Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 17.1

Chapter 17.1
After Queen Shen’s departure, Emperor Qingde started to advise Noble Concubine Chun with a soft tone in his voice.
“Take good care of the baby and give me a fat boy next year.” Emperor Qingde lowered his head and kissed Noble Concubine Chun’s hair while cradling her in his arms. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Noble Concubine Chun remarked, shaking her head and gesturing to her tummy. “It’s better to have a daughter; then I don’t need to worry.”
The look in Emperor Qingde’s eyes changed a bit.
He had long seen Queen Shen’s and the Crown Prince’s attitude towards Noble Concubine Chun, so he was not surprised about Noble Concubine Chun’s words after all. Therefore, after hearing those words, he thought that it would be good to have a daughter.
Emperor Qingde had no love for Queen Shen, but he loved Noble Concubine Chun, whom he had met so late. “I have everything under my control, so you don’t have to worry about anything,” Emperor Qingde assured in a low voice.
Noble Concubine Chun had no desire to decipher the emperor’s secret meanings from his words. She lifted her head and looked at Emperor Qingde’s face, which was getting older but still graceful and majestic.
With a smile, Emperor Qingde enquired, “What’s wrong?”
“Your Majesty, if I commit the crime of deceiving the emperor, will you punish me?” Noble Concubine Chun asked, looking extremely ashamed.
After seeming to ponder for a while, Emperor Qingde asked seriously, “You tell me first, then I’ll decide it.”
Hearing this, Noble Concubine Chun shamelessly rushed into the emperor’s arms and exclaimed, “Then I won’t say anything!”
Emperor Qingde was completely enamoured with the youthful girl because of her captivating attractiveness. With a smirk on his face, he muttered, “Tell me, even if you deceive the emperor, I will not punish you.”
Noble Concubine Chun smiled and turned over to sit up on her knees. She held Emperor Qingde’s big hand with a sly expression. “Your Majesty, actually I fainted on purpose during the draft. Do you know why?”
Emperor Qingde was slightly startled and subconsciously looked at his beloved concubine’s belly.
With a smile, Concubine Chun covered her tummy right away and replied, “It wasn’t because of this. I would not have realised that I was pregnant if you hadn’t asked the imperial doctor to visit.”
“Then why did you fait?” asked an astonished Emperor Qingde.
Noble Concubine Chun stopped talking for a while. She just kept looking at her husband’s face with an uncomfortable smile and muttered, “I am reluctant to let my sister-in-law marry into the East Palace. My brother likes the seventh girl of the Shen family, and he finally has the idea of starting a family at such an old age.”
Emperor Qingde was taken aback. ‘Li Zhi likes Shen Qingqing?’
“Your Majesty, you promised not to punish me, and you are not allowed to go back on it.” Noble Concubine Chun shook the emperor’s hand.
Emperor Qingde regained consciousness and saw the miserable condition of Noble Concubine Chun. “I’m just surprised that your brother fell in love with Qingqing,” Emperor Qingde remarked with a smile. “Didn’t Qingqing recently return from Suzhou? I don’t understand how your brother met the girl.”
Concubine Chun grinned as she spoke. “After careful computation, you are still the red thread. Have you not previously asked my brother to apprehend Cao Xiong? My brother hurried over without pausing to discover that Cao Xiong was hidden at Cangzhou’s Xiaoquan Temple. It so happened that, amid a severe downpour, Mr. Shen’s family made a detour at Xiaoquan Temple on their way back to Beijing. Cao Xiong kidnapped Miss Shen after my brother appeared, so my brother had to step up and save the beauty.”
Emperor Qingde suddenly realized. ‘Thinking about Shen Qingqing’s beautiful face, it is normal for Li Zhi to be tempted.’
“Brother likes Miss Shen, but between us and the Shen family… ” Concubine Chun went on. “Brother put off proposing marriage because he thought the Shen family would not accept. Who would have guessed that Miss Shen would catch your eye to be a Nobel concubine for the crown prince? You are aware of my brother’s temper, Your Majesty. He doesn’t grasp or struggle. However, I am his sister. All these years, I have been concerned about his marriage. I can finally see hope now. I… I would rather take your punishment than let go of this opportunity.”
Emperor Qingde patted his concubine’s little hand to express his understanding. Then, thinking that he had agreed with Queen Shen to appoint Shen Qingqing to be the crown prince’s concubine, Emperor Qingde asked strangely, “Since you had this intention when the queen asked for something before the final election, why didn’t you mention it to me?”
After a brief period of hesitation, Concubine Chun revealed the truth. “I only learnt of my sister’s decision to choose between the crown princess and the concubine this morning. Yesterday, my sister said she had only chosen the crown princess, and it was not Miss Shen.”
Emperor Qingde understood, and he could also guess why Queen Shen wanted to hide the matter of the concubine. Queen Shan’s guess was correct. ‘ The Queen might have thought Concubine Chun would whisper on the pillow and change my thoughts. But Concubine Chun was thinking about her sister-in-law, not the daughter of the protector who Queen Shen longed for.’
“Don’t worry, Shen Qingqing will not enter the East Palace.” Emperor Qingde gave the assurance and then said, “But if I can grant a marriage, I have to ask Shen Qushenge first.”
If Shen Qushenge didn’t want to marry his granddaughter to Li Zhi, the emperor didn’t want to force such an important minister.
Noble Concubine Chun said hurriedly, “That’s right. If the Shen family doesn’t want to, the emperor must not let Mr. Shen’s heart fall because of our brothers and sisters.”
Emperor Qingde smiled and nodded.
Have a nice day!