Chapter 22 Chapter Twenty-Two

Her waist became thicker day by day, and her body became heavier and heavier. Shen Zhenzhu was more energetic than before pregnancy. She painted flowers with the maids, visited the prince and concubine on time, went to Daxiangguo Temple to burn incense and pay respects to Buddha every three to five days, and even treated Cui Caiping She also responded unceremoniously to the occasional sarcastic remarks. Cui Caiping was clumsy and difficult to match. She was often so angry that her eyes were red, her mouth was pouting and she walked away, making Shen Zhenzhu and Su Ci secretly laughing for a long time.

Regarding Tongguan, it seemed tacit understanding, including the prince and princess, no one mentioned a word in front of her.In fact, there is no need to mention it, you can see the clues by looking at people's complexions.On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, she was having a banquet with the crown prince and princess concubine in the East Palace. Suddenly, a person entered the palace to give a secret report. At that time, the prince's complexion suddenly changed. On the next day, at the end of the morning, he entered the palace again to pay homage to the prince. Seeing that the prince's expression was already peaceful, and the whole palace was stable and peaceful, he was relieved.After a long time, Shen Zhenzhu knew that on that day, Xuanzong executed the two front-line generals on the charge of enshrining Changqing and shaking the crowd with thieves, Gao Xianzhi abandoning Shaanxi for hundreds of miles, and stealing the soldiers' rations. The army attacked Tongguan fiercely, and the rebels came like a tide, with momentum like a rainbow, and Tongguan was almost in danger. Fortunately, Li Chu came to the tower in person, shot down the flag of General An Qingxu with an arrow with the momentum of thunder, and then stabilized his position. It was not easy Supported until the evening of the same day, Shu Han, the newly appointed Deputy Marshal of the Army and Horses, led 80,000 troops under his command to Tongguan, and An Qingxufang returned without success.

Seeing that winter is going back to spring, Chang'an City is gradually stabilizing again, and the east and west markets are still lively as usual. When Xingqing Palace sings and dances, it seems that the situation is very good, and the slaves in the mansion often talk in private——in our great Tang Dynasty, we want to break Anlu Mountain Isn't this kind of miscellaneous bandits like cats catching mice? June is approaching, and Shen Zhenzhu's delivery date is also approaching. The imperial physician in the palace ordered him to come to take his pulse at regular intervals in the morning and evening. The concubine also came to visit Shen Zhenzhu several times in person.

The fetal position is normal, everything is fine, and it is a great honor.For some reason, Shen Zhenzhu became uneasy day by day.With a huge belly, it is always difficult to sleep peacefully at night. I often dream back at midnight, and I miss Li Chu day by day.Knowing that it was an extravagant wish, she still imagined that one day when she woke up from her sleep, he would sit in front of the bed, hold the carved ivory comb, make a bun for her, hold the ancient bronze mirror, and the person in the mirror would look at each other and smile... The sixth day of June, a perfect day.The gong of the third watch had just sounded in the mansion, and the child in her belly seemed to kick her hard inside, she let out a soft "um", and woke up.Smiling and stroking her abdomen, this is a wonderful feeling, the birth of a small life is connected with her heart.When she was more than three months old, she felt fetal movement for the first time. At that time, she was smiling and directing the maid to collect the snow on the flowers and trees in the courtyard to make tea in the coming year. Feeling strange, after a while, there was another jump, but the rhythm was much slower, and the slightest joy permeated her whole body from the inside out.

Su Ci, who was sleeping beside the bed, woke up startled, and asked: "Miss, do you want some water?" Shen Zhenzhu shook her head, stretched out a hand, and said, "Help me up." Su Ci hurriedly helped Shen Zhenzhu up from the bed, picked up the robe and put it on her body. Shen Zhenzhu walked slowly to the window, opened the window screen, the crescent moon was like a hook, a little bit of lovesickness. Under the cover of dense flowers and trees, several figures can be seen. For several months, no matter the dew is heavy, or the bitter rain and wind, they never leave, and they are loyal to this duty.The dead, the dead, should I admire them for keeping their promises and seeing death as home, or should I feel sorry for them for giving their lives for money and profit?Only when she is pregnant with life and will be a mother, can she appreciate the preciousness of life most deeply.She would think of the soldiers of the two armies fighting in front of the battle. They were bloody on the battlefield every day, and their swords faced each other. They were all born of their parents, but they killed each other.

"Miss, it's getting cold at night, go to bed quickly." Su Ci reminded. Shen Zhenzhu agreed to put down the window screen, glanced at the Huamulin unintentionally, a pair of bright eyes met her eyes like lightning and thunder, she froze all over, and then went to look for those eyes, those eyes seemed to dodge intentionally , She was startled and uncertain, clasped her hands together and tapped lightly, signaling that person to come into her pavilion. The man was stunned, and finally approached quickly, with a lean figure, walking in awe-inspiring manner, leaped from the window lattice, and was extremely swift, wearing a masked nocturnal attire.Su Ci was guarding outside since she went out, the man greeted Shen Zhenzhu, flicked his face, and lifted the mask, allowing Shen Zhenzhu to see his true face, and quickly put it on again.

Shen Zhenzhu took a light breath and asked in a low voice: "Why don't you follow His Highness around, when did you come to Chang'an?" Feng Shengyi replied: "His Royal Highness is worried about the imminent birth of the princess, so he specially ordered his subordinates to come back and have a look. His subordinates just arrived." Shen Zhenzhu's heart warmed, she stared at Feng Shengyi, her eyes gradually became misty, and asked slowly: "Your Highness, how are you?" The look in Feng Shengyi's eyes was as usual, and he replied: "Back to Wangfei, Your Highness is safe and sound, just worried about Wangfei's health."

"It's safe and sound." Shen Zhenzhu breathed a sigh of relief, as long as this sentence, everything will be fine.Feng Shengyi helped her to sit down, she thought for a while, smiled and said to Feng Shengyi: "Your Highness always worries about me like this, I'm not a three-year-old child, the Crown Prince and Princess Concubine take care of me in many ways, why should he send me away?" A general like you is coming back. Hurry back to Tongguan and tell His Highness that I am also safe and sound, let him take care of me and my baby." "This——" Feng Shengyi seemed to be a little hesitant, Shen Zhenzhu said firmly: "The one who needs you most at this moment is Your Highness." She raised her head and said to Feng Shengyi: "Your Highness is safe, please leave all the pearls to the general." "General" commensurate, got up and bowed down to Feng Shengyi, Feng Shengyi hurriedly supported him, and hurriedly said: "Princess must not, Feng can't bear it, Feng will go to Tongguan." After speaking, He clasped his fists deeply, and jumped out of the window again. This person's skills and actions are as clean and neat, and he has no idle words, which is admirable.

Shen Zhenzhu felt relieved, and she went back to sleep with the help of Su Ci. After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Su Ci called out in surprise: "His Royal Highness is back!" She turned over and sat up, and sure enough, she saw Li Chu striding in, his armor still on, no different from the jade tree facing the wind when he left, she was delighted Unable to overcome himself, he shouted "Chu", Li Chu had already walked up quickly and hugged her tightly. She hugged Li Chu back, and touched the cold armor with her hands, but her heart was like the sunshine of early spring, warm and rippling.Suddenly, her hand touched something behind him, and something wet and greasy stuck to her palm. She looked towards his back—a dagger was deeply embedded in his armor, and blood was dripping all over her back!She was terrified, Li Chu smiled at her with difficulty, closed his eyes slowly, and fell to the side...

"Ah——" Shen Zhenzhu sweated through her coat, woke up from the nightmare, panting heavily, Su Ci was so frightened that her seven souls went away, she only helped her to sit up, and asked: "Miss, miss, Miss, what's the matter? But you are trapped by a nightmare?" Shen Zhenzhu screamed, and the maidservants who were on guard for the night had already entered the room in a panic, standing quietly in a row, just waiting to obey the orders to serve the princess. Su Ci said: "The princess is frightened, take a snapshot and return to the imperial physician's order, and quickly boil a certain shock tea." Her own servants went to work.Su Ci frantically helped Shen Zhenzhu change her clothes and wipe her face, only then did Shen Zhenzhu feel a little relieved.When Zhang Deyu got the news, he also greeted him outside the door before leaving as ordered.

"Hey, the yelling in the middle of the night has kept me from falling asleep!" Cui Caiping walked in, wearing a crimson gauze robe, supported by a maid. Shen Zhenzhu glanced at her, and suddenly smiled and said: "Sister, if you think it's noisy, you might as well move to the palace, there are many palaces there, if you choose one, it is quieter and more honorable than the palace." "You!" Cui Caiping was so angry that she couldn't speak, she turned around and walked away with her lips pouting. After a while, a maid rushed to report: "It's not good, Mrs. Cui packed her bags and said that she will go to live with the noble concubine in the palace after dawn." Shen Zhenzhu calmly drank Dingjing tea, and after finishing drinking, she said: "What's the big deal? Let her go." Ask Su Ci: "What time is it?" Su Ci said: "The fourth watch has been handed in. Shen Zhenzhu waved to the servants in a room and said: "It's still early before dawn, everyone go to rest." Seeing that everyone had left, Su Ci complained in a low voice to Shen Zhenzhu: "Why do you bother Mrs. Cui? If she goes to the palace and talks nonsense to the imperial concubine, won't the imperial concubine have a rift with you? Your highness is not around, in case Once someone makes trouble, you will be inconvenient, but the gain outweighs the loss." Shen Zhenzhu said: "The suspicion is early, not too much this time. I just wondered about the dream just now, and I feel very uneasy." As he spoke, he told Su Ci about the dream just now.Su Ci said: "You are just worrying too much. It is said that you think about it every day and dream at night. Others say that dreams are always opposite to reality. It seems that there must be nothing wrong with Your Highness." Shen Zhenzhu shook her head: "Having said that, I always felt that the meaning of this dream was extremely bad, so I deliberately drove Cui Caiping away. First, I was about to give birth, and she was always dangling in front of me, distracting people; Now that she can't see me, she can feel less sad, and her life should be more relaxed." As she spoke, she also became sleepy, Qiang An recalled tonight's experiences and dreams, and there seemed to be something wrong hidden in her Among them, but left and right couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, so they could only smile at Su Ci and said: "Pregnancy really makes people dull, and this brain is really not as good as usual." Su Ci helped her lie down and said, "I My dear lady, you'd better go to sleep, maybe when you wake up, everything will work." When I woke up the next day, I still hadn't figured it out.Cui Caiping really packed up and entered the palace. After eating too early, Li Ruo came to visit Shen Zhenzhu with large and small bags of supplements.Many people in the palace knew her usual thoughts about An Qingxu. After An Lushan's rebellion, Shen Zhenzhu was always worried that she would not be able to bear it. Who knew that she seemed to let go of it completely, and she was still heartless, eating, drinking and having fun as usual No mistake, it made Li Chu and Shen Zhenzhu unable to persuade them.At that moment, Shen Zhenzhu said with a mocking smile: "My son has grown up, when did he learn this trick?" Li Ruo clapped her lips together and said with a smile: "Brother Wang, you told me to watch you carefully before you left. If you lose weight, I won't be able to eat and walk around. Besides..." She raised her eyebrows triumphantly, "Every day someone looks at you Tongguan reports your situation, if Brother Wang knows that I am so sensible, he must be happy!" Suddenly remembering that the word "Tongguan" is a taboo, he quickly covered his mouth and said: "Look at my mouth, don't say anything, sister-in-law You see which supplement is better to eat first, I don’t understand that.” "Someone reports my situation to Tongguan every day?" Shen Zhenzhu said hesitantly, and said a few words to Li Ruo leisurely. . After she left, Shen Zhenzhu ordered Su Ci to close the door, she approached the back window again, opened the window screen, thought for a while, and asked Su Ci to give her the long-necked thin vase with flowers on the table.Su Ci didn't know, so she took the gorgeous flower branches and only handed the vase to her. Shen Zhenzhu took the vase and threw it out of the window without any hassle. Su Ci exclaimed "ah", but heard the sound of "thumping" in the forest of flowers and trees, and several heads appeared in the originally quiet forest to check the movement hurriedly. One of them Shen Zhenzhu's gaze was caught squarely, knowing that there was no place to dodge, under her awe-inspiring gaze, he walked quickly and jumped into the room. Shen Zhenzhu asked forcefully, "Why haven't you returned to Tongguan?" Feng Shengyi replied loudly: "Go back to Wangfei, Your Highness ordered me to protect Wangfei, without orders, my subordinates can't go back!" Shen Zhenzhu sneered and said: "You are answering quickly now, I should have suspected it long ago, you have always only obeyed His Highness's orders, how could it be so easy to listen to me." Feng Shengyi lowered his head and said: "This subordinate dare not." Shen Zhenzhu turned her face straight and said, "Tell me honestly, how is Tongguan doing now, what is your Highness doing?" Feng Shengyi said: "This subordinate has already said that His Highness is safe and sound." Shen Zhenzhu said: "You are still talking nonsense. Your Highness has arranged for someone to report my situation every day, so why would you send you here again? He promised me to let you follow him, and now if he doesn't keep his promise, I have no choice but to break the promise. Looking straight at Feng Shengyi with serious eyes, he said word by word: "Tell me!" Feng Shengyi looked down at her, still refused to speak, but his body trembled slightly. Shen Zhenzhu saw it, turned her head and said to Su Ci: "Pass down my order, prepare the horses quickly, I want to go to Tongguan in person." Su Ci's face turned pale, Feng Shengyi was half kneeling on the ground, begging : "The princess is pregnant with Liujia, absolutely not." Shen Zhenzhu swept her eyebrows across her sleeves and said, "Then you say it, or don't you say it?" Feng Shengyi was silent for a while, then Fang secretly said: "My subordinate first ask Wang Hao not to be nervous, and listen to my subordinate's words." Shen Zhenzhu took a deep breath, pressed one hand heavily on the pile of supplements on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I promise you." Feng Shengyi said: "Actually, my subordinates have been back to Chang'an for three days. Your Highness said that Tongguan might...be unable to hold on, so I want my subordinates to come back and take care of the princess. If anything happens, I will protect the princess and escape from Chang'an at any time." Shen Zhenzhu felt that she was about to lose all strength in her body, opened her eyes wide, and asked, "Why? Isn't the situation all over the place? Why can't Tongguan be held?" Feng Shengyi said: "I'm afraid the princess doesn't know something. Because the current situation is very good, His Majesty has listened to Prime Minister Yang's words. Since June, he has ordered Marshal Geshu to go out of Tongguan many times to recover Shan County and Luoyang. His Highness said that now all places Before the conscription arrives, the only way to guard against danger is to wait until the rebels lose their patience and seize the opportunity to attack before they can be defeated without a fight. If they attack now, the rebel elite soldiers will undoubtedly be defeated by the mob in Tongguan. It's just that the court forced the battle One after another, His Highness and Marshal Geshu can only delay for a while, and they will be forced to attack at some point..." Tongguan is only 300 miles away from Chang'an City. If Tongguan falls, Chang'an will have no danger to occupy. Shen Zhenzhu's heart kept beating wildly, she covered her chest with her hand, but she couldn't suppress the trembling in her heart no matter what, Su Ci called "Miss, Miss" repeatedly, as if the voice was far away, but Feng Shengyi's words were still a little clear : "Wangfei, listen to what my subordinates have to say-there is no need to worry about your highness's safety, there are like clouds of dead soldiers around your highness, even if Tongguan is broken, they can protect your highness to return to Chang'an smoothly." Seeing Shen Zhenzhu's complexion as waxy, Loudly shouted: "The most important thing for the princess at present is to cherish herself for His Highness!" Shen Zhenzhu woke up like a dream, stared closely at Feng Shengyi's eyes, nodded slowly, and sat down on the chair.Looking at the tonics and clothes in front of him, he told himself over and over again: yes, what Feng Shengyi said is right, Li Chu is protected by so many guards, and there are dead guards desperately guarding him, no matter how dangerous he is, They will be able to come back safely, and come back to see her and their child.What's more, Tongguan may not fall, His Majesty is wise, maybe he will change his mind. Thinking of this, the trembling in her heart calmed down a little, Su Ci seemed to let go of the burden in her heart, and said: "Miss, go lie down again, don't worry!" In the abdomen, I felt that the pain was tight and loose at one time, it was not very painful at first, but gradually the pain intensified, and I couldn't help but casually pinch Suci's arm beside me.Su Ci suffered from pain, but she knew nothing about childbirth, she bent over and hugged Shen Zhenzhu in surprise and fear, and asked: "What's the matter, what's the matter?" She heard Shen Zhenzhu gritted her teeth and said intermittently: "I, I'm afraid Yes, it's about to give birth..."