Let Me Go, I’m Not Pregnant - Chapter 3

 

Luo Ming’s lips twitched slightly, “How could my younger brother commit such a heinous act?”

 

He had only come to catch a cheater and enjoy a good show!

 

Luo Shen, upon hearing this, attentively examined the face before him, which bore a resemblance to his own. “Well, that’s perfect. Then, I’ll trouble you to take me back.”

 

Luo Ming: “…”

 

The wind rustled against the sedan doors, and footsteps approached from a distance. Unwillingly, Luo Ming instructed her attendants to lift the sedan.

 

Luo Shen, seemingly casual, glanced out the window beside Luo Ming and saw Gu Xingzhi coming out from the back door, his face as dark as night.

 

Luo Shen felt a sudden pain in his rear end and flashed through several images in his mind. His chest felt tight.

 

At this point, Luo Ming, still unwilling, questioned, “Your Majesty, how did you end up here? If it weren’t for encountering my younger brother, you might not have made it in time for the ascension ceremony.”

 

Luo Shen, with irritation in his voice, retorted, “I’m curious too, how did you end up there?”

 

Luo Ming: “…”

 

Luo Ming was speechless. In retrospect, instead of orchestrating a situation with a woman to get Luo Shen into the harem, it would have been simpler to eliminate him while he was outside the palace.

 

She turned her head, glared at Luo Shen, and gritted her teeth, “Your Majesty, time is running out. I’ve prepared your clothes. You can change into them directly.”

 

Luo Shen’s expression shifted.

 

He was in pain all over his body, and he didn’t want to deal with Luo Ming at the moment. He knew he would settle the score with her sooner or later. It was just that now was not the time…

 

His hand, resting by his side, clenched tightly again!

 

Seeing Luo Shen’s expression, Luo Ming mistakenly thought he was lingering over last night’s amorous activities. Previously, Luo Shen had pretended to be aloof, never discussing matters of the heart or showing interest in women of noble families. But he was clearly not as pure as he pretended, indulging in a night of passion and being distracted all the way.

 

Before getting off the carriage, Luo Shen secretly signaled the servants to bring the woman to him.

 

Just as they arrived at the palace gates, Chang’an hurriedly emerged from the house with the clothes and knelt down, hastily paying his respects.

 

Luo Shen felt sympathy for their knees and quickly waived their formalities.

 

Chang’an got up again and followed Luo Shen into the room. As they were about to enter, Chang’an stopped in his tracks, turned to Luo Ming, and gave her a sly smile. “Prince Qin, the coronation ceremony is about to begin.”

 

Luo Ming was annoyed. She hadn’t wanted to miss Luo Shen changing his clothes!

 

Why did he have to avoid her?

 

She then swept her sleeves indignantly and walked away.

 

Once Luo Ming left, Chang’an quickly entered the room and immediately noticed the marks covering Luo Shen’s body.

 

His eyes welled with tears, and he knelt down again, exclaiming, “Your Majesty!”

 

Luo Shen, hearing the voice, felt his ears go numb.

 

He didn’t want to deal with these matters right now.

 

A palace maid stepped forward and gently wiped Luo Shen’s body with a towel, saying, “We can’t prepare hot water right now, Your Majesty. Please bear with it.”

 

Chang’an finally stood up, took another glance, and his breath caught in his throat. He had known Luo Shen since they were children, and in his memory, Luo Shen had always been a fair and clean child. He never would have imagined that there would come a day when he would bear these marks all over his body.

 

However, with Luo Shen’s intelligence, he surely wouldn’t let anyone outside the palace know his secret, right?

 

Mixed with his heartache, Chang’an felt a glimmer of relief.

 

Luo Shen, once indifferent to matters of love and relationships, had appeared destined for a solitary life.

 

But since he had been with someone from the outside, did that mean there was a chance of an heir for the royal family?

 

Chang’an helped Luo Shen put on his imperial robe, and finally, his emotions began to settle.

 

However, before leaving, Luo Shen instructed the palace maid, “Changxin, have Doctor Zhao prepare a bowl of…”

 

He paused for a moment, struggling to pronounce the next three words, “Birth Control Decoction.”

 

Hearing this, Chang’an almost couldn’t catch his breath.

 

“Your Majesty?”

 

Luo Shen paused briefly but didn’t say anything else, continuing to walk outside.

 

Inside the room, Chang’an’s tears fell.

 

He had taken countless precautions to prevent those treacherous women from getting close to the Emperor. Yet, one day, the Emperor had been compromised by a man!

 

He was angry, he was regretful, he paced back and forth in the room, he contemplated deeply, he was in agony.

 

After washing the towel, Chang’an glanced at him and asked, “Why did Your Majesty suddenly go out last night?”

 

Chang’an was momentarily stunned, then quickly remembered the face that seemed familiar but couldn’t be recalled.

 

Snapping back to reality, Chang’an hurriedly walked towards the door and said, “Changxin, as the only personal palace maid by the Emperor’s side, you should know what to say and what not to say, right?”

 

Changxin gave a silent sideways glance and replied, “I would never betray the Emperor, there’s no need to doubt me.”

 

“Very well.” Chang’an immediately pushed the door and walked out.

 

On the other side, Luo Shen had already arrived at the Circular Mound Altar. The entire ceremony wasn’t particularly strenuous; it mostly involved kneeling and bowing, with relatively large movements, which made it even more challenging for his already weary body.

 

But he couldn’t afford to show it at this moment. He endured, calculating the process until it was time for the final tribute.

 

The Minister of Rites presented the offerings, and Luo Shen took a deep breath, kneeling to receive the blessings and offerings. After three bows, he returned to his original position and performed the ceremonial nine bows.

 

When he stood up, Luo Shen gazed over the vast crowd, listened to the uplifting music, and saw the ministers below wearing smiles on their faces. However, his mood was not elevated.

 

It wasn’t until the lighting of the ceremonial fires, the burning of offerings, and the resumption of the music that he stared for a moment. His eyes started to feel sore, and when he shifted his gaze away, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

 

In an instant, his blood seemed to flow backward, and a sudden chill ran through his body.

 

Was it him?

 

The eunuch standing beside him noticed his expression and whispered, “General Gu fell ill a few days ago, and he came here today specifically.”

 

General Gu? Was he General Gu?

 

Luo Shen trembled all over, his hand clenched into a fist inside his sleeve. In that moment, he felt disbelief, confusion, and anger at being deceived all rushing to his mind.

 

So… General Gu was responsible for that letter and everything that followed?

 

Luo Shen’s gaze towards General Gu turned increasingly ominous, which caught General Gu’s attention.

 

General Gu had no intention of coming here. It was just that when he was on his way home, he narrowly escaped being killed by General Gu, who said that if he was going to commit such a grave offense, he might as well kill him before Luo Shen did.

 

Reluctantly, General Gu came to the imperial palace to watch the spectacle.

 

He had never been interested in the Emperor, especially being brought back from the battlefield to serve as some kind of assistant minister.

 

However, he found something vaguely familiar about Luo Shen’s physique, which resembled someone who had escaped that morning. So, he couldn’t help but look more closely. He didn’t expect that, as the grand ceremony was ending, Luo Shen suddenly fixed his gaze on him, with a murderous intent in his eyes.

 

What had he done?

 

General Gu stared in bewilderment, unable to fathom it.

 

Fortunately, the musical performance concluded quickly, and the Emperor turned back to the palace, no longer paying any attention to him.

 

As the evening approached, everyone headed towards the banquet hall. Due to his role as an assistant minister, General Gu was at the forefront of the crowd. He noticed that Luo Shen’s posture on the palanquin was off, as if he was extremely fatigued, and his legs were trembling.

 

General Gu snorted inwardly, thinking that he couldn’t endure for even this short period. This new Emperor was truly pampered.

 

As they neared the banquet hall, a eunuch discreetly slipped in, holding a bowl, and looked around to ensure no one was watching before quickly passing the bowl to the palanquin.

 

General Gu snorted again, thinking, “People haven’t even had a sip of water yet, and the destination isn’t far. Is it really necessary to drink now? This new Emperor seems to have quite the appetite for indulgence. He might end up squeezing the life out of his subjects.”

 

Fortunately, Luo Shen sitting on the palanquin couldn’t hear his thoughts, or else he might not have been able to hold back from jumping off and tearing General Gu apart.

 

Luo Shen, with a pained expression, was about to drink his medicine when suddenly, a voice came from outside the palanquin.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Luo Shen’s hand trembled, nearly spilling the soup bowl.

 

He quickly placed the bowl aside, adjusted his attire, and asked, “What is it?”

 

“I, Gu Xingzhi, pay my respects to Your Majesty.” Gu Xingzhi bowed and said, “I returned to the capital a few days ago, but I fell ill due to catching a chill. I regret not coming to the palace earlier to greet Your Majesty, so I’ve come to apologize.”

 

Luo Shen frowned and replied, “It’s nothing. If you caught a chill, there’s no need to force yourself to visit the palace. You don’t need to worry about it.”

 

He sighed with relief and raised the soup bowl once more.

 

Just as he was about to take a sip, another voice came from outside, “Your Majesty.”

 

Luo Shen sighed again and put down the bowl, preparing to speak, but the palanquin suddenly stopped.

 

Chang’an approached and cast an angry glance at Gu Xingzhi, whispering, “Your Majesty, we’ve arrived at the banquet hall.”

 

Luo Shen had no choice but to abandon the soup bowl and get up to leave.

 

At the banquet, with singing and dancing all around, Luo Shen couldn’t find an excuse to slip away. Every time he moved, he could feel Gu Xingzhi’s probing and scrutinizing gaze.

 

Luo Shen was on the brink of madness. He simmered in anger for a moment, then suddenly remembered that he hadn’t eaten all day. So, he reluctantly set aside his anger, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

 

In Gu Xingzhi’s eyes, it appeared as if:

 

The Emperor had an insatiable appetite, drinking on the way, eating upon returning to the banquet hall, and not stopping all night. He feared that he might empty the national treasury in the future.

 

Gu Xingzhi imagined this scenario and felt a headache coming on. He had to look at Luo Shen with a concerned expression.

 

Luo Shen thought, “What’s going on? Why is he looking at me with those ‘I’m going to eat you out of house and home’ eyes? I’ve been bullied for so long, what’s wrong with me having a meal?”

 

Images of those past incidents flashed through his mind, and he accidentally dropped the pastry he was holding onto the tea tray.

 

Luo Shen took a deep breath, picked up another piece with his chopsticks, and couldn’t help but press the tip of the chopsticks against his forehead. He felt like he was getting dizzy from all the anger. If it weren’t for the grand succession ceremony banquet, he might not be able to control himself from rushing over to question Gu Xingzhi about why he did all this.

 

Why did he set up that meeting, pretend to be someone else, and do those things?

 

But Luo Shen couldn’t understand how someone he had never met could come up with such a scheme.

 

Had he already sworn allegiance to Luo Ming’s side?

 

Luo Shen’s fingers trembled, and the pastry he had picked up fell again.