin officials were only seventh-rank, lowly and powerless in Ming Yi’s presence. The other Hanlin scholars, seeing the situation, quickly bowed and retreated.

Ming Yi strolled into the hall. The on-duty Hanlin scholar, glancing at the Chancellor and then at the furious Gu Hanlin, set down his teacup without a word and hastily withdrew.

Gu Jinse spoke first, “Why did you lie to me?”

“You were the foolish one. I never admitted to being Du Yan, you were the one who kept calling me ‘Minister Du’ and even offered gifts on your own accord.” Ming Yi’s gaze was indifferent, her entire demeanor exuding an aura of authority.

Gu Jinse was left speechless, seething with anger.

Ming Yi found a seat and sat down. The hall was furnished with chairs, no sitting mats in sight, the setup was rather simple. She glanced around and asked, “What were you all doing just now?”

“Gossiping about you,” Gu Jinse replied without a hint of fear, taking a seat opposite her.

It was strange, really. While her colleagues were terrified of Ming Yi, she felt no such fear.

Could it be that sleeping with someone changes how you perceive them?

Ming Yi looked up and met her gaze. In Gu Jinse’s clear eyes danced a hint of laughter, tinged with mockery far from a friendly smile.

“Speaking ill of me?” Ming Yi didn’t quite understand the term “gossip,” but that smile of hers was highly suspicious.

Gu Jinse, bold as ever, met Ming Yi’s eyes directly. In that brief moment, she caught a flicker of confusion in Ming Yi’s expression.

Ming Yi was nothing like the rumors described. The Hanlin scholars painted her as ruthless, calling her a demon, a woman not to be trifled with.

Yet, when they first met, Gu Jinse saw only beauty and allure in Ming Yi. For some reason, an image flashed in her mind: Ming Yi holding her tightly, refusing to let go, especially those long legs wrapped around her waist…

Gu Jinse smiled sweetly and said, “They were saying your relationship with the emperor is improper, that you rose to power through seduction.”

“Oh? You’re quite honest.” Ming Yi raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. “Do you think that’s true?”

“Me?” Gu Jinse chuckled softly and replied, “Your taste is exquisite. Especially the corner of your lips so soft.”

A blatant provocation.