Whose cub am I pregnant with?

Zhao Qi writhed uncomfortably in Xiao Shiqing's arms, "Brother Prime Minister, aren't we going back to the palace?"

"The minister said to go home." Xiao Shiqing said in a deep voice, "Don't move around."

Zhao Qi: "...Oh."

The Xiao Mansion is located in the best location in the capital, only two streets away from the Imperial Palace.For many members of the Xiao Clan, the Xiao Mansion is the "imperial palace" that symbolizes power.

Xiao Shiqing's parents are still alive. Xiao's father retired three years ago and returned to his hometown. He is currently living in a village in the suburbs of Beijing for the elderly; Xiao's mother was originally with Xiao's father, but when I think of the huge Xiao's residence, there is not even a mistress , I was really worried, so I left her husband and returned to Beijing to take care of the general affairs of Xiao Shiqing's mansion.

After Xiao Shiqing was promoted to the position of chief assistant, he was entangled in state affairs, often stayed in the palace, and only returned to the mansion three or four times a month.Therefore, every time he came back, his servants would report to Mother Xiao, and today was no exception.

"What did you say?" Xiao's mother couldn't believe it, "Shiqing returned to the mansion, and there is still a girl in his arms? Are you sure you read it right, he is holding a girl, isn't he as tall as a human?"

Servant: "Old madam, the young one can see clearly. It is indeed a girl that the prime minister is holding. She is dressed in bright red and is very happy."

Mother Xiao closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and said brokenly: "Bodhisattva bless, Bodhisattva bless, my son has finally enlightened!"

Servant: "But old madam, I heard that the prime minister took this girl back to the mansion from Chunfeng Tower. Where is Chunfeng Pavilion, where is the girl probably..."

Mother Xiao waved her hand and said, "Whatever the Spring Breeze Pavilion and Xia Yu Pavilion, as long as he is a girl, I can do it!"

The servant said with a smile: "The old lady is really happy."

Xiao's mother couldn't hide her excitement, "Yes, I've been looking forward to this day for too long. Shiqing is very arrogant, and his eyes are picky. I found so many concubines for him, and he didn't like any of them. I have been busy with government affairs these years, and my mind is not on the love of my children. I didn't expect that he also has today. I thought he would spend his whole life with Zouben!"

Servant: "Maybe the old lady will be able to have a grandson in the coming year. This is a great joy!"

Mother Xiao said happily: "Is the secret recipe I asked for from the palace last time still there?"

"The old lady is talking about the prescription of anti-fertility medicine? Here, the little one keeps it."

"Hurry up and boil a pot, and send it to that girl tomorrow morning!"

Xiao Shiqing carried Zhao Qi into the house and put him on the bed behind the screen.Zhao Qidong didn't dare to move, and he didn't dare to ask. He looked up at Xiao Shiqing with his head up, and there was even greater doubt in his big eyes.

Xiao Shiqing calmly explained: "It's inconvenient for you to go back to the palace with your appearance, first stay in the mansion for one night, and then return tomorrow."

Zhao Qi: "Oh...or maybe Brother Prime Minister will bring me a set of clothes, and I will go back to the palace after changing?"

Xiao Shiqing: "I'm very busy."

"Hey?"

"I don't have time to see you off."

"I don't need you to send..."

Xiao Shiqing said coolly: "Your majesty thinks that the Xiao residence is not worthy of staying with him for one night?"

Zhao Qi was wronged: "I didn't."

"Then it's a good time to wait."

Zhao Qi nodded helplessly, "Brother Prime Minister, clothes..."

Xiao Shiqing looked at him, raised his lips and smiled, "I said, since the emperor likes to wear it, he should wear it for a while longer."

Zhao Qi: "..."

"I still have something to do, the emperor should sleep."

After Xiao Shiqing left, several maids came in with hot water and handkerchiefs, and waited for Zhao Qi to wash his face.Zhao Qi's makeup was removed, but the skirt was still on, making her look a bit indistinguishable.

The maids didn't dare to say a word, and retreated after serving.Zhao Qi lost his sleepiness a long time ago, and began to look at the room.The house is very spacious, and there are no extra items except the necessities. It seems that the owner of the house rarely comes back.

Zhao Qi went to bed, still wearing a skirt.He stared at the top of the bed, recalling everything that happened today, and the heat on his face came up again.He raised his arms to cover his eyes, and murmured, "What a crime..."

It is rare for Xiao Shiqing to return to the mansion for one night, and he has to wait for him to deal with matters that Xiao's mother can't make up her mind about in the mansion.The confidant housekeeper submitted dozens of greeting cards and letters, most of which Xiao Shiqing just read the beginning and ignored, only one greeting card, he read from the beginning to the end.

The housekeeper recognized this greeting card, "Prime Minister, this is a greeting card from Duke Huai."

"Well," Xiao Shiqing said indifferently, "before the person arrives, the invitation card came first."

Butler: "Duke Huai has official business, so he can talk to the prime minister in the palace. Now that he wants to visit, it can only be a private matter—does the prime minister want to meet him in the mansion?"

Xiao Shiqing thought for a while, "There is no need to reply to this greeting post. If Duke Huai really comes, you can treat guests as usual."

The butler nodded yes.

Xiao Shiqing asked again: "Are there any abnormalities in the big households that you were asked to watch recently?"

The master and servant talked about the fifth watch, Xiao Shiqing returned to the room, the little emperor was sleeping soundly wrapped in a quilt on his bed, his cheeks were pink, his lips were slightly parted, and a section of red skirt was exposed from under the quilt.

Xiao Shiqing sat down beside the bed, looking at the face that he had looked down upon before, with rare confusion in his eyes.

Since when did he have the thought of "innocent, straightforward and cute" when facing this face?

The maid walked in lightly, "Prime Minister, it's time to enter the palace."

Xiao Shiqing recovered, and called out: "Your Majesty."

no respond.

He stretched out his hand and shook Zhao Xi several times, Zhao Qi frowned, opened his eyes a little, muttered something, grabbed his hand and hugged him, and closed his eyes again.

Xiao Shiqing's eyes sank slightly, and the palm of the other hand slowly closed.

After half an hour, the maid urged again: "Prime Minister, if you don't leave, it will be late for court."

Xiao Shiqing let out a "hmm", pulled out his hand, and lifted the quilt directly.

On the bed, the little emperor's long hair was scattered on the pillow, and he ate a few in his mouth; the bright red Confucian skirt was in a mess, intertwined with the black hair, coquettish and beautiful.

Zhao Qi shuddered and tried to grab the quilt, but couldn't find anything.He opened his eyes, slowly came to his senses, looked at the familiar face, and called out "Brother Prime Minister".

Xiao Shiqing looked away slightly, "Get up and go to court."

Xiao Shiqing finally showed mercy and asked Zhao Qi to change into men's clothing.Zhao Qi asked: "Brother Prime Minister, are we already too late?"

"Ah."

"What should I do?"

"They will wait." The "they" Xiao Shiqing said naturally refers to civil and military officials.

After some tossing, the two were about to leave the mansion, but they were stopped by Nanny Shen who was beside Mother Xiao.Mother Shen is Mother Xiao's dowry maid, and Xiao Shiqing doesn't treat her like an ordinary servant, "What's the matter, Mother?"

Mother Shen held a bowl of soup in her hand and glanced at Zhao Qi, "Huh? Prime Minister, where is the girl you brought home last night?"

Zhao Qi looked at the sky innocently - he didn't know anything.

Xiao Shiqing said: "What?"

"It was the old lady who asked me to bring soup to that girl."

Xiao Shiqing asked: "Soup?"

"Sitting fetus soup in the palace."

"Cough cough—cough cough—" Zhao Qi coughed frantically, blushing almost to the point of bleeding——I often look out of place with you because I'm not perverted enough.

Xiao Shiqing smiled, and said, "Ma'am, put it in the room, and I'll let him drink it later."

Zhao Qi covered his mouth: Don't even think about it!

In the Taihua Palace, the civil and military officials had been waiting for half an hour, but no matter whether it was the prime minister or the emperor, they didn't even see a shadow.

He Changzhou leaned against the pillars in the main hall, folded his arms across his chest, looked at the emperor's dragon chair and Xiao Shiqing's sandalwood chair, wondering what he was thinking.

Minister of the Ministry of War came over and said, "Little General He, why didn't the prime minister and the emperor come here today?"

He Changzhou said lazily: "Master Shang Shu asked me, who should I ask?"

The minister of the Ministry of War looked curious: "Isn't General He curious?"

"I'm curious," He Changzhou nodded, "so I plan to ask in person."

Minister of the Ministry of War couldn't help sighing: "General He and Prime Minister Xiao have such a good relationship, I dare not ask."

He Changzhou smiled and said, "Who said I'm going to ask the prime minister."

Minister of the Ministry of War said in surprise: "Then you are going to ask—"

Suddenly, the ministers who were still whispering suddenly quieted down.He Changzhou turned his head and saw Xiao Shiqing standing at the entrance of the hall.

Xiao Shiqing passed the crowd, and just sat down on the sandalwood chair, the eunuch said loudly: "The emperor is here——"

He Changzhou knelt down and saluted with all the officials, and looked up at the emperor on the dragon chair.

It seems that the emperor didn't sleep well last night, and he yawned when he said "Pingshen".

He Changzhou finished his court absent-mindedly, and went to Qinzheng Palace while Xiao Shiqing was discussing with the Ministry of Rites about the palace examination.

Ever since he started to learn how to manage the government, Zhao's residence has changed from the Yonghua Palace to the Palace of Qinzheng.When He Changzhou arrived, he was at his desk burying his head in calculations.

He Changzhou: "Your Majesty."

Zhao Qi raised his head, "Changzhou is here."

He Changzhou walked to the table, watched Zhao Qi write a series of strange characters, and asked, "What is the emperor writing?"

"Uh, the number of a country." Zhao Qi put down his pen and sighed, "Changzhou, I'm so poor."

He Changzhou smiled, "How do you say?"

"I just counted the money in the national treasury, and I lost a lot of hair." Zhao Xi broke his fingers, "I need money for the imperial examination, money for the Longevity Festival, money for raising soldiers...there is a flood in the south recently to help the victims Money is needed, and water control also needs money. I originally wanted them to cancel the Longevity Festival, isn't it just my birthday, and just cook me a delicious meal, but the queen mother said nothing."

He Changzhou said: "Your Majesty, the Longevity Festival is not only your birthday, but also the day when the vassal princes from all over the world return to Beijing and envoys from all over the world come to court. If there is a year when the Wanshou Festival is not held, what will the neighbors think of me?" ?”

Zhao Qi complained: "You and the queen mother said the same thing. The biggest headache for me now is the flood in the south, and the money is limited. Do you think we should give priority to disaster relief or flood control?"

He Changzhou thought for a while, and said: "Instead of worrying about this, the emperor should think about how to enrich the national treasury."

Zhao Qi's eyes lit up, "Do you have a solution?"

"Currently the biggest expenditure in the national treasury is military pay. I do have a way to save money for the emperor, but I have one condition."

Zhao Qi asked: "What conditions?"

He Changzhou smiled and said nothing.

Zhao Xi was a little anxious, grabbed He Changzhou's arm, and urged: "Don't talk halfway, I'm so anxious!"

He Changzhou smiled and said: "The condition is that the emperor will answer a question for me, and then let me give you a hug."

Zhao Qi saw that He Changzhou's eyes became complicated, and he thought about it: "Changzhou..."

"Ok?"

"Do you like to hug me?"

"Correct."

"Then do you have that... the habit of breaking sleeves?"

He Changzhou was slightly stunned, and smiled: "I just think the emperor smells good, and it's very comfortable to hold, just like holding a soft cat."

Dare to treat me like a pet.Zhao Xi said: "Okay, I promise you. What do you want to ask?"

He Changzhou: "Where did the emperor go last night?"

Zhao Qi didn't expect that He Changzhou's problem was this, "Uh..."

"The emperor promised me, don't play tricks."

Zhao Qi scratched his head, "I'm out of the palace."

"and then?"

Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain, Zhao Qi simply said: "Then I went to Chunfeng Pavilion, and then I was caught by the prime minister, and he brought me back to the prime minister's mansion."

He Changzhou had a playful expression, "And then?"

Zhao Qi: "Then I fell asleep."

"Just sleep?"

Zhao Qi asked strangely: "It's late at night, what else can I do besides sleep?"

He Changzhou smiled, "There are many things that can be done."

Zhao Qi: "..." I suspect that you are driving, and I have evidence.

He Changzhou leaned against the desk, took the memo and twirled it with his fingertips, "So, Your Majesty, have you tried it?"

"what?"

He Changzhou said naturally: "What is that elegant statement about—the matter of cloud and rain?"

"..." The speed of the car increased unexpectedly.

Before Zhao Qi answered, He Changzhou said again: "Oh, I forgot, there are three thousand beauties in the emperor's harem, this matter must be nothing more than a common occurrence for the emperor."

Zhao Qi corrected him: "Not three thousand, now twelve."

He Changzhou stopped what he was doing and looked down at Zhao Qi, "I haven't even tried it yet."

"You are still young."

"Can the emperor tell me how it feels?"

"cannot!"

He Changzhou approached him, "Why?"

Thanks, but I don't know either.

Zhao Xi raised his hand and pushed He Changzhou's face away, pretending to be calm: "You can only ask me one question."

He Changzhou shrugged, with a calm face: "Okay. Then, give me a hug?"

"Okay." Zhao Xi planned to have a brotherly hug with him, but he didn't expect He Changzhou to hold his waist and hug him directly.Zhao Qi hung his legs in the air, exclaimed, and instinctively put his arms around He Changzhou's neck.

He Changzhou chuckled and put him on the table.

Zhao Qi was still in shock, "There is no one who hugs people like that."

He Changzhou was confident: "I've always hugged like this."

"Really?" Zhao Qi was startled, "You usually hug your brothers in the barracks like this?"

He Changzhou imagined the scene, his face turned dark, "I don't hug them, I only hug the emperor." He put his chin on Zhao Qi's shoulder, took a deep breath, "The emperor really smells so good..."

Zhao Xi stared at the sky speechlessly——people of Dajing, I have paid too much for you.

After a few days, it was the time of the three-year palace examination.The Gong students who passed the examination were writing hard in the Taihua Hall. Zhao Qi walked around the hall, pretended to stand behind a candidate, looked at him, and nodded with a serious expression.

Zhao Qi stood behind the examinee for a long time, but the examinee remained unmoved and continued to write like a fly.

When Zhao Qi returned to his seat, Xiao Shiqing asked him, "Can you understand?"

Zhao Qi: "No. But his handwriting is beautiful, and the number of words is twice as many as other candidates."

"Really," Xiao Shiqing asked casually, "What's this person's name?"

The examiner said: "Return to the prime minister, this person's surname is Xu, and his name is Qiu."

Among the many candidates, Zhao Qi only remembered Xu Qiu.Apart from the fact that he wrote quickly and was the first to hand in the paper, it was also because he was a bit inarticulate, with squinting eyes, thick lips, and a big mole with hair on his face.

After the palace exam was over, the examiner immediately started marking the papers.According to Dajing's custom, the emperor's kiss should be chosen by the emperor.However, Zhao Qi had difficulty even understanding those articles, so he was very self-aware and left the matter to the examiner to handle.After reviewing the papers, the chief examiner presented the list of the first, second and third best to Zhao Qi. Zhao Qi looked around and asked, "Did Xu Qiu not be selected? I thought he was so good."

The chief examiner and the assistant examiner looked at each other, "This..."

Zhao Qi asked: "What kind of expression do you guys have? Tell me what you have to say."

The examiner said: "Returning to the emperor, Xu Qiu's essays are smooth and flowing, and every word is perfect. It is not an exaggeration to give him a clue."

Zhao Qi was confused, "Then why did he lose the election?"

Examiner: "Your Majesty, Xu Qiu is ugly. If he becomes an official in the court in the future, it may damage my prestige as Emperor Dajing."

Zhao Qi was angry and funny: "You are selecting talents, not a beauty pageant, and you are still looking at people's faces?"

"This……"

"If you ask me, as long as he has real talent and learning, I don't mind even if he is a hundred times uglier than he is now." Zhao Qi said, "I believe that the common people will not mind either."

The examiner said: "What does the emperor mean, give him a Jinshi?"

"No, just give him what he should. Didn't you just say that he is at least a prodigy?"

The chief examiner wondered: "But your majesty, from ancient times to the present, when you are looking for a flower, you have to choose someone who is beautiful..."

The deputy examiner echoed: "Yes, Your Majesty, three years ago, Mr. Rong should have been ranked second, but because of his outstanding appearance, he was demoted to be ranked No. [-]."

"There's still this kind of thing... forget about the previous ones. From this year onwards, in the future scientific examinations, you only look at the candidates' talents and virtues, and you don't have to consider anything else."

Neither the chief examiner nor the assistant examiner responded, and looked at Xiao Shiqing in unison—the prime minister hadn't spoken, so how dare they answer.

When Zhao Qi was arguing with the examiner, Xiao Shiqing kept listening without saying a word.

Xiao Shiqing took a sip of tea, and said lightly: "You can do what the emperor says."

The two examiners even claimed to be.

The fact that the Holy Majesty appointed an ugly man as a prospect soon spread throughout the capital, and the common people talked about it, some applauded it, and some said it was absurd.After Rong Tang heard about this, he found Zhao Qi and wanted to borrow the top three exam papers to read.

It was rare for Rong Tang to make a request, and Zhao Qi's reaction was of course: Here you go, I will give you whatever you want!

When Rong Tang was grading papers, Zhao Xi sat aside and ate something from the table.After Rong Tang finished reading, Zhao Qi asked: "How is it?"

Rong Tang said: "Majestic and far-reaching, not bad."

Zhao Qi smiled, "Then do you think he can afford the title of Tanhua?"

"Ah."

"That's good." Zhao Qi said, "I hope he won't let me down."

Rong Tang looked at him, "I heard that the emperor has ordered that from now on the imperial examinations will only focus on virtue and ability, regardless of other things."

"That's how it should be." If it weren't for the limited concept of the times, Zhao Qi would have wanted women to study and take exams, and then do something like science and education to rejuvenate the country, open to the outside world, rule the country by law, monogamy and so on.But he also knows that these things may not be suitable for Dajing now, he just thinks about it for fun.

Rong Tang said indifferently: "Who would have thought that the emperor would not judge people by appearances one day."

Zhao Qi knew that Rong Tang remembered the palace examination three years ago.It was at that time that the dog emperor fell in love with Rong Tang at first sight, and after failing to confess his love, he plundered him in various ways, forcing Rong Tang to enter the palace with the lives of the Rong family.

Zhao Qi was embarrassed, not knowing what to say, so he racked his brains to think of a topic: "Have you finished eating the candied fruit I gave you last time?"

Rong Tang let out a "hmm".

Zhao Qi smiled and said: "Then I will send some more. The medicine you drink is so bitter, you should eat more sweet things."

Rong Tang smiled lightly, "Your Majesty is right, only sweetness can cure bitterness."

Rong Tang seldom smiled, but when he smiled like this, the coldness around him seemed to turn into a puddle of autumn water, which made Zhao Qi feel a little dazed. "Rong Tang, you should smile more and drink more hot water." He said, "This way you can recover quickly."

Rong Tang asked: "Does the emperor often laugh?"

"That's right," Zhao Qi said boldly, "Look at me, I'm optimistic, open-minded, never fussing about small things; when encountering setbacks, I face them with a smile. As the saying goes, 'There will be times when the wind and the waves cleave, hang the clouds and sail directly to help the sea'! Rong Tang, you should learn more from me."

Rong Tang: "Oh."

Unfortunately, Zhao Qi soon stopped laughing.

Inside the Yonghua Palace, Zhao Qi spit out the date pit in his mouth with a "pop", "What did you say?"

Zhao Qiao cried, "Your Majesty, that Li Chisu seems to be for real, he has already gone to my house to propose marriage!"

"No...who is he proposing marriage to?"

Zhao Qiao said pitifully: "The emperor doesn't know something. My brother really has a dumb elder sister who is born out of concubine. She is not favored at home. My father can't even remember her name. Li Chisu sent someone to my house early this morning to propose marriage. , my father felt that it was a great blessing for a concubine who could not speak to be a concubine, so he agreed to the marriage without saying a word. Li Chisu also said that he would come to the palace tomorrow to ask the emperor to marry him... "

Zhao Qi pinched one of his own people, fell back on the chair, struggled to hang down the table, and said bitterly: "The east wind is weak and the flowers are broken, I'm afraid he is not a fool!"

"I can't help it. I just blame the emperor for being so beautiful. I feel sorry for him. He overwhelms the country and the city and fascinates Li Chisu. Also, only the emperor's stunning beauty can turn a prodigal son like Li Chisu back! "

The corner of Zhao Qi's mouth twitched.At this time, Zhao Qiao can still blow rainbow farts, and he is also convinced.

"What should I do, Your Majesty," Zhao Qiao cried, "If the two of them really get married and Li Chisu finds out that they are wrong, will he lead his [-] troops to crush my family?"

Zhao Qi's head hurt from his quarrel, "Now I know I'm afraid? You were very arrogant in front of him that day. Also, it's enough to flatten your family with 100 people, so why do you need a [-] army?"

Zhao Qiao cried and said, "Your Majesty..."

"Don't cry, hold on for me!" Zhao Xi said, "Wait for me to analyze it calmly."

Zhao Qiao closed his mouth, and there was great grievance in his small eyes.

After a while, Zhao Xi said: "As long as I don't agree to this marriage, it's useless for Li Chisu and your father to hit it off. Besides, the queen mother will definitely not agree, she always wants sister Jiayan to marry Li Chisu coming."

Zhao Qiao Qiqi Ai Ai said: "Really?"

"Of course. Don't worry, I will never let him get what he wants." Zhao Qi said angrily, "Li Chisu, a merciless rascal, actually wants to marry me as a princess. Why doesn't he go to heaven!"

The author has something to say: Prince: I don’t want to go to heaven, but I want to go to the emperor.

small theater:

Prince (smiling): Hello everyone, I'm here to propose marriage.

Prime Minister (coldly): Cut down the feudal clan.

General (draws sword): Go away.

Rong Rong was thoughtful, took the little emperor away and hid him, and locked him with a chain.